Buying glasses online works! Options

[Camron Parkes]

I've just bought my first pair of specs online after a little apprehension. I wasn't sure if buying a product which is quite personal would be possible over the net but hey, i couldn't resist when I was potentially saving £200!!!

Well the buying process was simple and the frames were cool and when my ones arrived, I was VERY impressed. I'd recommend specs store anyday for those who wear glasses and have been getting ripped off for years. http://www.specs-store.co.uk

[Melanie Ewing]

Hey, really good tip - couldn't believe how affordable glasses can be.

I've just received my frames two days after placing the order with Specs Store, that's faster than my usual optician. Admittedly I'd wanted varifoculs but Lorraine in Customer Services pointed out that these are more complex to provide. SS doesn't employ 'guesswork' as they are operated by opticians, hence they only offer single vision currently to ensure their customer satisfaction results. In anycase, I did order a second pair of non-prescription frames (at these prices who wouldn't!) which I'll have fitted by my optician. Overall i found the user experience simple, the staff very helpful and honest and the products are very very good.

My husband and I now have a new optical provider and I would recommend SS to anyone. By the way, Lorraine did mention that they'll soon be offering a loyalty scheme which'll allow 'even more savings'. Just begs the question - why have the high streets been allowed for so long to get away with daylight robbery?

[azoom]

I agree with the previous poster. I have always been hesitant in buying prescription glasses online, however, recently when I was quote £200 for some D&G glasses I decided to give it a try.

I got the same glasses with free prescription lenses for only £79! delivery was prompt and I was very happy. Would buy online again. I bought my glasses from http://www.youronlineoptician.com, however, there are many other websites available.

FYI... I think that http://www.youronlineoptician.com still have an offer that gives you an extra 10% off your order, the discount code is 'EMAILOFFER'.

[shelz]

Thanks for the advice...i am going to try buying my desinger sunglasses from http://www.youronlineoptician.com. I don't usually buy online but a friend of mine got prescription frames online and said it was MUCH cheaper to buy them online. will let you know how it goes. Btw, the offer is still working - THANKS! :-)

Message was edited by: shelz

[azoom]

Let me know how it goes. Make sure you email them and ask them about any other discount codes, they always have something new, you may even get free delivery....

http://www.youronlineoptician.com

You can find there email address at http://www.youronlineoptician.com

[shelz]

it's spelt "their" not there email address

[surgesingh]

I recently used http://www.thinlenses.co.uk and I am extremely impressed with their service. Their prices are amazing and I was able to purchase two pairs for a lot less than what I would have normally paid for a single pair from the High Street Retailers.

It was my first time buying glasses online. I found the process very easy as I was contacted by their Customer Service team via telephone and I was able to speak to a person who guided me through the whole process from helping choose frames from there wide selection, right through to when they contacted me to make sure I was happy with my new glasses when they arrived.

I would recommend http://www.thinlenses.co.uk to anyone and definately think they're worth a try

[Robocop]

I've taken Camron and Melanie's advice and bought from Specs Store. Just to point out they've changed to .com but the .co.uk also works.

I've been looking into buying glasses online for a while now and chickened out a few times. There are a lot of sites but I ended up going with these guys since:

(a) they are a big reputable company; and
( they genuinely have a great range of glasses at truly cheap prices

They prefer to deal with customers over email since they receive lots of orders (they tell me it is easier since they can deal with customer queries more efficiently), which may appear to be a little disconcerting to some but all my questions were handled fairly well and timely.
The prices really are so affordable that I feel the usual optians have been fleecing us for years.

Through my research, the market looks cluttered with bucket shops that are run by traditional opticians but there are a small number of true online retailers that seem to have their act together.

I would recommend Specs Store to anyone wanting to buy great very reasonably priced prescription glasses. I actually ended up spending almost what I used to pay in the high street since I bought 3 pairs in different styles and colours. My excuse to my wife was "I need a different pair to go with this work shirt".

Ok, so try them out:

www.specs-store.com

[Mitsuko Nori]

I have really been quite interested by this thread as I wear glasses myself (I'm long sighted and need them for computer work and driving) as I am quite accident prone and so tend to go for the flexible titanium pairs which are very expensive on the high street.

If I want to order a pair online, as well as the other prescription what other measurement will I need? Obviously people have different size faces etc and this needs to be taken into account with the frames. If I go into the optician where I had my last eye test - will they give me all these details for free or will I have to pay for another eye test to get them?

Also when looking for frames - do you not feel anxious about not having tried them on before or do you find a pair you like in a shop first then buy them online at a cheaper price?

[Sara gym fan]

I've been buying glasses online now for 2 years and use to have the same reservations as you Mitsuko, i.e. "how will I know if these will suit me?". Well I took the plunge due to the prices being low as didn't regret it. Admittedly my first online pair could have been a really bad buy but since then, I have visited the "store fronts" of numerous online eyewear stores and agree with a previous comment of many bucket shops. But this is like any retailer, with the bad there are also some very, very good, reliable, trustworthy companies who display their products well. I have bought from Glasses Direct once but did also come across Specs Store coincidently as a result of this forum a few months ago and do prefer their frames. In fact I have bought 2 times from them now purely on the back of the frames they stock. They offer a try before you buy service so you can try them before committing. Worth doing if you are nervous.

What you need when you are ready to buy is your prescription, which you can ask your last optician for. It has to be less than 2 years old, else you will need to have another, more recent test performed. Additionally you can get your PD but this is not mandatory. If you are searching for a suitably sized frame then look on the inside of one of the arms of your last pair and it will tell you what measurements they are and you can then search for frames matching these.

Some items are only best bought from a high street shop but if a well known and respected e-tailer also offers the same or similar products, then customers will become braver. Good luck in your plunge!

[flossyraptor]

Hi all,

I've found an on-line Optician that has been a high street Opticians for 30 years has a really good range of designers and basic frames and I have used them on numerous occassions I would advise anyone to check them out as it is easy, the quality is good and they get the glasses to you within a few days...they too offer trials of frames if you are nervous...I also have a discount code you could use which would save you 20%:- dra08
They also state that if you require a particular frame they will try and locate it for you cheaper so if you do find a style you like they may be able to get a hold of it for you. I too had a bad experience with buying my glasses on-line but I would strongly advise people to go with word of mouth as you are less likely to go wrong! Hope this helps!

http://www.glassesforless.co.uk (Draper Optical)

[Akshah1]

Hi,

I tried out www.eyeglasshut.co.uk and found a bargain there too... Really recommend them, quite a good choice and i feel safe paying via google. In the internet age.

Regards
Ak

[Roxanna Maynard]

There is quite an interesting article on the Guardian website - http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2005/jun/1...rvercashsection, which talks about why glasses are so much cheaper are online and how much you can save. One of the sites they recommend is http://www.spex4less.com. It has got some quite nice cheaper frames, but the designer ones still seem a little expensive.

[HBaker]

I totally agree...buying glasses online is so much cheaper and i think there is loads more choice plus you dont have to go to into town and wait around for opticians! I bought my new frames from www.wantglasses.co.uk they are fantastic and provided me with a great service. Wantglasses

Message was edited by: HBaker

[lola]

My sister in law bought a couple of pairs of glasses from http://www.glasses4eyes.co.uk and is very happy with them. Their order form has all the options you need and it checked that the frames were ok for the prescription she entered.

[bladerunner]

It's worth considering the lenses that are fitted to glasses (it's what you see through after all!). Not all lenses are of the same quality and the coatings can vary significantly. The better coatings provide greater scratch resistance, and some coatings provide moisture and dirt repellent qualities. You might like to try www.posheyes.co.uk as they offer designer glasses with branded lenses from Essilor which include a Scotchguard repellent coating.

[Marmite]

I agree, I sent off for some internet glasses a couple of years back now, I have to admit they only cost 20.00 and do the job very well! I am sure some of them offer services where you can try just the frames before you buy at a small cost too.

[blindasabat]

I recently bought some specs online from:

http://www.specs-by-post.com

Did it all from their website and my glasses came in 3 days. I have to say at first I was apprehensive but I'm delighted with them. Credit where Credit is due - they did a great job and for £15 !

Message was edited by: blindasabat

[Marmite]

Bargain! What style did you go for?

[Kirsty101]

Another website to try is www.fashioneyes.co.uk

They have a huge range of cheap designer glasses

Their website is very simple to use also