LensCrafters Review: Offerings, Products, Locations & More

LensCrafters is a glasses and contact company owned by parent organization Luxottica Group SpA, the same company that owns Pearle Vision. 

LensCrafters has a fairly straightforward online option for shoppers as well as a large number of physical locations you can visit. 

LensCrafters Overview

LensCrafters is an online and physical glasses and contacts retailer that offers eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses in a variety of styles. They carry many popular glasses brands, including Armani Exchange and Prada. 

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Benefits of LensCrafters

These are some benefits of choosing LensCrafters:

• They offer a thorough FAQ page and quality customer service, especially at their physical locations.
• They have a good selection of glasses and contact brands, with a wide variety of lens types available.
• They also offer ESS safety goggles, which are a fairly affordable mid-range line of eyewear to protect the eyes during military, law enforcement, and emergency response work. 
• The company offers free green shipping for the environmentally conscious.

Downsides of LensCrafters

While they have frequent sales, LensCrafters doesn’t have many budget options. For example, their men’s line of frames has few options under $50, and most of those options are only in that price range because they’re on sale.

According to reviews on ConsumerAffairs, several customers have had problems with inaccurate information about when their glasses would be ready. We explain more about the company’s overall reputation in a later section.

Finding a LensCrafters Location Near You

LensCrafters has almost 1,000 physical locations, with an easy-to-use tool available on their site for finding the nearest one. By putting in a zip code, city, or state, the tool will identify close options. It will give you a list of locations and their contact information, and it will offer the ability to schedule an eye exam at that location.

Locations are available in nearly every state and Puerto Rico.

Cost & Insurance

LensCrafters offers reasonable pricing for those looking at mid-range frames and up, with some frames available on sale for under $50. For budget shoppers, they do have a page on their site for frame + lens combos starting at $99. They have a similar page for prescription sunglasses.

They accept most major vision insurance plans, and they make it easy to use an FSA or HAS. They can also accept some out-of-network vision plans if you contact them. 

Shipping Times & Cost

Standard shipping and green shipping are free at LensCrafters, and they offer an Express option for $10.00.

Green shipping takes up to 7 days, ground shipping takes 3 to 5 days, and Express shipping times vary depending on the option chosen.  

Ordering Process

The LensCrafters ordering process is straightforward. Select the frames or contacts you want and then click “Select Lenses” if relevant. They have an easy-to-use “Insurance” toggle right on their product pages, allowing you to pay out of pocket or with insurance. 

Inputting a prescription is easy, although it is a slightly different process between glasses and contacts. On their contacts pages, the prescription is put in on the same page the product is on. On their glasses pages, you must first select the type of lens you want to use before you can input a prescription. 

Overall, the process is likely to be easy for most customers. It is even easier for customers who make an account with the company, as they can then save some of their information.

Reviews & Reception

LensCrafters has a 3.5 out of 5 rating on Consumer Affairs, with a fairly small total of 86 ratings. Of the negative reviews, the bulk complain of either high prices or confusion about when they were supposed to be shipped their orders. Some people claim they were told inaccurate information, either intentionally or accidentally, by LensCrafters employees.

This is somewhat in strange juxtaposition to the company’s reputation for generally good customer service, which is also supported by many of the positive reviews from that same source.

LensCrafters vs. Pearle Vision vs. Warby Parker

To help you make an informed decision on where to purchase your eyewear online, it helps to compare LensCrafters with two other popular options, Pearle Vision and Warby Parker.

The first alternative, Pearle Vision, is a bit odd in that it is actually owned by the same company that owns LensCrafters, parent organization Luxottica Group SpA. As such, they offer similar options and pricing. 

A 2010 article from Consumer Reports stated that customers paid an average of $244 for glasses at LensCrafters compared to $228 at Pearle Vision. While not an insignificant difference, especially because coupon costs were factored in, that same report noted that LensCrafters offered better turnaround time and follow-up service.

A review from Clark noted that Warby Parker was somewhat expensive compared to other alternatives, with prescription frames and lenses generally ranging between $95 and $295 (luxury brands are also available). However, that same review noted Warby Parker’s many tools that are designed to ease the customer shopping experience, which is something the company is known for. 

Consumers who value good service and easy-to-use shopping apps may want to consider checking out Warby Parker’s options.

References

1. Costco Tops List of Eyeglass Retailers. (November 2010). Consumer Reports.

2. ESS. LensCrafters.

3. FAQs. LensCrafters.

4. Find a Store. LensCrafters.

5. High Quality Lenses. LensCrafters.

6. How to Use Vision Insurance at LensCrafters. LensCrafters.

7. LensCrafters. ConsumerAffairs.

8. Men Eyeglasses. LensCrafters.

9. Pearle Vision. Better Business Bureau.

10. Warby Parker Review: 5 Things To Know Before Buying Glasses. (April 2022). Clark.