The Best Prices, Fast Shipping, Great Selection
Written: Mar 12 '08
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I love Vision Direct. I have now placed 3 orders through their website and have nothing but good things to say about this online store. They offer a wide variety of products, have fast (and possibly free) shipping, and great prices. I will never shop anywhere else for my contact lenses again.
Products
Vision Direct is an online seller of contact lenses. They feature many top brands, including Acuvue, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision, Focus, Frequency, and many more. They also offer a wide variety of contact lens types, including bifocals, color contacts, toric lenses, and even theatrical lenses. In addition, Vision Direct offers a full line of other vision and care products. These include reading glasses, eye drops, contact lens solutions, cosmetics, over the counter medicines, and personal care items (i.e. shaving creams and razors).
Prices
I cannot find another website that can compare with the prices at Vision Direct. My eye doctor charges close to $20 a box for Acuvue 2 lenses. He then always tells me about the rebates so that it seems like it is a better deal. Well, Vision Direct has an every day price of $15.99 per box on these contacts, plus you are still eligible for manufacturer rebates. If these rebates exist, Vision Direct will note it on their website and give you instructions on how to claim your rebate.
In addition to an everyday price of $15.99 and rebate eligibility, Vision Direct offers volume and other discounts. For instance, if you buy 8 boxes of lenses, you get a volume discount of $16. This is about a 1 year supply of contacts for me, so I typically do buy about that amount. In addition, if you search the web you will most likely find a coupon code for this site. I found one for $15 off a $100 purchase. I entered the code and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I qualified for both the volume discount AND the coupon discount. So combined I was able to take $31 off my order. This brought my cost per box down to $12.12.
I also click through Ebates.com to get to the Vision Direct website, and that saves me an additional 7%. So if you factor in the 7% discount my price per box goes all the way down to $11.27! I have tried other online stores, such as 1800Contacts, and they simply cannot compare. Although all stores claim to match prices, it is not even worth the phone call to any competitors because I am so happy at Vision Direct.
Shipping
One of the reasons I buy in bulk is because you get free shipping on orders over $99. But, if you do not want to spend that much, standard shipping is $6.99. You can also upgrade to overnight shipping for a total charge of $19.99. But, unless you have a true vision emergency, I see no reason to expedite the shipping, as their everyday shipping is surprisingly fast.
With standard shipping Vision Direct notes most orders will be received within 3 to 6 days. On all 3 of my orders, I received my package in the mail no later than 3 days from the day I placed the order. On my most recent order, I got my package in just 2 days. Granted, I have one of the most common contact lens prescriptions so I assume my Acuvue 2 lenses are always in stock. But regardless, that shipping time was amazingly quick.
Ordering
Ordering is quick and easy via the Vision Direct website. As an alternative, you can call Vision Direct at the 1-800 number listed on their site. To place an order, you need to know the type of contacts you wear, plus the power, base curve, and diameter. This information can be found on your current boxes of contacts, and it can also be found on your prescription. If you are not sure, you can always contact your eye doctor.
Because contact lenses are prescription items, Vision Direct is required to verify your prescription with your prescriber. If ordering online, Vision Direct will ask you for your doctor’s name, city, and phone number. You can search their database for matching contacts, or if none exist you can write in this information yourself. Alternatively, you can fax in your prescription to Vision Direct. I always leave my doctor’s office with a written prescription, so I choose to copy it, write my order number and contact information on the paper, and fax it to Vision Direct. I have never had a problem doing this, and as stated above, my orders always arrive very quickly.
Payment Methods
Vision Direct accepts credit cards, debit cards, and money orders. They do not accept Pay Pal, checks, or COD (cash on delivery). If you have a flexible spending account through your employer, they are a FSA approved store. Therefore, as long as you purchase FSA approved items (i.e. contact lenses, solution, some OTC medicines and some personal care items), then you should have no problem with reimbursement. Depending on your FSA administrator, they may still require an itemized receipt for your items purchased, and Vision Direct supplies that with the shipment. You can also go online and print an order summary at any time.
Overall
I see that some other Epinions reviewers have not had such favorable experiences with this store, but I have only had great experiences here. With the combination of great prices, fast shipping, and a wide variety of products, there is no reason for me to shop anywhere else for contacts. I will continue to recommend Vision Direct to my friends and family.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? contact lenses
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Epinions.com ID:
aimeeb1224
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Reviews written: 153
Trusted by: 7 members
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Vision Direct
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