What would you do? Pay or not pay ...

Mikazaru

Buttonmoons wrote: »

*cough choke splutter* £97 for glasses? That is presumably with the NHS discount too, and 3 months later on? What's he wearing? Gok wan supremios?

I'd tell them to jog on.

It might not be the frames though, it could be he needs different lenses. My parents had to pay a fair bit more for my glasses growing up; as my eyesight was so bad I needed more expensive lenses.

peardrops_2

Mikazaru wrote: »

It might not be the frames though, it could be he needs different lenses. My parents had to pay a fair bit more for my glasses growing up; as my eyesight was so bad I needed more expensive lenses.

If this was the case why did they wait 3 months and leave him without glasses for this amount of time?

Buttonmoons

Mikazaru wrote: »

It might not be the frames though, it could be he needs different lenses. My parents had to pay a fair bit more for my glasses growing up; as my eyesight was so bad I needed more expensive lenses.

It was an accident though, and 3 months later the bill crops up? I was £55 at specsavers 2 weeks ago for -7 glasses, in a okay'ish frame and it needed thinned down (obviously, looks like milk bottles otherwise)

I just don't think its the OP's responisbility to pay anything towards it, as it was an accident, both boys said so.

It's unfortunate, but it happens.

Dave101t

50% is fair, but only if it comes out of his pocket money. Excellent MSE skills at a young age will set him in good stead.

Mikazaru

I didn't say they should pay or that it wasn't odd they've waited for three months, just where the cost could come from. It might not be that they've splashed on out designer frames and expecting someone else to contribute it but that they have to pay that for the lenses.

the_cat

I think in the first instance I would just ignore the letter/demand for money for a while. As the older kid who caused trouble is due to leave for senior school in the summer, the longer you can drag it out the less potential there is for aggro. In most areas it is half term next week so you have at least a fortnight to see what happens and weigh up your options

My instinct is to tell them to s+d off. They are trying it on big style and I hate to allow people to do that at my expense. However you might be able to guage how difficult they might be and whether it is worth it to save your son some aggro by seeing how much you get pestered. In an ideal world, you could complain about any bullying and have it stamped out quickly but we see more than enough threads on here to know that this is not usually dealt with firmly or quickly enough. Paying them would stick in my throat but having been the victim of bullying, I would consider it money well spent if I thought it would spare my child that

Sazzarella

You're all saying that NHS glasses are free but have you actually seen them??? I have been wearing specs since I was 5 and there is so many embarrassing photos of me in NHS specs. Big plastic multicoloured things that your granny would wear! Also your assuming they have bought dead expensive frames but it might be the lenses. I need various thinning on mine to stop them looking like jam jar bottoms which is about £150 before I even add frames.

the_cat

Sazzarella wrote: »

You're all saying that NHS glasses are free but have you actually seen them??? I have been wearing specs since I was 5 and there is so many embarrassing photos of me in NHS specs. Big plastic multicoloured things that your granny would wear! Also your assuming they have bought dead expensive frames but it might be the lenses. I need various thinning on mine to stop them looking like jam jar bottoms which is about £150 before I even add frames.

Err yes! My teenage DS had the run of the shop and was told to pick whichever he wanted without looking at price as I wanted him to be happy with them. His favourites were a free pair (thankfully:D)

euronorris

Yes, I have seen them and they are vastly better than they were when I was a kid! There are plenty of fashionable friends within the NHS range now.

Even if they chose outside of that range, Specsavers do a vast range of nice, and cheap, frames for well under 50 quid.

pigpen

NHS frames are just as nice as the expensive ones now.. the adult ones are a bit old ladyish but the childrens and mens ones are really nice!

I tell mine they can have whichever frames they want because they have to wear them and only twice paid silly money.. but they are always happy. I found it to be the more expensive ones that are rubbish..

We paid £55 for OH to have thinner lenses.. Sazz.. think you need to shop around more .. seems you were done! He also gets various coatings on his.. scratch/glare for example.