Coastal Contacts

Full review
I wear contact lenses but not as often as I should. That is, I should wear them daily and I only wear then once in a while. My bad, I know. Last year, I decided that I just had to get into the routine to save my poor, tired eyes. By then, I needed a new prescription and got one.

The question was, were would I fill it? I have an astigmatism and a very weird prescription so my lenses tend to be expensive. I didn't want to go back to LensWorld because the negative reviews and complaints about them since I was last there were enough to make me look elsewhere.

I checked prices on various contact lens sites and settled on Coastal Contacts. Their prices were the lowest I could find for my prescription and they seemed to be everything I wanted in a contact lens site.

They are! I won't go anywhere else now. I am a satisfied and happy Coastal Contacts customer - but I do have a new gripe I didn't have when I made my first order.

What the Site Sells

Primarily prescription contact lenses. They also sell lens cases and accessories, designer and inspired sunglasses, reading glasses, solutions, and funky special effect lenses.

The Site

The site is simple to navigate. It's easy on the eyes, probably by design considering what the site sells.

Just about all major brands of contact lenses are sold and you can quickly get to the lenses you want.

Fill in your prescription details from the actual prescription or from the lens box/packaging. You can buy several boxes at one time or just two (even one but that would be for one eye) at prices that truly are below any I have seen. If you see a higher price elsewhere, the site has a price guarantee.

If this is your first order, you will need to have your prescription verified by Coastal Contacts before you can receive the lenses. This is a little bit of a hassle but one that shows professionalism. After the first order, reorders are as simple as a click away.

After filling in the details of your lenses, add to your cart. When you are done, you go to the checkout.

Ground shipping is $6.95 for orders under $99.00. There are also two other expedited shipping options for a fee.

There is a handling fee added to purchases that was not there a six or seven months ago when I ordered my first boxes of lenses. (38 cents for a $4.95 lens case and $4.64 for $60.00 lenses for example.) I really was put off by this at first but the prices still are better than other sites so I continued on and will continue as long as the prices stay lower than other sites (with the added handling fee included).

If you are a returning customer, fill in your email address and zip code to retrieve your previous orders and immediately reorder with no inputting of data.

They also have a "buy now, pay later" option where you pay when you receive your lenses but I never looked into that option.

You can pay with a major credit card, phone in your order, or send in a money order with your order.

Verified orders will receive a confirmation email and a shipping one. My orders have arrived in a week - even the first one that needed verification.

Packing is good, secure, and the lenses are fresh.

My Experience

I ordered my first boxes of lenses quite a while ago and I only bought one box per eye to be sure all went well. My prescription was verified in one day and my order was on my doorstep in a week. My second order was even faster because there was no verification involved and was here in four days. That's amazing!

Packing was great and everything went just fine. The lenses were less expensive than my eye doctor would have charged and less than on other websites. I am buying some color blend lenses next and expect the same good service.

One con, though, is that I can't find my shopping cart on the site. If I add accessories and such, I can't see what I added and that is a little bit annoying. I tried to find that cart everywhere to no avail. I had to go to the checkout before I saw what was in my cart. I could then change or delete items. There must be a better way. I just haven't seemed to be able to find it!

Shipping and Returns

Shipping is free in the US for all orders over $99.00 and $6.95 for orders under that amount.

There are expedited shipping methods as well for a fee.

There are handling fees on everything which just started being added that hurts. My first order had no handling fee; my second one had a $9.00 one. I don't like that but the lenses were still lower with the fee than elsewhere. Still, a handling fee? Why not bundle that into the price of the products? It feels bait and switchy although, as I said, prices still remain low.

The explanation for this charge on the site is thus: "
A handling surcharge of up to 7.75% may be applied to your order. This charge will be included in all totals displayed throughout the ordering process, and is due to the fact that Coastal Contacts' distribution partners have recently increased their charges by as much as 20%. Coastal Contacts will continue to absorb as much of this increased cost as possible in order to continue to provide our customers with the lowest possible prices.

That info is buried but you will see the handling charge every time you click on an item to buy it so it isn't "hidden".

You can return unopened, unused contacts for a credit or refund within 30 days after ordering.

They will exchange or refund unworn sunglasses within 30 days as well.

If your prescription changes, they will take back unopened, unexpired lenses and exchange them for the new prescription. That's a great deal because my prescription changes faster than I use the lenses because I rarely wear the things (which is why my prescription keeps changing, I suppose). I'm really trying to get into the habit of wearing my lenses daily but so far, it isn't happening.

Conclusion

I like everything about this site except the handling fee which they recently began adding. They are professional, fast, courteous, and have good policies. I wish they would just bundle those handling fees into the price so people don't feel ripped off because, really, they aren't. The prices remain low even with the added fees. Still, I hate seeing extra charges.

Despite that, I am very satisfied with everything else about the site and will continue to use it when I need contact lenses until their prices become higher than other reputable sites.

4 stars. It's all good but that handling fee which made me remove a star.