I see! (Boots Optician)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	Boots Optician
Date:	28/06/03 (477 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good choice, Excellent test, Reasonable prices

Disadvantages: Not always someone to help with the choice

Just before last Christmas I broke my spectacles in two right down the middle and although I tried to make a temporary repair it was all in vain.

Sadly I had to resort to my spare pair as I was in the throes of getting my blood sugar under control and had been told that any medication could affect my eyesight, so it would have been pretty silly not to mention expensive to get new glasses before it was all sorted.

My spare glasses did not have Reactolite lenses and I squinted my way through a very sunny March and April waiting for the go ahead from the doctor!

Anyway the day came when I could go and get some new glasses, which presented me with another problem. Back in Walsall I had been going to Dolland and Aitchison ever since I was 4 years old, but they do not have branch here in Llandudno.

I took a look around the town and decided to try Boots Opticians as they had an offer of a free pair of glasses and £20 worth of extra points on my Advantage Card.

The Boots Opticians store here in Llandudno is a separate shop from the main Boots store and looks as though it is quite new. The place is nicely decorated, open and airy, with plenty of racks of spectacle frames of all different shapes, sizes and prices around the walls.

I rang and booked an appointment, explaining that I would not have to pay for the eye test, as I am a diabetic.

When I turned up for my appointment I was asked a few questions for their records address, telephone number, GP etc - the usual stuff, and then I was shown through to the waiting area towards the rear of the shop.

I was called in for my test promptly by the optician, who was very kind and put me at my ease at once. The tests took almost half an hour, as he was very thorough and tested not only my eyesight but also checked the back of my eye, tested for glaucoma and one or two other tests that I can?t remember what they were for!

He explained everything that
he was doing and didn't hurry me at all. He talked to me about having diabetes and reminded me that it was very important not only to have my eyes checked by an optician every twelve months but also to visit the mobile clinic for a retinopathy check each year, explaining what happens and how the results are analysed.

All in all I was VERY impressed with the test and will certainly return to Boots opticians next year.

I then went back into the main part of the shop to choose my new spectacles, as clearly the option to put the new lenses in the old frames was not available to me this time!

I was told to have a browse through the many frames on show and to feel free to look in the drawers to find any others that might be more to my taste. The assistant told me that she would return to help me, but she never did.

This was the only bit of the whole procedure that I wasn't happy with. I had gone to the opticians alone and so would have liked some help to choose frames that suited me.

Luckily my eyesight is good enough without spectacles to see myself in the mirror so I could see what the new frames would look like on me, but I have never been very good at deciding what suits me.

Anyway after much deliberation I narrowed my choice down to two frames and went to order my two pairs of spectacles.

My main pair would be vari-focals with Reactolite lenses, but obviously the free pair was not going to be of the same standard! The free pair would be single vision lenses and I was asked to choose whether I wanted long vision or close vision lenses. I chose the close vision as I figured that, if I broke my main pair, spectacles for close work is what I would need most.

I knew that the cost would not be cheap, but then I am prepared to pay keep my eyesight! The two pairs of spectacles cost me £290 (with £20 worth of extra points on my Advantage Card) and I was told that they would be ready the following
wee
k. I was asked for (and paid) half the cost as a deposit.

The spectacles were ready the following week and I was fitted with them properly so that the lenses would rest in exactly the right place in front of my eyes for me to see the right things through the right part of the lens.

I paid the remainder of the cost and that was that!

In conclusion I was very impressed with the standard of service and the prices at Boots opticians apart from the lack of help when choosing the frames, so next time I'll take someone with me!

I will definitely return to Boots for my test next year.

Incidentally as I broke my old glasses I claimed on my house contents insurance and received £240 (the total price less the policy excess of £50) so it really was a good deal this time round!

By the way I haven't posted here at Dooyoo for some time and I see that the dreaded question marks are still here and now half the opinion appears with no capital letters!

Come on Dooyoo get your act together!

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