Optician is keeping my NHS voucher is this legal?

DCFC79

I get my eyes tested at boots as i always have done and i buy glasses from spec savers

nedmundo

DCFC79 wrote: »

I get my eyes tested at boots as i always have done and i buy glasses from spec savers

Why not just have your eye test at Specsavers as well? Much easier to sort out any problems and much fairer on Boots, who could be seeing someone who was loyal to them.

123louisa

Yes you are entitled to your voucher, and they should be written at the time of the test.

BUT

In My experience, when the store Optometrist is away the store will have a series of locums in, who refuse to sign vouchers and prescriptions unless they did the test. I don't know why but unless they were a long term locum for the store they wouldn't sign them.

As for phoning the prescription over it can be done but shouldn't and wouldn't work for a voucher as it is useless without the Optometrist signature on it.

We used to have sales targets to meet, so how about asking if they will give you a discount in the store for inconvenience and to stop you going elsewhere?

hethmar

I had my eyes tested at a local opticians and ordered new frames and lenses (although Im a pensioner too, I only need reading glasses). It took two weeks to get the glasses. In the meantime I noticed on the freebie board here that an online internet glasses supplier was offering new glasses for just the postage cost. Oh, I thought, lovely Ill get a spare pair of glasses. I had my prescription here, filled in the online form until it said "PD" - Pupil distance - that wasnt on the script. I rang up the opticians and said can you just give me the PD off my record please. Well, you would have thought Id asked for the weapons of mass destruction files. I had three different people there telling me it wasnt possible to give the information, it was private (erm, to whom?), it wasnt part of my script. Eventually one said, we cant give it as people can use it to buy on the internet and if they get it wrong they could "turn their eye". LOL, I think they must have thought I was born yesterday. I said to her, basically you dont want to give it so that people cant buy elsewhere. Silence.

Anyway, you can get a freebie ruler (there is a thread on this site about it) and measure your own PD. Ive ordered my freebies and hopefully, I wont "turn my eye" wearing them.

123louisa

Anyway, you can get a freebie ruler (there is a thread on this site about it) and measure your own PD. Ive ordered my freebies and hopefully, I wont "turn my eye" wearing them.[/QUOTE]


Yes you can measure you own pd, but get it wrong and your lens wont be centred and it will make the glasses wrong.

I believe that as its part of your prescription you need to go into the opticians to have it measured. We didn't routinely take the PD measurement unless you were buying glasses. We did not have to give the measurement over the phone and had memos from head office telling us not to.

hethmar

When my OH went to collect his glasses a few days ago, the girl repeated to him what she had told me on the phone.

I see there is actually a petition about this online now.

BTW, the freebie glasses from Lensway (a code was given on here for free frames/lenses for just £6 pandp) arrived today and they are brilliant - no different in reading quality than the ones I paid £168 for. If I had a problem with my eyes apart from just ageing long sight Id be dubious but as I can go in any boots or poundland store and buy reading glasses then I cant see that these which have been made as per the script can be any worse.

kmclar15

You are legally entitled to your own prescription. If the optometrist who tested your eyes is not available then the staff should have to write out a "copy of your prescription" and sign it on behalf of the optometrist.

Arg

nedmundo wrote: »

Why not just have your eye test at Specsavers as well? Much easier to sort out any problems and much fairer on Boots, who could be seeing someone who was loyal to them.

That's almost as stupid as saying you should do all your shopping in one supermarket instead of shopping around.