note: while believed to be accurate at the time it was written, information provided is not updated regularly & may be out of date

SpecsOnTheNet
"Prescription Glasses from ONLY £9.99."
http://www.specsonthenet.com

Strengths:

• Dressing Room - Known as the "Virtual Modelling System", it allows customers to upload a photo (or use a pre-existing default), and browse through frames, seeing how each will look from within the VMS.
• International pricing - Prices offered in Pounds, Euros, and US Dollars.

Introduction:

SpecsOnTheNet is located in the UK (Cardiff). Pricing in Pounds, Euros, and USD. They sell single-vision, bi-focal, and vari-focal glasses. Methods of contact include email, phone, fax, and a mailing address. They accept Visa, MasterCard, and Delta.

Impressions:

SpecsOnTheNet has a promotion that has been ongoing for quite some time, offering a selection of free frames/lenses if you pay the shipping (£2.49). It is available at http://www.specsonthenet.com/free.jsp . It's currently limited to the first 20 pairs per day, and currently the frames can only be selected through their VMS system, and you must upload your picture while using it. Despite the hoops, shipping is relatively cheap and it's hard to beat free. Aside from the promotion, the major thing that stands out about SpecOnTheNet is the ability to change currencies. It's not perfectly integrated (images and menus still show the default of Pounds), but it's functional and it works. Pricing here will be mentioned in the current US Dollar equivilent, but note it may vary based on the current exchange rate.

The non-free frames start at $22 and include lenses. The frame selection at this price point is quite small, and the typical price point outside of the "budget range" begins in the mid $30-range with a larger selection offered there including metal, plastic, and rimless varieties. A selection of designer frames is offered as well, although the price point is obviously higher. It's worth noting that it's a little tough to find detailed frame measurements - they're available, but you have to mouse over the little "i" to get a pop-up caption - otherwise you'll only see the standard measurements.

Single-vision lenses come free with the frame and are "hard coated" which effectively means scratch-resistant. An AR coating (which comes with UV as well) adds $18 to the price tag. Polycarbonate and Transitions lenses are available, as are index's up to 1.74. Tints are an option as well, in 5 colors and 3 intensities. They mention on their "tints" page that a mirror tint is available, but it's not shown on the order page meaning you'd probably have to contact them about it if interested.

Website and Ordering:

The SpecsOnTheNet website is very easy to navigate. When browsing for a frame, 8 frames are listed per page, and if a frame is available in more than one color, a selection list is shown which can be clicked to select it. This design is very well suited for the site - it provides good information in a concise way and avoids cluttering/bloating the listings while still providing ample information. The VMS "Dressing Room" is obviously a key focus of the site and is very well done. Where other sites have you find a frame and then see it in a "try on" feature, the VMS basically allows you to simply browse the site from within the try-on feature. The downside is that the Java it uses to operate can be somewhat slow. Once large downside is the lack of "sorting" options - it's impossible to sort lenses by any particular field (price being a key one).

Ordering is simple enough. Find a frame, then choose the lens options. The layout is very nice, but finding additional information isn't as well-integrated. There aren't mouse-overs, or even clickable links attached to most options - you have to look further to the side of the page to find the link that basically applies to everything. Links also move the browser to a new window rather than opening a pop-up window of any sort. Don't get me wrong - the information is good. It's just not as easily accessible when filling out lens options as it could/should be. Once the options are filled out, you can either enter, fax, or email your prescription in. Checking out is quick, and does not require you to create an account (although you may choose to if you prefer). Changing currency while checking out can cause the website to glitch in certain places, but simply hitting "back" resolves it. All in all, the website is good with very minor issues, and the ordering experience is reasonable.

One thing to note is that ordering through the website may be less straight-forward for bi/vari-focal wearers. Even when choosing a frame from the bi/vari-focal seciton, there wasn't any indication of where you select the option for such and it still appeared to be the same as for single-vision glasses.

Pricing and Value:

Single-vision glasses come to $22 and include scratch-resistance. Bi-focals add $27 to the price, while varifocals add $42.

As far as value goes, being able to get a free pair is really quite amazing - particularly because shipping isn't very much. It's likely the idea behind it is that if somebody buys a free pair and are very pleased with them (and/or the experience through the VMS), they'll probably be more comfortable/likely to buy from SpecsOnTheNet when ordering a non-free pair in the future. At the lower-end of the price scale, under $30 shipped is quite good, although adding AR or any other lens options ups the price a fair bit.

Pricing shown for single-vision lenses in USD (based on current exchange rate). Check the website for pricing in Pounds or Euros.

Total price for basic single-vision frames/lenses after shipping is about $27.75 (based on current exchange rate) and appears to be world-wide.

Click here to go to the old SpecsOnTheNet information page

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