Cool FramesReviews of coolframes.com

I paid for express service for a pair of glasses which finally came but to my disappointment they were the wrong glasses. They had assured me that they will refund the shipping fees which has not happened. I had to pay for shipping it back to them. They have now again shipped them to me but as a gift and not something that I have purchased. There reason is that they do this to save duties. Something that is not mentioned in there w They seem to be stuck in UK customs and I have no way to find out how to get them. I have called them multiple times, the courier company. Cool frames customer service department is saying that I need to contact the local postal service and check with them on what to do next. I have paid for the courier back to them, called them over 10 times and now I am stuck without any glasses and with a loss of money and feel very harassed.

I won't bore you with background... only tell you that I've been buying high-quality frames and +2.50 reading lenses from the Internet for almost 4 years now. I'm handicapped and the only times that I'm really able to get out if the house for long is when my insurance company pays for a special van for immediate medical needs and doctor appointments. Even though I just do readers, I am insistent that they are are high-quality. But high-quality need not mean expensive. I rarely pay over $200 for a frame and lens package, On Wednesday I started a web search to see what I liked and where I could get it. I might note that I usually won't pay over $200 for a frame and lens set. It didn't take me long to find some RX Ray-Bans that looked exactly like the glasses that my father had worn: the old Clubmaster style 9n fact it is a Clubmaster 5334 Matte Black with stainless steel rims. I could have purchased them at full retail for $230. But my experience has always been that you can always find the same item for less than full retail. A company named "GlassesUSA.com" had been sending me daily messages so I tried them first – their price was $20 BUT that included the lenses. After I selected the frames and put them in my cart, I was prompted to send my Rx. No place, like on MANY other sites, to select "reader" or "reading glasses." So I called customer service at GlassesUSA.com. I was on line as the 27th customer. I put my phone n speaker and waited. When someone finally picked up the phone (I didn't get his name - I wish that I had) I told him my problem and he told me that they could make the glasses with a doctors prescription. I tried to explain to him that you could pick up a pair of reading glasses at a truck stop for $3.50. I thought that I could just buy the frames and get them to my Essilor friend for the lenses, so I asked him if they could sell them without lenses. He said that they could, and I asked what the cost would be. $230. I asked him how they could charge $230 for frames which included single-vision lenses and he told me that his company paid $230 for the frames. Somewhere in there, when I had asked about the lenses, I had asked what type of free lenses that they offered. Plastic? I wasn't impressed with GlassesUSA.com pricing or the knowledge of the customer service reps. Stay away. But I came here to praise coolframes.com. I Googled the exact model number and got a hit at coolframes. They had more available colors than any site (other than Ray-Ban itself) and the price? $143.00... not including lenses, of course. So I called customer service I talked to one of the most knowledgeable and nicest CSR that I've ever dealt with. Oh, and the call was answered on the first ring (that had to be a once in a lifetime experience). I'll put this in a new paragraph – if you find that you need to contact coolframes.com CS department: ASK FOR ELI! We talked about the lens options – I was afraid that was where the "gotcha" would come in. $19. Total cost $162.00. If I had purchased from GlassesUSA.com. I would have paid $230 and received no lenses. Same as with Ray-Ban. Since Eli understood what I wanted and needed, I placed a phone order with him. Everything went as well as I could possibly have imagined. Exactly what I wanted at at under the price I was willing to pay. I purchase around 6 pair of new readers each year. I donate 6 pair a year to an organization that those who are unable to pay get like-new glasses. That's one way to assuage my guilt for enjoying new frames so often! I will be returning to coolframes.com over and over. If you've not run across the, I would urge you to take a look. Quality and knowledgeable customer service that has been, in my four years of experience, the best.

DON'T BUY THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY - they don't actually want to honor it. I thought this would be a reputable dealer that would work with customers - THEY ARE NOT, they expect an extended warranty (which normally deals with parts) to be the same as Mfg warranty (exchange the whole frame) with the customer having to return the broken one (which in my case was my only pair of glasses) for repair (as if it was going to be sent back to the manufacturer). Normally, for extended warranty especially, dealers carry parts (e.g. nose bridge) which they can work with the customer to exchange for the broken one. THESE PEOPLE DO NOT WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER, so the $30 you spend on the 2nd year of warranty is MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN (or into their pockets).

I have purchased 4 pairs of glasses online. 2 from FramesDirect and 2 from Coolframes. Nothing wrong with FramesDirect, but Coolframes has better inventory and name brand lenses. Plus the price is better. If you only need single vision lenses and cheap frames, you can just buy local. The real value in online eyeglasses is the selection. If you live in a small town, your optician is just not going to have the high-end designer frames on-hand. And when you start adding in progressive no-line bifocals and high-index, They get expensive pretty quick. So online really makes sense for that consumer. Ordering glasses can be a bit complicated and the individual must be prepared to take some responsibility; this isn't like buying a cell phone case off ebay. You must have all your Rx info in order, to include PD. And in my case, Coolframes asked that I supply a photograph of my face with a CD held up for reference. They used this to calculate the optical center for progressive no-line lenses and they were absolutely perfect. Both times I ordered, I added comments, double checked all the details, submitted and then called the store. They checked everything and went over the details. Shipping was not all that quick, but I suspect this was due to the lab probably had to get the particular frames or lenses from the supplier. Even in NYC they can't stock every thing under the sun. The staff always answers the phone in the store and seem to be relatively competent. You can dramatically increase the precision by communicating clearly and completely what it is you're ordering.

Excellent customer service, prices, quick shipping, everything. Couldn't be happier. Would recommend wholeheartedly. Definitely where I will continue to buy glasses from in the future.

Incredibly slow processing/shipping. Your order will take 10-14 days. If you try to cancel because of the delay, you will be charged a restocking fee.

I am very happy with my purchase of Saks Fifth Avenue 246 Eyeglasses ordered last week. I live in Illinois and sought Cool frames out because I saw the glass frames at my doctor's office but the cost had a large mark up. Louis and Eli were very knowledgeable, were kind and courteous and went out of their way to keep me as a customer even after I found Amazon sources for a less expensive price. I purchase from Coolframes.com because I trust they are a reputable business and authorized dealers of these frames. I wanted to be sure that was what I was getting was not a knock-off. The glass frames were not cheap but well worth the price, a good value and investment. They arrived this morning and are beautiful! I would recommend Coolframes.com without hesitation! Karen

I am very picky person, however coolframes.com have surpassed my expectations. I love the glasses and the lenses. Their work is exceptional. I am always thrilled to get my new glasses from them. The prices are also perfect. They are definitelly one of the best and for that I Recommend them 100%. You'd love their service.