Ahhh , Specsavers .
I always got my glasses from them up to about six years ago. I always felt uncomfortable ( as in robbed ) after a visit to them as the 2 for 1 or half price never seemed to work out to my maths .My impression of them was / is that they just funnel you down a purchase route leading you to a considerably higher final cost than you anticipated , all explainable though..
So , as I said about six years ago I started to have my eyes tested and once done asked for my prescription and said that I'd return later when I had more time to have all the costings explained to me prior to purchase
. This was always met with some disdain.
I then took my prescription and bought on line at a fraction of Specsavers cost.
I have purchased about ten pairs of reading , distance and sunglasses in that time and never had an issue at all, all have been perfect .
But let me tell you about my most recent visit to them.
In Feb this year I had my eyes tested before the two year recommended period as I felt some strain when using a screen. The optician who tested me in Specsavers , who actually turned out to be the franchise owner , mildly scolded me for having the test early and after a thorough examination said that the difference between the last prescription and this one was insufficient enough to warrant a new pair of reading glasses. I asked him specifically did I need a new pair and he again said no.
At the end of the eye test the sales assistant came in ,collected the paper work relevant to my test and whilst listening to the hand over I distinctly heard him say to her " optional " twice .
Out we went and she leads me to her sales desk ,opens up the folder and says to me that the optician recommends that I have a new pair of reading glasses.
Oh says I , that's funny as I specifically asked if I needed such and he said no so perhaps we should get him out here now and ask just what is going on ?
With incredible speed she closed the open file said OK then thanks , got up and abruptly left me sitting at the table .
Before she got four paces I asked in a loud voice for my prescription to which she faced me with the most plastic of smiles and eventually produced the most illegible of prescriptions . I paid my test fee and left .
I should say that my wife paid over €340 for two pairs of glasses at the same visit.
Since then I found this by Martin Lewis .
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/cheap-glasses/I've had two pairs of semi rimless prescription reading glasses from Selectspecs for less than €20 each delivered , both optically and finish perfect ,and am waiting on a pair of rimless prescription distance glasses from goggles4u in America for the princely sum of $6 ( yes 6 dollars ) .If no good then I won't go back and won't cry either .
As a post script I was asked to review my recent visit to Specsavers and after thinking about it I told it as it happened no more no less.
Two days later I got a phone call from the owner /optician who in the most round the houses way apologised without actually apologising ....
He said that he could not recall who the sales assistant was but did not understand how such an error could occur , Yeah.
He promised to raise the issue at the next staff training day and rung off.
So I'll only ever use them for my eye test in the future ,paid in full by myself ,and they can erf off .