Specsavers - do they pressure you to buy glasses if you don't need them?

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I've switched opticians a couple of times because of the hard sell attempt before they hand over my (unchanged) prescription. My current optician started doing this last year so I'm thinking about trying Specsavers this time but wondered if they will be just as bad?

I need an annual test (which is free on the NHS) because there's a family history of glaucoma and I have been told that opticians make a loss on these tests but don't know how true that is.

No, not at the one local to me anyway, the last time I went they said oh your prescription has changed slightly, but it’s so minimal, don’t waste your money on your glasses. So quite the opposite.

Definitely so in my local one. I will never go back after they prescribed DD glasses it turns out she didn't need. They'd also over-prescribed myself and I'd spent money on new glasses it turns out weren't the best for me.

They're a franchise though so you could check reviews for your local one.

Not at mine, last few times I’ve been they have said the change is very minimal so entirely up to me if I want new glasses or not.

My local one is great. Ds has a hospital prescription and we went in last week to get his new glasses ordered. The staff went out of their way of finding the cheapest way of getting the glasses he needed.

They tried to sell dd lens thinning. Her prescription is less than 2 diopters. I wasn't hugely impressed.

It is true they make a loss on sight tests. The NHS pay about £25 and the body representing opticians claim it costs about £50 to do a sight test. They make up the £ from frames and glasses which are not NHS funded via vouchers usually. The mark up on glasses is very high, which is why the current model exists.

Went to Specsavers for eye test and see if contact lenses would be suitable.

4 appointments and saw 4 different opticians not counting the assistants for measurements etc.

Not a hard sell, but issues with 3 separate branches.. this is in the south east UK Sussex..first one, got new glasses for distance, feeling nauseous while driving (this was what the glasses were for) when I got to the shop, found the right lens had fallen out... this was the day after purchase. They weren't interested. Moved another branch,15 years ago,in these days there was a pre check, assistant filled in forms, asked about driving,sport occupation (night nursing) I get into the consulting room, optician says don't work in the dark or get tired ,(had she read the form,!) recommended glasses for reading (to this day I still don't need them!) and contact lenses, which she put in. Well,mild myopia, I can't see anything close up! I had a job to get them out, I bought the reading glasses and they made me feel dizzy
.fast forward, moved again, GP recommended urgent eye clinic,he didn't recommend Specsavers but I didn't have a car, so got a bus to the nearest town. Was told I had Dry eye Syndrome, fair enough,to use a special expensive cleaner and eye drops, next time I managed to get them on a script (pensioner) then had issues went to Asda,where the optician suspected detachment of retina, did 3 hour eye test, sent me to hospital. Also said using the 2 products all the time,caused a rebound effect, like too many paracetamol causing headaches.

I always avoided them due to this. However went for the first time this year and they were fantastic. They asked about the anti glare coating but I just said no, no pressure from them. Plus I get free glasses repairs....so definitely a bonus

I always use Specsavers, very professional and I've never felt pressured.
Once I couldn't decide on which frames I liked and they actually said "you can take your prescription to another opticians, they may have more choice of frames"
So definitely no hard sell

Yes I somehow walked out with 7 pairs and was only passing the shop

Not at all at our local one. They are fine for you to take a prescription away and buy elsewhere if you want.

I had this experience recently! I don't wear glasses. GP suggested an eye test as I'd been having headaches.

When I arrived for my appointment they took my details, then a woman walked me to the front of the shop and started taking me through all the frames and costs. Only stopped when I told her that if I needed frames I'd be getting designer ones they didn't stock.

Had all the tests done with three separate members of staff. All three said that my eyesight was perfect, no need for glasses. Then tried to sell me some glasses. The last one suggested that I might want to get used to them in case my eyesight goes when I'm older 😅

Finally she took me back upstairs to pay, and while the lady in the till was sorting my payment a man approached me and tried to sell me glasses. I told him that all three members of his team agreed I didn't need one; his response was to look at my test results and say "Well the weakest prescription couldn't hurt".

I'm guessing that particular franchisee has a horn attempting a sale with every customer, but I found it inappropriate coming from the clinical staff, especially having told me I didn't need them.

Species give you the prescription before you get to the choosing part don’t they? I have always been handed it by the optician before leaving that room. I do take issue with is that when you go to look at frames the staff are constantly trying to ‘help’ - just leave me alone to look and when I’m ready/need help will let you know

I'm in Melbourne and the eye test and browsing for frames are unrelated. Never had an issue in twenty years. Excellent service.

My DD, on having an eye test because both sides of the family wear specs for some purpose or other was told: marginal. No need for specs.

I've been to two separate branches over the years and this has never happened to me.

My long-established opticians wanted me to buy a new pair of expensive frames for each minor prescription change. When I took the same prescription to Specsavers for my other frames - I always have two or three pairs on the go - their optician asked me if I was serious about changing frames, because the existing ones were perfectly ok, and the change in prescription didn't warrant it.

Thanks all. It seems SS are ok in the main (if you don't need glasses) and I just confirmed with them that the OCT will be £10 (my current opticians charge £60 so I don't have it done) so I will book.

The issue I have with the current opticians is that last year they did not hand over the prescription straight away, the optician said "just go with Jane and she will print off your prescription" and Jane steered me to another room full of frames and began trying to sell me reading glasses starting at £120 (I don't need glasses for distance and my reading prescription hasn't changed for several years and cheap off the shelf ones are fine) until I stopped her and said "I don't need glasses, can I have my prescription please?" and she gave me a filthy look, faffed a bit, printed it and threw it at me. Since I'd been told the prescription was unchanged I could have just left without it as I still have the old one but legally they have to give you it so I thought I would make the point.

I’ve been going to Specsavers for quite a while now and never had the hard sell. That is until last time, when the optician absolutely refused to listen to me saying that I wanted to come back another time to look at the glasses after my eye test. She also told me that my employer would give me the money back for my glasses if I bought them right there and then, but not if I didn’t. Which was absolute nonsense! My employer doesn’t even pay for glasses. She reiterated it a few times. She also tried to get me to buy two pairs of glasses.
I’m still pretty annoyed about it and might complain. I came out of there feeling really stressed.

I’ve never not needed them but my daughter no longer needs glasses and they literally told us that, no payment due

I bought my current pair there, but I won't go back. I picked a frame I like, and they kept trying to push me to pick a different one. They said it was because that frame wasn't in an offer, and I would save more with other frames. But I wanted this one, and I was happy to pay what it cost. He must have tried three times, going off and finding more things that he wanted me to try. I eventually said I'd leave it and not buy any, and then he dropped it and sorted out the order with my current pair. I'm AuDHD, anxious about these scenarios anyway, and I felt very stressed. I really don't get why when you have a customer willing to pay (it came to about £350) they don't just go ahead with the transaction? I was wary of them as they had upset my son a few years before (he also is autistic) and I've since started going to Vision Express with him as a lot of SEN parents here recommended them for their care.

No, I was told I had a very slight change in my eyesight and that I might need reading glasses after I had my eyes tested last. When I said well should I get some then? They said it's up to me and I probably don't need them. So I didn't - no pressure at all. I did have a look at some frames though, but nobody hounded me or anything!

I've always found Spec Savers to be very professional with no hard sell. I recently decided I needed some emergency glasses so rather than pay their prices I went in and asked for a copy of my prescription so I could order some cheap ones online. They were fine about it.

I’ve never felt pressured to buy glasses and my kids are always really disappointed when they don’t need any! I had the same frames for 6 years and I was so excited when my prescription very slightly changed and I could justify some new ones. I found them a bit heavy though and needed to return several times to have them adjusted and the lenses thinned. It was all done for free though and I only paid half price for the lens thinning.

Test all done, no changes to prescription, no hard sell, scan showed no signs of glaucoma and neither did the other tests.

However they did say that the next eye test would be two years not one but that if I had any concerns or vision changes I could have one sooner. With the independent hard sell optician my tests were always annual. AIUI the NHS will pay for an annual test if the optician recommends it (and the person is over 40 and there's a history of glaucoma both of which are true) so the independent one must have recommended it and SS aren't. Bit annoying but probably cheaper to pay for a test with Specsavers next year if they won't let me have one free than go back to the independent and pay whatever they charge for a test plus £60 OCT.