Rip Off Britain - Spectacles

hansi

pmduk wrote: »

Just to act as devil's advocate. Perhaps those people who haven't had an eye test in the last 2 years shouldn't be permitted to drive?

We'e not at odds with the price of the test. It's the price of the end product.

nedmundo

hansi wrote: »

Then please explain the vast difference in different opticians prices for exactly the same product.

Are you saying exactly the same product (i.e. same manufacturer, design and model of frame and lenses) and are you comparing prices between bricks & morter high street practices or are you comparing these to cheaper products found at market stalls and online?

Lirin

I can't take any risks with my eye. I do have cheaper glasses, and expensive ones- think the most I've paid was near £400. I am blind in one eye, so usually a fairly easy prescription- same in both to balance.
I do notice a difference. The cheaper lenses feel softer, and I've a couple of pairs in each car in case my expensive ones break.
The majority of the price difference I've always found is the lens cost, the frames are usually similarly priced.

hansi

nedmundo wrote: »

Are you saying exactly the same product (i.e. same manufacturer, design and model of frame and lenses) and are you comparing prices between bricks & morter high street practices or are you comparing these to cheaper products found at market stalls and online?

Market stall do not do prescription glasses. I am comparing prices obtained at high street opticians including some very well known names. There can be as much as £70 difference.

nedmundo

OK - this boils down to 2 factors - overheads and buying power. A larger multinational company will invariably be able to negotiate more preferential terms than a single one off practice. Whether they pass those discounts onto the customer is a different matter. It sounds extreme, but I know of products I could source from corporate competition for less than I can direct from the manufacturer.

A practice geared around volume selling numerous pairs of specs can cover their overheads with less of a mark-up than a practice where fewer patients are seen, with more time allocated.

Hope that makes sense!

Johnny54

I need very then lenses because of my prescription and had my last eye test done about a month ago. he told me that there was a change (surprise, surprise!) and that I would need to replace my glasses. When I asked if I could use my previous frame he told me that it would not be possible and then tried to flog me a pair of glasses for £496! I took the frames down the road and was told by Vision Express that it could be done quite easily but they wanted to charge £359 for the lenses only! You would have thought that after the programme exposing these price mark ups the high street opticians would have corrected their prices.

nedmundo

What sort of lenses were they and what frame? I suspect we're dealing with expensive lenses, even at cost price. Perhaps the 1st place didn't have on-site glazing facilities, which would have meant sending your frames away for a week to be reglazed?

Johnny54

Apparently I have always had Varilux lenses but thinned down as my prescription is very high. I can use the glasses to drive and to read, they are all in one. They work very well but the downside is the price tag they carry. I did go into Specsavers once and try some cheaper lenses they were selling at the time of a promotion but I couldn't get on with them so I got my money back and went back to my opticians to pay a small fortune. I'm not tight when it comes to paying out for lenses as I obviously value my eye sight but after watching that TV programme I'm now a little disappointed to discover that I've been overcharged all this time.

Joanstarling

Johnny54, What sort of varifocals do you have? I wear Varilux lenses too but I got a company online to use my old frames and put new varifocals into them. They put the same lenses that I already had with a new prescription and only charged me around £150. The same lenses were about £320 in my local opticians!

Johnny54

I've just had a look for my card that the optician gave me and it states on their that the lenses are called 'Varilux Physio'. I think this must be the name of the lens company that makes these. How did your varifocals work when you bought them on the internet? I've heard stories from other people that you should never buy glasses on the net.