Glasses at high street opticians are too expensive
I'm fed up with the attempts of some high street opticians to overcharge me. They want to charge me 99 for the same pair of glasses that I can buy online for 25.
Recently I wanted another pair of glasses as I was down to one pair having accidentally broken my spare pare. I decided that I would have look in Specsavers first of all and I asked for a quote on a pair that I liked.
I then went home, did a Google search for 'prescription glasses and about five minutes later I was browsing through a nice selection of glasses on www.nuglasses.co.uk. I found a similar pair and could even try them on (virtually) to see what I would look like wearing them.
They seemed to be very good value for money so I took the plunge and ordered them. Three days later they arrived and I was one very happy rabbit - they were great and I had saved myself 74!
But why do the large high street chains have to charge such silly prices? Is it their plush shops or are we expected to pay for the large advertising campaigns I keep seeing on the telly and in the press. Personally, and I suspect a lot of people feel the same; I would rather not pay for a large advertising campaigns or a plush shop. I would prefer instead to pay considerably less money for my glasses.
When are the large retail organisations going to realise that and do something about it?
By: Verdam
Comments from visitors
Or you could get your eyes tested when abroad and buy the frames there too. I do this. As I visit Cyprus regularly I go to an optician out there. The test is free, the frames are half the price of the UK and the finished product is ready in 48 hrs. My optician is UK trained and the eye test is every bit as good as the UK. In fact, I'd say it is better.
So, if you have holidays booked and need an opticians apointment, I would suggest you try and kill two birds with one stone. I have an eye test due in June and already have my apointment for the first morning of the holiday.
So, if you have holidays booked and need an opticians apointment, I would suggest you try and kill two birds with one stone. I have an eye test due in June and already have my apointment for the first morning of the holiday.
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In the UK, the price paid for an eye test, whether it's you who pays or the NHS who pays, nowhere near covers the amount it costs to provide that eye test. What I mean is that if you have an eye test and pay say £20, it will have cost somewhere between £45 and £75 to provide that eye test for you, depending on rent levels and equipment used. Generally speaking, the test fees will pay a bit more than the opticians salary, leaving hardly anything left to pay for:
rent
other staff
equipment
fixtures and fittings
utilities (light, heat etc).
For this reason, the price of glasses in the UK has always been set at a level that subsidises the provision of eye tests. That is, you pay more for your glasses, because the eye tests are so cheap.
In the USA, you will generally pay more for an eye test and less for glasses.
OK, I hear you say, why doesn't some enterprising soul set up an opticians in the UK charging £60 for an eye test (instead of £20) and selling glasses £40 cheaper?
Well, think about that for a minute. Such an establishment would sell lots of glasses, but do hardly any eye tests, because people would get their eye test for £20 from somewhere else. The optician would be sat around getting paid for doing not very much, and all that expensive eye testing equipment would still have to be paid for, but you wouldn't be charging enough for the glasses to pay for it, and you wouldn't be getting enough eye test fees to pay for it either.
So, the only way it would work is if EVERY optician agreed to charge a lot more for an eye test and a lot less for glasses, and they all did it at the same time. What do you think are the chances?
In any case, the customer who got his eyes tested and bought glasses at the same optical store wouldn't see any overall price reduction for a visit which included one eye test and one pair of glasses. Only if he returned after six months and bought more glasses without an eye test would he save any money.
At the end of the day, whatever shop you go to, and whatever you buy, it's you, the customer who is paying for everything that it costs to provide you with those goods, ie the wages, equipment, fittings, goods, etc, even down to the carpet tiles and the paint on the walls. Where else would the money come from to pay for all that?
Internet suppliers don't supply eye tests at far less than cost, as they don't supply them at all. So, they don't have to recover those professional staff and equipment costs when they sell glasses. Nor do they have to provide staff to adjust the glasses they sell you, or fit a screw or nose pad or do any kind of running repairs for you.
So the reason you can buy glasses cheap on the internet is not because high street opticians are all ripping you off, it's simply that they have far higher costs to pay than internet suppliers. It's the same with HMV versus Amazon when it comes to buying CDs and DVDs.
Having said all that, you will find big differences in prices between different opticians, partly due to the different buying power they have when dealing with suppliers, so as with anything, it pays to shop around on the high street.
rent
other staff
equipment
fixtures and fittings
utilities (light, heat etc).
For this reason, the price of glasses in the UK has always been set at a level that subsidises the provision of eye tests. That is, you pay more for your glasses, because the eye tests are so cheap.
In the USA, you will generally pay more for an eye test and less for glasses.
OK, I hear you say, why doesn't some enterprising soul set up an opticians in the UK charging £60 for an eye test (instead of £20) and selling glasses £40 cheaper?
Well, think about that for a minute. Such an establishment would sell lots of glasses, but do hardly any eye tests, because people would get their eye test for £20 from somewhere else. The optician would be sat around getting paid for doing not very much, and all that expensive eye testing equipment would still have to be paid for, but you wouldn't be charging enough for the glasses to pay for it, and you wouldn't be getting enough eye test fees to pay for it either.
So, the only way it would work is if EVERY optician agreed to charge a lot more for an eye test and a lot less for glasses, and they all did it at the same time. What do you think are the chances?
In any case, the customer who got his eyes tested and bought glasses at the same optical store wouldn't see any overall price reduction for a visit which included one eye test and one pair of glasses. Only if he returned after six months and bought more glasses without an eye test would he save any money.
At the end of the day, whatever shop you go to, and whatever you buy, it's you, the customer who is paying for everything that it costs to provide you with those goods, ie the wages, equipment, fittings, goods, etc, even down to the carpet tiles and the paint on the walls. Where else would the money come from to pay for all that?
Internet suppliers don't supply eye tests at far less than cost, as they don't supply them at all. So, they don't have to recover those professional staff and equipment costs when they sell glasses. Nor do they have to provide staff to adjust the glasses they sell you, or fit a screw or nose pad or do any kind of running repairs for you.
So the reason you can buy glasses cheap on the internet is not because high street opticians are all ripping you off, it's simply that they have far higher costs to pay than internet suppliers. It's the same with HMV versus Amazon when it comes to buying CDs and DVDs.
Having said all that, you will find big differences in prices between different opticians, partly due to the different buying power they have when dealing with suppliers, so as with anything, it pays to shop around on the high street.
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funtimefrankie - 20-Jan-12 14:48
I was going to write a serious comment until I read Ronaldo's last post and I can't stop laughing...Brilliant!
You cheered me up fella...and keep up the footy!
You cheered me up fella...and keep up the footy!
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I appreciate the comments of Boblet, and others, my GRIPE, re-glasses rip off, is that, if I, as we say "SHOP AROUND" then, the chances are that I will be dead, long before I find a fair,
price. how the blazes can you find a fair deal, its ridiculous. capitalism and market forces, for me, just makes life more bloody complicated. I mean, a pair of glasses, surely, is a pair of bloody glasses. with which, to see, and bloody read.. morning vicar !!
price. how the blazes can you find a fair deal, its ridiculous. capitalism and market forces, for me, just makes life more bloody complicated. I mean, a pair of glasses, surely, is a pair of bloody glasses. with which, to see, and bloody read.. morning vicar !!
+3
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If you are not fussy about fashion Ronaldo most opticians have a box of new frame oddments, ask to see them. I choose my frames out of those oddments. Hey presto, top of 2008/9 range of glasses at no charge.
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I wish to ask if any of you like me, have found "vision express" glasses expensive ? even after reductions, being over 65, I find their prices quite steep,
And, do you know of any opticians who may be somewhat cheaper. without forfeiting
quality. I would appreciate a response.
regards.
And, do you know of any opticians who may be somewhat cheaper. without forfeiting
quality. I would appreciate a response.
regards.
+2
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Ripped off Britain indeed? My gripe is aimed at those people who always feel ripped off and their ill informed rants and badly researched opinions about how they are being ripped off. Let me be clear, if you receive poor service, shoddy products or encounter dishonesty there is a clear reason to be upset and a good reason to shame the responsible and debate the issue.
What I find objectionable are those people in Britain who simply decide they are paying too much. You can see these comments on these pages for a diverse range of products and services such as sandwiches, pizzas, opticians, trendy bars and garages etc. They seem to believe that they are being "ripped off" because the prices of the items do not meet their own highly questionable economic criteria.
Do people not understand that if all these places sell a large sandwich for £3-£3.50, it is not because they have met up and agreed to rip off the great British public, it is because the item sold has a cost, and a profit should be made (controversial I know - but hey, you can say what you like on these pages).
If there are many sandwich shops (just as an example, but you can follow it through with anything) the competition increases, as does the diversity of what is on offer and the price will be kept at reasonable level. It’s a pretty easy to understand formula really.
I question those who deem themselves "ripped off", specifically on how they make their living? I guess they are on a salary and only have to justify themselves to their boss once a year at pay review. I doubt very much that they run their own business and if they ever had and, used their odd economic rules I seriously doubt their business lasted very long.
It would be interesting though to turn the spotlight on these kinds of people; to justify their own salary against the products and services their particular company offers and decide if they too are part of the conspiracy which is known as "ripped off" Britain
What I find objectionable are those people in Britain who simply decide they are paying too much. You can see these comments on these pages for a diverse range of products and services such as sandwiches, pizzas, opticians, trendy bars and garages etc. They seem to believe that they are being "ripped off" because the prices of the items do not meet their own highly questionable economic criteria.
Do people not understand that if all these places sell a large sandwich for £3-£3.50, it is not because they have met up and agreed to rip off the great British public, it is because the item sold has a cost, and a profit should be made (controversial I know - but hey, you can say what you like on these pages).
If there are many sandwich shops (just as an example, but you can follow it through with anything) the competition increases, as does the diversity of what is on offer and the price will be kept at reasonable level. It’s a pretty easy to understand formula really.
I question those who deem themselves "ripped off", specifically on how they make their living? I guess they are on a salary and only have to justify themselves to their boss once a year at pay review. I doubt very much that they run their own business and if they ever had and, used their odd economic rules I seriously doubt their business lasted very long.
It would be interesting though to turn the spotlight on these kinds of people; to justify their own salary against the products and services their particular company offers and decide if they too are part of the conspiracy which is known as "ripped off" Britain
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opticalassasin - 5-Apr-11 11:17
I've just experienced an extraordinary ripoff practised by Boots opticians, and that may well be perpetrated by other opticians too.
Having had an eye test (which is always very competently carried out at Boots) I then discussed the price of new varifocal lenses for my two existing frames. They wanted £750 to reglaze these, but told me that I would get two new pairs of glasses (frames and lenses) for about £400! What an outrageous example of the widespread business greed that is everywhere these days.
How can it possibly cost almost twice the price of two new pairs of glasses to fit two new sets of lenses in my present frames. It's just another case of the consumer being expected to buy what the business wants to sell. We are all prey for the avaricious, amoral, besuited parasites who seem to run everything now.
Having had an eye test (which is always very competently carried out at Boots) I then discussed the price of new varifocal lenses for my two existing frames. They wanted £750 to reglaze these, but told me that I would get two new pairs of glasses (frames and lenses) for about £400! What an outrageous example of the widespread business greed that is everywhere these days.
How can it possibly cost almost twice the price of two new pairs of glasses to fit two new sets of lenses in my present frames. It's just another case of the consumer being expected to buy what the business wants to sell. We are all prey for the avaricious, amoral, besuited parasites who seem to run everything now.
+2
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Verdam, you, like many others who hold similar views about
high street opticians being a rip-off, have a very short-sighted (excuse the pun) view of reality.
Yes, it's a fact that there are far higher overheads that an optician operating from the high street has in comparison to an internet retailer.
If high street opticians didn't charge the prices they do, they would be out of business in a very short time. Then, where will all of you 'cheap-skates', who probably waste incredible amounts of your sad, narrow-minded lives trekking from one place to the next for every item you ever buy to get the cheapest possible deal everytime, have your eyes tested?
I have seen many examples of people who have unfortunately, for them, purchased glasses from the web and ended up with the most ill-fitting spectacles imagineable.
WAKE UP!! Appreciate the professionals who you rely on for your eye examination and don't begrudge paying a realistic price to help those people that actually care about your eye health continue to offer YOU a valueable service.
high street opticians being a rip-off, have a very short-sighted (excuse the pun) view of reality.
Yes, it's a fact that there are far higher overheads that an optician operating from the high street has in comparison to an internet retailer.
If high street opticians didn't charge the prices they do, they would be out of business in a very short time. Then, where will all of you 'cheap-skates', who probably waste incredible amounts of your sad, narrow-minded lives trekking from one place to the next for every item you ever buy to get the cheapest possible deal everytime, have your eyes tested?
I have seen many examples of people who have unfortunately, for them, purchased glasses from the web and ended up with the most ill-fitting spectacles imagineable.
WAKE UP!! Appreciate the professionals who you rely on for your eye examination and don't begrudge paying a realistic price to help those people that actually care about your eye health continue to offer YOU a valueable service.
+11
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Fucking, Unbelieveably Annoyed - 31-Mar-11 18:41
Also, FYI, you'll find boots opticians are now the cheapest optician on the high street, by a long shot.
-6
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The main thing you have to consider, is that the company who sell the glasses online don't need to pay for an optometrist... You simply go into one of these stores and then use that prescription online. For that £99 (or whatever the price is) you pay for the optometrist, frame styling, frame materials, the forming of the lens, frame fitting... and I guess you effectively pay towards the shop's overheads as well. I agree, it's not ideal, but why should an online faceless company be more trusted to do your glasses than a high street shop? So many things can go wrong, which a high street shop would cover.
Although it might be tempting to buy online... sure, it's cheaper... at least you know what you're getting on the high street. If you do buy on the high street, buy from Boots or D+A, or even a private optician. Specsavers sell you so-called 'Pentax' lenses... which... really is just a company they bought out, and outsourced to some godawful Asian factory... At least Boots/D+A/Private opticians have some integrity.
Hope this helped.
Although it might be tempting to buy online... sure, it's cheaper... at least you know what you're getting on the high street. If you do buy on the high street, buy from Boots or D+A, or even a private optician. Specsavers sell you so-called 'Pentax' lenses... which... really is just a company they bought out, and outsourced to some godawful Asian factory... At least Boots/D+A/Private opticians have some integrity.
Hope this helped.
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An online store has none of the overheads of a high st store. You would be hard pressed to get your eyes tested online too so the high st stores are here for good unless they turn into a type of surgery, then everyone can pay for a prescription and buy online the actual glasses.
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Can't get in to 'www.nuglasses.co.uk' without a password?
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I use this company (The Home Optician) for my grandmothers spex as she is housebound. They also test other family members for a small cost, bloody good service.
+6
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I agree. I know a local optician who has developed his own company because buying online can be a dodgey experience. As he is qualified he can show you the frames and deliver them to your door, he even does the eye test in your own home. The best part is the 'high street price match guarantee'. I got a quote from Specsavers for some varifocals and they beat the price by 25%!
Check it out on www.thehomeoptician.com
Check it out on www.thehomeoptician.com
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high street opticians work and train very hard to give good service and proffesional knowledgable advice! all the equipment needed to test a person eyesight costs a fortune and is essential! health probems can be picked up in a sight test, such as diabeties, AMD, brain tumors etc! the NHS do not pay an optoms or DO's wage, and the only way of paying a salary is by charging for glasses! how much do you think it would cost to pay privatly for medical costs? why dont people just think about things???? its not difficult!
+5
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If you feel you've been ripped off at the opticians, name and shame them. A bit of bad publicity goes a long way. Don't brand all opticians the same as they are not. To do so reveals a closeted point of view and any comments further are a waste of time
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Another advantage of going to a high street optician is surely the free fitting when you pick up your glasses. Most of us have one ear a bit higher than the other or a slightly wonky nose, or the arms are a bit too long before the curved bit that goes behind your ears. The optician warms the frames and bends them around until you get a good fit.
Obviously if you buy from the internet you don't get this service; I for one would find that they didn't fit at all well if they weren't adjusted.
Obviously if you buy from the internet you don't get this service; I for one would find that they didn't fit at all well if they weren't adjusted.
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grumpyoldwoman - 26-Nov-10 15:22
Freespirt, your comment is ridiculous. Specsavers probably tested your eyes with state of the art equipment and charged a small fee (£15?) to do so. If everybody took your attitude, high street opticians would be bankrupt and where would you get your eyes tested then? on the internet?? I think you would find a qualified optician would perform eye tests only and would need to make enough from the fee to pay for "expensive equipment" ,premises ,electricity, business rates, staff etc all before even earning a salary for themselves. Your eye test would then cost about £90-100 per visit. Our profession used to mean that a qualified optician had to dispense your glasses, now these internet Yahoo's don't even need to understand their product.I can only guess you are an unski11ed worker (if at all) as anyone who has studied and trained for a career would want to protect it. By the way, it would be an idea to make sure you are comparing like for like items as varifocals is a generic term. if you compare the price of a Varilux Physio across different companies that would be fair. If you compare a premium lens to a budget unbranded varifocal on the web you will get an unfair comparision and a poor interpretation of the marketplace. Most people in life realise quality costs money and is very rarely found in bucket shops
+8
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Please dont give me all your crap about having to pay for all that "expensive equipment" and "taking money out of the hands of health care professionals." That really is the biggest load of rubbish I have heard. How do you justify me paying for my eye test in Specsavers and then being charged £279 for varifocal glasses that I later brought from glasses direct for £99 ?.....and I got a SECOND PAIR FREE. The fact is comments from people like the one below this, just don't like the competition and to say that glasses direct are just a bunch of unregulated yahoos, is again just total crap. High Street opticians have ripped us off for too long. Sorry - we are fighting back !!!
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