Glasses Buying Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

Clowance

I normally wear varifocals but need to take them off for reading, and also do a lot of computer work (middle distance). Have just had eyes tested and need new distance prescription.

Question: is the middle distance and the long distance prescription the same figure and can I get away with single vision as a result, bearing in mind I take them off to read? (Even when I have just had new varifocals I can't read with them, I think its because I don't read looking down).

If I can get away with single vision I could try one of the online retailers.

Steve_xx

Violetta wrote: »

I ordered from them after seeing them mentioned on your post & having a look at the website, ordered a pair of single vision glasses last Thu night & they arrived this morning so has taken a week.
Pleased with the glasses but they need adjusting at the sides to fit right not sure if I can do that myself? or if an optician will be snooty if I ask them to adjust a rivals glasses.
But I'm definitely happy with new specs for £22.
Packaging was excellent, would have been nice to get an email saying they had been despatched though.

If you take the rival glasses to your local optician they may well adjust them for you. They may also wish to levy a charge for doing that for you. Will you be "snooty" about paying any charges levied?

If the local optician does decide to to adjust them for you, and in the process of doing so the glasses break, will you be "snooty" about it, and will you want the said local optician to replace the broken glasses free of charge?

nedmundo

Clowance wrote: »

I normally wear varifocals but need to take them off for reading, and also do a lot of computer work (middle distance). Have just had eyes tested and need new distance prescription.

Question: is the middle distance and the long distance prescription the same figure and can I get away with single vision as a result, bearing in mind I take them off to read? (Even when I have just had new varifocals I can't read with them, I think its because I don't read looking down).

If I can get away with single vision I could try one of the online retailers.

You'd need to ask your Opticians. That's an example of why it's best to get your glasses where you have your eye exam (or vice versa). Internet dispensing falls down when it come to advice as they just don't have any idea about your particular visual requirements.

Violetta_2

Steve_xx wrote: »

If you take the rival glasses to your local optician they may well adjust them for you. They may also wish to levy a charge for doing that for you. Will you be "snooty" about paying any charges levied?

If the local optician does decide to to adjust them for you, and in the process of doing so the glasses break, will you be "snooty" about it, and will you want the said local optician to replace the broken glasses free of charge?

No, why would I be snooty?

Steve_xx

Violetta wrote: »

No, why would I be snooty?

I don't know why you would be "snooty", but you implied that the local optician might be if you took your internet purchased glasses to him or her to make an adjustment.

I'm asking you if you would be "snooty" if said optician levied a charge on you of say £10 for the work involved in adjusting your internet purchased glasses. Therefore your £22 purchase would suddenly become £32.

Then, if your glasses were broken during the adjustment process, who would pay for the replacements? Would you expect the local optician to supply you with a fresh pair of glasses without charge, or would you consider that the internet supplier had supplied a poor quality product and that they were to blame for the glasses breaking?

Violetta_2

Steve_xx wrote: »

I don't know why you would be "snooty", but you implied that the local optician might be if you took your internet purchased glasses to him or her to make an adjustment.

I'm asking you if you would be "snooty" if said optician levied a charge on you of say £10 for the work involved in adjusting your internet purchased glasses. Therefore your £22 purchase would suddenly become £32.

Then, if your glasses were broken during the adjustment process, who would pay for the replacements? Would you expect the local optician to supply you with a fresh pair of glasses without charge, or would you consider that the internet supplier had supplied a poor quality product and that they were to blame for the glasses breaking?

I didn't imply anyone would be snooty, I asked IF they will be, I thought someone else on this thread might have had prior experience. I wouldn't mind an optician charging me, is £10 the going rate for that kind of work? If they break because it's a poor quality product, then that would not be the fault of the opticians would it, so why would I blame them?

Steve_xx

Violetta wrote: »

I didn't imply anyone would be snooty, I asked IF they will be, I thought someone else on this thread might have had prior experience. I wouldn't mind an optician charging me, is £10 the going rate for that kind of work? If they break because it's a poor quality product, then that would not be the fault of the optician would it, so why would I blame them?

But you implied that they could be snooty and therefore you must have in your mind the possibility that asking a local optician to fit your glasses correctly when you had obtained them elsewhere might not be welcome.

The likelihood is that a local optician would not make a charge to make such an adjustment. But they might say to you that if they undertake any such adjustment that it would be at your own risk. This is the situation as it is today. However, you can I'm sure reasonably see that if local opticians see a marked increase in the numbers people asking for adjustments to be made to spectacles ordered elsewhere, that some kind of charging mechanism will ensue in order to recover the cost of the provision of this remedial service.

Similarly, if online providers gain momentum by offering low cost spectacles then there will likely be a reduction of providers on the high street and so choice there will become limited. This may completely alter the current model in the UK as high street opticians with all of their associated overheads will not be able to compete with the online providers. I would imagine that this will usher in an era of testing only opticians so that you will be able to have an eye test and then be forced elsewhere to have your glasses made. If this does happen then you will see a marked increase in the cost of an eye test because there would be no cross-subsidy available to the high street optician. If this happens, then suddenly your online providers may not seem so cheap.

nedmundo

Perhaps the question would be - if you were an optician, would you be snooty if a patient brought some outside specs in to be adjusted?

Violetta_2

nedmundo wrote: »

Perhaps the question would be - if you were an optician, would you be snooty if a patient brought some outside specs in to be adjusted?

I would be happy to help anyone if I could. But I'm not an optician otherwise I'd adjust them myself.

nedmundo

For free or would you charge to contribute towards your overheads?