Vision Express very poor quality

thedragon

I recently bought a new pair of prescription glasses at a branch of Vision Express. I was very impressed at there initial service,top class equipment,very quick dispensing of my new glasses and the glasses themselves seemed quite good. About 2 weeks after I bought them I noticed they became quite hard to clean,they seemed to get quite smudgey and not easy to clean.Nothing I did would get them clear and they then started showing a few smudges that Icouldnt remove.I took them back and the owner told me they had moved to a new supplier and the new lenses he put in should be fine,now bare in mind I was cleaning them with the correct cloth and special glasses cleaning solution.Anyway about a week later the same smudges began to appear in funny enough they appeared in the exact same places on the lenses Which would indicate to me that the lenses had never been changed at all and only recoated again with a very inferior quality coating.Im really pissed off now and I dont want go back again complaining.I just want to know,has anyone noticed a similar poor quality with Vision Express.

Sam Vimes

Should've gone to Specsavers.......sorry

thedragon

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Should've gone to Specsavers.......sorry

Nice one,I was waiting for that.

alexmcred

I'd be straight back to them and politely asked for them to be replaced again. I'd also want an explanation as to why it has happened a second time.

MysticalSoul

Welcome to the world of wearing glasses

Seriously though, my current pair I got in Vision Express, and the previous pair, in Specsavers, and have found the lense quality much and muchness between them. In both instances, I got the anti-glare lenses.

Cabaal

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Should've gone to Specsavers.......sorry

It took almost 24hours for someone to post this, shame on you that it took so long

olaola

I find if you get the 'anti glare' coating (the one that has a greenish tinge in the light) it makes the glasses VERY hard to clean & keep clean. I just got used to cleaning them more often after a while...

thedragon

olaola wrote: »

I find if you get the 'anti glare' coating (the one that has a greenish tinge in the light) it makes the glasses VERY hard to clean & keep clean. I just got used to cleaning them more often after a while...

Yes exactly,thats what Im finding.Ive always bought from irish opticians,you might pay a little more but quality is far more superior.Ive had glasses for years and never a bother from the local guys.Thats where Ill be going back to.Its a pure disaster,Im now having to buy twice.Goes to show,you get what you pay for.

dade

thedragon wrote: »

Ive always bought from irish opticians,you might pay a little more but quality is far more superior.Ive had glasses for years and never a bother from the local guys..

same here, i tried specsavers once and wasn't impressed with either the range of frames available or the quality of the glasses i got. in fact i think i changed them in less than a year but i use a small optician not in north Dublin and have had the same frames for over 2 years, get exceptional service from them. i remember getting a pair of prescription sun glasses and ended up loosing them half way through a holiday, i called the optician i had used and explained what happened and they had a replacement pair waiting for me when i came home at minimal cost

Cabaal

I used specsavers twice, the first pair I got were fine,
The second pare I got included two glasses, however specsavers gave me two different prescription in the glasses which was confirmed by another optician when he tested them.

I had brought them back to specsavers twice previously and they said they were fine and tried ton convince me it was in my head that they were different :rolleyes:

In addition to this my fiancee used to get headaches, she had her eyes tested twice at specsavers and each time they said her eyes were perfect.

She later went to a smaller optician in the city and he found one of her eyes was weaker. She now has to wear glasses when reading/watching TV and hasn't had a headache since

In short specsavers are just plain bloody useless and nobody should go near them as they clearly can't do a decent job.

Lex_Diamonds

Well, I just got some Vision Express glasses and that film of smudge is present, pretty much impossible to remove. Going to go and ask them to remove the AR coating, hopefully that'll fix things.

Outkast_IRE

Wouldnt go to specsavers or vision express , people in my family have had problems with both from the wrong lenses dispensed to eye tests that werent up to scratch , i use a local optician and iv never had a problem

smelltheglove

Ive also given up on these two, prices are ridiculous, I recently got 3 pairs of glasses from the opticians in the mill centre on Clondalkin for 199 and I was very happy with them.

I have had this problem with previous glasses, from specsavers and these were anti glare or anti scratch. Now I always get plain lenses, I dont even bother getting them thinned down.

CrazyRabbit

Laser Eye Surgery. Best money I've ever spent. My specs are gathering dust over in the corner

I've not had any issues with Vision Express over the years though. I found them quite helpful and the specs I got lasted for years.

oranjeboom

All glasses should be coated in an anti-glare coating. Its the best coating really. Ya it smudges but all you have to do is give your specs a quick wash with warm soapy water and try them with kitchen paper. DONT use tissues as they have flint in them that can scratch the lens.

As regard Vision Express I would take them back. In all fairness you have paid for them, you should go back and stand your ground. Say you want to speak to the Dispensing Optician or Optician and explain your problem. If you get no joy email them. If you get no joy you can always bring your complaint to the Irish Opticians Board, they are the regulators for the opticians in the country.

One thing I will say to ANYONE who gets glasses make sure the person who is helping you choose your glasses and dispensing them to you is a FULLY QAULIFIED DISPENING OPTICIAN. You should not get your glasses from and optical assistant. They dont have the relevant knowledge to help you make a fully informed decision on the lenses and frames that you need.

RunnerBean29

I am sitting here in new Vision Express lenses that I collected last night and I can hardly see through the right lens. The woman who tested me said "Your right eye hasn't changed, it's the same" (she had previously "read" the prescription of my current glasses by examining them). However, she made the prescription stronger by .25. So she clearly read the glasses incorrectly and tested me badly. The lenses used during testing were filthy and covered in fingerprints. She also changed the left lens, and the lenses feel as if they don't "match up". I'll be taking them back on Saturday. Not recommended (it was the Liffy Valley branch).

adamstown1

RunnerBean29 wrote: »

I am sitting here in new Vision Express lenses that I collected last night and I can hardly see through the right lens. The woman who tested me said "Your right eye hasn't changed, it's the same" (she had previously "read" the prescription of my current glasses by examining them). However, she made the prescription stronger by .25. So she clearly read the glasses incorrectly and tested me badly. The lenses used during testing were filthy and covered in fingerprints. She also changed the left lens, and the lenses feel as if they don't "match up". I'll be taking them back on Saturday. Not recommended (it was the Liffy Valley branch).

Hi Runnerbean,
You are doing the right thing, they will be happy to do a retest and change the lenses. 0.25 is the smallest change possible in a spectacle rx.
Post the outcome of how you got on yesterday.

RunnerBean29

So I went back in on Saturday and told them I thought it was too strong, particularly the blurry right lens. I explained that the optician had said that my right eye had not changed, but she had then written a prescription for 3.0 (left) and 4.25 (right) (my old prescription was 2.5 left and 4.0 right, but I hadn't shown the paper copy to the optician: they had just "read" the lenses on my old glasses). At first they insisted that my old prescription was indeed a 4.25 in the right eye. They then re-read the lenses and came back saying that it was actually a 4.15, but that there is a leeway of approx 12.5/13 either way so the new lens is still correct. However, if my prescription on paper is 4.0 and according to her it hasn't changed, wouldn't that mean that I can wear a 3.87 or a 4.13? I then showed them my old paper prescription for 4.0, and also the two pairs of glasses that I wear: one pair is 3.87 and the other is the 4.15 that they had measured. This ties in with the leeway thing of approx 13.0. She seems to have made a fundamental mistake in going up to a 4.25 whilst saying that there was no change in the eye. Anyway, she re-tested, and she is truly awful. Rushed me through it, whipping out lens after lens without letting my eyes adjust. I had to stop her because all the lenses were dirty with finger prints. In the end I showed her my old paper prescription and told her that I wear a 3.87 and a 4.15, so maybe I'm somewhere in between? She came out with a few ifs and buts and whipped out a few more lenses and then said, "Well, you've gone back to your old prescription; I don't know what happened there".
So they are replacing the lenses with the old prescription. They've done the right thing, but I found the service really perfunctory, shoddy and indifferent from beginning to end and would tell everyone to steer clear of Vision Express. I'm still not convinced the lenses will be right the second time, they don't inspire much confidence and I'm not sure the optician knew what she was doing.
And isn't it really imprecise for opticians to "read" the lenses with these machines if there is in fact this leeway of 0.13: surely it's impossible to know what the actual prescription on paper is? Why don't they just ask to see your old prescription? Can anyone verify this? I'm no expert but this it what I've understood: a 4.15 could theoretically be a 4.25 on paper when the correct prescription is actually a 4.0? Anyone know anything about this?

adamstown1

RunnerBean29 wrote: »

So I went back in on Saturday and told them I thought it was too strong, particularly the blurry right lens. I explained that the optician had said that my right eye had not changed, but she had then written a prescription for 3.0 (left) and 4.25 (right) (my old prescription was 2.5 left and 4.0 right, but I hadn't shown the paper copy to the optician: they had just "read" the lenses on my old glasses). At first they insisted that my old prescription was indeed a 4.25 in the right eye. They then re-read the lenses and came back saying that it was actually a 4.15, but that there is a leeway of approx 12.5/13 either way so the new lens is still correct. However, if my prescription on paper is 4.0 and according to her it hasn't changed, wouldn't that mean that I can wear a 3.87 or a 4.13? I then showed them my old paper prescription for 4.0, and also the two pairs of glasses that I wear: one pair is 3.87 and the other is the 4.15 that they had measured. This ties in with the leeway thing of approx 13.0. She seems to have made a fundamental mistake in going up to a 4.25 whilst saying that there was no change in the eye. Anyway, she re-tested, and she is truly awful. Rushed me through it, whipping out lens after lens without letting my eyes adjust. I had to stop her because all the lenses were dirty with finger prints. In the end I showed her my old paper prescription and told her that I wear a 3.87 and a 4.15, so maybe I'm somewhere in between? She came out with a few ifs and buts and whipped out a few more lenses and then said, "Well, you've gone back to your old prescription; I don't know what happened there".
So they are replacing the lenses with the old prescription. They've done the right thing, but I found the service really perfunctory, shoddy and indifferent from beginning to end and would tell everyone to steer clear of Vision Express. I'm still not convinced the lenses will be right the second time, they don't inspire much confidence and I'm not sure the optician knew what she was doing.
And isn't it really imprecise for opticians to "read" the lenses with these machines if there is in fact this leeway of 0.13: surely it's impossible to know what the actual prescription on paper is? Why don't they just ask to see your old prescription? Can anyone verify this? I'm no expert but this it what I've understood: a 4.15 could theoretically be a 4.25 on paper when the correct prescription is actually a 4.0? Anyone know anything about this?

Hi Runnerbean,

Thank you for posting about your return for the re-test.
You ask lots of questions which i am happy to answer and offer advice.
However i do not want to break any rules regarding medical advice on Boards.I am a store manager in our Henry Street store and i will PM my contact details if you would like to discuss any aspect of your sight test.
Also feel free to pop in if its more convienient.Let me know how you get on with the new rx.
All the best,
Philip

RunnerBean29

So I re-tested, as described, on Saturday 11th July. When the optician had finished she dismissed me pretty brusquely and left me with the store supervisor, HS. He appeared desperate to get away for lunch and barely made eye contact. I had to explain that the prescription was wrong and the lenses needed changing (I'm not even sure the optician had told him this), and I made a point of stressing that I wanted exactly the same lenses I'd paid for, the very thin Pinnacle 1.67 SV knifesedge (190 euro). I banged on about this at some length, as I'm really fussy about thin lenses. He didn't seem to be listening much, but he told me the 1.67 would take more than 5 working days to arrive. Anyway, I noticed he typed up 1.60 (thick lenses) on the order sheet and he also rang my receipt through with 1.60 lenses on it. He threw the receipt at me and darted off. I was so worried about this that I re-entered the store to find him, and I showed him my original receipt for the thin 1.67 lenses. He was very dismissive and said "yeah, yeah, don't worry", and basically blanked us and left. I went away convinced he had deliberately ordered thicker, cheaper, stock lenses.
Lo and behold, I got a text after only three days asking me to collect the glasses. We drove to Liffey Valley and went in. The girl there got the glasses out, and she immediately said "these are scratched. They're dirty, but if you clean them you can see a scratch". They were dirty, scratched and they were thick, 1.60 lenses. The order sheet was there, with 1.60 next to each eye, typed up on Saturday by the supervisor. He had added a small note underneath about the thinner lenses, but had typed 1.60 in the larger columns next to each eye. The lenses were obviously the in-stock, thicker, cheaper ones that only take three days. I cannot understand why he would order the thicker ones when my original, paid-for order was for the surfaced 1.67 slim lenses, and I had even re-entered the shop to query this. Did he do this on purpose, because of the expense incurred by me re-testing and having my lenses replaced? I just cannot see why he would do this otherwise, when he could see the original order for the thin lenses. Every optician knows what 1.60 lenses are.

So I got:

1) The wrong prescription and an awful eye test. Paid €190 for thin lenses

2) A second awful, rushed eye test with smudged test lenses and a dismissive, unconvincing change back to my old prescription

3) Drove to Liffey Valley a third time and new glasses were completely wrong: dirty, scratched and thicker than lenses paid for

I'll see what happens when I go back a fourth time to collect the glasses. If they aren't right, I'll ask for a refund.

oceanclub

RunnerBean29 wrote: »

1) The wrong prescription and an awful eye test. Paid €190 for thin lenses

2) A second awful, rushed eye test with smudged test lenses and a dismissive, unconvincing change back to my old prescription

3) Drove to Liffey Valley a third time and new glasses were completely wrong: dirty, scratched and thicker than lenses paid for

I'll see what happens when I go back a fourth time to collect the glasses. If they aren't right, I'll ask for a refund.

Did you ever get any satisfaction from Vision Express?

P.

RunnerBean29

Hi Oceanclub

So I went back the fourth time, to pick up the replacement glasses for the pair that had been sent back because they had the wrong lenses and the visible scratch.

They gave me the replacement pair, and this time there was a "wave" on the anti-glare coating which made me feel sick when I tried them on. They went to get the manager because of all the errors. He was very apologetic and said I'd been "very unlucky" to get first the wrong prescription, then the wrong lenses and the scratch and now the "wave" on the coating. I just immediately demanded a refund and said I wanted to forget about the place. The manager then started to negotiate with me on free lenses: pretty crappy offers at first but I stood my ground and eventually he offered me a whole free pair of glasses in addition to the original pair (they had to be a cheap frame, though).

I chose a Guess frame on sale and they ordered me an extra pair as well as the original pair. They could see I didn't believe they'd get the order right and they took extra care typing it up (as they should have done weeks earlier in the beginning!).

I went to collect them and both pairs were OK. The handover docs had been quality control stamped (I presume this only happens after a series of errors like this).

So in the end they did sort it out, but I wouldn't set foot in a Vision Express again. It took weeks for them to get the glasses right.

Lollipops23

While I have been happy with the actual quality of my glasses from Vision Express (i'm on my 2nd pair), the service leaves a lot to desired in some instances.

I had an appt for an eye test yesterday afternoon in Dublin, and on 5mins after arriving I was told they were running late and it'd be 15mins. Didn't mind too much, that'd only make it 20mins late, no big deal.

However, by the time they got around to seeing me it was 50mins later than my original appt. Not once between the 15min warning and me actually going in was I told how much longer it would be.

When I went downstairs to choose my glasses the sales assistant insisted on following me around, even though I said I just wanted to try on different pairs. When I picked a cheap pair (that I really liked) he kept trying to direct me to designer pairs, after I explained that I didn't need to wear them every day.He then tried, in quite a pushy manner, to get me to buy insurance stuff.

Was really impressed by the selection and the exam itself,but not in the sales staff or the lateness.

BostonB

I'd have to add I've had poor experience in these places too. Expensive and really didn't get good service. I think theres been a problem with every pair I've bought. I also dislike that they never seem to have the cheaper frames in stock, just the expensive ones. Maybe thats bad timing on my part I dunno. Testing I had was good, as was the optician. But the counter staff were poor. I also noticed prices are far cheaper in the UK. But its the poor service that will have me going elsewhere in future.

olaola

Well! I've had mainly good experiences in Vision Express. I'd say I've visited them three times in the last 3 or 4 years.

I've bought glasses - for which I had a test by a very nice and competent optician in Henry St. The aftercare & experience was very good I have to say - I made a few changes after purchase and they were all done quickly and with no quibble. I also had a contact lens test in Liffey Valley a few months ago, and I was very happy with the optician I visited there. Just one bad experience - It was in Tallaght (I think?) for lenses also. The optician was very gruff and got into a huff when I wouldn't let him put my lenses in (he was very shaky) and generally seemed like he was a week out of training, even though he was in his 50s.

Over all I've found my experience positive, and I'd have no problems about going back. I think they have a good range of glasses, and they don't try to push own brand lenses on you.

I had previously been to an small practice optician on Henry St and I had a very bad customer experience there. Nothing wrong with the eye test, but the glasses & fitting were appalling. And in another small pracitice that I used a few times, I found one of the employees there to be very rude and generally loved to hear the sound of their own voice. Not great when you're trying to make a decision on your own glasses.