Rip Off Britain - Spectacles

Joanstarling

That's rubbish, my varifocal glasses work perfectly well. I just sent them my frame which already had my old lenses in them as they told me that they can take all the measurements they need from the old lenses. They replaced them with new lenses to my new prescription and I saved about half the price I would have normally paid. Trust me, once you do it this way you will never go back to your opticians to buy them again. Just look on google, there are quite a few retailers who offer this service.

Johnny54

I've never bought something like this online so I'm a little nervous about doing it this way. Could you tell me who you used to get your lenses replaced into your own frame? How do you go about letting them know your prescription, is it complicated to do? Say you can't see out of them when you get them back, then what? Sorry for all the questions but I knew someone at work who ordered some glasses on the internet and when they got them back they couldn't see through them and they didn't get a refund!

Joanstarling

Don't worry about entering in prescription numbers and things like that as I just sent my prescription card in with the frame I wanted them to use and this was enough. I don't really want to spam this thread but if you follow this link for varifocal glasses and these are the people who I and many others have used on this site. I used them because I couldn't find these varilux lenses cheaper anywhere else.

When I made my first order I just called them up just to make sure that they had all the info they needed. As I said before, there are many other retailer who provide this service. Just google the words 'varifocal reglaze' and a list of retailers will spring up. CiliaryBlue are another retailer some people use but I don't think they do Varilux lenses.

Johnny54

OMG!!! I just called the people from your link and they quoted me the same lenses for less than half of what I paid before!! This is unbelievable, how on earth are the high street Opticians stores getting away with charging so much? Seems to me that they are charging almost double the price that should be selling them at! The man from the online glasses people told me that it is becoming more common for customers to use their own frames and do it online as the public are becoming more aware of how they are being ripped off. I've now placed an order with these people as this is the only way I'm ever going to be able to afford to replace my lenses with the new prescription so thanks for all your advice.:beer:

bitemebankers

Johnny54 wrote: »

This is unbelievable, how on earth are the high street Opticians stores getting away with charging so much?

Do you really think that opticians should provide a high street shop, fill it with expensive equipment and highly trained staff, provide sight tests at a fraction of the true cost, and still sell glasses at the same price as an internet retailer with none of these overheads?

What about other products, like books and CDs: do you expect them to be the same price on the high street that you'd pay at play.com or amazon? Of course you wouldn't.

CrazyNerd

bitemebankers wrote: »

Do you really think that opticians should provide a high street shop, fill it with expensive equipment and highly trained staff, provide sight tests at a fraction of the true cost, and still sell glasses at the same price as an internet retailer with none of these overheads?

What about other products, like books and CDs: do you expect them to be the same price on the high street that you'd pay at play.com or amazon? Of course you wouldn't.

Don't bother, not many understand. I've given up.

Arg

I think a lot of people were annoyed at having no other option but to use highstreet opticians who took advantage of their captive market who can now shop elsewhere.

nedmundo wrote: »

Nah - it must be a rip-off. The Daily Mail, Rip off Britain and James Murray Wells say it is, so it's definitely true!:rotfl:

Nah - it's well worth it.A bunch of opticians crying about their failing business model say it is, so it's definitely true!
:rotfl:

Nilrem

Hmm, I don't think I'd call it a failing business model - unlike DVD's, CD's and the like there is a damn good reason for people to actually buy the product on the high street.

Of course, if enough people do just order the specs online after getting the eye test done on the high street (AFAIK they haven't yet managed to do eyetests online...), what will happen is that the true costs of the eye test will likely be charged rather than it being subsidised by the cost of the specs bought from the optician (my local optician does specs starting at about £25*, I normally pay about £100 all in for two pairs, inc the eye test).

I've looked at the cost of buying specs online, and for me it would save me maybe £20 or £30 if that, for which I'd also be losing the ability to pop into the opticians if I have any problems with my glasses and get them fixed (usually whilst I wait, and so far never a charge, not even postage back to wherever an online store is based).

It never ceases to amaze me that people can't grasp the fact that the costs of even just having a premises where the public can walk in (IE needed for an eye test:p), and look at stuff actually costs a fortune compared to a warehouse miles from the nearest town, where the only people who will be going there are employees, the couriers and the postman...
Even just public liability insurance to cover them if someone has an accident will add significantly to the overheads, let alone the niceties such as having it decorated (and that's before you even think of the price difference in the rent - the cost of a small high street location will often pay for a warehouse many times the size).

And no, I'm not an optician, just someone who doesn't assume that because something costs more via one retail method it's automatically a rip off..


*And completely free if you're on the NHS.

biscit

Nilrem wrote: »

And no, I'm not an optician, just someone who doesn't assume that because something costs more via one retail method it's automatically a rip off.

:eek: Shocking behaviour, how rude of you to express considered and thought through views, rather than knee-jerk opinions, couched in ignorance and expressed at angry factor 11. :rotfl:

bitemebankers

Nilrem wrote: »

Of course, if enough people do just order the specs online after getting the eye test done on the high street (AFAIK they haven't yet managed to do eyetests online...), what will happen is that the true costs of the eye test will likely be charged rather than it being subsidised by the cost of the specs bought from the optician

For what it's worth, in the long term this is EXACTLY what I believe will happen. Out of interest, the true cost of an eye examination is about £65. This is what it costs to the optical practice, before any profit is made. So when you pay £20-25 (or perhaps nothing at all!) the business has taken a bit hit upfront. When you then consider that some people won't need spectacles, this is a big burden that has to be loaded onto spectacle sales for the business to simply break even, never mind make a profit.


The most likely outcome is that we'll move to the kind of two-tier system that they have the US. There you have the option of a very cheap refraction, typically done by semi-trained shop staff with an auto-refractor machine. Or alternatively you can go to an 'Eye Doctor' - their equivalent of our optometrists - and pay for a full eye examination.

Many would argue that this is a fairer system, but it does have its downsides. The upshot is that many people go for the cheapest option, miss out on having a detailed eye examination, and are therefore at an increased risk of sight loss, serious illness and death due to serious conditions being undetected until it's too late. Bear in mind that an eye examination is often the first point at which conditions like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers are detected. At present, everyone in the UK who has an eye examination (at a bargain knock-down price) is benefiting from all this health screening.

Be careful what you wish for.