Eye test - with no sales afterwards ?

shahpur

Any pointers on where to go for a eye test with a prescription without the hassle of dealing with the sales people afterwards ? 

I know I can have the test and ask for the prescription but I am not great with confrontation , the  last time ( a few years ago ) spent over £200 on glasses even though according to the prescription wasnt really needed and never used . 

Just looking to get a prescription and then order online if needed .

43722

I have done this at Asda in the past. 

Brookside88

book an appointment for 2.30pm and afterwards when they ask if you'd like to try some frames say "i'm so sorry, i've got to go and pick the kids up from school, i'll pop back another time"

Lorian

I've done this at most high street stores even when using a free test voucher. Boots and Vision express particularly don't push for a sale in my experience.  Just tell them you'll come back with a friend to look at frames or something.

You won't get your PD out of then on the prescription but if you are careful you can measure that. Or have the PD measured off existing lenses.

lisyloo

I'd suggest Asda and don't go to vision express.
I normally say, I'm on a lunch hour and will return to buy glasses.

Emmia

I currently use Cubitts for my eye tests (and previously David Clulow), never had a hard sell for glasses afterwards.

My most recent Cubitts prescription had a pupillary distance listed.

Specsavers on the other hand... Massive hard sell, didn't go back.

Chloe_G

I think Specsavers and Vision Express are franchises and so will vary.  I went our local Vision Express once and the hard sell was ridiculous.  I could never go back there now.

Undervalued

shahpur said:

Any pointers on where to go for a eye test with a prescription without the hassle of dealing with the sales people afterwards ? 

I know I can have the test and ask for the prescription but I am not great with confrontation , the  last time ( a few years ago ) spent over £200 on glasses even though according to the prescription wasnt really needed and never used . 

Just looking to get a prescription and then order online if needed .

You have a legal right to be given a copy of your prescription to take where you please. It does not have to give your PD (distance between your eyes) as that is considered to be part of the dispensing process rather than part of the eye test. However, unless you have had a major head injury that won't change in adulthood.

As others have indicated, how much they will try and sell will vary from practice to practice even within the same chain. Once the test is completed, simply make it clear that you are not intending to buy from them and don't engage further. If they persist threaten to report them to the General Optical Council.

Nobody can give you a guarantee that Firm A will be fine and Firm B won't i'm afraid.

shahpur

Thanks for all the comments , will try to book in a walk in while in asda and make excuses about being on my lunch break ,

thanks again 

CashStrapped

This is one of my pet hates about Opticians.
I only required glasses for the first time recently and decided to go to an established local independent.
It ended in me probably spending way over the odds. Not because of a hard sell per say, but because you get so far into the process without realising it, it becomes hard to back out. You get a bit guilt ridden. Especially it being my first experience at an optician.
It was also a case of being given the price of the lenses, which was not bad, picking the frames and being asked to come back for a fitting. Only then was the full price properly disseminated. Again, so far down the line it became hard to back out.
In terms of the value of a one to one service, in my case the "fitting" comprised of nothing more then a few wafts in front of the little heater thing. But this seemed to be little more than a show to make me feel like I was getting a bespoke fitting.
I have swore to myself since then not to fall for it.
Fast forward 7 years, and I could tell I needed a new prescription. So  went to a new independent optician who had an eye test offer.
Once the test completed, before the sell began I asked about just replacing the lenses. My frames are still in very good condition.
The reply was a warning that the frames would probably break (a common threatened reply). They eventually quoted £80 for just the lenses (I can't remember if these had any coatings). So if I picked new frames I would probably be looking at £150 in total.
I said I would consider it. I also asked for my PD but they refused to give this out.
Now, with me wanting to keep the frames, I decided on  trying an online lens replacement service.
The total cost to me should be (with the coatings I want to have) £27 all in.
My frames are currently with them at the moment, and once I get them back and see how well they did everything I may make a post on how I found the service and the quality of the result.
Some say the risk with this kind of service is that the prescription may not be correct or it may get complicated if there is an issue. But, I felt that for £27 and using my old frames, why not at least try.