"Born Yesterday"

[Vagabond]

Have you ever muttered to yourself "they must think I was born yesterday" ?

 

We both had an eyetest last week, and the next day went to an opticians to get the prescription spectacles organised.

 

The first one we tried (advertised as a 36 hour service) began to mess us about - once they learnt we were within a few days of leaving for the States, every combination (we wanted three pairs between us) we wanted "would take at least three weeks" whereas a slightly better so-called "designer" frame (at three times the price) could be available the next day.

 

My short fuse expired, (so did Norma's) I uttered the mantra given above, and we walked out.

 

Just along the road were "Specsavers" - went in there, and a very efficient young lady got our three pairs of specs organised at a very reasonable price and in very short order.

Now came an amusing irony - she had put details in her computer which now spat out sticky labels to go with our order.

 

I just happened to notice (I can still read print upside-down) that the labels showed my date of birth as the day before (the date of the eyetest), and my age as 0 - so officially these people really DID think I was "born yesterday".

 

Much hilarity ensued. Labels were reprinted - correctly, and I now have the originals as souvenirs.

 

Oh, and all three pairs of spectacles are fine - and we know which optician to use in future.

[chesters1]

i cant see the fascination with "designer" anything ,just what are "designer" glasses the notion of lenses supported by your nose and held in place by your ears is as old as glasses are ,the only difference is pince nez or hand held glasses and their just as old ,the only "designer" bit of glasses is the name on the side that quadruples the price for the mugs that crave them

[watatoad]

You have certainly hit the nail on the head there guys.

[grumpybum]

Firstly Specsavers is a franchise so each shop will have different practices.

 

My experience of specsavers is that its a rip off. The optician tried her hardest to sell us varifocals. The dearst lens option. Despite us telling her that my wife suffers from Memiers disease, and that both vari and bi focals were not suitable for her. After a lot of discussion we settled on the glasses, only to find that the wrong prescription had been given to her. After a lot of discussion we eventually got our money back. We then found out that all she neede were reading glasses. The prescription was within the range sold by most chemists etc., over the counter.

[Clifftop]

When i was still in the workforce we had to wear safety specs.

Being a leading hand i had to talk to guys who were creating sparks or hot metal blobs of some description.

 

Roughly once a month i would go to the nurse and ask her to put in new lens as the old ones were covered in spatters.

 

She would pop them out and fit new new ones. I wasn't the only one who did this.

Not once were the frames snapped and i never heard of anyone elses being snapped but you ask an optician here to put new lens in old frames and they say no as the frames will snap.

 

Now for spec savers

 

went to them recently for their offer of buy one get one free ( which we all know is bullsh!t ), i knew i would be paying for two pair anyway.

 

Had the eye test and went to pick the frames, was told these a very similar to what you have only a fair bit stonger, $199.00

 

so i think to myself ok the ones i have i've had for 4 years and i paid $114 then, add inflation it's about right.

 

I then ask are these available now, yes she said no problems there.

 

Ten days they will be back here and you can pick them up. Ten days is their guaranteed delivery time.

 

Ten days later i go back ( about 40ks one way ) oh we are really sorry she says but they are not back. come back in ten days. So i think i will play safe and ring first, i'm sorry the lass says but the factory have sent them straight to you, you should have them by Tuesday.

Tuesday no glasses nor on the following day.

So i ring head office and ask for complaints, I'm sorry he is on another line but will ring you back as soon as he is free.

 

He rang back next day and as i was out he left a message so i rang him again.

 

That is not acceptable he said, i will find out what the cause of this is and i'll get back to you, he didn't.

 

Up shot was that i got the specs 30 days after a promised ten days,

 

Needless to say i will not be going back there again and if anyone asks me they will not be recommended to go to specsavers.

Edited October 4, 2010 by Clifftop

[chesters1]

yes speaking of specsavers each shop is different ,my mrs gets the free specs and on one occasion had a fit whilst wearing a pair and broke them ,we phoned up the branch we got them from and they wanted £30 to replace the frame ,a bit to much IMHO for the "free" versions which are very poorly made indeed ,on a visit to folkestone we got a frame for £16

 

i must take a better (or more modern) sample of writing in next time i get reading glasses ,although the writing on their "sample" bit of card is small it is double the size of modern bloody writing ,i suspect were all still using victorian specifications of which the letters were lead and could only go to a certain smallness as the printing process would crush really small letters!

thinking about it has the specifications for "normal" vision changed ? are we all walking around as blind as victorians because their sight was based on a cruder system and its still being used?

Edited October 4, 2010 by chesters1

[Vagabond]

Obviously others have different experiences to me

 

All I can say is that three pairs of specs, all with different prescription lenses, including one with antiglare glass, were supplied for a total of £135, and within 7 days.

 

Compared with the £167 asked for a single pair by their competitor I thought that was pretty reasonable.

[Alan Stubbs]

I found SPecsavers in Liverpool rather like the Ryanair of optiicans.... The headline price is fine. Then come the extras and ultimately, they're no cheaper or more efficient than elsewhere.

 

I wanted a pair of varifocals and a pair with polarized distance lenses. Specsavers quoted £278 and 2 week's wait 'because they're a complex lens'.

 

A local independant - £130 including eyetest and ready within 48 hours.

So I saved myself 12 days' wait and over £150.

 

You shouldn't have gone to Specsavers.

[Chris Goddard]

And yet I LIKE Specsavers myself AND positively LOVE Ryanair?? NEVER had anything but first class service from either company!

[watatoad]

Like many on here I needed two pairs of glasses and was always moaning about carrying them.

 

So my wife looking around the internet saw an add for pin hole glasses with comment that they can improve your eyes so she bought me a pair.

 

Like a lot of my gender I tried them on and said load of rubbish and tossed them into a drawer...however I found them again in the drawer and thought I might just give them a try...hehehe

 

So following the instructions I wore them for about 15 minutes a day from Easter before last until last September then I went for an eye test because I could no longer see out of my distance glasses...After the test I was told my distance vision was 20/20 much to my surprise and the reason I could not see out of my glasses was that I did not need them.

 

I don't know how they work or why they work but they have worked on me and only cost a couple of pounds maybe £2.00 or £3.00. Now I just need reading glasses, so I am well pleased.

 

Going to wear them when I try to read for the next 6 months to a year and see what happens. I can and do recommend them to anyone to try.

 

My Multiple Sclerosis causes damage to my eyes roughly every 3 to 6 months...well at least until last September and over a year later I still do not need distance glasses.