Prescription glasses for £8.50 inc delivery, anti-scratch/glare and UV

ernie-money

daveboy wrote: »

An idiot requires some help.

I am about to have an eye test (tomorrow - Friday) at a local Specsavers, and this is being paid for by my employer under the Display Screen Equipment Regulations.

My employer will also contribute £39 towards spectacles with Specsavers.

Would I be stupid to get them from Specsavers as there are offers elsewhere, or is letting my employer contribute £39 the way to go?

I have a strong feeling I'll need glasses so advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi Dave,
Hope it isn't too late for you to read this reply now!
Your employer may pay £39 towards your glasses if it turns out that you need glasses due to using a VDU at work, but if you want to choose the frame you want, then the £39 is likely not to cover the whole cost, and you would have to pay the difference out of your own pocket - probably more than the cost of a pair from select specs. If you did however get your prescription from Specsavers and explained the situation to your employer, they may well be happy to pay the cost of your glasses from select specs instead if you bring in a receipt.
Hope this helps!

19vivat

hi
i have been very happy with specsavers. my husband paid DandA £300 for his glasses and they sent the wrong prescription...i thought opticians woudl check. when he wore them for several weeks he finally went back and they checked and the factory ahd sent the wrong lenses!
however, i am tempted by the cheap specs offer but want to know about going in to get them fitted by a high street optician which is recommended on the site. i would feel it unreasonable for say specsavers to spend their time fitting glasses unless they make some charge? any comments???
apologies if this is already somewhere on the thread already, i am in a hurry thanks

hammodt

I've used selectspecs twice, and have had problems both times.

First time, the glasses didn't arrive. I was told I would have to wait 28 days before they'd officially consider the glasses missing. When I phoned them up to complain, they told me I'd have to send them a letter in writing confirming the glasses hadn't arrived, for "legal reasons". I wasn't too happy at this as it meant buying a stamp, envelope and paper etc, and added to the cost of the glasses. When I told them I wasn't happy, they effectively accused me of FRAUD, and suggested or implied that I HAD received the glasses and was just lying to them!! They backtracked a bit when I pointed out that I considered that suggestion to be libellous! After many emails and a letter, I finally received my glasses, plus 30 pence in cash for the stamp. Hardly compensation for the poor service I'd received.

A year or so later, I had calmed down, and decided it was probably just a one-off poor service, and probably just the fault of Royal Mail. So, I decided to place another order with selectspecs, this time for some sunglasses and glasses. Once again, they managed to muck up my order. The tinted sunglasses game untinted, and if I recall they tinted the untinted pair! Their customer service was still fairly poor, and they originally wanted me to return the glasses to them AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I insisted that they refund me at least the cost of return postage, which they eventually did. The only compensation I got for their error was a free "cleaning kit", which is basically a cleaning fluid worth around a pound. Eventually the correct glasses were sent out.

All in all, they do deliver EVENTUALLY, but in my experience not without a lot of hassle. If things go wrong (which it seems they do), don't expect any offers of compensation! I guess you get what you pay for.

If you want a hassle-free service, avoid!!!

Gendy

I have done this twice in the past year successfuly buying new reading prescription glasses (wantglasses.co.uk).However, beware, there are opticians who will test your eyes but when you refuse to order there and then a new pair of spetacles,you may be handed an prescription that turns out to be wildly wrong.This happened to a neighbour of mine and almost to me but I had kept two previous prescriptions and noted that the last one was literally optical gibberish.The same dispensing optician was involved in our two cases.One presumes this is done to prevent your circumventing buying an expensive pair of glasses from the testing optician and accurate on-line dispensing.The Government requirements for the prescription omit the inter-pupillary distance which is needed for an accurate prescription.

scotsbob

Gendy wrote: »

I have done this twice in the past year successfuly buying new reading prescription glasses (wantglasses.co.uk).However, beware, there are opticians who will test your eyes but when you refuse to order there and then a new pair of spetacles,you may be handed an prescription that turns out to be wildly wrong.This happened to a neighbour of mine and almost to me but I had kept two previous prescriptions and noted that the last one was literally optical gibberish.The same dispensing optician was involved in our two cases.One presumes this is done to prevent your circumventing buying an expensive pair of glasses from the testing optician and accurate on-line dispensing.The Government requirements for the prescription omit the inter-pupillary distance which is needed for an accurate prescription.

And if your doctor handed you an inaccurate prescription what would you do?

If that happened to me I would be complaining to their regulatory body and contacting my solicitor.

So far as inter pupillary distance is concerned, that .can be measured by anyone who can operate a ruler

LizzieG_2

I just want to say that I think this is terrible! It is deals like this that is putting hardworking professionals like myself out of business. Now I know we all love a bargain but when we have to compete with prices like this, often giving a free eye test in the first place, is surely taking the emphasis away from the care and attention we should be giving you, the patient, and turning it to money. You wouldn't expect the dentist to examine your teeth for free would you?( unless you have an NHS entitlement - same for Opticians). AND you certainly wouldn't expect them and wouldn't want them to use cheap products just to save you money?

There was a previous post on here about what happens after you receive the glasses? What does happen?........What if they don't fit or don't look right? What if they break or what if you can't see in them? Who would you then turn to? US!? We have to fix the mistakes (again usually free).

Of course you are entitled to shop around but then why not go back to your optician we will always try and match prices, because at the end of the day we are just trying to help you see that little bit better.

LizzieG_2

Gendy wrote: »

I have done this twice in the past year successfuly buying new reading prescription glasses (wantglasses.co.uk).However, beware, there are opticians who will test your eyes but when you refuse to order there and then a new pair of spetacles,you may be handed an prescription that turns out to be wildly wrong.This happened to a neighbour of mine and almost to me but I had kept two previous prescriptions and noted that the last one was literally optical gibberish.The same dispensing optician was involved in our two cases.One presumes this is done to prevent your circumventing buying an expensive pair of glasses from the testing optician and accurate on-line dispensing.The Government requirements for the prescription omit the inter-pupillary distance which is needed for an accurate prescription.

Also just replying to this message.....this is highly illegal and no optician should do that. I would definately report them. They really didn't care about your eyes at all! I suppose therefore I can't speak for all opticians haha but i swear most of us really do care about your eyes!!

FIL!!*_2

Thanks Lizzie! I have been testing eyes for 20 years and that sort of practice has never ever crossed my mind, I'm not sure I know of an Optician who would do that? But I suppose, sometimes turnover is more important than professionalism?

scotsbob

LizzieG wrote: »

I just want to say that I think this is terrible! It is deals like this that is putting hardworking professionals like myself out of business...............AND you certainly wouldn't expect them and wouldn't want them to use cheap products just to save you money?

Can you please provide statistics or a reference to support your comment that hard working professionals are going out of business?

If anything, more employment is being created.

Most of the opticians who provide online services supply branded lenses, mine are Varilux, so please don't perpetuate the myth that online equates to cheap and nasty.

You also talk of "price matching." I take that to mean that you will initially ask me to buy lenses for £100 but if I tell you that I can get them for £90 you will match that. Why not sell them for £90 to begin with?

That's why people buy online, transparency in pricing.

daveboy

ernie-money wrote: »

Hi Dave,
Hope it isn't too late for you to read this reply now!
Your employer may pay £39 towards your glasses if it turns out that you need glasses due to using a VDU at work, but if you want to choose the frame you want, then the £39 is likely not to cover the whole cost, and you would have to pay the difference out of your own pocket - probably more than the cost of a pair from select specs. If you did however get your prescription from Specsavers and explained the situation to your employer, they may well be happy to pay the cost of your glasses from select specs instead if you bring in a receipt.
Hope this helps!

My results from the test were as follows:

SPH: Right +0.25 Left +0.25
CYL: Right -0.50 Left -0.50
Axis: Right 125.0 Left 100.0

From what I've been told by others this is an easy one to sort...nothing special. I could order online or just find a shop and get a cheap pair.

I haven't yet done anything, so am open to anyone to suggest where I should go.

As for my employer contributing - on the paperwork that will be sent to the head office of my employer they ticked that it isn't solely for display screen use (will help with TV etc). I think employers will only cough up if it is solely for display screen use. I'd also have to have them from Specsavers.

So where should I go...I've held off on Selectspecs because whilst they are cheap they may not be the best place to go.