To complain about the Opticians.

[middleagedspread]

I have worn contact lenses for years. I have all my care at Boots in a city 40 minutes drive from home (I live in a rural area).
For my £30 a month I receive lenses through the post & regular eye tests & check ups.
On the last 2 appointments I've been kept waiting over an hour. Last week I couldn't wait any longer (school collection) so walked out.
There's no continuity of care, I see a different optician each visit. I think they rely on agency staff. The staff on the counter are lovely & were very apologetic.
2 years ago I felt I had a problem with one eye. I couldn't get hold of them over the phone, so I drove straight there. I was refused an appointment, they said they were fully booked, even though I explained that I was worried. Eventually I went to my GP who diagnosed a corneal ulcer & was cross that I hadn't been seen.
Should I write to complain about this poor service or just put up with it?
hit me with it, I'm feeling strong

I used to work for Boots opticians and they are the worst service providers in Britain. Everything was done as cheaply as possible and we were told to hit targets, to really push people to spend double their budget on glasses. I hated it and quit. If I was you, I'd avoid all chains and go to a small independent place. You'll probably get the same optom every time and the service will be much better. Hope that helps!

Definitely complain, that's appalling.

Go to a different optician and complain.

But definitely find a new place.

Everyone tells me Vision Express are shit but I've had nothing but good service from them for the past 10 years.

I used to be with Boots. I also didn't like seeing a different optician every time. Last straw was when I'd scratched my eye so popped in as I was very near. I was obviously in distress and asked if any opticians were free as I thought i'd scratched my eye. The muppet on the desk went off for 15mins then offered me an appointment....in 4 days time.

I'm now with a local independent optician. They are great. More personal care, same staff all the time and cheaper! I also like feeling like I'm supporting local business rather than a big corporation.

I had the same poor service with Boots, switched to a local independent and would never go back. It's not even more expensive but the service on testing and fitting is so much better. Maybe Boots would be ok for checking my husbands reading glasses, and convenient, but for me or the children no way.

Thanks all. I thought maybe I was just tricky.
Who do you suggest i write to, the store manager or Head office?

Store manager and CC head office.

Definitely CC. Head Office or the manager will stick it straight into File 13 and it'll never see the light of day again

I've been with SpecSavers for glasses and contact lenses for the last 20 years - although they are a franchise, and so service may vary from shop to shop, they have been fantastic with me - and their lensmail service delivers my contact lenses every 3 months very reliably. I have been seen several times at very short notice when I have had problems (a burst blood vessel etc) and they have always been excellent. If there's a branch near you, they may be worth trying..?

Maybe it depends on the branch where you live. I live in a city and the opticians here post lists on the door of available appointments the same day and there's always plenty. Some of the problems people mention above would be better seen by a doctor than an optician.

I was let down badly by a big chain of opticians.

I'd much rather support a small business and my local independent is great.

Vision Express have been great for me too. On two occasions they have seen me straight away when I have had visual disturbance and didn't even charge for the exams.

I have always used my local optician for eye tests, but one time did take my prescription to Boots to buy glasses. I can't say I was impressed by Boots at all. They seemed to rush people through, and were trying to talk me in to all sorts of extras I didn't need.
Now I stick with my local optician for all my care, as I know from experience that if I have an issue the main optician will happily meet with me and solve the problem himself very quickly. (had an issue with a set of frames being bent due to the lense being fitted incorrectly - issue sorted by the next day with an apology and a discount!)

I refuse to go anywhere other than Asda for my glasses now, since no other company is willing to make a loss on providing me with glasses - I have to have very high index lenses and they are expensive, even at cost price! However Asda do fixed price glasses, two pairs for under £100, even with my lenses - last time I bought at specsavers I paid over £250' and vision express would have been over £300 just for be pair.

I always happen to see the same optician, who is very thorough.

Anywhere that employs non specialist staff to run the front of house will not perform as well as somewhere with a dispenser running the shop!