Looks like there will be no more online discounted pricing for Acuvue contacts as of Aug 1. They are putting in a required minimum price, in order to help your local optometrist sell more contacts in-store. DH and I just ordered one year supply online for $15.10 per box. Who knows what the new min price will be. Alcon, Bauch & Lomb, and now Vistakon (Acuvue) have put into effect new unilateral pricing policies to ensure patients will receive the most consistent prices on contact lenses regardless of where they purchase them. The contact lens companies are now dictacting the minimum price per box (both doctor's offices and online retailers) can charge patients. Retailers are able to sell the boxes for higher than the manufacters suggested retail price, but cannot sell them for lower.
PS - If you order from 1800Contacts, they will price match any other site. I found my lenses dirt cheap on some site that I was curious if it was shady. But I chatted up a 1800contacts rep, and they matched the price. You might want to try it
Seriously dumb question. How do you order contacts online? We always buy through our optometrist but I'm certain we're getting super ripped off. Does Costco have good pricing?
You go thru any website like 1800contacts and submit your Optometrist info. They will call to confirm your rx and then will ship to you.
It is wrong that this totally and utterly pisses me off, yes? I will gladly shop for other brands or maybe this will be the push I need towards LASIK. My annual supply is about $200 from 800Contacts. I can't even begin to guess what it is at my optometrist's office. I doubt their pricing will "meet in the middle."
And honestly I still won't order through my optometrist's office. I will go online b/c 1. I can use ebates or similar (unless they start excluding Acuvue purchases, which certainly could happen), 2. I have a high rx that is NEVER stocked in an annual supply quantity by any optometrist's office I have ever seen. In the past when I have ordered through an optometrist's office, I have to order and pick them up a week later. Would I really do that versus having them shipped to my home?
Slightly off topic: For those of you who buy online, I can definitely recommend checking out lens.com. I've used them for years and they are consistently cheaper than anywhere else I have looked online.
I wear air optix night and day - $69.99/box on 1800 contacts, $39.99 on lens.com.
PS - If you order from 1800Contacts, they will price match any other site. I found my lenses dirt cheap on some site that I was curious if it was shady. But I chatted up a 1800contacts rep, and they matched the price. You might want to try it
They won't starting August 1st. I just got an email this email from them yesterday:
In the coming days, 1-800 CONTACTS will no longer be able to offer discounts, rebates or price matching on many of our most popular brands of contact lenses.
A new policy, known as Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP), is being implemented by many contact lens manufacturers. This policy regulates the lowest price we can sell their lenses for and will cause the overall price of contact lenses to increase with the elimination of sales, rebates and discounts.
Effective August 1, 2014, UPP will take effect on brands such as:
•ACUVUE® OASYS® •ACUVUE® OASYS® for ASTIGMATISM •ACUVUE® OASYS® for PRESBYOPIA •1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® •1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® for ASTIGMATISM •1-DAY ACUVUE® TruEye®
In the next day or so, we will be sending you an opportunity to stock up on your brand using discounts and rebates before they are no longer available.
Post by karinothing on Jul 22, 2014 19:45:18 GMT -5
My optometrist matches online pricing (the cheapest price I can find). I guess this means they won't have to do this anymore? Luckily they still will match Costco.
Even at my eye doctor my contacts are under $25 a box. Now I'm thrilled they dont have me in Acuvue.
It's hard to compare prices when some might be daily and more expensive. DH spends very little on his compared to me since he has monthly contacts and both eyes are the same script. A box for him lasts a lot longer.
For anyone curious about current pricing, I just bought two boxes (12 pairs per box) of acuvue oasys for $67 a box through my eye doctor.
I just reordered with a coupon code from vision direct and paid $75 per box of 24 acuvue Oasys. My prescription expires on the 27th. I just squeaked in.
Post by mountainbike1 on Aug 2, 2014 14:16:44 GMT -5
Guys I'm in the industry and it couldn't be the furthest thing from the truth.
Most people just see headlines and they take it for face value without knowing the full story. Sure seeing "prices are going up for consumers" sends people into a tizzy and makes them think everyone's getting ripped off, the big man is sticking it to us again, on and on and on.
The vast majority ( 90% of patients) are going to see the price they pay for contacts go DOWN not UP. You always have to look at both sides of anything before going off and saying its automatically bad, since I am in the industry, not a doctor and I don't work for the manufacturer but I do understand it and watched the depositions as well and transcripts and looked at pricing.
Here is the other side.
90% of scripts are purchased at there independent eye doctors and for years they would charge whatever they wanted, they would mark contacts up incredible amounts and know that most people would purchase from the and only the very, very savvy patients would shop them.
So take a lens like Acuvue Oasys ( #1 lens in the industry) doctors would have a cost around $21-24 per box and sell them for $35-50 per box on average, most around $39 per box, so the average consumer was paying $312 for there contacts, some were so high in price that instead of wearing them the way they were supposed to be worn, it almost forced them to wear them twice as long because of the price being so high.
So the company dropped the cost to doctors and online to level the playing field and stop doctors from charging such high prices, and give a better value to the patient . If most doctors see that the industry is going to be around $220 for a year supply and they keep charging $312 then they will loose business fast.
It keeps everyone in check and gives a fair ( much lower profit) profit for resellers but a much more attractive price point to the consumer.
Obviously there is nothing in life, and I mean nothing that can make all people happy all the time. You could give everyone free money and you would have some complain that they didn't earn it, etc etc.
The online retailers that would sell contacts cheaper would put a price up but when you factored in, processing fees, taxes, and shipping the price you see was 98% of the time NOT the price you ended up with.
My point is this, for 90% of the consumers in the USA they are going to be paying a LOT less for there lenses, which is great for consumers, it also keeps the doctors honest. for the other 10% if you truly looked at your net price, if it was much below they new format there is a very strong chance they got there lenses from the "black market" and were not authorized resellers of the lenses in the first place.
Its funny the head of 1800 contacts testified and said how bad this was for consumers, but think about this for a second...
Right now they charge $135.96 for a 24 pack of Oasys, most doctors in the country are going to charge $110 per 24 pack, or a $51.92 LESS than 1800 for a year supply of lenses!!!!!
Anyway go ahead and lamb base me, I don't mind, but there is always two sides to every story and it just bothers me when people don't understand what the company was trying to do.
Guys I'm in the industry and it couldn't be the furthest thing from the truth.
Most people just see headlines and they take it for face value without knowing the full story. Sure seeing "prices are going up for consumers" sends people into a tizzy and makes them think everyone's getting ripped off, the big man is sticking it to us again, on and on and on.
The vast majority ( 90% of patients) are going to see the price they pay for contacts go DOWN not UP. You always have to look at both sides of anything before going off and saying its automatically bad, since I am in the industry, not a doctor and I don't work for the manufacturer but I do understand it and watched the depositions as well and transcripts and looked at pricing.
Here is the other side.
90% of scripts are purchased at there independent eye doctors and for years they would charge whatever they wanted, they would mark contacts up incredible amounts and know that most people would purchase from the and only the very, very savvy patients would shop them.
So take a lens like Acuvue Oasys ( #1 lens in the industry) doctors would have a cost around $21-24 per box and sell them for $35-50 per box on average, most around $39 per box, so the average consumer was paying $312 for there contacts, some were so high in price that instead of wearing them the way they were supposed to be worn, it almost forced them to wear them twice as long because of the price being so high.
So the company dropped the cost to doctors and online to level the playing field and stop doctors from charging such high prices, and give a better value to the patient . If most doctors see that the industry is going to be around $220 for a year supply and they keep charging $312 then they will loose business fast.
It keeps everyone in check and gives a fair ( much lower profit) profit for resellers but a much more attractive price point to the consumer.
Obviously there is nothing in life, and I mean nothing that can make all people happy all the time. You could give everyone free money and you would have some complain that they didn't earn it, etc etc.
The online retailers that would sell contacts cheaper would put a price up but when you factored in, processing fees, taxes, and shipping the price you see was 98% of the time NOT the price you ended up with.
My point is this, for 90% of the consumers in the USA they are going to be paying a LOT less for there lenses, which is great for consumers, it also keeps the doctors honest. for the other 10% if you truly looked at your net price, if it was much below they new format there is a very strong chance they got there lenses from the "black market" and were not authorized resellers of the lenses in the first place.
Its funny the head of 1800 contacts testified and said how bad this was for consumers, but think about this for a second...
Right now they charge $135.96 for a 24 pack of Oasys, most doctors in the country are going to charge $110 per 24 pack, or a $51.92 LESS than 1800 for a year supply of lenses!!!!!
Anyway go ahead and lamb base me, I don't mind, but there is always two sides to every story and it just bothers me when people don't understand what the company was trying to do.
Sorry, but an annual supply at 1800contacts for Oasys is $110.96 after rebate-not clear if it's for all distributors or just 1800contacts (but $135.96 if you only buy a 6 month supply) and then I can get 20% off for orders over $175 (which is easy) and then 10% back when I use my Upromise credit card. Still cheaper.