Are Opticians ripping people off? Boots/Specsavers/Vision express

Petra_70

I am not directly accusing them of ripping people off, but I am concerned about the tactics they use.

DH went to Specsavers a few months ago, and he had some reading glasses. The frame was £69. They said he 'could do with' a UV filter, an anti glare filter, a smudge resistant coating (or something like that!) and something else I forgot! Total £275. :eek:

They told him he 'would benefit' from all of this,' and so he took their word for it and paid though the nose for his reading glasses.

Same thing happened to my elderly neighbour when she went to Vision Express ... Picked a cheap (ish) frame, and ended up paying four times more than the frame cost for her glasses, because of all the frills and bells they added on.

She went back for a second pair a month later, but said she could not afford the £250 it cost for the last pair. She said the frame was only £50-55, but she paid more because of extra filters and suchlike... The girl she saw (a different one from last time,) said 'it's ok, you don't really need them anyway; it's mostly for people who are on their computer 8 hours or more a day, and who read a lot...or drive a lot.

She said you could have knocked her down with a feather. So she only needed to pay the £50-£55 her glasses cost!

Now my sister went into Boots opticians yesterday, and had an eye test. She has an HC3 voucher, and so she had £33 towards the glasses and £10 towards the test. The optician recommended a 'blue filter' or 'something similar' as it protects you from 'screen flare' and prevents headaches (and a few other things,) and so she put it on the form.

So my sister picked her glasses (a £50 pair, the cheapest they do,) and the glasses and the eye test came to around £70, but she got £43 off altogether, so she knew it should be about £27 for her to pay.) The assistant said £107! :huh:

Apparently the 'blue filter' cost £80!

As if that wasn't bad enough, my sister said 'I can't afford that.' (She wouldn't have the HC3 form if she could throw away eighty quid on a filter for her glasses.) And the girl serving her said 'oh it's OK, you don't really need it...the lense comes with an anti glare thing that protects your eyes anyway!!!'

Again !!!!!!? So if she hadn't said 'I can't afford it,' she would have ended up paying an extra £80 for something she doesn't need!

How can this happen? Why does this happen? These opticians appear to be offloading stuff people don't necessarily need! Maybe SOME people need them and would benefit strongly from them, but some people don't need them, so why are they trying to offload superfluous extras onto people who don't need them?! Especially pensioners and people on low incomes!

And why the heck do these 'filters' cost so much? £80 for one! That's more than the glasses and the lense put together!

Is this worth an official complaint?

bod1467

It's called "up-selling". Pretty much all businesses do it, not just opticians, and it's where businesses make their profit.

wellused

My wife’s the same she has a free eye test and then spends £300 to £400 on two pairs of glasses, she needs two pairs in case one pair breaks at an inopportune moment or something which I do appreciate could happen. I went for an eye test and was told that my prescription had changed slightly so would I like to chose my frames, I declined as I don't do that much reading and I don't want to change my glasses every two years, when I'm working I wear old glasses anyway so what's the difference. The optometrist was a little concerned that my field of vision results were coming back a little strange so I had to inform him that I had suffered a retinal detachment 30 years ago so that might explain that, strange that I had been to that opticians to have my eyes tested before I would have thought that might have been on my records. The optician left me with the wise words that they would have to keep a check on my eyes for cataracts not that there was any sign of them now but as I get older I might have problems, no shizzle Sherlock!

PDC

I've recently gone to Specsaves after ordering online in the past. Price wise I didn't think they were that bad, As said they do like to up sell and I got a raft of horror stories when I asked about putting lenses in my own frames.

What I found more disconcerting was the rushed 'production line' eyetest, two of us in one room having the eyetest at the same time which was distracting to say the least, and then a long wait to speak to someone about the lens options.

I think our local Specsavers has somewhat of a monopoly as there aren't many alternatives in our High Street but certainly it wasn't a particularly pleasant or confidence inspiring transaction.

szam_

I had a full health check last year - vision fortunately came back on my health report as 20/20.

As I get a free eye test with work I was wondering whether to go in and see if they tell me I need glasses. I suspect I'd be told I do just so they can sell me some even though I don't need any.

OH was actually surprised when I told her I've never been to a high street optician before - for me, a case of "no problem, no point?".

Petra_70

Hmmmm, so on reading this, I am guessing that all the extras are not always necessary then?

This is a horrible practice; especially when it's an older person (say over 60) as some of them are very trusting and believe someone 'qualified' or something of an expert like an optician. I do wonder now if my DH needed all the bells and frills he had.

They shouldn't be doing this, not with something like glasses! People need these - some desperately - and to use people to boost their profits, and con them out of maybe one or two hundred pounds is unforgivable imo. If it's some frivolous electrical item, then you can kind of half expect it, but not with eyecare FGS.

Disgusting. ::mad:

They tried to sell extras to me too when I went for an eye test, but I said a very firm 'no' as I only need them for reading and for the computer.

peter_the_piper

I'm going to Tesco next time to see if its as reasonable as a friend says. Certainly won't have the tinted lenses next time, a swine to use a camera with.

miller

Petra_70 wrote: »

DH went to Specsavers a few months ago, and he had some reading glasses. The frame was £69. They said he 'could do with' a UV filter, an anti glare filter, a smudge resistant coating (or something like that!) and something else I forgot! Total £275. :eek:

Considering myself fairly savvy, I was burnt 4 years ago at Specsavers for £145. It is a very slick operation they've got going there. Also, I got a very cruddy plastic case.

Now I tend to look for free eye tests on MSE and attend without my current glasses (they don't need your current glasses to do an eye test do they; plus it gives you an excuse to just grab your prescription at the end because you'll need to "come back" with them for the lenses to be changed; plus they wont change your 'script for the sake of it).

Prescription in hand and it's off to the likes of Glasses Direct where I got 2 better pairs of glasses for £43 a couple of years back (with decent cases).

luvchocolate

Asda 2 pairs varifocals, thinned down lenses and scratch resistant, 1 pair I had tinted, £99

Never go anywhere else

Indie_Kid

I'm probably the only one who has never had problems with being sold stuff with my glasses I don't need? I do remember a few years ago asking for tints and being told "oh you won't be able to see with them". I can see fine (well, as well I can see) with them.

geerex

"Are Opticians ripping people off?"

Can't see it myself....