I love trying out new services, especially if the service saves me time and money! When I learned about Warby Parker – a company that sends you eyeglass frames to try on at home for free – I had to give them a try.
Read on for my review of Warby Parker’s home try-on service.
What is Warby Parker?
Warby Parker was started by some college grad students who couldn’t afford to replace broken eyeglasses. That sparked the idea to create more affordable prescription eyewear.
TIP: You can read more about how Warby Parker got its start in Adam Grant’s Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World.
Warby Parker has two primary claims to fame – one is their home try-on service. The other is their “buy one, give one” program.
Buy One, Give One
For every pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker donates to non-profit organizations. The non-profits train people in developing countries to give eye exams and sell eyeglasses in their communities.
Warby Parker doesn’t directly donate glasses to these developing countries. Instead, Warby Parker uses a “teach a person how to fish” concept. By teaching people in developing countries to give eye exams and sell eyeglasses, Warby Parker helps people earn a living that extends beyond simply giving away a pair of eyeglasses.
I love being able to purchase items from companies that are making a positive difference in the world. You can read more about Warby Parker’s buy one, get one program here.
Eyeglass Selection Options
When you go to Warby Parker’s website, you can take a short quiz to help narrow down the eyeglasses that fit your style and face. I loved this. I find too many choices overwhelming, so I liked having a smaller set of choices that were more likely to work for me. Plus, it saves time – you don’t have to search through lots of options that don’t work for you.
But if you like having lots of options, you can bypass the quiz and go directly to the “Eyeglasses” tab to look through all the choices.
Warby Parker has a good balance of stylish, trendy frames and more classic frames to meet many different styles and preferences.
Home Try-On: The Service
When you’re looking through the eyeglass options, you can filter on eyeglasses that are available for home try-on. You’ll be able to select up to 5 options. Warby Parker will then send you the frames with clear, plastic lenses for you to try on at home for free!
I thought this service was a great idea. It saves me time by not having to go to the store. Plus, when the eyeglasses are sent to my home, I can do a mini fashion show for friends and family to decide which frame looks best on me.
TIP: When going through the home try-on options, sometimes you get a warning that the frames aren’t currently available for home try-on. If you switch the color option, other colors for the same frame will be available for home try-on. The colors on the website are pretty close to the in-person colors, so you can get the frames you like to try-on at home and then get the color you like when you make the final purchase.
Home Try-On: My Experience
After ordering 5 pairs of eyeglasses for home try-on, I was sent a box with 5 compartments for the glasses. You should expect the plastic bags the glasses come in and the lenses to look a little used. The home try-on frames are re-used after you send them back.
If you don’t like the frames that came in your first box — try again. Shipping is free both ways and there doesn’t appear to be a restriction on the number of boxes you can order.
I loved the Wally glasses. They’re classic enough for my conservative workplace, are really lightweight, and fit well on my face.
Ordering Your Eyeglasses
After you send back your home try-on box, you’ll go on to the Warby Parker website and find the eyeglasses you liked. You’ll then add them to your cart.
During the checkout process, you’ll have the option to load a picture of your prescription, send it later, or have Warby Parker call your doctor. I loaded a picture of my prescription at check-out, since this was recommended as the fastest option (and I like saving time!).
After Warby Parker processes your order, they’ll ship the glasses directly to you. This is another great reason to buy eyeglasses online – you don’t have to go to a store to pick up the frames.
Cost & Insurance
I have pretty bad eyesight, so my lenses tend to be fairly expensive. I was pleasantly surprised that Warby Parker was cheaper than other places I’ve tried, including discount retailers.
My vision insurance covers a new pair of eyeglasses each year. Insurance was a breeze with Warby Parker. When I purchased the glasses, they emailed me a PDF file of the purchase to submit to insurance. I loaded the PDF file to the online claim portal for my insurance company. I was approved for the purchase without any back and forth with the insurance company. That alone was a huge win!!
Final Thoughts
I was really happy with my Warby Parker experience. My glasses fit well, are stylish, and were less expensive than other places I’ve tried over the years. Warby Parker makes the experience easy and fun with their home try-on service and quality paperwork to submit for insurance. Plus, my Warby Parker purchase helps contribute to the eye care and job skills of people in developing countries.
I highly recommend Warby Parker for your next eyeglass purchase to save time, money, and support a great cause.
Comments or Questions?
Have a comment or a question? I’d love to hear from you! Visit me on Instagram @eastbymidwest and leave a comment or DM, or send me an email at pam@eastbymidwest.com.
