Customer says
“I can't read with these glasses. The prescription must be wrong.”
Eyewear · luxury optical
Returns built for prescription lenses, luxury frames, and the lab errors only an optician would catch.
Generic returns apps treat a $40 reading-glass return like a $1,200 progressive Rx error. Eturns doesn't. The AI parses the Rx, asks for the right lab-card photo, and routes optical errors straight to your lab — not your CS queue.
Rx / PD / axis mismatchLab-card photo flowLuxury authenticationFrame warrantyAR-coating defect
Free plan included · 5-minute install · no credit card
The problem
Why generic returns apps mis-handle optical claims
Most returns apps were built for clothing — pick a reason from a dropdown, print a label, refund. Optical doesn't work that way. A customer saying 'I can't see clearly' could mean the lens prescription is off by 0.25 diopter (a real lab error you owe a free remake on), or it could mean adaptation to a new progressive (which you do not). The two cost you very different amounts. Eturns asks for the lab card, parses the values, compares them to what was ordered, and routes accordingly. Nothing else on the App Store does this.
How a real claim flows
One conversation, three roles played: customer, AI, your team.
AI handles
Verifies the order, requests a photo of the lens lab card, parses the printed Rx values (-2.50 / -0.75 × 175°), compares them to the ordered Rx (-2.25 / -0.75 × 175°), detects the 0.25D sphere mismatch, opens an optical_lab escalation with the parsed deviation, and tells the customer the lab will quote a free remake within 24 hours.
Outcome
No CS time spent. No refund issued. The lab fixes a real lab error and the customer gets the right glasses 5 days later.
100%of Rx-mismatch claims surfaced as lab errors instead of refunds
What the AI knows
6 defect categories tuned for eyewear.
Each category controls which photo the AI requests, which department the case routes to, and which SLA the customer hears. Turn any of them off in your merchant dashboard.
Prescription mismatch
optical_rx_mismatchCustomer reports vision is off. AI requests a photo of the dispensing card and the prescription on the lens, parses sphere / cyl / axis / PD / add, and flags any deviation beyond ±0.12D from what was ordered. Auto-routes to your optical lab with the deviation values pre-filled.
PD or axis error
optical_pd_axis_offPupillary distance or astigmatism axis off-spec by more than the lab tolerance. AI knows that a 2mm PD error is a real lab miss; a 1mm difference is within tolerance and politely declines.
AR / blue-light coating defect
lens_coating_defectCrazing, delamination, or peeling on anti-reflective or blue-light coatings within the warranty window. Routes to warranty, not refund.
Frame solder / hinge failure
frame_solder_breakBridge solder failure or hinge break under normal wear. AI distinguishes manufacturing defect (warranty) from drop damage (out-of-policy) by asking for the right close-up photo.
Luxury authentication challenge
luxury_authentication_gateFor luxury frames (Cartier, Dita, Tom Ford), the AI runs a serial-engraving + box-stamp authenticity gate before processing any claim. Counterfeit detection happens at first contact, not three days into the queue.
UV protection misclaim
sunglass_uv_misclaimCustomer claims sunglasses don't block UV. AI knows whether your product is CE-marked, asks for the cert sticker photo, and routes legal-adjacent claims to the right team.
Where it routes
Specialist destinations, not a generic CS queue.
Eturns ships with 14 routing destinations beyond CS. The eyewear disclosure profile uses these:
| Department | Triggered when | SLA the customer hears |
|---|---|---|
optical_lab | Prescription parameter deviation, lens coating defect, lens edging error | Lab remake quoted same day, shipped within 5 business days |
authentication | Luxury frame counterfeit claim or serial-number mismatch | Verified within 24h with a yes/no decision and the evidence trail attached |
warranty | Frame solder, hinge, or coating failure inside the warranty window | Replacement frame approved within one business day |
concierge | VIP / luxury customer, or any claim above your high-value threshold | Hand-off to a named human within 2 hours, full transcript attached |
Disclosure profile
Luxury
Luxury disclosure profile reframes the AI's tone: it never quotes the customer's purchase price back at them, never offers store-credit bonuses (off-brand for the segment), and always opens with a serial-number authentication step. The same agent, with a single setting, behaves differently for a Cartier owner than a $40 reader buyer.
Who this is for
If your store sells any of these, the eyewear profile fits you.
- Independent opticians selling online for the first time
- Sunglasses DTC brands shipping internationally
- Luxury eyewear retailers (Cartier, Dita, Tom Ford, Lindberg)
- Online-first prescription brands (Warby Parker patterns, regional copies)
Questions eyewear merchants actually ask
Frequently asked.
Does the AI actually read the prescription off the lens card?
Yes. We ask the customer for a photo of the dispensing card, run it through a vision step, and parse sphere, cylinder, axis, PD, and add values. We compare to the order and flag deviation. The merchant sees the values in the escalation, not a vague 'customer says Rx is off' note.
What about CE/FDA-regulated UV claims on sunglasses?
We treat UV protection misclaims as legal-adjacent. The AI asks for the CE-mark photo and routes to your legal queue rather than your CS queue. We never make UV claims on your behalf.
Can it tell a real lens-coating defect from normal wear?
It asks the right photo — a close-up under angled light. Crazing and delamination are visible there; routine smudging is not. We err on the side of warranty for ambiguous cases inside the warranty window.
Does luxury authentication slow things down?
Only when the claim is on a luxury SKU. The AI checks the SKU's product tag at order lookup and only triggers the serial-engraving gate when the brand requires it. Sub-$100 frames go through the standard flow.
Ready to give eyewear the returns flow it deserves?
Install Eturns from the Shopify App Store. Free plan included. Setup takes 5 minutes — the AI auto-detects eyewear from your products and policies.