Asda spectacles..argghhhh

Sue_S

mttylad wrote: »

If your prescription is a very high one then I would suggest that going for cheaper glasses at Asda is not for you, one of the reasons why their glasses are cheaper is that they only cover a certain range of prescriptions.

If you pay £229 for glasses you can get thin frames, if you pay £70 for them then they are not going to be as thin.

The eye test at Asda is done by fully qualified opticians and is just the same as any other opticians.

And yes - it is not the fault of the staff there that Asda have chosen an awful lens supplier, unfortunately its the staff that bear the brunt of it.

In the end - you get what you pay for.

This isn't correct. I have a prescription of -12 and I was given the 1.74 lens by Asda. No extra charge.

mttylad

Sue, what isn't correct?

I suspect it is the part about not being able to get a high prescription as everything else is accurate. (I should know - I get it in the ear every evening about it).

My statement above is 100% (ish) correct.

If you have been lucky enough to get thin lenses on a high prescription from Asda then you were very lucky, but they do have limits on what they can supply. They use the cheapest of lens suppliers and although it was a few years ago I can understand the OP's problem.

You can actually get quite a lot from Asda at no extra charge, nosepads, cleaning stuff, cases etc. Complain loudly enough and you may even get your glasses free.

People come into Asda and treat the staff like something they trod in, then make up all sorts of crap and complain and the manager wimp out and pay the complainer or give them free stuff to keep them as a grocery shopping customer.

Pennywise2012

It's worth bearing in mind that lens thickness is also affected by the frame choice, and how the frame sits on your face (if your pupil is in the centre of the lens, the end result will be better). This is why it's difficult to predict the end result without trying it.

To be honest, I don't think that any one optical practice is any better than another at 'getting the lenses thin' - the only variable is the centre thickness of the lens, and they tend to be pretty standardised. The same range of refractive indices (levels of thinness) is available to everyone.

In my ever-so-humble opinion the reasons why customers end up disappointed with the thickness of their lenses is

1) Frame choice. The best frame for minimizing lens thickness is a tiny little beady-eyed round frame, but no-one wants to wear it! So it's a compromise between something horrible and practical, and something nicer but less suitable. They all look great with the flat demo lenses in.

2) Over-expectation with thinner lenses. Whether you've got the thin lenses included (like ASDA) or paid for them separately (like everywhere else), you've paid for them, and they're not cheap. So it can be hard to reconcile £150 with lenses that are only a couple of millimetres thinner.

I don't think it's over-selling, more a combination of over-promising and not being able to tell the customer that what they have chosen will look awful.:eek:

ThumbRemote

mttylad wrote: »

Sue, what isn't correct?

I suspect it is the part about not being able to get a high prescription as everything else is accurate. (I should know - I get it in the ear every evening about it).

My statement above is 100% (ish) correct.

If you have been lucky enough to get thin lenses on a high prescription from Asda then you were very lucky, but they do have limits on what they can supply. They use the cheapest of lens suppliers and although it was a few years ago I can understand the OP's problem.

Sue has stated that Asda supplied 1.74 refractive index lenses.

Are you claiming that they don't supply this refractive index? If so, what indexes do they supply?

mttylad

No I am not claiming that, what I said was:

one of the reasons why their glasses are cheaper is that they only cover a certain range of prescriptions.

I did not say what the range was and Sue has not said when she got them, when Asdas suppliers change their ranges change. Currently their supplier is very cheap hence only a certain range.

The way I understand it is that it is not just the -12 that counts, there are other factors involved and if you have a complicated prescription then Asda may not be able to provide you with the lenses you want.

But if they do thin them then they do it for free and AFAIK 1.74 is all other high street shops will go down to too (and this depends upon the size of the frames).

meritaten

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

After reading the thread about how great Asda glasses were & how thin they were able to get the lenses, I decided to take the plunge.

Unfortunatly, when the glasses arrived instore they looked a complete mess. Both lenses were protruding through the front of the frame, so I rejected them & they were returned to the lab. The second time they arrived instore, the optician didn't even bother to show me them as they were apparently pretty much the same, so were returned again.

Finally when they arrived back instore, they were flatter at the front, the right lens didn't even look as if it had been shaved down. Now I have really short sight, so am not expecting super thin lenses, but these are really taking the buscuit. They didn't even look as if the anti-reflective coating had been applied to either lens.

Anyway, the dispensing optician said they have a locum optician coming in on Tuesday & he has his own lab. She is going to ask him if he can do anything with the lenses. So I really haven't a clue what to expect. I'm pretty miffed to say the least & wouldn't advise anyone with a high prescription to buy glasses from Asda, it's been a waste of time & money so far.

The optician had said that for some reason Asda had choosen to use a different lens lab than what they had used in the past. Strikes me they should've stuck with what they new, instead it appears they've choosen a cheap, inferior company who can't cope with high prescriptions.

I'm no doubt going to lose my money & end up having to go and buy glasses from somewhere else.

Why should you lose your money? If the glasses are not acceptable you should get a full refund.

Eydon

Just been to Asda to order my glasses - paid £140 for two complete pairs (paid £40 extra because I have Transitions lens in my main pair).

When I spoke to the optician he said that they used several different makes of light-reacting lenses but because of my prescription they would actually be Transitions 1.6. They did say I could thin them down even more to 1.67 for an extra £40 but I've had the 1.6 before and it's fine in the type of frames I choose.

I guess the proof will be in the pudding when I go and collect them, but so far their service has been very good.

And Vision Express wanted to charge me £195 just for one pair of 1.6 Transitions lenses.

mttylad

In the whole Asda are very good, so good that many take advantage of them.

Sue_S

Last week I picked up another two pairs of specs from Asda for £99. My prescription is currently -12 in each eye plus some astigmatism. The lens fitted is 1.74 index, the frames are Morgan and I'm absolutely delighted with them. I had to be fitted by the dispensing optician as my prescription is so high and she took great care in marking the centre point on the lens, etc. I also had to see her when I went to pick them up so that she could ensure I was completely satisfied.

That's six pairs of specs I've bought from Asda now! I can afford to choose my specs according to my mood instead of being stuck with one pair constantly because of the price. Asda rocks!

theloxleycountryclub

Bought designer reading glasses for £70 during a sale and 1 month later the screw came loose on an arm. They screwed that up - pardon the pun - but now another 3 months down the line one of the lenses have dropped out because of another screw failure.

They'll repair them but I'm not happy with the quality I was promised and will not buy glasses from Asda again.