note: while believed to be accurate at the time it was written, information provided is not updated regularly & may be out of date

Frames Direct
"World's Largest Eyewear Store - 100,000 eyeglasses online"
http://www.framesdirect.com

Current 2011 Coupon Codes (expire December 31 2011):
  Save $10 on orders $75 above! Enter Code: HOLIDAY10
  Save $20 on orders $115 above! Enter Code: HOLIDAY20
  Save $35 on Prescription Eyewear priced $199 above! (Must include lenses). Enter Code: HOLIDAY35
Due to manufacturer restrictions, above offers not valid on Oakley, Wiley X, Costa Del Mar, Maui Jim or Under Armour products. Not valid on contact lenses.

Strengths:

• One of the largest offerings (if not the largest) of name-brand designer frames.
• BBB-accredited.

Introduction:

Frames Direct is located in the US (Texas). Base pricing in USD, although you can choose your local currency (you will be billed in the USD though). They sell regular sunglasses as well as single-vision and bi-focal/tri-focal/progressive lenses. They have phone/fax numbers, a toll free phone number, mailing address, Skype address, and contact form on their webite for methods of communication. Payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover, and Diner's Club. They are BBB-accredited listed with an "A" rating, with a total of 20 complaints, all of which were resolved.

Impressions:

Frames Direct's entire selection consists of name-brand offerings such as Oakley, Vogue, Guess, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, Christian Dior, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, Gucci, Ray Ban, D&G, Ted Baker, Prada, and many more. They do not sell frames/lenses in the discount price range (under $40), and should be compared to other designer-brand retailers rather than discount retailers. As such, this review does not focus on price, since price tends to vary by brand.

The Frames Direct website is very well polished. It's designed towards those who already know what they're looking for however - you simply choose a brand-name from the menu, and go from there. As such, there is no way to sort by price, materials, or anything else - if you don't have a certain brand in mind, you could be browsing for hours. Naturally, those looking for designer frames tend to have a brand in mind already, so the site should work well for them. It's worth noting they also sell a large variety of contact lenses.

Frame selection is massive - just about every name-brand in existance appears to be available. A quick list of their "top" brands includes Silhouette Rimless, Oakley, Persol, Dolce Gabbana, Vogue, Guess, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Christian Dior, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, Burberry, Prada, D&G, Gucci, Ted Baker, Ray Ban, Gargoyles, Maui Jim, Cdm, Bolle, Serengeti, and Marc Jacobs, although there are many many more. Many frames come in a couple size-options to fit larger or smaller heads.

While regular sunglasses frames include lenses, prescription lenses cost more, and appear to begin around the $45 mark. Hoya, Oakly XYZ, Transitions, Crizal Avance, Pentax, and Zeiss are among the options that can be found for lenses and coatings. CR39, Polycarbonate, Polarized, Photochromic, and indexes up to 1.74 can all be found. 4 different AR coatings are available, and UV protection is free.

Website and Ordering:

As mentioned above, the website is well polished, although it does have a bit of a "busy" feel to it. The "Frame Finder" virtual try-on feature is quite good - however it does require you to log in to use your own uploaded picture (otherwise you're left with the default pictures). There's a $10 coupon you receive for orders over $99 when using FrameFinder, but it expired in 2007 - whether it's still valid or not is uncertain which no longer has an expiry date (I've been told that it has been updated to remain valid until the end of 2020).

The ordering process itself is quite good. After finding a frame, all the lens options are on a separate page. One thing to note is that they appear to verify prescriptions - you can fax it in, scan/email it in, or give your optometrists contact info. It's more work than through most sites, although it may help to ensure the prescription has been indeed entered correctly if they do verify it. There is an abundance of information in the lens section which will undoubtedly help aid people in making their decisions.

Pricing and Value:

A price chart will not be included in this review, since a reference point to compare against other retailers would be nearly impossible seeings how every frame differs in price. It's worth noting the following though:

• Prescription lenses appear to start at around $45 for single-vision, $76 for bi-focals, and $158 for progressives (these may not be the lowest prices and may vary depending on frames selected)
• AR coatings start at about $40 (may not be the lowest price available, and may vary by frame), and a variety of AR coatings are offered.
• Shipping is free within the US with faster shipping methods available through both USPS and FedEx at additional cost.
• Shipping to International destinations varies but appears to vary between $33.25-$35.75 for most locations.
• A UV coating appears to be included for free.

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