Glasses Buying Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

lawsofnature

Glasses Direct discount codes definitely lack transparency.

I ordered two pair of specs last week (I can't comment on the quality as I haven't received them, but it clearly states it may take up to 28 days, so no problem there).

When I ordered, the website was advertising that if two pair of glasses were purchased there would be a 10% discount and it also advertised a free delivery at the order stage. I also got pop-ups for a new customer 10% discount which was then emailed to me. When I ordered my Home Trial it also said I'd get a £5 discount code. We took a second Home Trial, and before ordering that, I phoned customer services and asked if both £5 discounts could be used on one order for two pair of specs - I was told 'yes'.

I went through Quidco, and could not apply any of the other discounts. Now, I understand that not all these discounts can be applied because it stacks up to quite a saving, but I least expected an extra discount for ordering two pair, or otherwise the money back on my trial.

I do think, at the very least, Glasses Direct need to be a bit more transparent about how the discounts work. Eg. it should state if using Quidco then no other discounts are applicable, or if a discount code is used, then the Home Trial code is not applicable etc. None of this is stated on the website to my knowledge.

I just hope the glasses are good!:o

the_sexy_witch

I went into Specsavers a couple of days ago and ordered some specs, and she said i would get the display ones. I said i was not happy with this and she replied that it was standard procedure.

Does anyone know the extent of this?:money:

moredeadthanalive

Just thought I would give you an account of buying new glasses from GlassesDirect.

At the beginning of Sep, I phoned up GD to ask about the types of bifocal lenses they use, and after understanding that they would be similar to what I have already, I gave my order over the phone. I asked for the rep to read back the prescription to make sure all was OK, which was done. I had to phone back a bit later when I realised that they had not asked for my pupillary distance (mine is wider than their standard distance) and tell it to them. I was slightly miffed that I had to do it, but was probably more excited at the prospect of getting new specs soon.

Excellent value – rimless, transitions, antiscratch and antiglare and UV. All for £121 after a discount. Boots rimless start at over £150, without lenses!!! And specsavers make you buy 2 pairs for around £350 for similar specs.

They arrived 10 days later and I excitedly tried them on but vision on the left was blurred. I checked the paper work and found they had set the axis to 38 instead of 78! But they had read it back to me correctly.

Their return procedure is straightforward. You print out a form from the website and return Freepost. I took a certificate of posting to be sure. The glasses were returned in a further 21 days and I am very pleased with them. Good value for a smart part of glasses. But the correction took longer than the original order and I was expecting special treatment for a potentially disgruntled customer.

I emailed GD customer service to say how disappointed I was with their mistake and suggested that more care should be taken. At no time was my complaint acknowledged, or an apology given or that the mistake should never have happened.

So, all in all, you get much better value than the high street, but if things go wrong, I wouldn’t expect them to bend over backwards to sort you out.

moredeadthanalive

lawsofnature wrote: »

Does this also apply with the 10% code? I have taken a home trial, but I also have a 10 per cent discount code, it's a little unfair if both can't be used for a purchase.

What do you want, jam on it?

As Bill Gates says - "Life is unfair, get used to it"

They are so cheap anyway, why quibble about a few pounds?

Steve_xx

moredeadthanalive wrote: »

So, all in all, you get much better value than the high street, but if things go wrong, I wouldn’t expect them to bend over backwards to sort you out.

I'm not sure what you expect here? You ordered some glasses and the wrong ones were supplied. You got in touch with the company about the problem and they fixed it for you. What more is required?

moredeadthanalive

I would have expected an apology (customer is always right etc) as it was their fault. I would have expected a quicker turn round for the replacement rather than longer.

That's the sort of service I would expect of a shop. It is as if GD are prepared to have a percentage of returns without worrying about the customer. Surely they would want to appease me, and sort out their internal process as it is costing them money.

Steve_xx

moredeadthanalive wrote: »

I would have expected an apology (customer is always right etc) as it was their fault. I would have expected a quicker turn round for the replacement rather than longer.

That's the sort of service I would expect of a shop. It is as if GD are prepared to have a percentage of returns without worrying about the customer. Surely they would want to appease me, and sort out their internal process as it is costing them money.

But if you have to send the goods back via post then it's bound to take longer to rectify than if you bought them at a high street optician.

I'm sure if you telephone them, they will be happy to apologise for their apparent error. One of the reason for their prices being maintained at low levels is that they don't enter into lots of correspondence, thereby increasing their overheads.

I disagree with your mention of "the customer is always right". That's a very well-worn cliche with no actual validity. Customers are not always right, but often they think that they are.

Arch_23

Hi,

I'm keen to take advantage of cheaper glasses by buying online. My main concern is that my prescription is quite hight (-10 Sphere).

Do the online sellers cater for such strong prescriptions?

posh_eyes

KevinR wrote: »

As the article only lists 2 suppliers one of whom stopped taking NHS GOS3 vouchers a while ago I thought I'd provide the list I just searched out of the net.

The following websites currently appear to say that they accept vouchers today 1/July/09, although some have not updated that particular detail in a while:

budgetspex.com
glassesandsunglasses.co.uk
manchesteroptical.com
specs4cheap.co.uk
specsuperstore.com
spectacles.gb.com
spexstudio.co.uk
squarezebras.com
thespecsplace.com
wantglasses.co.uk

posheyes.co.uk might but their site seemed confused.

In all cases you need a GOS3 properly completed by your optician including their signature. For some you complete both customer parts of the form and send it off in parallel with your order. Some of these will wait for the form before sending your glasses, while others will charge the full price and then refund you when they get the form. For others you complete the form only when you are happy with the glasses and send it off then; these take full payment and then refund you the voucher value.

It is worth adding that in theory you are entitled to claim the rebate yourself from your PCT using an HC5(O) form by providing a receipt for the supply of glasses. Its not clear how easy or effective this is! In theory this would let you buy from anywhere, but doubtless the NHS work to prevent this.

I could add that one supplier said Bolton PCT refused to process their claims and GlassesDirect had given them up because of the difficulty in getting them honoured.

Yes, Posh Eyes does accept GOS3 (NHS) optical vouchers and EyeCare Vouchers. On the FAQ's page it states:

Q. Do you accept NHS optical vouchers an Eyecare Vouchers for my glasses?
A. Yes. On your NHS Voucher please complete both Patient's declarations (Part 2 on the front and Part 4 on the back) and mail the voucher to us. For Eyecare Vouchers, simply send the voucher to us. We must receive your original NHS or Eyecare voucher for us to be able to process your claim.

glassesdirect_company_representative

lawsofnature wrote: »

Glasses Direct discount codes definitely lack transparency.

I ordered two pair of specs last week (I can't comment on the quality as I haven't received them, but it clearly states it may take up to 28 days, so no problem there).

When I ordered, the website was advertising that if two pair of glasses were purchased there would be a 10% discount and it also advertised a free delivery at the order stage. I also got pop-ups for a new customer 10% discount which was then emailed to me. When I ordered my Home Trial it also said I'd get a £5 discount code. We took a second Home Trial, and before ordering that, I phoned customer services and asked if both £5 discounts could be used on one order for two pair of specs - I was told 'yes'.

I went through Quidco, and could not apply any of the other discounts. Now, I understand that not all these discounts can be applied because it stacks up to quite a saving, but I least expected an extra discount for ordering two pair, or otherwise the money back on my trial.

I do think, at the very least, Glasses Direct need to be a bit more transparent about how the discounts work. Eg. it should state if using Quidco then no other discounts are applicable, or if a discount code is used, then the Home Trial code is not applicable etc. None of this is stated on the website to my knowledge.

I just hope the glasses are good!:o

Hi lawsofnature, and *so* sorry for taking so long to respond, unfortunately I wasn't receiving updates that the thread had been updated for some reason.

Currently our system only allows a single discount code to be applied, so you should choose whichever discount code gives you the greatest value off your pair of glasses. If you come through from quidco, then then discount code will already be applied.

Unfortunately this is a systems issue which we're looking to address longer term so that some discounts can be applied together.

The Home Trials discounts issue should now be resolved by the fact that we've made Home Trials free so you can try out your four pairs without having to pay anything, thereby getting rid of one of the discount codes!

The 10% discount for 2 pairs was a test, and was in place of free delivery with 2 pairs. I'm really sorry if the site showed them both simultaneously, that's something that shouldn've have happened. Again, we have gone back to the the simpler free delivery with 2 pairs.

So in summary: Only 1 discount code can be used at a time, free delivery will be applied on 2 or more pairs, and home trials are now free.

We try to be clear, and I'm sorry you received mixed messages from different people within the company. That's something we'll need to clear up internally and I'll make sure your message is passed around inside GD