D&A: Hit and Miss (Dolland & Aitchison)

Member Name: apele

Product:	Dolland & Aitchison
Date:	17/05/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thorough eye checks, regular offers and discounts

Disadvantages: Pricey, hit and miss customer service

I'm currently in the final stages of finalizing a Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contacts prescription with Dolland & Aitchison. Due to having a complex prescription, it's meant many visits back to D&A over the course of a couple of months, so I've had a good introductory insight to this company whom I'd never used before.

The customer service seems to be hit and miss, with half of the assistants being extremely clued up and the other half seeming to have no idea what they're doing. The latter half tend to focus on trying to sell you the various packages and promotions they offer, even when they aren't relevant to me by a long shot. However, I've found them all to be friendly and the ones that do know what they're doing really know their stuff and have helped me make decisions about my eye care.

Their eye tests are very thorough, with all the standard tests such as the letter chart etc. They also performed a visual field test which detects any problems with your peripheral vision which can be found in conditions like glaucoma. After the test I felt satisfied that my eyes had been fully checked, and the prescription I was given is to the best of my knowledge, accurate. I've found the opticians themselves to be very professional and they always listen to what I say.

D&A's pricing is unfortunately on the pricey side, and due to the strength and complexity of my prescription, I'm looking to now pay £200 for a pair of RGPs, and £400 for a pair of glasses. Of course my own circumstances are mostly to blame for this hefty pricing, but the markup by opticians is ridiculously high, and I've found D&A to be one of the highest. I have looked into buying my contacts and glasses online where it's much, much cheaper, and a true indication of the markup can be seen. But I don't want to be tasking risks with my eye health, so I wish D&A's prices were a little more reasonable. They do, however, have regular promotional offers and discounts which can be found on their website, and deals such as 1/2 price glasses when signing up to 'contact lenses by post' (sadly not applicable to me).

Summary: Not the cheapest, but certainly one of the most thorough