Is this mis-selling?

Markie76

Thanks for all your replies. Instead of quotes I'll just do points;

1. I told her the priority is to fulfil the GP's request by getting an eye test done and any prescription can be procured later. My mum is the most stubborn woman you'll ever meet and decided as she's already been there an hour she might as well get the glasses.

2. Absolutely agree that a visit to the opticians should just be for the eye test - only downside is you can't try frames on when buying online. Oh and high street opticians are now also 'hearing centres' with hearing aids that cost upto £1000 each due to how advanced they are. I forgot to say the shop assistant did get my mum to do a hearing test but my mum had had enough after 5 minutes and said she just wants to go. At this point we had been there two and a quarter hours.

3. Not Specsavers but it begins with the same letter.

4. I'm not complaining about the £30 lens removal charge - it's just another revenue stream. Being told they won't accept the frames if I remove the lens myself (for free) is not very customer orientated. If I damage the frame removing the lens then I absolutely accept it is perfectly reasonable for them to say it's damaged and they won't accept them.

5. Believe me I'm very assertive. I was thinking of my mother who is 82 not in the best of health and having already been there an hour she was tired and getting stressed. Rather than having to endure another visit I wanted to get the faff over and done with asap.

6. ZX81 did indeed reply "No" and you "If you know the answers already, why ask the question?" I wasn't disagreeing just looking for some detail, hence citing further scenarios.

7. I agree opticians are vital but the big chains have obliterated the traditional independent optician. The large chains employ/contract an optician who sits in a room somewhere out back to do the eye test. The rest of the operation is handled by shop staff. I was in disbelief when we stepped out the optician's room and the shop assistant was waiting there to say "let's choose your frames".... The big chains are all about slogans & sales - the traditional opticians shop & optician was about caring about your sight, providing a good service and maintaining a good reputation. That's my opinion.

agrinnall

On your last point, I don't know where you live but around here there are plenty of independent opticians. However, I don't use any of them as I have found for my last 2 tests and supply of glasses that ASDA have done a great job, and I will be using them again for at least my next test.

Markie76

agrinnall wrote: »

On your last point, I don't know where you live but around here there are plenty of independent opticians. However, I don't use any of them as I have found for my last 2 tests and supply of glasses that ASDA have done a great job, and I will be using them again for at least my next test.

My mum lives in North London.
Certainly in her area some independent opticians in prime shopping locations have seemingly been bought out as they just turned into a big chain shop. Others have turned into more coffee shops.
A number outside of prime locations have just closed up and disappeared.....

pelirocco

pulliptears wrote: »

The thing with opticians is you need to play them.
Take up the free eye test and then take away your prescription. My last pair of reading glasses cost me £12 delivered.

Don't know why people always feel they have to purchase from the place that did the test. Shop around like you would for anything else!

That might be ok for basic reading glasses , I have varifocals which need to be fitted properley ...A freind of mine tried to go the 'cheap' route with glasses , she was unable to wear them
I have , however , been visiting the same local optician for over 30 years , on the odd occassion I have used one of the big high street chains I have come away with pretty poor glasses

hollydays

On the subject of frames.
I had a pair of sunglasses I already owned fitted with new lenses
They did warn me that they might damage the glasses while putting in the new lenses and they might break. Perhaps it's circumstances like these that that opticians want to avoid. Can you imagine the legal wrangle if his had happened.

You're whole post seems very much " everyone's out to take our money bah humbug" and that's not something we can fix, it's just a vent.
One point, hearing aids ARE very expensive. I imagine £1000 would buy nothing special. I'm sure they didn't put her arm up her back to have the test.
On the subject of you being shocked because the staff didn't do the small talk about the test, I'm amazed you think they would.They are trained to help customers choose glasses that , for example , suit their face shape and sit on the bridge of their nose well. They will steer you away from styles that done fit you well. They have received training to do this .

Can you explain how all this took two and a quarter hours though.
I go at my own pace when I recently chose two pairs of sunglasses last week but it would have only taken that long if I was very very slow and tried on lots and lots of glasses and talked a lot.

Markie76

hollydays wrote: »

On the subject of frames.
I had a pair of sunglasses I already owned fitted with new lenses
They did warn me that they might damage the glasses while putting in the new lenses and they might break. Perhaps it's circumstances like these that that opticians want to avoid. Can you imagine the legal wrangle if his had happened.

No. Simply get the customer to sign a disclaimer. Sorted.

hollydays wrote: »

You're whole post seems very much " everyone's out to take our money bah humbug" and that's not something we can fix, it's just a vent.

On the contrary;
1. £5-10 charge to remove lenses = reasonable. £30 = pure money grab.
2. Big chains slogans: 'Protecting your Sight', 'Your vision matters to us'...etc Plain English should just be = hand over your cash.

hollydays wrote: »

One point, hearing aids ARE very expensive. I imagine £1000 would buy nothing special.

The 'nothing special' models started at £300

hollydays wrote: »

On the subject of you being shocked because the staff didn't do the small talk about the test, I'm amazed you think they would.

I think it's about being compassionate and human which sales training doesn't take away from you. The sales assistant could have started by bonding and asking how the test actually went and how she's feeling. The opticians room was in the back of the shop with the only exit being at the front of the shop. It's not like my 82 year old mother was going to leg it.

hollydays wrote: »

Can you explain how all this took two and a quarter hours though. I go at my own pace when I recently chose two pairs of sunglasses last week but it would have only taken that long if I was very very slow and tried on lots and lots of glasses and talked a lot.

I don't know. Previous experiences have been an hour to an hour twenty minutes max. This experience was prolonged checking/rechecking, one sales assistant 'checking' her in then the other doing the sale and it seemed they were working a go-slow. Probably a sales tactic to tire the customer out so they buy more (oops bah humbug :eek: )

Takmon

Markie76 - If you think that your mother was subjected to "Mis-selling / Fraud" and you were there then why did you let it happen?

If i was in your position i would have just made sure she got the eye test and then left straight away. When i had my last eye test i was there less than 20 minutes in total including waiting time.

If she wanted the thick lenses there is no way i would have let them charge her £79 for thin ones with an extra coating. I once took my grandmother into a shop for electrical equipment and they wanted to sell her a £50 HDMI cable, i certainly didn't let that happen!.

Markie76

Takmon wrote: »

Markie76 - If you think that your mother was subjected to "Mis-selling / Fraud" and you were there then why did you let it happen?

If i was in your position i would have just made sure she got the eye test and then left straight away. When i had my last eye test i was there less than 20 minutes in total including waiting time.

If she wanted the thick lenses there is no way i would have let them charge her £79 for thin ones with an extra coating. I once took my grandmother into a shop for electrical equipment and they wanted to sell her a £50 HDMI cable, i certainly didn't let that happen!.

Not sure how to answer this.....

Takmon wrote: »

I once took my grandmother into a shop for electrical equipment and they wanted to sell her a £50 HDMI cable, i certainly didn't let that happen!.

OK, were they trying to rip her off by selling her a crap Chinese cable or was it a top quality cinema system cable?
Do a search for 'Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 HDMI' and see how much these retail at.... :T

KatrinaWaves

Markie76 wrote: »

OK, were they trying to rip her off by selling her a crap Chinese cable or was it a top quality cinema system cable?
Do a search for 'Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 HDMI' and see how much these retail at.... :T

Yeah I don't think you're in a position to be complaining about misselling and fraud :rotfl:

Next time, when your mother is getting stressed at someone trying to sell her something in a shop, say 'lets go mum and have a think'

Easy does it. If she is stubborn and wants to buy glasses with thin lenses then she can use it to watch your TV with your expensive HDMI cable and maybe the glasses will help her to see the difference....

neilmcl

Markie76 wrote: »

Not sure how to answer this.....


OK, were they trying to rip her off by selling her a crap Chinese cable or was it a top quality cinema system cable?
Do a search for 'Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 HDMI' and see how much these retail at.... :T

Nobody needs to spend hundreds, let alone £50 on any HDMI, so Takmon's point still stands.

You were there so why didn't you put a stop to this "mis-selling/fraud" at the time rather than come on to a forum to moan about it later.

As it goes I don't see any mis-selling going on here.