AAAARGH My new glasses have just broken!! do they have a warranty?

[PavlovtheCat]

I bought a new pair of glasses just over 2 years ago with Vision Express, they got trodden on by DH just under one year ago and were replaced with a completely different style of glasses with the Advantage card (insurance).

About 2 months ago ( well, 2 months and 1 week ago to be precise) a pin snapped/came away from the arm, not the screw, but a pin which slots into a sort of bracket, this was an internal thing, rather than a being rough with the glasses type of thing. I rushed to the local vision express, and were told I had just under one week left of my insurance {phew!], they attempted to replace the arm, but as it was not in stock, they sent off for a completely new frame. I had the choice of that or a new set of glasses completely, but I really like these so got like for like.

So, 2 months and one week later, I am just about to put them on, and the arm comes away in my hand!!! the pin has come out of the bracket, exactly the same problem as before, it does not actually look like a break now on close inspection, rather that the pin was not secure in the first place and has slipped out.

My insurance is no longer valid. Do glasses have any kind of manufactures warranty for faults that are not due to wear/tear/rough handling? My glasses cost me around £200! I can't just replace them instantly!

If it is just a pin then they will fix it probably for nothing.

Go back to the shop - the pair is obviously faulty. See what they say, but I would have thought that they are less than a month old and were replaced within your warranty period would mean they will replace them.

(ham it up a bit - say that they suggested different frames, but you really liked these ones, but perhaps you should have taken them up on their suggestion blah blah)

scurry no its not the normal pin that holds the arm to the frame, I can't explain, it is a pin that slots into a metal hinge/bracket, the pin has a hole through it which the screw then attaches to the frame, its like a 'peg' i guess? they can't fix it, last time they said it needs at the very least a new arm, which I know will cost £30 at least (an old pair of glasses broke the arm off which is why i bought the insurance in the first place, not in stock, had to wait 3 weeks so had to buy new glasses instead! ouch].

They are 2 months old, not 1 month old, so over 30 days not that i know if that makes a difference, there is definitely a design fault with them as it is exactly the same problem as last time (and the same side).

I will definitely have to go back in tomorrow as I can;t see very well at all without them. I will not be able to function! I just want to know what my options are, so I can go in guns blazing and know what I can ask for.

It will be horrid though, as I know how to handle myself well in this kind of situation, if i can see ! I will have little confidence without vision.

It sounds as if it is a design fault then - normal consumer rights should apply. I should think they will repair them for you for free.

"All goods are covered by manufacturers warranty unless stated. All goods are supplied with a return to base warranty"

this is from their website - how long is a manufacturers guarantee for? is it a month or a year?

grr i am really annoyed. I spent hours picking these glasses! I came up with a choice of 2, and these were the ones I preferred! I am going to ask for the other pair now as these are so shit! But, the other ones were a) more expensive and b) a bit 2 dark for my face. {sigh} oh to be loaded, then I could get any that I fancied

Try not to go in all guns blazing, and if you can you might be better going in on a weekday (if possible) rather than dealing with Saturday staff..

Be forward though - 'These glasses are only 2 months old and they're already broken' (give proof of purchase/exchange) ask 'what can you do for me about this', 'how can this be rectified', 'when can I expect my new glasses' etc etc etc

Hi Pavlov - I work for Boots/D&A opticians so don't know about VE, but every frame we sell comes with a two warranty against manufacturing faults. From what you describe, it sounds like the spring has gone, which would be a manufacturing issue, not an insurance one.

If you were a patient at my place, we'd replace the frame free of charge, as it's much better business practise to get a new frame than lose you as a customer and have you giving negative feedback to all your friends! But then we are a v small branch and like to keep ok good terms with all our patients!

Go back to VE and ask what the guarantee on their new frames is. If, like us, they have a 2 year guarantee then they should replace them FOC, but if they get shitty with you and won't replace them I'm afraid that apart from writing a snotty letter to the manager/head office you don't have much of a leg to stand on - unless you can really be arsed with trading standards or small claims court!

If they don't play ball then you'll have to just take your custom elsewhere and tell everyone how terrible they are as an opticians. Trouble is, big stores in big towns don't really care about this because they get new patients every day!

Hope you do get it sorted.

jareth they have the exchange on the computer file. I didn't even get given anything to prove it just a new pair of working glasses! I can't go in on a weekday - i got to work on monday morning before they open, i can't work without them.

ah I hope they do care! I can't afford any new ones, we got to fix our car [panic] I have to say though, although they are in town, they are also mostly quite quiet, and when I went in the last time they were very helpful even before checking my insurance was valid. Mind you, it was probably harder to see it was a manufacturing fault that time as I did not know my insurance was still valid so I had tried supergluing and a bit of blue tack poked in the hole! as I had a group to run , this time, I have touched nada.

it will be just my luck though. We had some good news this week - we thought our head gasket on the car had gone, to the tune of £500 or so, plus another £500 of works. Turns out it was an air blockage in the radiator pipe (hopefully) and cost nothing to unblock. I would say that gives me some spare cash to fix this, but it doesn't!

Always worth asking. I drove over DH's glasses as did the six cars behind us (they few off dashboard out of passenger window when I cornered too fast. He got then from a well known high st store and they were well out of warrenty but the girl in the shop said it looked like a 'manufacturing fault' and replaced them free. All I can think is that they don't pay the manufacturer for replacements.

oh that is promising. I think if I go in there, rather than call them first, they will be able to see me all mole like and squinting at them and how desperate I am!

Should of went to specsavers