New and Improved Global Eyeglasses?

Posted by Ira at Sunday, June 10, 2007

The folks over at Global Eyeglasses gave their site a makeover and asked me to give them another look. They insisted that the service issues noted in the forums a few months ago were a thing of the past. At first glance, the site does look good. They really need a professional native English-speaking copy-writer to clean up the language, but functionally it works pretty well.

Poking through the site, I avoided the more expensive designer frames, but these are definitely an option for those of you looking for a bargain on a label. Oddly enough, I found a brand-name pair of TAG Heuer frames that seemed to fit the bill at a $20 frame price. There are numerous photos (although they appear to not size all of them properly - kind of squished), and full size info, but not a whole lot of other information on these or any of the other frames I looked at. I would have liked to have seen a decent description. They looked hingeless, but I couldn't really tell. I used the LivePerson link on the page and got the information I needed. This was good, but I'd rather not have to go that route in the future.

The second pair I wanted was a pair of sunglasses. I spotted a pair that looked close to what I needed and ordered them.

Within a minute, I had a confirmation email that they had received my order. The next day I got two more emails -- one that my order was being processed and another that it was being shipped. The shipping email included a link back to the site with the useless USPS tracking number. Overall I was impressed with the communication. This was three email more than I'd gotten from Zenni when I placed my first order.

A week later two boxes taped together with half a roll of packing tape (it took nearly five minutes to cut through all of it) arrived in my mail box. The first pair I opened ended up being the sunglasses. I ordered the "sleek metal case" with them and was surprised to find these arrive in exactly the opposite -- a bulbous, if not sturdy cardboard case. Oh well, not a big deal, I guess. The glasses themselves were a bit screwy too -- partly my fault and partly not. I neglected to heed my own advice on bigger lenses and didn't go the high-index route. They're thicker than I like. Additionally, this is the first pair of the dozen or so I've order online that wasn't tack sharp prescription-wise. I checked the prescription in the email confirmation and it was entered correctly. They also had two small scratches - one on each side of the lens (neither affect the view through the lenses).

I opened the second box hoping for a better result. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality. The TAG Heuer frame was better looking than I thought it would be. I popped them on and the prescription was perfect. I went in and looked in the mirror and immediately noticed a mistake on my part. I neglected to order the anti-glare coating -- a must for someone with beautiful eyes like mine. That said, I've worn these pretty much full-time for the past two days and have gotten a number of compliments from women as varied as my wife, my mother, and my boss.

I batted .500 time. I'm as impressed with the TAGs (especially at more than 90% savings off the store prices) as much as I don't like the sunglasses.

Like many of the people who've contributed to the forums, I really think we need to start seeing more professionalism (which begets consistency) in this market. I think Global Eyeglasses is really trying, but there is room for improvement. I'll order again, but be a bit more deliberate in my choices.

22 comments:

At June 12, 2007 at 2:15 PM Anonymous said...: How wide are they total? How wide are the lenses?
At June 12, 2007 at 2:21 PM Ira said...: Not sure what your asking. If you're asking about the Tag Heuer frame the lenses are 50mm wide with an 18mm bridge. Total width? Probably 123-125mm.

Here is a "head-on" view that is very consistent with the actual glasses:
http://globaleyeglasses.com/picture/1725_62_pic5.gif
At June 14, 2007 at 8:06 AM Solo89 said...: I HATE GLOBAL! If you Sphere # is greater than 4 they charge you DOUBLE on the lenses! this is one of the most expensive sites if you have bad eyes or the need for "non-standard" lenses as they call them
At June 14, 2007 at 10:03 AM Ira said...: James,
I agree with you about the "non-standard" lens issue. I meant to speak to that in the article and -- well, forgot. I have a -4.25 and was "distressed" about that. I can see charging more for truly extreme cases, but 4 is far from it.

Seems like a big of a gouge to me -- and something I think the folks over there ought to rethink.
At June 14, 2007 at 3:00 PM Anonymous said...: I try to order the same frame with Plastic CR39 and it offer you a great deal if you take the same frame with CR39 Sunlenses (40% on the lens) or Photochromatic (25% on the lens). The problem is that I've ask them by e-mail if you need ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING on the Sunlenses... still no anwser after 2 days... Maybe the emails you received were automated! ;)
At June 15, 2007 at 7:33 AM Anonymous said...: Ira, my problem with the Tag frame is that it's surely a knock-off of the Reflex Semi-Rimmed models with a US$250+ retail price. Genuine Tag eyewear is embossed on the outside frame near the temple... Even a discontinued model would cost more than $20 if dumped, and neither the brand nor its narrow field of authorized distributors would allow it in any such case. Globaleyewear does seem to sell some real luxury eyewear frames at a much higher price-point, but this surely isn't one of them.
At June 19, 2007 at 1:34 PM Juan-Diego said...: Uhm, this is unrelated, but I have a question. When I try purchasing glasses from Goggles 4 U, I have a -2.75 Cylinder, but the only option they give is -2.0 -- does that mean my perscription is really bad, and that I won't be able to purchase glasses online?
pls email me yazcui@gmail.com thanks
At June 22, 2007 at 11:49 PM Anonymous said...: Just received mine. They seem really, really good. Fit , finish, prescription, all excellent. It's after midnight here and I got the transition lenses... so I can't tell if they work, yet...

It took 7 days total from order to reception. I am very impressed.

Cheers!
JDS. Ottawa, Canada
At July 13, 2007 at 2:12 PM Anonymous said...: I agree with Jay. They are probably counterfeit.

That said, I tried to order them because I thought they were cool looking on Ira. However, I was informed that frame is out of stock.
At July 16, 2007 at 12:52 PM johnny c. said...: Hi, Ira,

I really love this website, and used it to find ZenniOptical.com (from which I purchased a pair of no-name, but dang fine-lookin' frames).

With that successful transaction behind me, I came back to you so I could find a snazzier pair of frames. The Tags that you were wearing looked sharp, and I thought what the hey: why not buy 'em?

So I did. An hour later, I found out that I could put the order on my health savings account credit card (thus, not having to pay for them out of pocket). So I tried to contact GEG through Google Checkout to request a cancellation, and recharge onto a different card.

No luck -- and precious little response. It took an email to the company to A month later, I'm in receipt of the frames I don't want, and I've been trying to return them ever since, to no avail. Every time I call the service center, I'm told that I'll receive an email within 24-48 hours (which never gets sent); every time I email the company, it goes unanswered.

This is the most unprofessional encounter I've had with an online retailer in my years of relying on online merchants. I understand lag time -- heck, I can even understand restocking fees -- but to not reply at all, especially when I emailed *the day of the order*, is gross negligence.

I'll be copying you on the email that I'm sending to G.E.G., in case you want to use my story to warn others.

Thanks though, Ira -- this website's great!

Best,

John
At July 16, 2007 at 1:02 PM Ira said...: Everything you've said, John, makes this post ring true. If the online retailers can figure out a way to remove the prospect of dealing with jackasses (or worse yet -- not being able to find anyone to deal with) from the equation, they will make some serious headway into the market.

Some basic business-sense should also tell them that even eating the cost of a pair of glasses here and there will be much more cost-effective than having a multitude (a thousand or so a day) see messages such as this.

Until that day, the risk for me is still worth the reward of reasonably priced eyewear, but someone will figure out how to remove that risk -- hopefully soon.
At July 18, 2007 at 10:34 PM Travis said...: Ordered the tags from them. Sweet pair of glasses! Keep up the good blog!
At July 26, 2007 at 7:51 PM Anonymous said...: The TAGs are clearly a knock off. If you look at TAGs site the only thing they seem to have in common is the sticker on the lens. As someone mentioned, the authentic TAGs have embossed text. For $20 they look like great frames for the price, and something that can be made so cheaply really ought not to cost more than that anyway. I'm going to order a pair.
At July 27, 2007 at 10:18 AM Anonymous said...: Well I got the $20 Tags and a pair of their Diesel geek/emo black plastic frames...

And both are spot on. I have a simple -1.50 SPH for both eyes so I'd be pretty perplexed if anyone manages to screw that one up. The Diesel frame cost $100 more than the Tag Heuer one but damn if the Tags didn't look more expensive. I opened the package during a party last night and nearly everyone was impressed by the Tags.

My girlfriend has two different $250+ titanium Tag Heuer frames and they look comparable to what I got from Globaleyeglasses. Granted, my cheap pair doesn't have the embossed logo like both her frames, only a logo/decal on the left temple that has survived some test scratching I couldn't resist doing on them.

I ordered my Diesel frame with the cheap Carl Zeiss mineral glass plus the coatings. When I told my friends about it they were impressed since a lot of them are shutterbugs that recognize the brand from Sony's cameras. For the cheap Tags, I went all out with Transition lenses plus the various coatings. My only minor peeve is that my head is a tad bit too small for the Tags, so I need a way to tighten the arms' grip. It fits well as it is but I was hoping I could use this pair for volleyball.

I will definitely order from Globaleyeglasses again. I'm already spying another pair of Tags they have up for $20 that look just like one of my girlfriend's pairs.
At August 8, 2007 at 1:09 PM foto said...: Saw your article about glasses in the Strib the other day...Timing is everything, I'm so frustrated at the glasses shops around I put off getting them. Until now, I liked the sunglass style you have on the blog but can't seem to find that frame on Global's site. Mind sharing the name of it? I'm looking to get a pair of prescription sunglasses.

thanks,
At September 13, 2007 at 10:14 PM Anonymous said...: Hi i want to ask you people if there is a promotion code i can enter in to get a discount?
At September 13, 2007 at 11:34 PM Ira said...: "glassyeyes" gets you 10% off.
At September 14, 2007 at 9:59 AM Anonymous said...: Does anyone know how thick or what is the index for the transition lens?
At July 14, 2008 at 1:21 PM Anonymous said...: GlobalEyeGlasses.com hmmmm.... what can I say about them that my momma would approve of?........... Lets see where to start...........

Well, what started off as a excellent bargain on a great pair of glasses, has turned out to be one of my most frustrating and difficult online merchant purchases to date. Initially I stumbled across this website promising very good looking frame and lense prices, and did a little investigating into the company. Sure enough, there were a few complaints but, not anything more unusual than you would find on any similar web merchants. So, I figured what the heck, I'll give them a shot.

Well, that was well over a month now, and here I am sitting here typing this without my glasses I ordered. Why, is that you ask? Well, its like this. My original prescription that I ordered arrived like they promise on their site in 5-9 days after the email I received from them. They looked marvelous, except for the fact that in all my wonderlust over there great bargains I (yah i'm a schmuck) incorrectly entered the prescription information. Thats when all the fun started, that same day I sent the glasses back to the address they provide on their website.

After a few days of waiting and tracking the package myself I saw that it had arrived in New York so I thought I would contact them to be sure. (As, they had not contacted me yet upon receipt of said glasses like they promised!) Well the new I received was not good. She (someone named Sheryl) tried her best although in vain to help me figure out what the delay was. Ohhhh yeah, she helped out alright. She helped by sending the same reply to any question that I sent them and I quote "I have forwarded your concern to our labs and as they get back to me i will give you report as soon as possible." Well If I had a pair of glasses for everytime they told me that I would be set for the next 10 years I suppose.

Well in an attempt to make an even longer story short, I'll close with this. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY IF THERE IS EVEN A REMOTE CHANCE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO DEAL WITH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. Despite having an online assistant and several contact numbers they are no help at all. Apparently there online assistants either have limited access to their information OR they just have limited information PERIOD. I hope this helps some poor schmuck like myself from being as frustrated and temporarily blind as I am.

Thanks,
Pat
At June 16, 2009 at 10:55 AM fahd said...: I've just placed an order with global and seem to have no trouble contacting them, I had direct contact within hours of a complaint although I have not yet received the glasses so I cannot talk about quality yet, but my hopes have been lifted by their speedy responses. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
At January 11, 2010 at 7:35 AM Anonymous said...: these are very poor copies of Tag Heuer! Tag frames are made in France; they use screws and not cheap plastic hinges!
At January 11, 2010 at 8:12 AM Ira said...: @anon,

actually they're pretty good copies of this particular design. The only real difference (and I checked against a real pair) was the fact that the Tag name is embossed on the real deal.