4 ms·
In France, this industry is nothing short of fascinating, it's just an enormous bubble, almost entirely financed by the public sector, it's a market that is so
by vidoc 9y ago
In France, this industry is nothing short of fascinating, it's just an enormous bubble, almost entirely financed by the public sector, it's a market that is so broken it's almost hilarious. You basically have the glass covered by the government, as well as very basic frames, that you will typically not consider, since your company insurance policy probably comes with a plan covering frames.
As a customer, you don't really care, its mostly free for you of course, or worst case scenario you will have to do the deductible. When you go to a store with your prescription, they don't even bother talking about the cost side of things, all they want to know is what insurance you have. In a way it has a few similarities with the US health care system, prices are ridiculously high, often very opaque, sort of like in a legal mafia. In addition to this, the few people who have cornered this business have made sure it's hard to buy contacts or vision glasses in the next country. To give you an idea, just the glasses typically cost something like 200, except per glass, and as you know you will need two. They also have no problem charging you all kinds of useless options you don't need, the classic for example, consists in automatically adding the anti glare coding option by default if the client is an older person.
- bambax 9y agoAll true. Also, since the glasses are better covered than the frames, vendors routinely offer to move the cost for the frames onto the glasses, so for example if you want a frame that costs €300 (!) but your insurance covers up to €200 for frames then they will charge €200 for the frame and an extra €50 for each glass. This is completely illegal but every shop does it (suggests it without prompting from customers). It's all insane but there seems no way to stop it. Many online shops have started to appear but they too charge a lot (all reimbursed by public/private insurance). There doesn't seem to be really cheap options.
- kashyapc 9y agoOh dear. That sounds sickening. (I'm due for a new pair of glasses and I'm in Western Europe). Recently, I happened to visit a store to look for a new pair of frames (& glasses). The frames were so insanely expensive I had to ask the guy: "Why are they so expensive?". The guy's short reply was: "It's the brand". When I pressed further to explain, he couldn't say anything meaningful. Moreover, the quality of these "branded" glasses from my tactile inspection felt subpar (as in, I was wondering: "will they even last a couple of years?"). /me is still on the look out for a reliable way to find something reasonable without shelling out an arm and a leg. (Don't mind paying for good quality.)
- walterbell 9y agoTry this: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_nkw=modo+frame+auth+new https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_nkw=modo+frame+auth+new If you find a model number that you like, do a web search for "modo model_no" to find out the exact size and normal price. Make sure the size is close enough to a frame that you have tried and found to be a good fit. If you have a strong prescription, you'll want a frame with a narrower lens width, otherwise the edges of the lens will be thick, even with hi-index materials.
- kashyapc 9y agoAh, thank you for the suggestion, I'll certainly give it try. (And no, not a strong prescription.)