Anything to choose between them?

Bugger all… both too expensive, go to your local independent.
Though Spec savers, even with there 2 for 1 deal, failed to have a frame I liked… how can that happen? Its a shop full of frames ffs!
Admittedly the service in VE was top notch but for the mark-up over my independent store, it should be!
Oh and I did make good use of VE protection scheme, but again for the price I paid, it ain’t worth it.

Spec savers ship you in take your money ship you out not really into the whole aftercare thing

Vision Express, bit the same, bit more expensive,

If you want cheap internet, if you want cusomer service a good independant

…….bit like the bike trade really

Boots?

Do they have instore opticians these days?

I would go to an independant but I don’t think there is one in town anymore.

VE only any good if you actually need the specs quickly (and you’ll only get that if you want basic lenses).

Specsavers also specialise in glasses that you can get from Specsavers, screaming out that you got them from Specsavers. Boots are Ok but independent FTW

without being snotty, I travel further afield, as I found my independent that much cheaper than either of those, so much so that even with travelling it still works out cheaper.

Independent every time. A friend is an ophthalmologist of some sort and has not a kind thing to say of the 2 high street giants. They are about selling you specs. The SO went to VE a few years back and was sold specs. From that point on she suffered endless headaches. She then went to the local intendant who informed her she had no need of glasses.

Aren’t they both franchised anyway? Just depends what the staff/manager are like in each I’d have thought – luckily my local VE is pretty good.

Used to use VE and found them to be very good on service, but now just get a prescription and buy glasses online as the saving is so great – £300 set from VE = £100 online.

Think these are near you
Oldbury Cruickshankhttp://www.ocopticians.co.uk/

I wouldn’t touch Specsavers with a bargepoll. VE have been good in the past for me. Internet was fine until I need varifocals. I’ve now found a good local independent optician who’s much, much better (but not all independents are good).

Think these are near you
http//www.ocopticians.co.uk/

So they are. And on the same street as Camp Four and Peak Cycle Sports too. Funny how I’ve not seen* it.

(*insert your own joke)

Boots?

**** shocking! Indi every time.

I was going to put the link in a really big font just in case 😉

I recently realised I was getting old and needed a new set of glasses so went to my local inde rather than VE where my wife and son go, I was staggered how much they wanted for a basic set of bifocals! If I went to VE I’d get full varifocals (zeiss lenses) for less!

Am still too staggered to get round to buying the actual glasses, I bought a set of prescription sunglasses, from the inde (I drive 60,000 miles a year) so I can hopefully get less eye strain and feel less tired when driving. Am considering going with T’internet too!

Anyone got any recommendations for internet prescriptions?

For prescription sunglasses, I use http://www.optilabs.com – have a couple of pairs, first one has lasted me years.

For normal glasses I use http://www.onestopeyecare.co.uk

Very happy with both places.

Go to an independent instead!

Been using Specsavers for 20 years. Never had an issue.

I want glasses, not a relationship.

SS told that despite having vision still in the normal range of what is considered 20-20 vision I would benefit from glasses. WFT? Tried on the prescription they recommended and my vision blurred SIGNIFICANTLY to the point of not being able to see much at all. WTF, again?

+1 for independent.

Saying that I went to Bbbots years ago and they were excellent.

Not all VE branches are franchised but a lot are. As you’d expect there are good ones and bad ones.

Anyone happen to have any recommendations for a good independent one in or near Oxford? Thanks!

I am not going blind.
(according to http://www.ocopticians.co.uk)

My girlfriend works at a franchised Specsavers, and is always telling me how many customers they get from the local Vision Express and Boots in the city centre because of bad service. However they also get customers from a nearby specsavers for the same reason, it’s not so much the store name, but more the store and staff working there that makes the difference.

Also aren’t Independed/smaller opticians alot more expensive.

I go indie, even though it’s an 80 mile round trip.

Great service, and an excellent choice of decent frames. Mine are by Andy Wolf.

(Oh, and my optician is a bit of a milf too….)

it’s not so much the store name, but more the store and staff working there that makes the difference.

There a lot to be said for this, and I would count my local specsavers as having a service 2nd to none. I knew regional manager (@ the time) & had nothing but good things to tell her about the local one (& no I didn’t laud it up..)

Also aren’t Independed/smaller opticians alot more expensive.

Obviously it can be, but this not always as they are trying to drag business away from the big brands, so no is not always the case.. Also I found it cheaper because they were prepared to give me lenses for my old glasses. Try asking for this as Specsaver, they just are not interested & will make any excuse not to sell you any (I asked persistently). The local optician re-glazed another 2 pairs for me, & this was still less than the cost of one new pair

ourmaninthenorth – Member

Great service, and an excellent choice of decent frames. Mine are by Andy Wolf.

(Oh, and my optician is a bit of a milf too….)
Andy?
Milf??

No confidence in Boots – just felt they were doing a hard sell on me. Buy 1 frame get 1 free – didn’t understand how they arrived at such a high figure. Definitely commission-based service in there!

Very tempted to try an independant but concerned at the cost. Anyone care to comment?

Independant. Specsavers were giving me what turned out to be a crap prescription for years. Independant took one look & gave me a radically different prescription. Even said go get them cheap from SS to see if I got on with them before buying something decent. I trusted him & the result was that my eyes were better than they had ever been. (Since a slither of wood went through the pupil when I was a child anyway – 4hr emergency op & 2wks in hospital).

Its a no brainer for me.

David Arthur in Lichfield, if your near the Midlands.

I was happy with SS for years – always a bit bemused how much higher the bill was than the advertised offer when I went for a few extras [thinner lenses] – but no problems. Then a couple of years ago I had a problem with some lenses, and to cut a long story short they weren’t interested in helping and just said ‘we can’t help you, here’s your money back, goodbye’. Thus I was thrown into the hands of an independent.

The difference in service was obvious, and the cost was about 10% more. The optician said the SS prescription was OK, but the biggest eye opener was the quality of the optics – I think it was essilor – I’d pay that extra 10% for the clarity anytime.
Since then I have seen the benefits of an independent – re-glazing old frames, ordering frames in for me to try, and my first venture into varifocals [the difference between manufacturers varifocals also surprised me – I tried 3!].
I’m sure there are good and bad SS and independents*, but I’m glad SS kicked me out.

* I did have bad service from a different independent as I wanted to buy the frames from them but have them glazed at the independent above. They were really unhelpful about doing any ringing and ordering [they were the only retailer in the area of the make/style I wanted] as I wasn’t a ‘patient’.