to be upset that I can't cancel an order for glasses two hours after I made it?

[Shapechanger]

Had an eye test at Boots Opticians and got a real hard sell on some frames. I don't normally buy expensive things on the spot, but, foolishly, I felt guilty - the sales assistant had followed me round and looked really crestfallen when I said I wanted to go away and think about it.

They were £200.

I came home and I can get the same frames with the same lenses for £76 and a 100 day no quibble money back guarantee.

I rang and tried to change the order but was told it was too late - 2 hours after I had paid for them - because the order was already with the supplier. Customer services said the same thing.

I'm really upset, I know I shouldn't have let myself be pressured and should have followed my instinct and taken a bit more time to think and find out if I was getting a good deal.

I'm posting this to warn anyone else.

[echt]

I was treated very aggressively by the woman who did the sight test at a Boots opticians when I asked for a written copy of the test result. I ended up in tears, without the prescription, straight to Specsavers, where a lovely woman comforted me. I made an appointment with them, and never went back to Boots.

[lougle]

Not at all, Magicjellyflood. Just stating the facts according to law. It's nice of companies to give refunds if people change their mind, but they don't have to. If the OP had bought them online, it would be different due to distance selling regs.

[helentheginner]

hello, I've been lurking here for a while.

OP where did it say that once you have placed the order you can't change it? Even 2 hours afterwards? Were you advised by anyone that the minute they take your payment that was it?
If they are genuinely saying that is the case, and you weren't advised that in the shop, then it is surely mis-selling?
If I were you I'd ring them up and ask them to point you to where in the shop, or where you have signed something, that says you can't cancel once you have paid. If they can't do that, then they are skanking bar stewards. Mutter something about 'money claims online' (the small claims court) as well. That usually shakes people up.
I am married to a very aggressive businessman, can you tell?!!

[breatheslowly]

I'm a bit surprised that their suppliers have people making glasses on a Saturday, given that they have 10 days to play with.

[kali110]

Why should lougle work for boots?i don't think theyre wrong and i dont work for them either!
Iv had good and bad service from boots.
However they aren't being unreasonable to not offer a refund just because op has changed her mind even if it was two hours later. Some shops don't offer refunds either no matter how long after.
If they're not fit for purpose they have to refund but just because the person has changed their mind they have no legal obligation to refund.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I'm not sure that buying them online would come under the distances selling regulations as custom made items are exempted.

It was wrong of them to give you the hard sell and I would focus on that in your complaints. It is a custom item, and there is nothing wrong with them, you just saw it cheaper elsewhere. I suspect the law is not on your side, and you will need to rely on their goodwill.

[Terrortree]

I'm sure there is a cooling off period when you purchase something. It has to be reasonable, but within a few hours certainly sounds reasonable to me. Check out consumer direct.

[Terrortree]

Actually, I've just checked and it depends on Boots own return policy.

But this does offer some potential loopholes for you to consider.

www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_common_problems_with_products_e/consumer_you_have_changed_your_mind_about_what_you_have_bought_e/if_you_change_your_mind_about_buying_something.htm

[wineoclocktimeyet]

Boots - I hope you are reading.....

On the basis of this thread alone, I will be cancelling my appointment with you in the morning and booking one with Specsavers.

[PennySillin]

I haven't had this experience with Boots but they did tell me, when I was posted to Cyprus with the military, I wouldn't find an optician in the UK that would send my contact lenses out to me on a contact lense scheme............until I went to specsavers!

[BalloonSlayer]

Glasses were already being made MY ARSE

I recently had new contact lenses and glasses ordered. The glasses took AGES to arrive - about a week longer than the lenses.

Can you cancel payment? Or say that you are cancelling payment due to being pressure-sold?

My DCs recently had eye tests at Boots. Free. The lady told me that they were doing checks for cataracts - although the eye test was free I could pay to have a "speshul" photo taken and stored on file for £15, so that it could be compared with other images in the future to check for the development of cataracts.

Cataracts. In a 6 year old with perfect eyesight? Coughing up 15 quid per year for the prevention thereof?

'nother time, love.

[sarahtigh]

there is no cooling off period for purchases made in store, legally Boots have done nothing wrong and they can legally enforce contract, legally OP is only entitled to refund if goods faulty on arrival however, whether we believe they had truly started order and are being obstructive is another matter

even though frames are standard they are adjusted for interpupillary distance etc and lens have to be shaped to fit a particular frame

there is a cooling off period for financial products, things bought on doorstep, over the phone with HP type agreements etc

so if you order glasses or a sofa covered in X fabric, curtains, getting trousers shortened etc in store you need to be sure because having ordered specifically there is no going back

terrortree the page you linked to confirms really that OP has made firm agreement with seller she has paid full amount and no doubt signed too

[2rebecca]

I think trying on various spectacles in a shop, deciding which ones you like and then ordering them online because it's cheaper is wrong. Online is always going to be cheaper, although I admit £130 more is OTT. I am happy to pay more to try different frames on and find some that suit me and not just order random ones online. I don't return home from ordering spectacles and then start googling prices though, that's masochistic.

[Feckbloodypets]

Please Please be careful with specsavers Had to go to them one day as my glasses were damaged beyond repair an as my own local optician couldn't make my lenses within 1 day and I really cant see without glasses I had to go to them. Wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't use the prescription I supplied them with, tested my eyes and due to a very strange issue with my non lazy eye gave me a totally wrong prescription. Had to go back the next day after suffering from my first migrane ever and they were unwilling to help as they stated they were right with their diagnoses and ended up having to take them to small claims court to get it settled.

[AuntieMaggie]

TBH I've had terrible service in Specsavers and brilliant service in Boots. The 5-10 days is mainly due to shipping the glasses not making them as they actually make them really quickly.

I assume they measured your face for the frames shapechanger? In which case the frames would only be suitable for someone who wanted to buy the same frames with the same facial measurements as you. Why should they be out of pocket because you changed your mind? They tried to stop the order but they couldn't.

[TootsFroots]

I think that the glasses could already be being made up and it does sound like they at least tried to get the order cancelled. I don't think they have done anything wrong. It is normal for retailers with shops to have to charge more than an online retailer. (Within reason)

I order my glasses online. I use the deals flagged up on MoneySavingExpert. I buy glasses of a similar style and of similar measurements as ones I already have so it takes a bit of the guesswork away. I have a fairly low prescription. I don't know if I would buy online if I had a more complicated prescription.
I have never had a problem and I have paid as little as £25 (ish) inc postage. I bought rimless ones inc postage and anti glare and anti scratch for about £50.

[Nanny0gg]

And this thread is why (as someone with a complex prescription) I have only ever used an independent optician who knows me and my eyes well.

[breatheslowly]

I think 2rebecca has a point. An optometrist who does your eye test might be on £45k a year (possibly more) and can do 2 eye tests per hour with a fee of £20-25, though they might not have back-to-back bookings. As well as the optometrist, they have to pay for rent, reception staff, all of the equipment. So the fees they bring in for the eye test don't cover the actual cost of providing eye tests. Therefore they cover the rest of the cost by having a high margin on the glasses they sell. Internet providers don't have to cover the losses made on eye tests, so can afford to sell glasses at a lower margin.

I'm not going to lose any sleep over whether Boots can make their business model work, but it must be hard for independent opticians to compete with internet retailers.

[GiveItYourBestShot]

Based on my recent experience with Boots, when the glasses come they might not be right anyway! I got a refund after 6 weeks of faffing around to try and make them right. And I got sold a "retina photo" for an extra tenner on the prmose that the optician would explain the photos. Which of course they didn't. Bet that adds up over a week. Keep trying for the refund.

[ElGuardian]

Like all transcations, with all businesses sometimes things go wrong. Boots are a fantastic company and Im very confident if you give them a ring and ask to speak to a manager regarding your problem and tell them about this thread on mumsnet you will get your query sorted.

Tel 0845 125 3752

[differentnameforthis]

The order may be at the supplier (as it is usually computerised) but I doubt the supplier would have started making them on a Saturday. All orders processed on a Saturday didn't get started until the following Monday where I worked.

Still I would kick up a fuss, she probably looked crest fallen because she works largely on commission (I got quite low pay = commission on anything I sold).

[differentnameforthis]

Plus they can't go too far in making them as they need the frames to make sure they line up properly and I know for a fact that the labs don't collect the frames on a Saturday, so the soonest they will get frames will be Monday at best.

I have been for a tour around a glasses factory & they didn't start cutting the lens until their machines had taken an imprint of the frames. Unless it has all changed, someone IS lying!

Unless that particular factory happen to have copies of every frame available...which would be impossible...

[differentnameforthis]

Opps, video a bit boring, but jump to 1.40 & wait a few seconds.

They HAVE to trace the frame, op!

[differentnameforthis]

In which case the frames would only be suitable for someone who wanted to buy the same frames with the same facial measurements as you

Until the frames have lenses in, they are suitable for anyone. They won't be adjusted to ops face until she collects them, so until then, they remain exactly the same as before op tried them on.