What are peoples experiences with Specsavers ?

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#1161335 24-Oct-2014 12:54

It's funny that this thread has come up.

I have just come back from SpecSavers Cuba Street (Wellington) and have had great service from them.
They're replacing my glasses as part of an insurance claim (good service by NZI as well).

I've used them previously, about 4.5 years ago, and have not had any problems.

dclegg

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#1161338 24-Oct-2014 12:56

Used Supersavers for my last pair, and don't think I'll do it again. This is more to do with the quality of the frames they stock than the quality of the service, which I can't fault.

The pair of glasses I initially purchased had a fault in one of the arms, causing them to constantly fall from their seated position. I took them back for a replacement, and the second pair had the same fault. They gladly allowed me to change to a frame with a different design. While my current pair don't have any faults as such, they definitely feel a lot cheaper than all the pairs I've owned before.

What was a bonus though, was getting prescription sunglasses for free. Once again, they're a bit cheap and nasty, but they do the trick.

Andib

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#1161357 24-Oct-2014 13:45

I went in for a eyetest from Sylvia Park SpecSavers with the intention of buying a pair of glasses but I didn't like any of the frames they had on offer.

They wouldn't give me the prescription (I had 50% via a work scheme) and ended up taking a photo of it and walking across to OPSM, found some frames and getting them to use that prescription

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jonathan18

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#1161362 24-Oct-2014 13:53

Andib: I went in for a eyetest from Sylvia Park SpecSavers with the intention of buying a pair of glasses but I didn't like any of the frames they had on offer.

They wouldn't give me the prescription (I had 50% via a work scheme) and ended up taking a photo of it and walking across to OPSM, found some frames and getting them to use that prescription

On what basis did they refuse to provide the script? Surely, even if work contributed towards the examination, it's still personal information to which you have the right to have a copy? Good idea re photographing it though...

Agree re their frame choice - I think this time around it was worse than three years ago. Back then, only frames from their most expensive 'designer' range were any good (therefore increased the cost!), and this time around even those weren't much chop.

Saranis

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#1161378 24-Oct-2014 14:08

I had to get new glasses earlier this year and had a fine time at the Specsavers at The Base in Hamilton. It took only about 6 days (Thursday to Tuesday) from exam to receiving them. They had a decent deal going on at the time (BOGO Free) and I would recommend anyone that is having difficulty with their vision or are just overdue to get their prescriptions reevaluated watch out for these kinds of deals. Two pair for a $100 is awesome. Back in the USA I would have paid around $400 for one pair.

ilovemusic

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#1161387 24-Oct-2014 14:12

good if you have basic requirements.

prices escalate quickly if you need specialised lenses.

mediocre frames, good shop front staff, mediocre professional staff.

not recommended for first time wearers, go to a medical professional.

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#1162003 25-Oct-2014 15:07

All thank you for your replies. Truly appreciated.

In the last couple of weeks I have visited many optometrists [independents & chain outfits] and a four different Specsavers for frames [my eye test was by an independent]

My conclusions so far are

a] in regards to service it all come down to the a particular shop and person you are dealing with. My experience with Specsavers have varied from average to excellent.

b] in regards to frame choice it would seem the best advice usually comes from a dispensing optician who can advise why or why not a frame is suitable or not or looks good or not. Sales staff will say it looks good or not good but usually not why [esp. from a professional perspective].

c] I cannot see how independents will survive in a global economy against a] the sheer purchasing weight of the likes of Specsaves [1200+ stores] b] on-line sellers such as glasses.com and framesdirect.com etc.

If my budget is $350 [work subsidy] I can get 2 frames + lens. This sum would typically only get me one frame anywhere else. Interesting there wasn't much variation in lens cost, where independents seem to lose out is in frame cost for example many frames I liked from independents I could get for at least half cost or less on-line.

As much as I like many independents and want to support them I would be out of pocket by double or more to do so !

MattR

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#1164248 29-Oct-2014 12:39

I've been an OPSM customer for 32 years, and thought I'd give SpecSavers a go this year.

I broke the arm on my glasses on a flight back from Singapore (don't put them in your pocket and then try to sleep!), so I took the broken pair and my old pair (same frames but different lenses) in to see if they could swap the arm. I walked out with two broken pairs, a new prescription, and several $50 discount vouchers that I'll never use. They also didn't have the frames I wanted.

So back I went to OPSM - they had the frames I wanted in stock, but they didn't trust the specsavers prescription, so they did another eye exam (free). Picked up my new glasses a week later.

I took my broken pairs to http://www.soseyewear.net/ in Mt Roskill who make one working pair for me (next day service).

JaseNZ

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#1164498 29-Oct-2014 17:06

I have no need of their services but I do enjoy their advertisements on tv, very humorous

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xlinknz

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#1166165 31-Oct-2014 21:43

All

Well I have now worked out what style frames I will get

But now I have discovered the world of lens choice

Can anyone here comment on

1. Quality of lens from Specsavers [they currently offer a free upgrade to progressives]
2. Whether they went for any type of progressive even tho there script was only reading [so I don't have to take them on and off all the time indoors]

mattbush

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#1166285 1-Nov-2014 08:37

ilovemusic: good if you have basic requirements.

prices escalate quickly if you need specialised lenses.

mediocre frames, good shop front staff, mediocre professional staff.

not recommended for first time wearers, go to a medical professional.

Serious slander here.

The Optometrist in Specsavers will be a qualified professional.

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tieke

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#1166311 1-Nov-2014 09:29

Regarding the non-giving out of tested prescriptions, I think it was specsavers where I had my eyes tested, and although they gave me the prescription after I requested it, they wouldn't include the Pupil Distance information, which is of course required for buying online (I was able to measure mine myself relatively accurately).

Ended up buying several pairs through clearlycontacts.co.nz - they often have deals on, and around $150 for a pair of glasses with thin lenses was pretty good.

MikeAqua

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#1167405 3-Nov-2014 11:00

I'm about 6 months into owning two pairs of progressive purchased from Specsavers. The pricing I got was very competitive. I bought pair of Tommy H tinted progressives and designer end spec-saver clear progressives. My experience has been mixed.

The staff were helpful and friendly. :)

I can wear the designer tinted progressive all day - driving/outside etc with no problems. They are outstanding glasses all round. :)

The clear progressives cause eye fatigue and give me eye fatigue and watery/itchy eyes with all day wearing, night driving, watching a big screen or watching live sport. :(

I still have a pair of clears I got for distance work - I now wear these for wide viewing tasks that take place indoors or at night time with none of the issues I have with my Specsavers clear progressives.

I can't say whether this is due to poor lens quality in the Specsavers clear progressives. In a couple of years I will buy some progressive clears from another optician and see if there is an improvement difference.

Mike

MikeAqua

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#1167423 3-Nov-2014 11:04

One of the core principles of the privacy act is that where company hold info about you, and that info is reasonably retrievable, they must provide you access to that info. I'm about to test whether I can get prescription info out of Specsavers.

I wear sea-specs sunnies when kayaking and boating. They are fantastic for water sports. I'm about to order a pair with progressive lenses.

Specsavers don't sell Seaspecs, or anything with the same combination of features, so I'll be interested to see how cooperative they will be

tieke: Regarding the non-giving out of tested prescriptions, I think it was specsavers where I had my eyes tested, and although they gave me the prescription after I requested it, they wouldn't include the Pupil Distance information, which is of course required for buying online (I was able to measure mine myself relatively accurately).

Ended up buying several pairs through clearlycontacts.co.nz - they often have deals on, and around $150 for a pair of glasses with thin lenses was pretty good.

Mike

xlinknz

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#1167982 3-Nov-2014 20:42

MikeAqua: I'm about 6 months into owning two pairs of progressive purchased from Specsavers. The pricing I got was very competitive. I bought pair of Tommy H tinted progressives and designer end spec-saver clear progressives. My experience has been mixed.

The staff were helpful and friendly. :)

I can wear the designer tinted progressive all day - driving/outside etc with no problems. They are outstanding glasses all round. :)

The clear progressives cause eye fatigue and give me eye fatigue and watery/itchy eyes with all day wearing, night driving, watching a big screen or watching live sport. :(

I still have a pair of clears I got for distance work - I now wear these for wide viewing tasks that take place indoors or at night time with none of the issues I have with my Specsavers clear progressives.

I can't say whether this is due to poor lens quality in the Specsavers clear progressives. In a couple of years I will buy some progressive clears from another optician and see if there is an improvement difference.

Thank you for the reply. Were your Specsavers progressives 'Standard', 'Premium' or 'Elite' [$200, $350 and $550 respectively for 2 pairs]

As expected they would want to up sell but is there much difference ?

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