Glasses Buying Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

mttylad

At the moment gogles4u.co.uk are doing plenty of frames at £0 so you can get glasses for only £4.50 (p&p).

I just ordered 4 pairs, mostly prescription sunglasses and even used an old code that got me £11 off the order.

597money

Can anyone suggest somewhere which do cheap glasses that have a quick delivery? I have found some I like on SelectSpecs for £10-£15 but concerned about the delivery times? I only have a basic, low strength prescription. SelectSpecs appeals due to free coatings. Thanks

pmduk

I've never waited more than 3 days for specs-by-post to deliver. On the other hand Select specs are usually around 3 weeks.

a_sav

Just got my prescription sunglasses from glassesdirect,am impressed for £23.95 within the month

adsk

Whilst not as cheap as online retailers I was pleasantly surprised by a recent trip to Specsavers. I got 2 frames (stainless steel with flexible legs). 1.67 thin & light lenses, a 2nd set of 1.67 thin & light Reactions lenses and an eye test for £264.

cfc1900

I couldn't have summed it up better. Boots are offering a two for one deal at £69 and one pair can be reading or sunglasses. Cheaper than online in practice, and you can take them back. I have tried buying online and yes you can send the glasses back with some of the suppliers eg spex4less but it's still a pain. I'd bought four pairs in total and only one of them came back right first time. Over a lifetime of wearing glasses (50 years) I've only had three pairs that weren't optically correct and had to be returned. One of them incidentally was at Costco, and they were nothing like as cheap as people say. Not cheap at all really since Costco insisted their prescription was within allowable parameters and wouldn't accept my moaning about it. I was left with glasses I couldn't wear that cost me £300 (Armani varifocals). What people are missing is that the cost of glasses works on a sort of Ryanair principle, it's the addons that make the money. Zeiss lenses, extra thin, coatings etc etc. If you want a really cheap pair of spectacles as a spare, just get the basic type from an online supplier. Lots of them give the lenses, case etc all in for free. I got some perfectly acceptable ones to use with the computer for £15. That was from glasses direct, and they came right first time.

cfc1900

Steve_xx wrote: »

Yes I can see that you are happy with your £80 purchase and this is good.

However, you did say that varifocals were "horrendously" expensive in the UK and I pointed out to you that currently Specsavers will sell to you, and fit you with, two pairs of varifocals for just £69. This is markedly less than your £80 purchase from outside of the UK.

Surely you do not believe that the provision and fiting of two pairs of varifocals (in the UK) for £69 is "horrendously" expensive?

I paid considerably more than this - closer to £280 recently. Specsavers works on the Ryanair principle - the profit is in the addons. Having said that I have been happy with my varifocals after a terrible experience with Costco. Their designer varifocals cost me over £300 and wern't quite right. i persevered with them, but one day thought, "I've been wearing glasses for fifty years, why am I letting myself be bossed about by a 21 year old optician?" However she was determined to tell me I was wrong about my own vision and they wouldn't back down.Hence going to Specsavers with far superior results. Right first time. Worth the extra for me.

blahblahdoh

I went for a free eye test at optical express, expecting to get a prescription, but after the sales talk, when I asked for the paperwork they just said "no, we keep this on file". Slightly embarrassing. Shouldn't I be given a copy of the prescription? I thought that was the point of the test. I feel like they have got this wrong, but not sure what to do.

Steve_xx

blahblahdoh wrote: »

Shouldn't I be given a copy of the prescription? I thought that was the point of the test. I feel like they have got this wrong, but not sure what to do.

You're right, they are wrong. You are entitled to have a copy of your prescription.

blahblahdoh

Steve_xx wrote: »

You're right, they are wrong. You are entitled to have a copy of your prescription.

Thanks Steve.

If anyone needs it, this seems to be the relevant law: http://www.optical.org/en/about_us/legislation/opticians_act.cfm

The Opticians Act 1989
Part 4, No.26 "Duties to be performed on sight testing".