Specsavers Optical Group
Reviews and Complaints

Last week I bought 3 sets of glasses from Specsavers. I was charged an extra £60 for slim lenses, and declined to pay extra for the other 2, and duely received thick lenses. It wasn't untill I went home and looked at their website, that the cost of slim glasses should have been £40, except, their was a special offer giving the slim lenses free. Also, Specsavers was giving 25% of for over 60s. This was not mentioned, or offered to me. The only conclusuion to be drawn is that Specsaver staff are deliberately ripping off their customers.
Insted of receiving 3 slim lenses glasses costing £100 less 25%, I was overcharged £160, and recieved 2 sets of unsightly glasses. Let's see if specksavers will rectify this.

Moved to Swindon on September of 5th!
Spoke with the shop in Swindon and did all my transfer direct bill and rest of details I had to do.
Literally I just received my contact lenses pack and I've been in the store at least 4 times asking about my product.
They told me that was delivered in my previous address when I already updated and told them in advance before sending the pack..
Finally, I staff member named Ben helped me a lot providing me with temporary solution and spare pair of contact lenses!Brilliant staff.
Unfortunately, is not the service I am paying for and very disapointed with all the way has been dealt within the 3 months!
Not sure if I still want to stay with the company anymore.

On the 13th of August 2016 I took my 4 year old son to have his eyes tested the optician was who tested his eyes was good. She advised that he needed glasses as soon as possible, so she took us down stairs and showed us what glasses were available we then got passed over to a male assistant who didn't give us much choice in children's glasses. We then were taken over to his desk where he measured my sons face for the glasses, as his lenses are very thick I got told they would have to be thinned down otherwise they would be to heavy for his face. The only option I was given was to pay £90 per pair of glasses I was not offered anything else like the buy one get one free or the different prices of lenses £40 £60 or £90 pairs. I reluctantly paid the £90 which I could not afford as I am on income support, we went away dissatisfied and thought about it and went back the following day and spoke to a lady this time to question why we had to pay £90 a pair for the lens to be thinned as it was not an option as the lens had to be thinned because of the prescription he needed, we were told that if he did not have the lens thinned down his eye lashes would be touching the lens and this was there standard change and the only other option was to have the standard thick lens which we were told would be to heavy for his face and we then argued that they would not be for purpose and he would be unable to wear them therefore we had to pay the £90 per pair. We went back into the store to pick his glasses up on the 27th of August we saw the same man again who gave my son his glasses and adjusted the arms around his ears and left it at that. We went back to the store two to three weeks later to have my sons nose pads looked at as they were digging into his nose and leave bad red marks and dents on the sides on his nose, the lady we saw looked at his glasses and she changed his nose pads to adult ones as she thought they would be more comfortable for him, we then asked her about the prices of the lenses and she said that £90 was the cheapest price for thinning they done so once again we walked away dissatisfied. 6 weeks later we went back to the store to get my sons glasses readjusted as they were hurting him and were wonky so we saw a young man who was really helpful he completely reshaped the frame and changed the nose pads to more comfortable ones he even cleaned the glasses for us hues was the only person who took the time to make sure the glasses fitted properly and my son was happy and comfortable wearing them he spent about 15 minutes reshaping them to fit properly he then made sure that I was happy with what he had done. Yesterday I went into a different Specsavers with a friend who was picking up her glasses and we got talking about my son and his glasses and she said I should have been offered the buy one get one free and the different price ranges for the thinning of the lenses, she also said that I would be able to get a refund because of the way we was treated throughout the process and not offered any other option. I was also told I would be able to get his prescription so I can move store as I am appalled with the way we have been treated in this store and really do not want to return there. My son is only 4 years old hues cannot be without his glasses as his eye site is so bad and it is a necessity that he has his glasses thinned as standard lenses are unfit for purpose I just feel that I was not given any choice about what happened to my sons glasses and it was either pay the £90 or have no glasses so I had no option other then to pay the money. So therefore I would like to no if it is possible to get a refund on the glasses, I would like an apology from the St. Albans store for the treatment we have received and I would like to have my sons prescription so I can take him to a different store where we will get better treatment.

I have been prescribed incorrect glasses by the optician at Specsavers Harlow. I need bifocals or verifocals but have been given long distance glasses only. I can use the current glasses for long distance such as driving but when using the glasses at wok I cannot see when I look down or try to read or write.

I went back to Specsavers who suggested I ordered another pair. The problem is my work give me £70 towards normal glasses but £90 towards bifocals. My thoughts were why should I be out of pocket so Specsavers said check if your work can refund the money, bring the wrong glasses back and we can start again.

My work need an email confirmation the wrong glasses were provided. Gemma at Specsavers keeps promising that she will check with the Director and call me back. This has been going on for 2 weeks now and I never get the promised call back, infact she forgot that she was meant to be checking with her Director when I chased her 2 days ago even though we discussed that I had spoken to my work and asked for the email confirmation. I get the feeling that if they delay things and don't call me back I will just give up and go away. I suffer with chronic migraines and headaches and not being able to work properly Is affecting my medical condition. This is their error, not mine or my works.

My two youngest children were booked in for eye appointments today, due to school traffic I was 10 mins late so they could only see one of them which I I understand. My son whom they were about to see has been under a specialist at the Hospital for his eyes since he was small & has also undergone eye surgery. He understandably became nervous as the lady asked him to look into the machinery for measurements & wouldn't do it, he hid behind me instead. I asked if she could explain how the machine worked so he'd know what to expect, she replied that 'it measures your eyes' I said yes but how does it do that? The optician then arrived with the lady & saw my sons reluctance, I explained the situation & that he'd only ever been seen in hospital for his eye checks & was nervous here. I explained that he'd been discharged from hospital & that this was his first visit. They had no time for him what so ever, the optician just said to rebook for the weekend so he wasn't having the appointment straight from school, which I think is irrelevant anyway then she suggested that I took him back to the hospital if he wouldn't been seen there! That was without even trying to talk to him to help ease his fears etc. It was like a 60 second exchange of words & we were out the door again. We waited weeks for this after school appointment. I am so dissapointed with this service, I have been using specsavers for years & felt they've always had time for their patients but it's seems that the ones who needs the most don't get any. They basically don't want to have to deal with the issue so are suggesting we go elsewhere. I am deciding whether or not to remove myself & my entire family from there & go to different opticians altogether. It's not fair that my son is not able to receive the same care & treatment simply because he is afraid. I would like our opticians to respond to this complaint and offer a better service. If this cannot be done then my decision will be to leave after many years as a patient there.

Pathetic customer service...

I went to spec-savers in port elizabeth at the bridge, greenacres this past saturday I received appalling service from the one staff member that michelle directed me to that would assist me with frames, she was very rude, sarcastic and didn't show interest to my questions, she did not offer to ask me if I wanted to try on any frames she wouldn't assist me with a plan or tell me anything about what package I fall under on my optical benefits for my medical aid scheme and whilst I was still busy speaking to her she said "thanks" and walked away ontop of that appalling attitude she didn't give me my test results of my eye test

Utterly a disappointment and pathetic customer service from the individual.

I will not go back to this spec-savers branch again.

I recently bought a lovely pair of frames from Specsavers which I was delighted with. However, they are unwearable. From the start they were extremely smeary and in spite of constant cleaning they are always smeary. These lenses are practically impossible to see through and not fit for purpose. I have been with Specsavers for over 35 years and this has never happened before. They must be using inferior materials in their products.

Twice I have had very bad customer sevice at the poole store, high handed opinionated ne who says she is a canadian and a ukrainian woman whom have no idea as how to care for customers, both have a very high opinion of themselves, and were both showing contempt, for the way we should do things in this country, specsaver's as some other stores should have a staff course on good manners sense of humour?

Three attempts at the Taunton store to purchase glasses. Staff very focused on sales only. Once had help with choosing frames. Every possible reason excuse given to up the price. They will be very thick lens and we would like them to look pretty on your face. And those frames won't take thick lens. With your prescription the only way to have them look good is to thin the lens and going from bi focal to vary focal cost extra. I had a choice of 4 pairs that I liked but non were suitable without extra. 3 visits and approx 3·50 hrs. The staff always smile no matter how stressful it has been. Are they happy we have not been ripped off or especially trained that way. I am 60 yrs old and this experience has helped me decide to wait for a long long time until I go for help again. A dreadful traumatic experience that had me in tears in the store.

We ordered two pairs of lenses from www.specsavers.com.au. Basically, everything was ok, but the seller sent only one pair instead of two pairs. We weren’t happy about it; therefore we emailed the seller and asked politely to return the missing lenses. The seller replied and excused, but after that we heard only promises and blah-blah. The worst company, from which I have ever bought. Don’t waste money.

Do not go to Specsavers. I have paid a monthly payment via direct debit for years and received my lenses until February when they no longer arrived. Apparently an end date was put on the account and no lenses were delivered for 9 months but my money kept being taken. I queried this with the local branch and they said they would sort it. They kept asking me to come in but I paid for them to be delivered to my door. All the staff continued to lie and say they were being sent out but they never were. I followed up with Customer Services who merely put me back in touch with the manager of the store. This person again lied and said they had been sent and that they had no knowledge of the end date on my account (despite his colleague telling me 2 weeks before). They never arrived. I cancelled my direct debit and asked for a refund and was told it would arrive in 7 days. It never arrived. The service is appalling ( I had to correct the optician on the accuracy of my prescription - 2 stores had given me a different prescription!) and they will lie just to get you off the phone. Never go to Specsavers. There is no personal service and when things go wrong, they are incapable of putting it right. I am still awaiting my refund.

My 2 and half year holds glasses came apart on the hinge only a few months after we got them, specsavers fixed them under warranty but then the same thing happened again less than a month later but this time the franchise owner Peter Oswald is refusing to repair them. I have contacted consumer affairs who advised me to write a letter to him making him aware of the Australian laws that iif he supplied me with the product, I can expect it to last a reasonable amount of time and less than a month from last repair and less than a year from original supply is not a reasonable amount of time in my opinion. I did this approx week and a half ago but have had no response from specsavers I would like to see my sons glasses frame replaced at no cost to me as I believe it is a manufacturing fault

I have a monthly contact lens plan with you, with £15 per month payment in direct debit. Most recently, I get to travel a lot within Europe because my job, hence I need smaller package of solutions. In my last annual check, I raised the query with my local store, the store assistant/manager was really helpful. She said that since I am in a plan with Specsavers, just pop in whenever I need a travel size solution, she’ll give me one from the shelf. So I did so, and got a couple of small size solution from my local store on two occasions. But it all changed yesterday, when I tried to ask again in my local store, she refused to give one to me and insist that I need to pay. I explained to them that I used to get it for free from the store, they just laughed and said it was just one good gesture and they should have charged me! I explained to them that it happened a couple of times, but they just ignored my claim. I also asked for some smaller sizes solution to be posted to my house instead of the big sizes, because I never finish using the big bottled solution in my plan, so why not just give me some smaller ones. Then I was given a phone number and told to contact the “customer service”! It was till this point, I felt angry about the inconsistent service and horrible attitude of your members of staff! Where is the “any problem, just pop in the store, we’ll solve it for you” promise I originally got from the store when they firstly tried to sign me in? Now I have been with you for so long, you have earned enough money from you, so you can treat me indifferently now!

I have been a customer for over 10 years on a contact lens scheme paying £10 pounds monthly for a lens and solution package which is delivered 3 monthly to my door. I have had no package the last few months so was expecting a new pack coming through my door any time from January since I have been short of lenses and had to buy solution to cover the shortage. A coupel of days ago they gave me a call to arrange a lens eye check which is due. I enquired about when the package is due because I was expecting it to be due any day ( i havent been keeping precise track of when the last one was delivered so had not complained as yet). I was told my next package was due in March and that teh last one was despatched last November. i was surprised because I had been using an old spare lens set since early December so it was clear that teh package had not been despatched to my door so suggested it may have been delivered to the wrong address? the lady on the phone said she would check and ask her supervisor if they could sort this problem, She then called me back and said the supervisor was way 'too busy to deal with my query' but 'kindly ' offered to send me 2 complimentary pairs of lenses to last me untill March, but was not prepared to send me any cleaning fluid which means i would have to pay yet again on top of my £30 I paid without receiving any goods. She pointed out that on my contract I have to complain within 30 days otherwise they do not refund, to which i made clear that I was not aware that the package was overdue over 30 days. I have now paid £30 for 3 months worth of lens/cleaning fluid good which I have never received and have no appeal in the matter with Specsavers since they are not prepared to help because they have a 30 days complain policy on the contract, I find the complimentary pair they offer to send me rather embarrasssing since I am entitled a free spare pair anyway if one is damaged so the supervisor being too busy to deal with my complaint is insulting me with a 'complimentary pair that is already included in teh package i pay for, they have left me with no option of appeal whatsoever even though I have paid £30 for nothing at all. This is the worse case of customer service I have come accross with no chance of appeal no attempt to help and no intention of giving any refunds. The supervisor . is not approchable being 'too busy' I will have now have to buy yet another bottle of solution doubling my costs. I would definitely not recommend Specsavers to anyone considering signing to a contact lens scheme and am not feeeling robbed and insulted.

I have been a lens mail customer for approx 12 years and have experienced a fairly smooth service, that is until 2 years ago. Late delivery dates have become increasingly common now, this means I run out of lenses therefore forcing me to go to the branch and purchase another box to keep me going until the lenses I pay every month for eventually turn up. By visiting the branch and buying extra lenses ( an extra cost to myself) the staff then alter my next delivery date without my knowledge. The same thing happens nearly every 3 months.
So I pay for 3 months supply that arrives on the wrong date leaving me without lenses forcing me to buy more. The dates are changed that dramatically that I'm currently buying extra lenses. When contacting the branch 3 members of staff gave me 3 different delivery dates. After my lenses run out I shall be switching to a more reliable honest opticians.

I choose Specsavers to get my sons glasses as they seemed to have the most range an value for money. Unfortunately I found the staff in Specsavers Wilton to be rude and dismissive, in order the problems I had we're:
1. There are loads of staff but all avoided contact when we arrived for our appointment, I had to wait ten minutes just to be asked to sit in waiting area.
2. While my son was getting his eye test done another member of staff was loudly complaining about how busy they are to the customer she was dealing with saying she was run off her feet, which i found very off putting.
3. I wear contact lenses but usually use a different optician, however I would switch if I found a better deal as they can be costly, so I asked a staff member at the desk if I could enquire about contact lenses, she just said you need to book in for a test then walked away.
4. When my sons test was completed we were directed with a staff member to choose frames, the children's frames were tiny even though my son is only ten we had to choose from the teenagers frames which are more than twice the price. The staff member supposed to help spend her time staring around the shop and did not assist us at all.
5. When everything had been choosen the entire cost had to be paid upfront which bothers me as I would not receive the glasses for a full week.
6. I noticed a sign saying leave your email address for customer feedback emails but when I asked if I cold leave mine they said there was no need.
7. During the week I decided to have the contact lens test with Specsavers regardless of their poor service as I decided it may have just been a bad day but when I rang to make an appointment on the day I was due to pick up my sons glasses anyway I was told they were busy all day and the man who answered the phone just hung up instead o offering an alternative day.
I was left feeling like I was a hindrance and a nuisance after my visit to Specsavers, their customer service is terrible.
Regards,
Claire O Driscoll

I am sorry to say that I need to put in a complaint regarding the Aberystwth branch of Specsavers.

I initially had a contact lense appointment in December 2012 for which a pair of trial lenses had been ordered for me to put in an hour prior to this appointment.
I picked these lenses up, (although I was told she shouldn't really give them to me because it was about 3 hours till my appointment) and then later on in the day I attended the appointment.

A different woman (this one was lovely, no problems) then took me into the exam room and when she realized that I was wearing a pair of lenses that I didn't want (I always buy the ones you wear all month) she said would order me a trial pair of the other ones and just to wear these ones until the new ones arrived so that I could be signed off on the ones I wanted to buy (fair enough).

So a couple of days later I got a phone call saying my contact lenses were ready for collection. When I went into the store to the pick them up I dealt with a man I hadn't seen before who simply fetched my lenses, handed them to me and resumed talking to his colleagues.
I presumed then it was not necessary to book my next appointment as no communication seems required of me. Therefore I would wait for another phone call or a letter informing me of the time scale in which I was to return.

It was in January that I thought it was strange that I had heard nothing (it would have been sooner, but exams are stressful and all consuming) so I phoned up my branch and asked when I was due to be seen next.
I was told rather bluntly that I was already overdue and a note had been put on my account to book an appointment when I picked up my last lenses.
I can not see my account and yet she still spoke me like it was my fault.

Anyway, she agreed to book me another appointment but it would take a while because the books were pretty full. So I settled on the 15th February and I was told another pair of trial lenses would be ordered for me and were to be picked up an hour prior to the appointment as before.

Now on Wednesday 13th I walked into the store to cancel my appointment (I had a funeral to attend in my home town and would be unable to do both) and I was greeted with "Here to pick up your lenses" (which is odd since it was 2 days till my appointment and I'd been told before that I couldn't have them earlier) to which my answer was obviously "No, I need to change my appointment".
The woman was fine on this occasion, she changed my appointment to the 19th February and again reminded me that I would need to pick up my lenses an hour before, to the point where on my appointment card it says "1.30/2.40" one time to pick up lenses and one for the appointment as she told me then.

So today, which is the 19th Febuary, I walked into Specsavers at 1.30pm and was greeted with "You've already picked up your lenses" to which I probably looked extremely baffled, since I hadn't. On adamantly assuring her that I hadn't she went out to the back to have another look.
She then returned with a plastic folder containing 2 contact lenses and some notes and proceeded to tell me that I must have picked them up last Wednesday when I changed my appointment.
When I told her that didn't even make sense because she was the one who told me to turn up at both times and even wrote it down for me, she refused even to listen. She continued to argue with me and refusing to listen until I eventually gave up and walked out.

The logic behind her argument was so ridiculous and to be told I'm wrong so decisively was not only incorrect but also very insulting.
But her own saying in the past, contact lenses were only to be picked up an hour prior to the appointment.
When I told her the last lenses I got where over a month old and needed to be thrown away, she just said "yes" and continued on some illegible tangent.

The service now from this one individual has been erratic and rude and a very poor representation of Specsavers.

Not only do I now not have any current lenses but I can't be signed off any and even order them from another Specsavers store.

I bought a pair of glasses in Specsavers last March, and noticed upon receipt of the glasses, that the lenses were poorly fitted. I took them back to the store, and they refitted them. However, the problem continued and I have had to return every 4-6 weeks to complain about the fact that the lenses keep protruding out of the frames. Each time a member of staff simply tells me that this is normal for plastic frames and they attempt to refit them. This is not the case as I have other plastic frames which have no such issue. I returned again for at least the 5th /6th time, and informed the manager of the problem. He told me (the same as every other member of staff) that all he would do is refit the lenses, and that he didn't think there was too much of a problem. I said that the problem is, each time they are refitted (poorly might I add), a few days later the lenses begin to protrude out of the frames again and I have to return to the store with the same problem. He refused to fit new lenses, (the current lenses are evidently a very poor fit), or to offer any other method of resolve, he would not listen to me, and was really rather rude and dismissive. I paid £145 for the glasses, and expect much better quality and customer service for my money.

When I asked the manager at the branch in mill gate shopping centre, bury, lancashire, bl9 0bx for a copy of the complaints procedure she gave me a card for the shop and said put it in writing and send it in, and then the other shop assistant chipped in, and we deal with the complaints, with a smirk on her face [so that would be a waste of time because the complaint was about them.
I've not been as angry as that for a long time, so much so I don't trust my self going back to the shop.
I finally had email from the [franchise owner] who completely supported his staff and had spoken to them about this incident, the fact that I had been a loyal customer for over ten years had no sway I was wrong and that was that.
I will never go to specsavers, or recommend to anyone ever again