Worried about getting a fine

[Oddstockings]

I’m really worried I’m going to get into trouble. I went to a local family run opticians for a regular eye test and they asked me if I was in receipt of any benefits, I told them universal credit, because I am. They told me therefore there was no charge for the eye examination and I’d get a voucher towards the glasses.
So I didn’t pay anything.

Since I got home and spoke to a friend, they told me it’s only if you’re on universal credit and earning under a certain amount, which I didn’t realise. We have an income of over £1400 a month so we wouldn’t be eligible, we get about £417 of UC.

What do I do now? I’ve left the opticians and come home. He’s already filled the form in to say I was eligible for a free test and I’ve signed it. There was no form to read, they just said sign in this box. I had no idea 😢 I don’t want to get fined.

Surely the sensible thing to do is ring the opticians and explain that you are in receipt of UC so said yes to the benefits question but didn't realise you were over the earnings amount for extra help and then offer to pay?

Yep, do exactly this - I am sure you are not the first nor the last to make a mistake.

they asked me if I was in receipt of any benefits, I told them universal credit, because I am. They told me therefore there was no charge for the eye examination

Best to ring them and advise that you've been told UC doesn't count in this instance. They rooms you it was OK, so they need to review their own info. Be prepared to pay, in case the paperwork hasn't been submitted.

Surely the sensible thing to do is Google the actual rules and assess how they apply to you rather than relying on something a random friend said. Your problem here is that you take whatever anyone tells you as gospel (first the optician then this friend) and you don't do your own research on the Gov.uk or Citizens Advice websites.

You won't be the only one, for years I ticked the receive tax credits box on prescriptions because I did. At no point did I realize that there was a higher earning bracket and did so in good faith I didn't intentionally set out to get them for free when I wasn't eligible.

Just ring the Opticians and explain.

The problem is I don’t think I can now afford the glasses without the voucher. They’ve already sent them off to have the lenses put in and adjusted. I have no idea what to do now, such a pickle, I feel like crying. I thought (and so did they clearly!) that if you’re on universal credit you get it free.

This.

You still have to be honest with the optician, because you are not entitled to claim this benefit and because you my well end up getting a fine (I know of someone in a similar scenario who got a fine because they thought they were exempt from paying for their dental treatment - essentially they were entitled to a benefit which would have given them the free treatment, but hadn't been awarded that benefit yet, so couldn't technically claim the free dental treatment either).
l would ring them, explain the mix up, tell them you have realised that you will struggle to now pay for them in one go and ask if they would consider letting you pay in in smaller instalments. If they don't allow that, then can you pay on a credit card and pay them off over a longer period?

I don’t have a credit card so I’ll have to ask if they’ll let me pay in instalments.
The problem is they’ve already filled in and sent the NHS free prescription / eye test form off and I’d signed it, so I’m not sure there’s much they’ll be able to do. I’m really cross with myself, they didn’t ask any additional questions, just “are you on any benefits?”

Just ring them! You won't be the only person who's made this mistake

You still have to tell them OP.
You don't want to risk a fine, because, as stated, people do get fined for this sort of thing.
Also, from now on, make sure you know what you are/are not entitled to, and know what you are signing.

Thanks all for the comments. I’m feeling rubbish about the whole thing.

We all make mistakes, so try not to feel too bad. Do contact the optician and explain/apologise though.

Just ring and explain OP. U won't be able to enjoy ur new glasses till this is resolved

Honestly, put your big girl pants on and get it sorted. Hardly the crime of the century.

Honestly I’d ring now as you 100% will get a fine and it will absolutely be more than the cost of the glasses.

This is one of the easiest ones to be fined for, as well we wrongly claiming free dental treatment, because it’s a clear route to check and each one is actually checked.

Ring them.

You either need to pay for the glasses or you need to wait until you can afford to pay for the glasses to get them. Don’t pick the glasses up or claim possession of them until you have paid. It’s not ideal but they will still prefer that.

I’ve emailed them as no response on calling them earlier today. I’ve apologised although I’m not sure if it was my error, they were quite clear that I wasn’t to pay on universal credit.

I’ve asked what steps I need to take next as I may need to pay in instalments for the glasses if there’s an option to do that.
I was so pleased earlier as I thought I’d get free glasses as we’re really struggling at the moment. We get no help towards housing costs as we have a mortgage. UC don’t help towards those costs.

My husband once mistakenly claimed a free prescription - he was on contribution-based JSA and didn't realise only income-based JSA counted for this entitlement. All that happened was he got a letter asking him to pay the prescription cost, which he did. That was some years ago, though.

Well I’ve spoken to them this morning (they open at 8:30am) and they’ve said as they have already sent the form off and I signed it, there’s nothing they can do. I’m really upset about this. I know it’s partly my fault for not checking, but all I was asked was am I on universal credit? And I answered honestly.
I do have ADHD and bad anxiety, not an excuse I know, but I just took what the optician said as truth, didn’t feel the need to check.

Call them and say you've messed up here. They can put the order on hold and they may give you time to pay for the test.

Check you aren't eligible for any assistance with the eye test through your work, even though PT. If you use computer as part of job, they should have some sort of eye test voucher scheme.

@Catopia
I’ve called them and they’ve already sent it off and because I signed it, there’s nothing they can do. So I’ll be expecting a fine. I’m going to try and contest it if I do. Because I wasn’t given a form to read and just answered truthfully to being on universal credit and given a box to sign on the computer screen. I have ADHD so this also means I have executive dysfunction and struggle with lots of information at once.

@Catopia I’m not currently working, hence the struggling to pay for all this. My DP earns just slightly over the threshold meaning we can get help with prescriptions etc. but we do get universal credit.

Doubt anything will come of this tbh.

It’s not ideal, but can you just not collect the glasses? That way you’re not benefit form the error

I would actually go and and speak to the practice manager, explain what happened and what the optician told you.

The practice should be making checks as to the patient's eligibility and not just taking someone's word for it anyway. This document is goes through the process - if you look at section 6, it details what should be done by the optical practice to ascertain eligibility for a GOS (free NHS, eye examination) .
https://www.abdo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MACE-guide-2022.pdf

All the forms are now submitted electronically, so it would have been submitted, but the practice won't have been paid for it. Ask them to email the submission address and remove the form.

Say that you'll pay for the eye examination and say that you can pay for the lenses for your frame next month. If they have already sent them off, they'll send them back with your old lenses which can be put back in to you frame and then you can swap to the new ordered lenses when you can pay for them. We're not allowed to let things be paid in instalments as the practice would need to be registered with the FCA even if not charging interest.