Glasses Deals Discussion

stevenfisher

tifo wrote: »

So when you said in an earlier post you can match other internet prices you actually meant high street shops?

We did market research of UK based online providers that use UK based lens manufacture (not China) and research of high street opticians as well.

Initially we were comparible with the online providers but without the NHS contract we did have to increase prices by a small percentage. This still means that we are still well over 50% cheaper than high street opticians.

Complete single vision glasses with coatings can be bought from £40. Lenses alone would be £70 or more on the high street.

Our service is designed to help those in rural areas access eye care and access it at a reduced cost. We visit villages in the middle of rural Dorset.

Every business wants to make lots of money but by making it more affordable and not charging 1000% mark up, you might just get more customers. Plus, you can have a good feeling that the customer is happy. You can't beat word of mouth for good advertising and we have had lots of that!

MSE_Deborah

Hi there,

We've given Lensway.co.uk permission to post on here to answer any of your questions.

Hope this helps,
MSE Deborah

tifo

MSE_Deborah wrote: »

We've given Lensway.co.uk permission to post on here to answer any of your questions.]

Thanks.

First question: What happened to the £9/£9.99 glasses with lenses?

Former_MSE_Archna

Hi all,

Just to let you know we've been in touch with Lensway and Groupon today as we too noticed prices had changed. It's assured us it will make amends, we're just waiting for a statement.

nedmundo

tifo wrote: »

Thanks.

First question: What happened to the £9/£9.99 glasses with lenses?

Erm - it was not economically viable?

tifo

nedmundo wrote: »

Erm - it was not economically viable?

erm, just before the voucher became valid?

nedmundo

jonnym2010 wrote: »

I have to agree with A.Jones. I know its not all the opticians and I'm sure there are a good minority out there, but the the huge mark up and poor service given buy most large retailers is shameful.

I also was not given the PD even though I specifically asked for it.
Jonnym2010

I also will not issue a PD, even if asked directly. The reason is that it is the legal responsibility of whoever is doing the dispensing (in this case either yourselves or the supplier). By giving the PD, it could be inferred that I would be legally responsible for circumstances beyond my control.

I have no problem with online dispensing, but you can't have it both ways. You either pay more to have it done properly by a professional, with a quality product, correctly fitted and with ongoing maintenance, or save money by taking the risk and doing it yourselves.

It may seem like a huge mark-up but overheads and more expensive products do have to be covered. Look at it this way - the £25 eye exam is probably the biggest bargain you will get.

stevenfisher

nedmundo wrote: »

By giving the PD, it could be inferred that I would be legally responsible for circumstances beyond my control.

You are correct, it would be your fault.

Most online glasses companies give instructions on how to measure PD on their site. People should be aware of this and not ask their optician to do it if they are going elsewhere.

You can't have it all ways. You either want to save money and have to do some of the work, or you want it all done for you by the optician.

Former_MSE_Archna

This is the reponse from Lensway:
[FONT=&quot]“I would like to clarify some key points in response to your questions about pricing at LensWay.co.uk.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We recently adjusted the prices of a small proportion of our frames to reflect changes in the marketplace. This enabled us to reduce the prices of some of our most popular designer frames from £89 to £29 so that more consumers could buy from our top designer range of glasses. We are also now offering free shipping on all orders over £29, which can be combined with the Groupon offer. All of these changes have been designed to benefit and pass on even greater savings to all of our customers, including those who took advantage of this Groupon offer."[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
It has also confirmed that the £9 frames should now be back in stock.

tifo

£9 glasses back in stock and just when i was about to pay for the order, website crashes! Now they might not be on later!

"We are sorry. The server is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. Please try again later"