2 upvotes, 4 direct replies (showing 4)
View submission: Are opticians just glorified salesman's now?
But my point is that the indie places are more expensive, but don't necessarily provide a commensurately better service. I can only speak to my own experience, but often they push much more overpriced products precisely for the reasons you outline - they need to make more per sale to remain viable
Comment by Ybuzz at 27/01/2025 at 00:01 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The end product may be more expensive, but as someone who has worn glasses all day every day since I was 11, it's worth it to know that I am getting all the tests I should be, and a pair of glasses that will last 2-5 years between changes of prescription.
The one time I bought the cheap high street glasses the prescription was right (because it was from my previous provider), my lenses were just as expensive (because with a high prescription, they just are) but the frames fell apart very quickly despite being not much cheaper than the cheapest frames I've had from independent places.
If you have minor vision issues and just want to get the right reading glasses with a spare pair for free then high street chains are fine. If you need glasses every day for several years at a time, it's worth it to go to the guy who does more than a basic 'read this line' vision test and then shunts you to a 16 year old to 'fit' your new £30 glasses.
I know at least one person who's optometrist has saved their life by noticing early signs of rare cancers, and mine had a nerdy chat to me about providing a complex custom prescription for someone who's eyesight is nearing blindness (on my noting that my prescription was now very high and him pointing out it's not the highest he's provided!). If it means the same frames cost a few quid more, I want *that* guy dealing with my eyes, doing my eye pressure tests and retinal imaging.
Comment by Sad-Fish-3064 at 28/01/2025 at 07:53 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
With lenses you get what you pay for a when you go to a high street optician and they do good better best. They are only talking about their best. Their best could be an independents worst lens. The build quality on the frames won’t be as good either. It’s like saying a primark handbag is just a cheaper LV bag.
Comment by Ill_Abies3952 at 28/01/2025 at 19:42 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It’s probably me being lucky to find a good one, perhaps some are worse than the high street chains. I don’t know, but I paid probably twice the amount for a test but it was way more thorough and had no glasses upsold to me as I don’t need them other than simple reading glasses.
Comment by new_baloo at 27/01/2025 at 08:04 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Generally speaking, indies are always better than a chain in the level of service provided. The practitioners are more experienced, more knowledgeable, have better equipment and offer far more than a basic eye examination. They also generally don't have to push for more expensive products because their overheads are lower. So whilst a chain needs to sell x amount of glasses a day, the indie needs x-3 a day to make the same profit. Also, the indie is going to be a better quality. The chain will have cheaper quality frames and older technology lenses. The indie will have the latest and greatest.
Yes of course, I understand that what I've said isn't guaranteed, but that is generally the case.
It's like supermarkets, overall waitrose is better than aldi but that doesn't mean some people have a better experience at aldi. Same way Indies are better than chains for the vast majority of people.
Absolutely, I'm not taking anything away from your experience. Absolutely, Indies can generally be more expensive than a chain but then again, you aren't going to find somewhere that's as cheap as a specsavers. That's like saying this apple doesn't taste like a mango. They're in different leagues. Compare an indie to another chain, such as David Clulow or Boots for example, and you'll find the prices are actually comparable. In some cases, the indie may even be cheaper.