A good relaible optians...if you can afford it (Dolland & Aitchison)

Member Name: djwhite1982

Product:	Dolland & Aitchison
Date:	03/08/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Service,

Disadvantages: Cost

I had my first ever visit to an opticians about 4 months ago. Unfortunately at the time I didn't know about this website otherwise I might have had an idea of costs and things like that before I showed up. As it was I went in blind in more ways that one!

The actual eye test was all very well done. The staff were all very friendly and the tests all seemed very professional. I'd had a few people warn me that the test for glaucoma was unpleasant. In reality a tiny about of air is blown into your eye and you barely even notice it. You could sleep through it! Other tests performed involved the usual peripheral vision test, and then the classic "letters on the board" test, in which you seemingly try on every type of lens going. All in all I would say the test lasted somewhere in the region of 20 minutes. There's was no waiting around and it was all very efficient and well done.

When it came to picking glasses the staff where thankfully quite honest. They offered me honest opinions as I tried on frames, and weren't afraid to tell me if they thought a pair did not suit me. As it turned out the ones I was eventually recommended were amongst the cheapest frames I tried on, so I can confidently say they weren't basing their opinions on which pair were going to make the most money.

The whole cost of the service was quite pricey. The eye test itself was around £30 for starters. I also found out a few weeks later nearly all the big opticians will give you the test for free if you buy glasses in the same visit. The wasn't anything that was offered to me whilst I was there and I was charged the full cost. I'm not sure whether this was because D&A do not offer this, or because they new this was my first visit and thought they could get away with charging me. Either way I was less than impressed when I found this out. I guess the lesson learned is that you should always ask if the test will be free after buying glasses. The cost of the lenses were £90 give or take a few pounds. I wasn't asked about scratch resistance and all the other add ons, and is it turned out they decided I would need these without even bothering to check with me. In reality I would have chosen the extra's as well, however not being asked was a little bit naughty on their part.
Finally the frames cost about £60 (thanks to a half price offer) which were more or less the cheapest ones I found in the store. They appear to really cater for people that are prepared to spend a lot of money on expensive designer glasses.

One other complaint I had was the delivery of the glasses. I was told they would be ready in a week and that I could stop by the following weekend to pick them up. The next weekend I called ahead to make sure they were ready and was told that unfortunately they weren't. Had I not called ahead then I would have wasted my time travelling to town to pick these up. I would think a call to advise me otherwise would have been a courtesy, especially the amount of money the things were costing me. Eventually my glasses where ready almost 2 weeks later, about 7 days later than I was originally told. I appreciate they have to be custom made, however I'd prefer I was told the truth straight away as opposed to just saying what they assume I want to hear. A colleague of mine went to a different branch a few weeks later and had the exact same issue, therefore leaving me to believe it wasn't just a one off.

Having spoken to various people about D&A and having looked round a bit more myself, I do think they are quite pricey in comparisons to some of the other opticians. The service you get is pretty similar so not quite sure why they are charging more. If money is not really a consideration and you're interested in service and having a designer pair of glasses, then D&A is probably a wise choice for you. If you're a bit more concerned with getting value for money then I'd look elsewhere.

Summary: Expensive, good quality but not necessarily value