SpecSavers Thru The Eyes of a 1st Time SpecsWarer... (Opticians in general)

Member Name: angeelu

Product:	Opticians in general
Date:	20/05/05 (3255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wide range of frames, Reasonably priced, Helpful, friendly staff

Disadvantages: Not all branches open on a Sunday

Background:
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I didn't wear glasses until today... As far as I was concerned I didn't need glasses... I'd done fine without them. I'm 25, so surely too young to be affected because of my age, and surely if I needed glasses I'd have known before now?? Obviously not.

I commented a couple of weeks ago something along the lines of 'isn't it difficult to read the TV listings on Sky?' only to be met with my partner insisting it was crystal clear... I'd also mentioned that the text displayed in the Tiger Woods PS2 game was a bit small and hard to read, again, to be met with the same response. It was my boyfriend who decided I needed an eye test. I was convinced the optician would say I was fine, I hadn't had an eye test in years, and that's because every time I'd been I'd been told my eyes were fine, so I presumed I had no problems and wasn't likely to get any.

My Visit:
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I phoned SpecSavers to make my appointment, mainly down to the advertising - there's plenty of opticians in my town, but SpecSavers were the first that came to mind. There are two branches of SpecSavers in my town - one on the High Street and one in Morrisons supermarket. My appointment was at the High Street branch.

On arrival I was met by a receptionist who gave me a pre-test. She was a friendly woman who explained it was just to get a preliminary look at my eyes, and this gadget would take readings electronically to help the optician when I went through to him. This test involved sitting on a stool, resting my chin on a paper pad and peering through some kind of binoculars mounted on a machine to look at a hot air balloon. She fiddled with the machine and warned me the balloon would go in and out of focus, then a few seconds later all was done.

Another few minutes wait in the waiting area and I was called into the opticians room. I had memories of a big heavy metal pair of specs that the optician put on you and kept sliding lenses in and out of them. Seems times have changed, as he pulled over an arm of a machine that rested against my head for me to look through. He controlled it from where he was sat, pressing buttons to change the lenses in the machine. He was a very friendly man who and although I was a little embarrassed to repeat my story about why I'd come for an eye test when he asked he made me feel at ease.

After reading rows of letters and looking at dots and lines and the likes he decided that I would definitely benefit from a pair of glasses, but he wasn't at all pushy. He said it was down to me to decide what I wanted to do, but his recommendation was to go for it. I didn't have enough money with me to buy glasses so I left the shop without even looking at the glasses having decided to go back at the weekend.

My Purchase:
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I'd decided to buy my specs on the Sunday, only to find out the High Street branch wasn't open on a Sunday, but the branch at the supermarket was, and I was assured it displayed the same full range of products as the High Street branch. When I arrived I spent a while looking before I was approached and asked if I wanted any help - I'd told them I was still just looking, and it was nice that the sales person didn't hover, just left me to it. When she spotted that I'd obviously got a handful of pairs in mind she came over again and showed me the SpecSavers machine that lets you take photos of yourself and compare them side by side to help you choose. Again, she didn't hover or try to persuade me into anything, just left me to it.

Eventually I decided on a pair and the saleslady fetched another man to finish my purchase with me. He went through the different lens options and prices and advised me what he thought would be my best options (scratch resistant coating and anti-glare coating), which I took up. He looked at the frames I'd chosen and got me to put them on and advised me they suited me, which was a confidence booster being my first pair of glasses, especially as he said it genuinely (bet he says it to everyone I thought, though as I was leaving I saw him telling an old woman that the massive pair of plastic frames she'd chosen really weren't that nice and she'd be better off with another style). A few measurements later and he'd finished off my order and taken my money, advising me they'd be ready to collect in a week. 5 days later I went into Morrisons for some shopping and called in on the off-chance that they'd be ready - they had come in that day. The same man who sold them to me got me to put them on to check they fitted correctly - a small alteration and he and I were happy they were fine. Immediately on putting them on I could see so much better - as though someone had fiddled with the contrast button on my eyes! Colours are clearer, text is sharper, I can read signs in the distance I couldn't before... and yes, I can read the text on Sky!!

SpecSavers Advantages:
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* Lots of choice of specs, including designer ranges (with brands such as fcuk (which I chose), Storm, Osiris, Quiksilver and more.
* Clear pricing policy - all specs in each range tend to be the same price. All frames have a sticker with the price on so you are clear on the price.
* Great offers - currently you can get a free pair of prescription sunglasses (T&C's apply), however, I didn't take up this offer, so instead they gave 25% off the total price of my one pair of glasses.
* Friendly, honest, not pushy staff.
* Ability to view up to 4 photos of yourself side by side wearing different frames to help you choose.

SpecSavers Disadvantages:
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* Not all branches open on a Sunday.

My Conclusion:
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I would happily recommend SpecSavers to anyone (or at least the branches I've visited!) They made me feel comfortable throughout my experience and I'm happy with my purchase. Their prices seem reasonable and their sales people weren't pushy. I don't have to go back again for another two years now, but I know if I have any problems with my glasses or eyes I won't hesitate to get in touch with the people there. £16 for an eye test may seem like an unecessary expense if you think your eyes are ok (as I did), but as I found out it if there's anything you think is not quite 100% clear to read or see don't write it off as being insignificant, get your eyes checked!
In SpecSavers words, SpecSavers are "UK's No.1 choice for eye tests. Specsavers is Britain's Most Trusted Opticians (Reader's Digest survey 2004) with hundreds of stores caring for millions of people's eyes".

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Summary: