SpecSavers - has anyone?

[rustic101]

used or heard of their service, skills etc.

I seriously need to replace my existing glasses and am not paying over a grand again if I can get two pairs for well under that.

Cheers

[Smokin]

Yeah, My Mrs went in to get some new specs sorted out because they had a good deal going, really happy with the glasses and the prescription sunnies but she came out scratcing her head after the cheap price crept up to a whisker over $600. She was really surprised how much clearer her vision is now and she won't be going back to her old optometrist.

So +1 for specsavers.

[Hitcher]

SpecSavers is a classic upselling rort. I'd be interested to know how many people who go in on the promise of cheaper eyewear actually walk out having made a minimum purchase. Very few I suspect.

Cheap is as cheap does. If you want a proper eye examination from a qualified optometrist who isn't on an hourly quota, then I would recommend that you go to an independent practitioner rather than to a supermarket. There's more to an optical examination than just getting a set of corrective glasses or contact lenses. Your eyes are reasonably important. I suggest that taking good care of them is possibly worth a bit more than a cheap pair of specs.

[Oakie]

From a newspaper article I found through Consumer:

Buying new glasses has traditionally been a budget-breaking affair, but experts say the arrival of online discounters and large retail chains is transforming the $280 million-a-year industry.
Consumers are enjoying more variety and cheaper prices since Specsavers opened its first stores 18 months ago, according to the British-owned retailer.
But independent optometrists claim they offer better eye care and warned customers "you get what you pay for".
Pete Campbell, general manager of Visique Optometrists, said: "The bigger picture of eye health is more important for us. We offer comprehensive eye examinations. We sell quality lenses made by the best in Europe."

He said over the past 12 months Visique has seen a lot of people "go on a discovery to see what is out there and come back to us".
Meg Browning, a dispensing optician from Vigil Eyewear, said cheap deals and discount ranges wasn't its market.
"Our focus is customer satisfaction and making sure people leave happy. All our staff are fully qualified, unlike some bigger chains which have retail staff on the floor."

But Specsavers' New Zealand managing director Graeme Edmond said its service would match any in the industry.
"We have massive buying power through our 1200 stores internationally. We often buy from the same factories in Europe and Asia as our competitors.
"All of our stores have the latest equipment to provide professional eye examinations. We might organise things differently and run it more efficiently but there is no difference.
"For too long Kiwis have been paying too much."

But people out shopping for glasses in Auckland this week had mixed feelings about whether cheaper was necessarily better.
Nita Wetti, who bought two pairs of designer glasses for $389 from Specsavers, said she was happy with the price.
"I came in because of the free eye test. I was so overdue. It's an amazing deal. In the past I would have paid at least $500 for one pair of glasses."
However, Megan Robinson was more doubtful. She is in the market for a new pair of glasses but said she would try to avoid the cheaper options.
"I just feel more comfortable at some of the more traditional stores. I don't mind paying a bit more when it comes to my eyes."
Consumer New Zealand advisor Maggie Edwards said Specsavers had brought an element of competition and there had been very few complaints.

[huff3r]

To be honest i paid good money for my glasses to find a style that suited my face, fitted well and looked nice. For that i had to go with some ADIDAS frames, so yeah i definitely did not go with specsavers. What ive often found with discount shops of any variety is the 80/20 rule. 80% of their stock will be right for 20% of those who come through the door, and the other 20% will be priced to the extreme!! (Damn you all if your in the 20% where its right!)

[yachtie10]

try them and see
I personally think most optical outlets in NZ are a rip-off due to lack of competition
hopefully now we will have options like in other countries
you get what you pay for but sometimes you pay a whole lot more for the same thing

[vindy500]

Have good experience with em, Im a very part time glasses wearer though

[marty]

just spet $600 on my daughter's specs @ Specsavers. coated lenses, really nice frames. similar set at usual optometrist would have been $8-900. frames were cheap. lats pairs were FCUK frames - $300, and Diesel frames - $200. Unbranded @ specsaver (but daughter loves them and they 'feel' really nice) $10. Frame warranty is the same as FCUK et.al.

[onearmedbandit]

My girl recently got her eyes tested and prescription changed there. Their prices are great (2 for 1 deal) with everything from $129 no name brands through to some very nice glasses (FCUK, Diesel, etc etc). She had one pair sorted immediately, and the other pair were sent to Austraia for the non-reflective coating. She is rapt with the service and price, and her eyes are feeling a lot better.

[rustic101]

Interesting comments -

Oakie, I read the same thing when I logged onto consumer but it was just a herald article.

I guess a qualification is a qualification though, the acid test will be if they apply their practices and processes with respect to the testing.
Have decided to get my eyes tested, a quote then go to OPSM and apply the same process. They charged me $1600 for a Burberry frame, multi focal, progressive lens, with an anti scratch type film thing on the lens (which did not work). I will compare apples for apples around the frames, using a fcuk frame as the sample, so as to get a true comparison. Will post feed back and a review of the overall experience once completed next week.

P.s Never allow a fat arse American bulldog to sit on your glasses; if you do don't try and fix them with your Gurber, again if you do, don't get pissed off when they are twisted beyond repair and certainly never, never throw them your ute rather hard with a bit of force, then swear and curse because they are facked.

[pete376403]

try them and see
I personally think most optical outlets in NZ are a rip-off due to lack of competition
hopefully now we will have options like in other countries
you get what you pay for but sometimes you pay a whole lot more for the same thing

Guy I worked with got his prescription from an NZ optician, took the 'scrip with him when he went home to Vietnam for holidays. Got two pair of glasses with quite acceptable frames for the equivalent of $NZ25 each.

Bit like the Fred Hollows foundation can repair cataracts for $20 - 30 overseas, but to get the job done in NZ is in the multi thousands

[Ooky]

[Mom]

A friend of mine, a full time specs wearer, went to the local Visique and had her normal, comprehensive eye examination for the normal price. She then asked for, and after a bit of a battle got her prescription and went to specs savers to get the glasses made up. She got her 2 pairs of glasses very cheaply there and would never go back to Visique to dispense again.

[The Pastor]

there is a site i know, cant find it now where you can get glasses for NZD $30 shipped to your door from hongkong!

[Logpot]

After 3 pairs of glasses from OPSM I decided to try Spec Savers for my next set. I got a full eye examination and the optometrist was very thorougher even taking the time to explain a possible cause for my eyesight problem. I ended up getting two pairs of glasses for the same price as one pair from OPSM and I couldn't be happier with them. The prescription was spot on and the range of frames was as good as OPSM.

One of my new sets was involved in a lethal accident on the weekend due to being left on a seat. I took them in to Spec Savers expecting them to send them off to be repaired. They took a set of new frames and popped my lenses in to these at no cost.

Most impressed.