Buy your contact lenses online from a supermarket? Yes really! (Asda Opticians)

Member Name: sakura8

Product:	Asda Opticians
Date:	20/03/09 (346 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to order and reorder, free delivery, good choice of lenses

Disadvantages: None

I haven't actually visited the opticians at an Asda store and this review is solely on the online ordering service for their contact lenses and solution. Apologies if this review is in the wrong place, but it seemed the most logical to me!

I have ordered my contact lenses and solutions online from Asda Opticians on three occasions and I have never had any problem. I started buying my lenses online when I realised how much cheaper they are than buying them from the high street opticians. I used to pay about £25 per month to D&A and now I'm paying half that price! Of course I'm not getting the aftercare service that was available when I was with D&A, but to be honest I only ever visited them for a contact lens check up when I needed a new prescription and I now prefer to go to Specsavers for that.

Anyway, the Asda Opticians website is very easy to use and there is a broad range of lenses and solutions to choose from. You can browse lenses by their type, e.g. daily, two-weekly, monthly etc. or by brand, e.g. Bausch & Lomb, Ciba, Johnson & Johnson etc.

They also sell designer sunglasses and accessories such as solutions, eyedrops, and swimming and skiing goggles.

Once you have found the products you want, you simply click on them to get more information. So for the two-weekly Johnson & Johnson Acuvue Oasys contact lenses that I buy, I'm given quite a detailed explanation of what those lenses are made from and how this makes them more comfortable to wear.

I am also given a choice of packages to choose from:
* 6 months (12 pairs) lenses only @ £10.76 per month
* 6 months lens & solution @ £12.23 per month
* 12 months (24 pairs) lenses only @ £10.76 per month
* 12 months lens & solution @ £12.23 per month

I usually buy the 6 months lens & solution package, as the solution takes up quite a lot of storage space. Delivery is free so it's not a problem for me to order another 6 month package and when you create an account it remembers what you have previously ordered so it's incredibly easy to reorder the same prescription.

Once you have added items to your basket, the checkout procedure is very straightforward and you are given the option to add associated products, such as eyedrops or enter any promotional discount codes.

If you're a new customer then you will need to create an account, or if you're a returning customer then you just need to login.

You then need to enter the date you had your last contact lens check and the address of the optician, as Asda will check the prescription details you enter (Base Curve, Diameter and Power for each eye), which is good because if you make a mistake when entering the numbers it should get picked up before your order is sent. You will also need to send your written prescription to customer services so they can check it is still valid. Again this is very easy to do and I just send them a scanned copy in a reply to the confirmation email I receive once I've gone through the payment process (they accept all major credit and debit cards). You can also send them a photocopy or a fax of your prescription and you can call their Customer Help Line (0845 3666 998) if you have any urgent questions, comments or need help in placing your order.

They aim to deliver within 48 hours of them receiving confirmation of your prescription, so it will depend on the speed of your optician giving Asda the information they need. They are usually very quick and the first time I ordered I received a confirmation email the following day to say my order was being processed. The items are delivered via Recorded delivery in the biggest jiffy bag you have ever seen! If you need your contact lenses urgently then you can pay £5.95 for UK Express Delivery.

I now won't buy my contact lenses any other way, as the service I have received from Asda has been brilliant. I have no idea if they're the cheapest online, but for me they tick all the boxes!

Website: www.asda-contactlenses.co.uk
Email: customerservices@asda-contactlenses.co.uk

Summary: A brilliant service