Specsavers - Broken contact lens - Where do I stand legally?

Johntea

The other night I was cleaning my gas permable / rigid contact lens as I normally do (Left one, I did the right one just before) and as I was cleaning the cleaning solution off with conditioner it literally snapped in half right on my hand.

I did not put any more pressure on than I normally do, and have done this procedure drunk many times (This particular time I was 101% sober!)

Went down to Specsavers today fully thinking they would just look it at go 'We'll get you a replacement'. Instead, they are saying since they are the type they are they don't have a warranty and if I want a replacement it will cost full whack (£60 for the one lens).

Where do I stand legally on this? I've had the lenses 6 months and this has left me fuming. My friends and relatives have had the same type of lenses for years and years without a problem - So why me? The 'cut' looks to be right in the middle seeming to suggest a weak point in the design.

Specsavers has in this process already lost me as a future customer

Thanks!

soolin

I'm not sure if I can offer any help at all but my son also has this type of lens and about 5 months ago one broke exactly how you said yours did. He was told that he needed to pay the full amount for a replacement, which he did but then broke the replacement within 6 weeks. He bought a new one and was told that if he had more problems they would send the pieces in to be tested (not sure where or who by) in case there was a faulty batch.

So far this replacement has been fine and we had intended to look for CL insurance for him, but until I just read your post I realise we have totally forgotten to do that!

However, the point of this post is really to say that this type of lens is notoriously delicate, my other son who has a different eye problem is luck enough to wear the monthly disposables and they seem a lot more robust. It is a shame that other son's prescription means he is stuck with the old style breakable lens.

Mrs_Thrify

Hiya, just going to say if you break/ loose a lens it is pay up time
I ware the monthly ones but have to order a year pluss extra's when I have the yearly check up. The few extra's are for when I drop/ break one.
If you have a current perscription (not spelt correctly)you can buy from Tesco optitions on line.

Blacksheep1979

don't think you're going to be able to prove that they broke due to poor manufacturing rather than from overly forceful cleaning.

Johntea

Hmm thanks for the advice everybody. Think Head Office will be getting a letter as I really do believe I was doing nothing wrong (I used the same cleaning style on my right lens and that didn't break!)

Blacksheep1979

mate give it up, it's not going to happen - how do you know those times when you were drunk you didn't put too much pressure on and damage the lens then leaving it slightly weakened but it only broke that time?

Johntea

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

mate give it up, it's not going to happen - how do you know those times when you were drunk you didn't put too much pressure on and damage the lens then leaving it slightly weakened but it only broke that time?

Because that just dosen't sound right for 'rigid' lenses - I'm all for Specsavers sending them off to the manufacturer and letting them establish if it was a manufacturing fault - I would happily put my hand in my pocket after that if they determined it was my problem...The fact is they didn't even inspect the broken pieces!

Just after christmas I really don't have £60 in a hidden corner to be paying for a bit of plastic!

Blacksheep1979

if it fractured along a preexisting fault then that's where the fault will be and unless they pop it under a high powered microscope/scanning electron microscope they aren't going to find anything - if they inspect it they're going to go 'it's cracked, everything's checked before going out it's not us.

pinkshoes

Technically, "rigid" means "not flexible" as opposed to meaning strong. Infact, most rigid things are brittle!!

Specsavers are normally really good with their after-service care. Insist they send it off for testing, but perhaps it would be worth paying for a different type of lense, perhaps a less rigid one?

Johntea

Well a member of my family took the lens back down to the store today as I'm feeling quite ill at the moment and they had no problems in getting the lens sent off for testing!