My wife bought some expensive prescription glasses on the basis of trying the frames on (with no lenses) in the shop. When they arrived, the strong lenses made the glasses look very different and she is very unhappy with them, which is very disappointing.

Does anyone know if we can return/exchange them? We bought them from specsavers.

Complication: The lenses are expensive thin ones (£90 surcharge!)

EDIT: Reposted in ‘chat’ – please delete!

*guess*
given the opportunity to try on in the shop (and items “manufactured” esspecially for her) so I doubt she has the right to return. Try being nice to them and they might do a deal ?

Should’nt of gone to Specsavers 😆

Errmmm!

http://www.specsavers.co.uk/legal/terms-of-purchase/#returns

I did actually read that. The only applicable part in this case seems to refer to to on-line purchases (distance selling regulations/cooling off etc.), so I don’t think it applies here 😥

If she can see through them and chose them herself then no, fit for purpose and not damaged. In my practice I offer to put contact lenses in for people to see what they’re buying, does make it a little easier. Sounds like she’s just changed her mind, happens quite often, I possibly would change the frame if it hadn’t been worn, providing the lenses could be cut down into another frame.

I’d have thought that if the product you received was significantly different to the one you purchased then there’d be a claim there somewhere – could it be argued under the product being ‘defective’?

If all else fails just kick up the most almighty stink you can in the shop (wife blubbing, you losing the rag etc) that they cave and sort something out 🙂

Well, the issue is that the glasses were tried on with zero magnification lenses. With the higher magnification lenses she has to wear the frames look totally different – and worse. There is nothing functionally wrong with them however and they are totally fit-for-purpose.

If the lenses could be cut down to another frame that might be OK too – the problem here seems to be that the lenses/frame are too big/wide. Should I give them a ring?

Essentially now she can see she does not like them – is her eyesight that bad without glasses?. Moan and see what happens and learn a lesson would be my advice about wearing lenses to pick I suppose.
Can they really look that different now ?

Is she new to glasses? You try them with non prescription lenses, then you order. I have never heard of an optician who would do anything else in some 30 years of being a speccy twunt.

She tried the glasses on whilst wearing contact lenses. What I meant was:

Frames + Non Prescription Lenses = Looks nice
Frames + Strong Precription Lenses = Looks very different (not nice)

Does that make sense now? She could see throughout the whole process.

If we could have tried them on with prescription lenses (sadly not possible), we would have chosen smaller frames.

Anyway, thank for the advice all. I suspect we will end up keeping them. Lesson learnt! Anticipate the effect of the thicker lens on the aesthetics of the glasses…

Shame it costs ~£150 to learn it though 😐

You have no ‘rights’, you’ll be reliant on good will. Specsavers are a pile em high establishment so I’d be surprised if you get anywhere. Worth the ‘blubbing wife’ on a busy Saturday morning approach though. You might get something off another pair but I’d be surprised if you get much further.

Out of interest, why do you think a shop should bear the loss because a shopper has changed their mind/had second thoughts?

Lesson indeed… I just bought some ‘old mans’ expensive varifocals. Near £400! I want solid gold lebses for that… errrrmmm….

If all else fails just kick up the most almighty stink you can in the shop (wife blubbing, you losing the rag etc) that they cave and sort something out

I’m so pleased I’ll never have to do business with you as you sound like a right shit.
Whatever happened to reasonableness and admitting that you’ve made a mistake?
When I try new frames I take a camera with me and ask Peter to take photographs so that I can look at them later to confirm which I’ll get. But then my optician will order frames in for me and send them to my office to try if I want rather than head into town. I get on well with my optician and his assistants.

Sounds like the problem is with the lenses not the frame, obviously you cant try on the frames with the prescription lenses in as they need to be cut down to fit the frame, which is only done when a client chooses a particular frame.

If the lenses look too thick you should have been advised to get high index lenses or to get them surfaced to thin them down (depending if she needs – or + lenses).

You should have been advised if the frames were suitable for her prescription or not, if you weren’t and the lenses are too thick play that angle, you might get some joy.

Not to add salt but this is the downside of specsavers, you bought it it works you keep it, If you had gone to a good independant and had this problem they would probably be more than willing ( at our shop we definately would)to cut the same lenses into a different frame, or discuss some kind of discount off a different pair.

Specsavers always market themselves as being cheap (which they are if you only want a basic prescription, as soon as you step outside of this they are actually quite expensive) until it comes to aftercare where alot of the times the service is “we dont care” give us more money to change it

additional note a decent dispenser would advise if lenses in certain frame types are going to look unsightly, another reason…..not……to go to specsavers

Pics of you wife please.

She’s no longer a looker.

Does she look like Olive from off the buses?

I bought glasses for my son from Specsavers, these had lenses that were strong and looked terrible in the half frame design that he chose.
We returned to the shop and told them we thought we had`nt been given good advice when we chose them, they allowed him to pick another frame without any argument.

I’m so pleased I’ll never have to do business with you as you sound like a right shit.

The shop clearly sold the OP a set of frames that were not suitable for the lenses required. The OP (or rather his wife) did not know what they would look like with said lenses, the shop didn’t advise otherwise, and they were bought on good faith. The specs now do not meet expectation, therefore the OP/his wife has a fair crack at complaining and trying to sort something out. A little bit of pressure on the shop staff may have a positive outcome, as I alluded to. What’s wrong with that?

Specsavers always market themselves as being cheap (which they are if you only want a basic prescription, as soon as you step outside of this they are actually quite expensive) until it comes to aftercare where alot of the times the service is “we dont care” give us more money to change it

I’ve always had upgrades or discounts at Specsavers. OK, I know that a lot of this is probably all part of the marketing tactic to make the customer feel special/wanted but in the >10 years that I’ve been using them I’ve always had faultless service both while having eyes tested/buying glasses and aftercare. They’ve fixed broken glasses for free on a couple of occasions.

Kit, you don’t know that for sure, the OP never said what they advised, for all you know they might have advised thinner lenses which were refused. Meeting expectation is totally different from being fit for purpose.

Thing is you get what you pay for, which is often crap, cheap frames made with poor quality materials and basic design lenses,often you are just a number in places like that. There are of course exceptions to the rule for both multiples and small independents.

I think the OP was fairly explicit in stating that they would be unaware what their lenses would look like in those frames, and that they did indeed go for the thin lens option.

Regardless, there’s no need for anyone to call me a “right shit” for expressing my particular opinion (not aimed at you T666DOM).

I’d have thought that someone who’s worn spex for some time, and has contact lenses will have some idea about how thick their lenses would be. Unless they’d had a massive prescription change the new lenses should be similar to the old, providing the lenses were of the same index and frames a similar size (may not be the case obviously)

Suggesting people “kick up a stink” pisses me off, classic customer is always right mentality to cover up the fact she just changed her mind, often in these situations the spex will get swapped as it’s not worth the chew to do otherwise, problem then is people think they have to kick off to get what they want.

Sometimes is quite amusing seeing adults throwing toddler style tantrums. I had one guy go mental for suggesting he pay £3.50 for some new nose pads that were 3 years old and had fallen apart, the audacity of me!!!

I got some cycling glasses from specsavers and simply couldn’t get on with them. Went back a few times to try adjusting them, see if they could do anything. Wasn’t happy so they gave me a full refund. I was reasonable and they were helpful. If anyone goes in anywhere and kicks off I generally hope they get nothing but the bare legal minimum that there attitude deserves. I don’t mind complaining or complainers but if you think you need to “apply a little pressure” I would wonder how strong your case actually was.

p.s. I had fogotten how tedious typing lots is on a phone keyboard… Sorry for the lack of formatting 🙂

Suggesting people “kick up a stink” pisses me off

Yeah, and I don’t necessarily believe it’s the right thing to do, and certainly not the first/only option but as you say sometimes it’s easier to give the customer what they want because it’s less hassle.

Being personally attacked for suggesting this as an option by another forum member is a bit out of order I feel.

At £150 for a new pair she may find it cheaper to have facial reconstruction to suit the current pair.

Specsavers have always been reasonable to me – although as was pointed out above, once you go for high-index Pentax photochromic varifocals they aren’t very cheap – but then no one is. I’ve found that all the big chains and the independents charge about the same. In the past, Specsavers have certainly suggested that some frames I like won’t look so good with thicker lenses. If they failed to point this out to the OP, I think they have a reasonable case and based on my experience with Specsavers I’d expect them to be sympathetic and helpful if they were to discuss it with them.

Regardless, there’s no need for anyone to call me a “right shit”

He didn’t call you that – he said you sounded like that, which you do.

I bought some glasses from Specsavers which I really couldn’t get on with. I took them back about 3 times and was very co-operative with the people there. Eventually they agreed they were not right for me and gave me my money back (in full) and let me keep my second free pair.

I then looked around at some other places and found that there are some frames which come in different sizes. Poppa – are you certain they glazed the exact frames you chose, and they didn’t order new ones in – in a larger size?

I eventually went to The Hustler, and he and Mrs Hustler sorted me out with a super pair, which I am wearing now. I must get him to come and clean them though, because they’re a bit dusty after I was wearing them woodworking yesterday.