On Friday I went for an eye test at Optical Express. The only reason I choose them were because of the special offers they were running at the time; 2 x pairs for one if you spend over £100 and £79.99 for desginer wear including lenses.
Firstly the eye test did seem pretty good, but afterward I did feel that the optican wasn’t waiting for my eyes to refocus and assuming I can’t see the letters at all. Also the right eye takes slightly less time to re-focus but are just as blurred. Now they are even more blurred! I mentioned that my original lenses were fine but I’ve been getting some headaches on my right side.
The shop itself has a very modern layout with a huge range of frames to choose from. The problem is that there are too many and very few decent pairs or even vaguely nice pairs that are avaialable in the special offer or any offer. The staff at optical at the shop were very pleasent but the store, range of offers and their limitations seemed to be desgined to be as confusing as possible to customers and staff alike.
I overheard one member of staff tell another customer that if they spetnt over £100 then they get a free pair. They failed to mention all the limitations with that, that that only included frames on a small selection of poorly made sub-standard eye wear that even the most uncool of us wouldn’t be seen dead in.
In one shop the assistant we saw tried to explain to us that the special offers only included glasses that had a certain colored sticky label on the glass and others without a tiny colored label on them had other confusing labels too with yet more information. There was some at £79.99 that included from lenses and others at exactly the same price that didn’t. All very confusing and misleading in my opinion.
When I was in the consultation area I asked if they would measure my pupil distance because I may want to buy eye wear from elsewhere another time. I was told they can’t measure me for that and that if they measure it, it will go down on their records. After rephasing the same question, it was found to be 66.
I eventually gave up and was feeling quite ill with the flickering lights near the cabinets. I paid cash for my eye test and asked for a copy of my prescription. The assistant firstly at no point offered me a copy of my prescription and secondly when I asked for it seemed reluntant to supply it. It was eventually produced on a normal A4 computer print out. Not on prescription paper, not little presentation folder, nothing. When you go for an eye test and have a prescription issued having a paper copy is not an optional item! The assistant informed me that if I came back within 28 days then I would get my money back for my eye test since it would be taken off against a pair of frames.
I left the larger store and proceeded to do the rest of my shopping. On my way I spotted a smaller store and popped in there. Not only were there a massive smaller range, but I was able to find a pair of frames that I liked within 5 minutes and the assistant appeared to be very good.
In the smaller store, this time my pupil distance was measured at 65, rather than 66. Also the offers were totally confusing. I wanted anti-glare coating to help when driving and I asked if that was “40 pounds” as the staff member in the previous job had said and he nodded yes it would be extra. Still I thought if I were paying over £100 then I could get a free pair of sun glasses right?
The member of staff produced from glasses from a cupboard under the main cabinet and asked what about these? And they were very nice. Just my style. He said the price would be £129.99 for 1 x pair with lenses, a anti-glare coating and a second pair of prescription sun glasses. That does seem a good price to me on the face of it.
I left the shop and then realised he hadn’t taken the price of my eye test off my purchase despite getting an eye test only a few minutes before hand admitively at a different store. Question, why didn’t there computer system remind him to do a £15 discount? And so we turned around and went back. He told me he couldn’t give a refund and to go back to the main store. I did and they said they couldn’t do it either and sent me back to the smaller store! Also its there company policy not to give refunds on cash purchase, but instead they had to send a check to your address for the same amount. That is correct, rather than giving £15 from the till, it has go to area office to be processed and sent out which is going to cost more in man hours! That is plainly rediclous! They offered nothing at all in writing to confirm they intend to send a refund and you had to take the word of the member of staff to remember to do it.
It was later on when I got home my Mum looked at the invoice and said theres something wrong with it. There was a price for the frames at £79.99 and then another cost of £50.00 for other frames and then £12.00 for the sunglasses which was taken off again. I only had 2 pairs of glases and so why the extra £50 and should that not be £40 for the anti-glare coating?
Mum went back the next day (shes always in town) where I go once every blue moon. Getting me into a city normally is a major achievement. but anyway I digress. There was a different assistant on at the smaller shop who wrote on the receipt that I may have been over charged £20 and he also noted that there may had been issues in mis-communications – Just a bit, Optical Express seems to encourage customers to be thoroughly confused. Is it a case of tell them anything just to make a sale?
The glasses themselves, the frames I am happy with but the lenses are impossible to wear. I wore them for several hours on Friday and yesterday too whilst out walking and in the car. I quickly became to feel very dizzy, sick and it looked like some surfaces were floating away from me. The sickness was the same sickness I have when I don’t wear glasses but far worse. Also my right eye became to twitch and hurt allot. I was popping headache tablets on Saturday like sweets since the pain was so bad. I don’t take many tablets normally, perhaps once a week if that.
Today, Sunday I woke up feeling really ill and I’m not even wearing the glasses. I can’t even stand up without feeling dizzy and just have to sit down. Is it right that I spend £129.99 on glasses that making me ill? That are impossible to wear?
Optical express also offers eye laser surgery, but I would let these incompetent fools anywhere near anything sharp. They appear they will take your money and give you a sub-standard product that is at best impossible to use and at worse dangerous when used for driving etc. You cannot drive safely with Optical Express eye-wear.
I don’t know what to do. Mum suggested that I should give it a week to get used to them before going back. The thing is I cannot afford to be off for a week being sick and dizzy like this if today is anything to go by. I guess I will give it a few days especially since I can’t get back into town this week probably. Its back to the old glasses.. Optical Express is a complete waste of time and money.
