Internet Specs

[cooperlola]

I know this has been mentioned on the Health  board but I thought it was worth another post here.

I have just bought a pair of glasses from glasses2you.com.  £40 covered frames, lenses, VAT and postage and they were with me just a week after I ordered them.  Pretty bloomin' good I reckon.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I too have used spex4less.Excellent service and product. Paid €70 and they are as good as a pair I paid a French optician €350 2 years ago.

About time specs came down in price, considering you can buy a decent set of sunnies of pretty equal quality, for around €50, people have been ripped off dramatically over the years by opticians.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]I too have used spex4less.Excellent service and product. Paid €70 and they are as good as a pair I paid a French optician €350 2 years ago.

About time specs came down in price, considering you can buy a decent set of sunnies of pretty equal quality, for around €50, people have been ripped off dramatically over the years by opticians.

[/quote]

Well someone has to pay for that glitzy shop in the most expensive part of town where the window is stuffed full of designer frames.  [:P]

[Pommier]

I've bought a couple of pairs of glasses from Glasses2you - and each pair only cost just over £18! They're just as good as one's from an optician.

[Jo]

How can they be if they are not made to your prescription? You only get one set of eyes[blink]

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

They are made to prescription.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]They are made to prescription.
[/quote]Quite.  You get a prescription from your ophthamologist (sp?) and send the results off to these people.  My mother got hers wrong and they replaced them for free in spite of the fact that the fault was hers.  This was the reason I tried them, having been a little cynical myself before hand.  But certainly, I see perfectly with them.

[tuppence]

 I have my last prescription from Specsavers in the UK(dated 2007) and am due to have an eye test when I go over in 10 days time. If I have to have new specs do these online opticians do varifocals as well as single lens glasses?

tuppence

[cooperlola]

I think they do, Tuppence but you'd have to check the website.  Although I do get the impression that varifocals really do benefit from proper expert advice.  When this subject was discussed before on another thread, a very knowlegeable person came on and gave an excellent rundown as to why this was the case - it sounded convincing to me.  But I wouldn't want to put you off if it could save you a packet and you got what you wanted!

Edit : Yes they do LOOK HERE

[gosub]

[quote user="tuppence"]

 I have my last prescription from Specsavers in the UK(dated 2007) and am due to have an eye test when I go over in 10 days time. If I have to have new specs do these online opticians do varifocals as well as single lens glasses?

tuppence

[/quote]

Yes they do, you upload a photo of yourself and give them some measurements, see HERE

[Jo]

My mistake[:$] thought they were similar to the off the peg ones that you get in chemists, not brilliant for constant use.

[grandadJohn]

And do they do prescription sunglasses?  I can't make it out on the websites (forgive the pun!).  John

[gosub]

[quote user="grandadJohn"]And do they do prescription sunglasses?  I can't make it out on the websites (forgive the pun!).  John[/quote]

I think you may have to get your prescription checked,[:D] http://www.glasses2you.co.uk/index_sunglasses.htm

[minnie]

Tuppence,

How do you manage to get an appointment with Specsavers if you're resident in France?  I'd like to do this if possible.

 

 

[tuppence]

Tuppence,

How do you manage to get an appointment with Specsavers if you're resident in France?  I'd like to do this if possible.

Hi Minnie,

I went on to the specsavers website at www.specsavers.co.uk and you key in your postcode and it gives you a choice of shops in the surrounding area. It then asks what shop is best for you, what time etc so that when you key in a contact number (I used my mobile) they get back to you to let you know the details.

Simples!!

tuppence

 

[minnie]

Thanks tuppence.  Do you have a French or English mobile and did they ask for an address.....?

[tuppence]

Hi Minnie,

I have a UK mobile and I think I put down my Mums address.

tuppence

[cooperlola2]

If you're not fussy about which chain you patronise, I've never had any problem getting an on-the-spot test in a big city centre - someone in the mall always has an A-board out advertising a while-you-wait service, especially early in the day, during school term-time. The only problem I've had is their inability to produce coated varifocals within the duration of my invariably short stay in the UK - simpler lenses are available within the hour.

[Stan Streason]

My wife works as the office manager for a small opticians, (ie the optician owns the practice and she does everything else).

As with all things you get what you pay for.  There is a good margin on frames (sometimes over 200%) but just as you can buy frames for £2 trade , decent ones, with a range of sizes and decent materials can cost up to about £40-50.  The designer names are not always the best quality.

There is much less margin on lenses unless you are a big boy and doing it in house.  But once again costs can soon rack up with quality, varifocals, tinting, scratch resistance etc etc.

I get my "loaded with everything" glasses which still, at cost, come to about £180.

The profit in a set of spectacles subsideses the relatively low cost of the eye test.

If you have an average sized head (I dont), just use occasionally, constantly lose, sit on your glasses or get bored with them and want a regular change then there is nothing wrong with a £40 pair from the internet but overall smaller independant opticians do not make a lot of money.

[Graham & Brenda]

Thanks Stan - that is an interesting post. It confirms my feeling about the independent firm we used in the UK. However, it is still hard to understand the huge difference in their prices as compared with the internet suppliers, despite the latter's lower overheads. The variation in frame prices is such that one can only assume there is an excessive mark up somewhere (excluding so-called "designer" frames which I don't even look at). It can't just be about quality as I have never, ever had a problem with "low end" frames. 

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I've always been told that for my prescription it is necessary to change glasses every 18 months or so. If a pair of specs costing £70 can last 18 months, then they are much better than a pair that cost £350 in my opinion. It's a no brainer for me.

Besides, most claim to use the same standard CE as high street stores anyway.

So from now on, I will no longer be paying over the odds for my specs.

R.

[Stan Streason]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]I've always been told that for my prescription it is necessary to change glasses every 18 months or so. If a pair of specs costing £70 can last 18 months, then they are much better than a pair that cost £350 in my opinion. It's a no brainer for me.

Besides, most claim to use the same standard CE as high street stores anyway.

So from now on, I will no longer be paying over the odds for my specs.

R.
[/quote]

Technically you only need to change the lenses - a decent frame should be capable of being reglazed as many times as is needed.  It is the frame where the profit is made (for smaller outlets at least).  Also make sure you are comparing like with like - (lens quality, glass/plastic, tinting, scratch resistance etc.).

Whilst I purchase lots of things over the internet so am far from anti you must remember that you need the optician first.  At about £20 for a half hour eye test, that earns them less than a car mechanic.  I want the person who sorts out my eyes to be able to afford decent equipment and be properly trained and up to date.  They need to make a return somewhere.

[cooperlola]

But Stan, here in France the two operations are completely seperate - the ophthamologist (sp?) does not rely on spec' sales - that happens exclusively in shops - to pay his/her wages.  Thus I see no problem with getting the eye test done professionally then buying specs on the internet.

[Stan Streason]

[quote user="cooperlola"]But Stan, here in France the two operations are completely seperate - the ophthamologist (sp?) does not rely on spec' sales - that happens exclusively in shops - to pay his/her wages.  Thus I see no problem with getting the eye test done professionally then buying specs on the internet.[/quote]

Sorry completely forgot that most people on here are not at all bothered about the goings on in the English High Street.  I was of course only commenting on the UK system - I have no knowledge about the French one.

[gosub]

"Whilst I purchase lots of things over the internet so am far from anti you must remember that you need the optician first.  At about £20 for a half hour eye test, that earns them less than a car mechanic.  I want the person who sorts out my eyes to be able to afford decent equipment and be properly trained and up to date.  They need to make a return somewhere."

I am sure there would be plenty of car mechanics in the UK, who would love to earn £20 per hour never mind £40 an hour.