Lens Replacements In Store And Oakley.com?

[RoTors]

Different people have access to different portions of systems so they can see different stuff. 2 people looking for the same product............1 person can find absolutely zero while the other person can show hundreds of stock. I've seen that many many times.

I believe each and every member on this forum would qualify as an above average fan of Oakley, correct?

So, the question is "Who do we as fans and loyal customers ask for that has that access?"

I don't think in the big scheme of things the 3+ sets of lens sale they would have gotten today would make a big difference in their profit margin. But what if all or even just half the members here aren't able to get lenses that they have or another accessory, because the person they are speaking to doesn't have the correct access?

Will I keep looking for the lenses? Most definitely BUT one thing is for sure Oakley missed out on selling at least 3 sets of lenses, or more if they were in stock, today.

Love the product. Absolutely hate the site, and hate that even talking to two customer service reps, neither had the access to see that Oakley does in fact sell Big Taco Polarized Chrome replacement lenses.

 

[Litos]

Love the product. Absolutely hate the site, and hate that even talking to two customer service reps, neither had the access to see that Oakley does in fact sell Big Taco Polarized Chrome replacement lenses.

maybe Oakley is looked at by its employees as "just a place of employment"...

kind of like if you're a car enthusiast - you go to the car dealership and the idiot salesman tells you something extremely moronic about a specific make/model of a car that you know isn't true...

that salesman is just there to work and collect a paycheck from selling you something...

I'm sure the majority of Oakley employees are teenagers or mid-twenty-somethings going to school part time waiting for graduation to do something better - they're far from enthusiasts like we are...

I mean, lets face it, Oakley is a retail store, just like Target, Khols and The Buckle....

odds of finding a passionate Oakley employee are slim pickings - most of the time if they can't put their eyes on it in the store or look it up on some Oakley approved database, they'll throw in the red flag and say "sorry, I don't see that we offer that".....

 

[RoTors]

That seems like it could be the point with the CSRs over the phone. I have encountered that in some of the vaults but the closest local O store is fantastic. Everyone I have spoken too knew their stuff. The one day I wore my Mars with violet iridiums the employees gathered around and wanted to see it. One employee brought out his Juliets. The manager questioned, the violet iridiums because Oakley didn't release Mars with them. So, I believe the Tyson Galleria Mall in Va is an exception I am glad they are there.

I understand that some of the employees aren't going to be enthusiast like our members here. That isn't what had me irritated. What gets me, is that these lenses are made and available. But of all places, the 1-800 Oakley line CSRs the main hub should at least have the knowledge this product exists. There shouldn't have to be compartmented databases which isolates a "I got money I want to give you" customer from the product they are trying to sell! Hell, it even says "ORDER BY PHONE" on the site,
Not "ORDER BY PHONE IF YOU GET THE RIGHT CSR WITH THE PROPER ACCESS TO THE DATABASE NEEDED"!

It truly does not make sense.

 

[Litos]

Not "ORDER BY PHONE IF YOU GET THE RIGHT CSR WITH THE PROPER ACCESS TO THE DATABASE NEEDED"!

It truly does not make sense.

HAHA !!!!

yeah, totally understand - it's hit or miss...

sucks that you will have to cross your fingers and hope to hit the guy that has access to the database that shows your lenses, because the guy that picks up the phone may not see them....

#firstworldproblems

 

[BigRich]

I had a great CSR experience. I called Oakley to see if they had any replacement lenses for a pair of Pit Bulls. They did not have them at that time, but he checked and found a pair of Pit Bulls on the vault site with the iridium lenses I was looking for at about the same price as the lenses themselves. I had tried earlier to buy those same ones on the website but clicking on them brought up the not found page. He advised that page will come up when stock is low but to call in if that happens as they may have one or two left. The CSR went the extra mile to help me get what I was looking for.

 

[RoTors]

Glad to hear you had a CSR that went above and beyond. Also, not really blaming the CSRs if all they know is what's on their screen. Seemed like your CSR had to bring up the Vault Site.

Still wondering why don't they have access to the full list of items available? Lenses are what I was looking for and I noticed the site didn't have all that was available. What other items are not listed on the site which you cannot do an online or phone order?

 

[kronin323]

I know a really good solution though.

I'd bet you do...

 

[kronin323]

The answer is very simple, yet very tough.

The very simple: hook up with a sales rep.

The very tough: hook up with a sales rep.

I don't mean somebody in a O store. I mean the people who find non-O stores to resell Oaks. Big dollar deals. It's all about volume. Do enough, and they're like rats chasing cheese. Not enough, and you're not worth their time...

There are forum members here who provide valuable services to the rest of the forum. As a result, they purchase a high volume of materials to provide those services. And that's cheese to the rats. So they've hooked up with a sales rep who gives them access to everything that a store can order, more than us peons. But why don't stores stock more selection? Because a reseller store is going to only stock what they can move in volume, while the forum members here who buy high volume of materials can buy whatever you want that's available. And the peon employee you're talking to likely doesn't know that, and the manager / owner who does won't (or can't) do you any favors unless you buy in bulk.

Why don't they just make everything available to everybody, including the end user? Supply channels. It sucks, but it's business....

Alternatively, you can buy for personal use as much as (or more than) a reseller would buy. One forum member, at a minimum, has gone that route...

 

[lafountain]

Still wondering why don't they have access to the full list of items available? Lenses are what I was looking for and I noticed the site didn't have all that was available. What other items are not listed on the site which you cannot do an online or phone order?

Agreed, not everyone has access to an Oakley store or an Oakley vault. Would be nice if the full set of options (other than exclusives) was available on their own website.

 

[Shldonator]

I had a similar situation. I called up looking for replacement parts for existing pairs. CSR tried everything she could think of to help me out but couldn't access the parts. These weren't out of stock or out of production. Only thing she could do was build me an entirely new pair with the parts I needed. Seemed silly to spend $300 for $30 in parts. Instead I dropped a complaint on the website. Basic message was that something had changed because O used to be easy to deal with and I was soon to become a former good customer. Not a threat, just the truth. Long story short, a manager from the customer contact area contacted me, I have him feedback and he sent me the parts. Corporate policy seems to be the driving force in our angst.