Specsavers Optical Group
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Specsavers were wrong you are still 19 and in full time education. It is only when you turn 20 that you will need an HC1 that is if you still are in full time education.
Also it is unlawful to be turned away for an eyetest, or dental treatment etc if you did not have appropriate proof. If you feel bitterly you should complain to AOP or GOC

Ilford Specsavers are TERRIBLE! I completely agree with you. It usually takes me 2 hours there for one contact lense check! I received a letter from them early December saying my lenses would be ready for collection on 19th dec - so I went to the store (baring in mind I have moved house, and now live over an hour drive away!) only for them to tell me they don't have my lenses in store, and as I havent had an eye test in the last year they cant give them to me! Then why send me the letter?! What a wasted journey! I've had SOOOO many bad experiences with the Ilford branch - full of student workers who dont give a damn! I have now moved to another branch who are MUCH better and professional. And I'm STILl waiting for the Ilford branch to send me my lenses - having to wear my glasses because of their inability to post my lenses to me!

Please be aware that the NHS have strict guidelines regarding the provision of eye examinations, and that you are only qualify for an NHS eye exam if you are UNDER 19 and in full time education. If you are 19 you would have to complete an HC1 form prior to the eye exam to see if you qualify for financial help towards NHS services (prescriptions, wigs, spectacle vouchers etc). This is the case at every opticians in the UK who are bound by the regulations set out by the NHS

same here the staff at the shipley branch of specsavers gave me bifocal glassess which were set to high caused me severe headaches resulting in a visit to the doctors the staff were rude and also the manager was very rude and un helpful they do not appear to have any complaints procedure whatever will never use specsavers ever again i think people should say a new slogan ( sorry we went to specsavers )

The swansea branch perscribed me a perscription that I could not see with for two years- despite telling them I could not see they simply responded with- its just like that for some people. Finally had the correct perscription with a small independent optician in mumbles that I can see with- much better service and testing than I ever recieved in specsavers- would never use or reccommend them!

When I complained to the manager they offered no help !
Waste of time and money!

Not surprised in the least, the staff in the specsavers branch in Aberdeen are rude and unprofessional.

Beginning of April I went to Specsavers Eastgate for a new pair of glasses. I then paid about R 1800 on April 20 and asked for the difference to be recovered from my medical aid. The consultant there decided without my consent to clean out my medical aid savings. My medical aid paid never the less. I called them because it meant they had more money than they should and the accounts lady promised to sort it out. To date it still hasn't been sorted out.

I just had to pay over 200 for thinking I was going to pay much less because of extras ! Last time I buy glasses at Specsavers !

Jessicarachaelann I think you're response is helpful but the tone is wrong.
The point about specsavers is that they are expensive, when you add on what you actually need.
They advertise the 2 for 1 offers, but these are the cheap and cheerful end of the market.
I have had high index (ultra thin, which is their thinnest) and the resulting lense was thick as a kangaroos kaboodle.
They use Pentax lenses which are the cheap version. The best are Seiko and they cost more. But I paid £250 for a single pair and I know I could buy them cheaper online. But the problem with online is that they can't do the measurements, which means the resulting lense is out of focus and parhaps could even damage your eye sight further.

Looks like some specsavers con's joint the conversation. Their advertising should be banned. You don't need good eyesight to see they rip you off, just need to visit them once. >300 is what I had to pay! My advice: return those specs!

Well my eyesight is -2.5 and the glasses i received had lenses like jamjars. compare these to the exact same prescription from a few years earlier and my lenses were on a quarter of the thickness, i was told £40 to thin the lens in my designer frame (and also an additional £40 to for my "free" pair) Sounds like a con to me!

first of all, lenses don't 'stretch' they are cut out of what we call a 'blanc' which is a very large lens. your lenses for your glasses are cut from the centre of the 'blanc' and glazed to fit the frame. With high prescriptions it is harder for them to stay in the frame because they are more curved and a lot thicker. That is why you should pay to have them thinned down. When they are thinned down this doesn't meen they are cut 'smaller', it means the 'blanc' is a lot 'flatter' and 'denser' so that the prescription is still correct, but the appearance is much thinner and cosmetically they look a lot nicer. It's not specsavers fault that you have ### eye site and have to pay for high index lenses (High index means thinner lenses incase you don't understand optics terms'

as for the 'smear' thing? it sounds like the ultraclear treatment broke down on your lens which is very unfortunate and hardly ever happens so just unlucky i guess. But this could happen anywhere, vision express, optical express. it sometimes just happens and it can't really be explained why but Specsavers in my experience put this right by re-ordering your lenses asap. what more can you ask? High prescription lenses do take longer to order in than just standard lenses.

so basically, you're going crazy because the ultraclear coating broke down? they got the lens right within ten minutes of it coming out. Don't you think your over-reacting. Basic-Human error does occur in businesses to everyone! bet you don't get everything right first time every day at your work hmm?

I LOVE SPECSAVERS!

They are idiots! my eye sight is poor. They put a lense in that was too big and stretched to the point of popping out of frame.(hello you are advised which lenses suit eye test results! I went in and they said "curved lense normal" as a week passed they stretched so bad made a smear in middle of lense! prior to the curved lense incident went to another Spec savers and they said "too big needs shaving have you got 10mins etc" so far so good. Then the smear inside lense got so bad so went back they sent of glasses as in warranty had them 3 months agreeing a problem told urgent! I have rang twice and they chasing up lab, been in and promised a phonecall...too no avail. so angry as wearing old specs poor perscription, taking paracetolol because headaches straining eyes. Need I go on blah blah 3 weeks tomorrow still NO CALL! I will be taking this further. Paid alot of money for these designer glasses. Feel that if they call dont want them now. Money down the drain I know..but will they ever call how much begging can a girl do for a simple repair job. Eyes are very important, they are the worst I have ever experienced. Taking this further!

Er, are you thick? If you have a high prescription then yes, your lens will be thick! If you have a prescription plus or minus 3 or below then you don't need thinned down lenses, if you are above that your lens will be thicker. That wouldn't take a brain surgeon to work that out!

I was informed my contact lenses would arrive between 1-5 March yet I get infor med this morning I need to wait 6-8weeks. But I must phone to hear this. Secondly this is not the first time purchasing from spec savers I just want to know why I never get a gift. I also purchased glasses and received a free pair of subscription glasses. But no gift

Paul Marshall - Managing Director - Specsavers Optical Group

MR LEE JOHNSON - Will you kindly STOP SENDING ME POST, l have told you, and my daughter has, that we WILL NOT BE MAKING FURTHER USE OF SPECSAVERS - try STOP BOTHERING US - LISTEN! (and use YOUR EYES!).

Tony S Evans, Bsc, AICM, ARICS, F.Inst.D

24, Burmese Close, PO15 7DW

The lenses are not cut and inserted properly. Shocking job!Glasess should be done to correct the vision not to impair it!

My husband had his eyes tested in January 2016. After he got his spectacles the lenses started falling out (cut to small) & since then we have taken it back on a monthly basis to be re-fitted and fixed. Now the frame broke due to all the tampering & fixing. Why was his spectacles not replaced with a new frame & lenses after 3rd time it happened.

I recently decided to visit Specsavers as I had been having problems with my eyesight for quite some time. I bought my new glasses and went home happy. However after wearing them for a few days they did not improve my eyesight, they were uncomfortable, and the glass felt very thick. I was also getting a lot of funny looks from people when walking down the street.

It was then that I discovered that I had entered the wrong shop and I had actually bought swimming googles!

It seems I really should have gone to Specsavers!

I had a cateract removed from my right eye 3 months ago and was advised I would need an eye test for new glasses. Went to Specsavers (my usual opticians). Collected my new glasses 12 days after the eye test, with a new right lens. In store, had double vision trying to read their large posters on the wall. They said my eyes needed to adjust and it should be fine in 2 weeks... Now, 3 weeks later, can't watch TV, read a newspaper and have difficulty seeing my computer screen. I feel this is disgraceful treatment from such a noted brand. I have since visited a small independant opticians and have a pair of glasses I can see fine from. I would not recommend Specsavers to anyone!

Why do white people only get specsavers gifts upon collection of their spectacles but black don't get those?

I had an eye test on 8th May. I asked if it included the digital Retinal photography & wanted to make sure they can detect anything else wring with my eyes apart from needing glasses. I told the optician that my right eye didn’t feel normal. I said I felt my nose was in my way. Thinking back it was probably the darkness in the corner of my eye. The optician said my eyes are normal and I need 2.5 for reading and if I wanted driving glasses it would only be minimal but may help with night driving. Nothing else. On Wednesday 30th May I went in the store and told them I couldn’t see from the left hand side of my right eye if I close my left eye. I was told that an Optometrist is not available until 3pm the next day. I said I would come back. In the meantime I read about darkness in the eye on google. I made a decision to drive to Moorfields eye hospital that evening. I was seen on 31st May at 1.30am in the morning and was told I need an emergency eye Retinol Detachment operation otherwise I would go blind in my right eye. I was booked in on the same day at 8.30am for surgery. The Detachment was approaching the macular and the darkness was almost half way across at this stage.

Karen Thorpe

On the 19th of May 2014 my eyes were examined by an optometrist called Nadia in the Kilburn branch of Specsavers. I was told that my left eye lost -1.00 SPH compared to my latest visit (which was over three years ago and not at Specsavers).I went through the usual procedure and also did the Field of vision test (I believe that's how it is called, the test you do looking at an orange dot whilst you are asked to spot little white flashes in the otherwise white field of vision).At the end of all the testing I was told I had lost a bit of my left eye and that the inner pressure of the left eye was higher than the right one. That was it.I have a card where the box "I am referring you to your doctor" is not ticked.Nadia then thought that it might have been safer to give me a letter for my GP, asking for a check from an eye specialist, but she didn't mention it was urgent or important.In the following days I felt that the vision of the left eye was really poor. I managed to get an appointment with an eye specialist through my GP but it was scheduled on the 22nd of September. Therefore I booked privately an appointment at the Moorfields Eye Hospital.The result of that visit is that I have an extended glaucoma in the left eye. The pressure of the inner left eye was 40 mm Hg! And the field of vision exam clearly showed a very important deficit in the vision.This was a few weeks after Specsavers told me everything was basically fine.I am now under treatment and luckily the pressure of both eyes seem to be under control.My complaint regards the effectiveness of Specsavers standard eye examination. If their optometrist can't spot an existing and extended glaucoma and an eye pressure of 40 mmHG (the normal mesure would be between 12 and 18 mmHG), then I think they should really think again about their staff's professionalism!I was lucky and wise enough to get a private appointment. But what if I didn't? What if I trusted their optometrist who told me nothing at all was wrong other than a new prescription? What if I waited until both eyes were damaged in an irreversible way?DON'T HAVE AN EYE EXAMINATION at Specsavers. Go to see a real specialist!

I had a dispute with Specsavers over their 2 for 1 offer and free reactions lenses with £99 frames. Basically Specsavers overcharged me, I did not realise it at the time but thought the cost was rather expensive seeing as I had 2 optical vouchers, one for distance and one for reading. Anyway when I got home I was able to work out the exact cost from their website based on their current prices and deals and found I had indeed been overcharged by £25.70 not a lot I know, better in my pocket than theirs. I rang Specsavers to complain and asked to speak to the manager who disputed my claim leaving me no choice but to demand a full refund which he agreed to, this is where it gets a bit iffy.

I got the money part I paid refunded on return of the glasses but the manager has kept my NHS optical vouchers which have obviously been cashed in. What is really astounding is, there is no way to complain about this misuse of public money. You can complain about a GP, dentist, hospital or pharmacist to the NHS, you can even complain about the optician who tested your eyes to some optical council, but there is no way to report people who may have fraudulently claimed money off the NHS in your name. There is no accountability, no checks in place, no way of checking up on this. I might be wrong, but I can't find anything on the NHS website that covers my particular situation.