i did get a consultation by their optometrist and did not just get it off the shelf like what you said. As i said, i was told by the person that due to my astig, the sides of my lens are abit thicker than the center, hence the discomfort at the sides when i first put it on.
as for the long hour usage, i guess its really my wrong. i would say that the best duration to put on the lens are between 6-7 hrs. top.
A mere consultation does not equate to a contact lens fitting. A contact lens fitting involves the taking of your medical and ocular history, checking of your eye health including staining your eye with a yellowish dye and popping in different lenses into your eye to asses the fitting of each lens before determining which is the best for your.
Did that person even look through the slit lamp (aka biomicroscope, google it if you don't know) before advising you on why you feel the discomfort? If he/she didn't, it's as good as buying off the shelf. A discomfort can also be felt at the side of the lenses if the lens fit is not optimal.
Did he/she even advise you on what you can do with lens wear, what you cannot do with lens wear, when you are not supposed to wear lenses (ie. Flu, swimming, etc) and did he/she inform you what to do if you feel that your eyes are feeling weird with the lenses on?
If there are more nos than yesses. You are not getting a proper consultation.