Who gains from my glasses?

[daginge]

Hi ABers, does anyone know if the Staff or Branch Managers of Vision Express are paid; bonus or otherwise from sales of glasses? I want the expertise and info from my local branch but really can no longer afford or justify the expense they demand. If I have the correct and full information and prescription of course I can get V. similar glasses online for 25% of the price. I'm not tight but I'm not mintoed either and for my last glasses the lenses alone were £300 because of my particular requirements, that's without the eye test, frames etc. I am not a wide boy but would gladly make; a private donation shall we say, should a member of Staff be able to assist me without getting into trouble or losing out financially. TIA

[sherrardk]

I was under the impression that you could get a prescription from any optician and then buy your glasses wherever you wanted.

[boxtops]

I believe sherrard is right, you get your eyes tested but you don't havae to buy your specs from the same place.

[pond50]

i go to dolland and aitchinson for eye test and buy glasses for £29 from glasses direct who are very good

[stonekicker]

i paid £10 for a sight test at dolland and aitchison and then a further £20 for glassess on line. i'm not tight - but i refuse to pay £160 for a pair of goggles to remain 'loyal' to a shop! p.s. my glasses are funky, functional and i can now see perfectly. i believe you pay for staffing, overheads and big fat profits if you go to a high street optitions (including specsavers) so go online and dablle - see what you can find yourself x

[sherrardk]

Bit off subject but how long does an eye test take - I am sure mine are on the the blink but can't just arrange an appointment due to child care problems. Thanks

[LoftyLottie]

I too get an eye test with a really good local opticiian for a prescription which I take just three doors down to a shop which gets them made up for me at a fraction of the price - and I got some super frames as well. The optician is well aware that that is what most people do.

[boxtops]

I had a very thorough test a couple of weeks ago, took about 40 mins.

[LoftyLottie]

My last one took about an hour in total. I don't go to one of the high street chains though. An assistant did all the routine tests and then I had about 3/4 hr with the optometrist.

[daginge]

Yes of course you can get a copy of the prescription and go to Joe Glasses the cheap glasses manufacturer which I fully intend to do; but, if you don't get the right measurements for your forehead width, length from nose bridge to ear etc there's a chance your new gigs will be uncomfortable and not what you want regardless of how little they cost. That is the point. if you have to wear the damned things from when you open the old mince pies to when you go to bed for fear of breaking your neck on a dinky toy in the kids bedroom etc etc then you need to get it right AND pay less. The point is I don't want to shaft the Staff in getting my own way do you get me now? Once again thanks for the responses ABers.
PS an eye test does take around an hour if a field test is carried out i.e. press the button when you see the bulb light up. The new test which involves a photograph of the retina for historical purposes takes about 1 second and costs an extra tenner in V.E.

[york310]

The likelyhood is that the stff will have certain sales targets as with any type of store. The staff will probably get a small bonus if they meet these targets. However, for these businesses to survive they will rely on repeat business so they would lose out by overselling glasses especially when they are competing on price with other retailers and the internet.

I don't understand what you mean by private dontion. Do you mean ou want a staff member to get you these specs without going through the till?

[daginge]

No course not, but to get the right measurements I would slip them an ayrton or a score!

[carlton23]

I was an optical technician for many years and can quite honestly tell you to buy the very best you can afford from a optician where you know they have many years of experience in the trade, as buying cheap are made in the far east for a few pence with shoddy materials and poor workmanship. Remember your eyes are worth more than money.

[LoftyLottie]

The shop where got my glasses did do the measurements. This store is run by just one person, who is also a friend. The frames were actually from reputable makers. And, to be honest, my two new pair of glasses feel more comfortable than many other pairs I have had in the past.

[karenmac60]

For the measurements you can measure your current glasses. Glasses direct give the measurements of all the frames they stock so it's just a matter of comparing. They also do a free home trial of 4 frames at a time, so you can wear them for a while and see how they feel (rather than the 2 minutes you have them on at the opticians). I just got 2 new pairs from them for 60 quid and I am really pleased with them. I also have a friend who was an optical technician and she recommends using this site - she knows what the mark up at opticians!

[daginge]

Thank you All for the varied advice!

[annie0000]

Apparantly Asda are the boys to go to as they include thinned down lenses as standard. Haven't been yet, but did order a pair of script goggles for my son and the service (and goggles) were great.

[piggynose]

as carlton 23 says it depends how much you value your eyes. cheap is cheap, quality is usually expensive, plus how often will you have to change your glasses?
i stupidly went to boots last time i was in the uk, they gave me this througher(sorry about spelling) test. lots of fancy machines and it was free( edinburgh). they then offered me 2 pairs of glasses for a cheap price. after only a month or so, or even less time, i realised they were cheap asian imports.
as they say, you only get what you pay for.
plus its unlikely that the cheap shops can give you the service you need when it comes to specialist treatment.

[LadyGaga31]

Hi,

I believe Tescos are doing free eye tests now. After your eye test, your optician is obliged by law to give you a written copy of your prescription. Then you can use that to buy glasses online.

I bought a pair of glasses from http://www.iwearglasses.co.uk last week. Found a nice designer frame, total cost was less than £100 - the cheapest equivalent from the high street is £300 plus.

I was initially worried about what the quality would be like as their prices are quite cheap, but I'm very pleased with the quality.

Also got a cheaper backup pair of glasses which came to £15 delivered, and they arrived in 3 days.

Hope this helps some people!

Cheers,
Adam Media URL: http://www.iwearglasses.co.uk
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