To think specsavers is being a little unfair....

[Fairylea]

Genuinely not sure if I am being unreasonable or not. There's nothing I can do about it anyway but I am a bit perplexed by this.

I am extremely short sighted with astigmatism (-9.50 both eyes). I need complex lenses which are thinned down - these cost £150 at specsavers (more elsewhere, I have rang around everywhere and I cannot order online as they need to take measurements and for my type of lenses it is more risky to get right).

I get my contact lenses through specsavers for £13 a month. Part of this deal means I also get a free pair of glasses every two years. I have a pituitary problem which affects my eyes so I need to give them a rest from contacts in the evening as my eyes become sore.

The free glasses deal doesn't cover the whole cost of my glasses because of the lenses I need. So I end up with extra to pay as the deal is limited to standard lenses.

I am entitled to an nhs eye voucher which comes to £90 ish or thereabouts.

However, I have been told that I cannot use the nhs voucher with the free glasses offer as they are both "offers".

Surely that is wrong though? The nhs voucher isn't an offer, it is an entitlement because I am on a low income (for health reasons if anyone is interested).

I think it's a bit unfair really. I don't know how anyone with really bad eyes like me is supposed to afford glasses when the cost of the voucher doesn't even cover them and you cannot use it with a deal!

Surely an offer and an nhs entitlement are two separate things?

I am an optician and have worked for Specsavers for very many years. There should be no local interpretation of offers, they are generic nationwide and I suggest that sometimes floor staff are maybe not as well informed as they should be. Everybody with a complex prescription of +/- 10.00D is entitled to a NHS test as and when recommended by their optician, however only a minimal NHS voucher is issued. An individual has to be in receipt of certain benefits before a NHS voucher worth considerably more is issued and only then it it meets the NHS guidelines ie, a clinical change. Specsavers then subsidises very heavily these vouchers to the Pxs benefit. A NHS voucher can be used in conjunction with the Lensmail offer of free/ reduced specs every two yrs. I can honestly say even after all these yrs and maybe even tho' I am a little jaded that Specsavers in general always strives to give the Px the best possible in terms of both financial and visual outcome. The problem is that optics is a complex world for a layperson to understand sometimes and this can give rise to confusion but rest assured we work , as do all opticians under the strict guidelines of The General Optical Council. Hope that helps

do independent opticians take optical vouchers

as my son and i both need glasses and go to a lovely local optician

would we show her our nhs excemption card? as proof or do we literally send away for a voucher

Definitely think specsavers are unreasonable. It's not like the £90 comes out of their pocket - NHS will pay them. So it doesn't make a bit of sense to me. Hope you have some traction with them.

Whoops - that'll teach me to read thread. Glad you got it sorted.

love. The voucher is issued after your test. You need an NHS funded test and you will be given the voucher straight away assuming you are entitled to it.
All opticians will take them, however some may only take them for their face value, unlike the big chains who will make up the difference to the total of some basic glasses.

Just wanted to thank Pipbin again for all the help. My eye test is now booked at my local independent opticians, and they said they do take the Tax Credit exemptions - I just need my tax exemption card with me when I attend.

Good for you Fairylea! I know how hard it is to stand up for yourself when you aren't 100% sure of whether you are right or not.. I was really pleased you got it sorted and enjoy your new glasses!