“I really do wish I had gone elsewhere. I have waited over 20 years to be in a position to be able to afford laser eye surgery. I had my procedure in February of this year with Optical Express at Medowhall, Sheffield
1: The initial consultation is more selling exercise making the appointment last 40 minutes when it could easily be done in 15 (my first wait of many)
2; The day of surgery (I travelled to Sheffield) from the minute I sat in the HOT waiting area ,I felt like everyone was being trerated like cattle
3: I had my pre-tests done, taking a total of 15 minutes & then proceeded to sit there for over 3 hours, nobody lets you know what is going on & it was only because I started talking to another (very unhappy) customer who complained to a member of staff & was told they were "behind" so nice of them not to keep anyone informed.
I could have spent the day going round Meadowhall instead of staring at daytime tv & having nothing to think about but the pending procedure & returned when they were ready for me but no, they like you all in the one area – waiting(again) in their hot, stuffy cattle pen!
I eventually saw the surgeon who explained things very well & I had my surgery (painless & quick) & left OVER 4 hours after I had arrived when the total of around 1 hour would have been more than ample & that includes the surgery itself. They all give exactly the same readied excuse (as you will read further on).
4: I returned the following day for a check up, once again sat in a very hot room ...waiting...I complained after 40 minutes delay & around 5 minutes later was then seen by an optometrist (in an even HOTTER room which took around 5 minutes. I couldn’t’ wait to get out as I was starting to feel sick & dizzy at this point.
5: Upon exiting the room the saleswoman asked me if I would mind filling in a feedback from, I declined saying I was not feeling well & that my eyes were still sore & blurry from surgery but she would not take no for an answer then sat me down on a chair saying she would fill in the answers for me (I thought they didn’t push??)
6: I told the truth to the questions about my experience but, she got very arrogant, offended & slightly rude. And of course, she sang from the same Hymn sheet as everyone else I had complained to It doesn’t matter what they tell you, you DO NOT need to be there that ridiculous amount of time
7: And the cherry on the cake was I had to go to Boots myself (which was only a few shops away from them so they could have done this themselves) & purchase 2 bottles of expensive eye drops as I was running low & the sales assistant said they had none & when I complained about that, her solution was for me to take a 2 mile round trip to the nearest optical express to my home & see if they had any - Seriously I kid you not!! When I have spent a massive amount on laser eye surgery I DO NOT expect have to pay for my own aftercare that was supposed to be included - what a joke.
All in all, If I had my time again I would certainly not choose Optical Express. Not the cheapest & their treatment of customers leaves a lot to be desired.
I cannot tell you how upset I am at them ruining the experience for me.
If I hear anything back from Optical Express regarding this review, I will certainly update this review as they seem to steer people from these pages to their customer services email address …”
“Informative staff answered all my questions at my initial consultation My first meeting with the surgeon Dimitri Kazakos was relaxed, there was no pressure from him he advised, answered my questions and told me to think things through, which I did. Surgery took place at Westfields and once again all the staff were kind and welcoming Dimitri made me feel totally at ease and all went well.
It is now five days after surgery my eyesight is amazing, I can't thank everyone enough.”
“Had my eyes lasered in 2011 cost over £4000 . but before I committed I was concerned about after care should I need them re done in the future , I was told in the Newcastle store that all after care was free for life and should they need re done when I was 75 they were free. So peace of mind !!!!!! Not so as I needed some eye drops and was told to pay as I had no proof of what I was told they said after a certain date it changed don't be ripped off , my eyes are still 20\20 luckily enough”
“In the Spring, Optical Express St Vincent Street (Glasgow) refused to give me laser eye surgery as my prescription had changed by a whole diopter since the initial consultation in Braehead.
But they would not return my £1000 (yes, one thousand pound) deposit.
At the start of Ocotober, I went for another consultation at St Vincent Styreet, and this time they confirmed that I was not a suitable candidate for eye surgery, as I have had it before and my corneas are too unstable. I was happy with this, and they promised to refund my deposit. Although I do wonder why they ever pretended I WOULD be suitable, as I mentioned my previous surgery several times
It is now over 8 weeks later, and they still will not refund my deposit - one excuse after another
- you have to wait 30 working days
- there's a backlog in the refund department
- we can't return your money without doing certain checks because we are a medical service provider. What checks? We don't know and can't find out
- our systems are down
They may be technically very competent, but their business practices make them look like the worst kind of cowboys.”
“Please think twice before committing to eye surgery with Optical Express. I have experienced a less than satisfactory outcome, poor customer service when trying to express my disappointment and finally to add insult to injury when I have followed their complaints procedure I have received quite a long winded clinical response which ends by stating that they are closing the complaint without even letting me discuss the matter further. Your decision!!!”
“No improvement to my sight. When I complained after 8 months of drops I was told either get glasses, contact lenses or have surgery in your other eye. Shockingly bad customer service when faced with a complaint.”
“take a witness with you as they are very selective with the truth and write everything down , i was in total agony for some time and nearly a year on an i take drops and use wipes every day . had to buy glasses within months of treatment .as for there head office it is impossible to get a straight answer they pass the buck and just ignore you if they don't have a answer . stay away or be prepared for major pain and a lot of stories”
“Entered a competition for free eye surgery. They now call me every day trying to get me to pay for it. Spoke to a lady the other day and explained I am not paying for it. She then put the phone down. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE..NOT
I would never let them near my eyes and they are obviously not very good or they wouldn't have to keep calling people to get customers! Good companies let the customers contact them.”
“Optical Express was recommended to me by my friend. The surgery was much quicker than I expected and results are brilliant. I was told that now I have two lines better than 20/20. During the surgery I had a great support from my family and clinic staff, so I would definitely recommend it to some of my friends who might also need it.”
“From the beginning I was welcomed and felt I could trust the team. The surgery was fitted into my busy life and appointments at a time that suited me. Any concerned were talked about and I was put at ease all the time.”
“Pain was very little for the first 2 days; at its worst on days 3 and 4; gone by day 5. Vision was good ish with one eye by then but the other eye took over 2 weeks to catch up. Thereatfer everything was fine.
I can now run, cycle, swim and do judo without any of the problems I previously had by having to wear contacts. Neither do I miss the daily contact lens removal, cleaning and inserting routine.”
“overall could not fault anything. sight is great and so happy with the results. suffer from allergies which is affecting my eyes/ sight slightly but the opticians explained well to me what i can do to help this/ what i can use.”
“Family member had surgery and was very happy with the results. After a few weeks of research and browsing the web I decided to have the consultation with Optical Express. The procedure was explained in detail and a detailed breakdown of all the costs provided.
Within 24 hours of having the surgery my vision was much better than I'd ever experienced with glasses or contact lenses. Within 1 week vision was better than 20/20. 3 months after surgery perfect vision with no problems at all.
Really can't recommend Optical Express enough.”
“Slightly apprehensive about the lens replacement surgey but it turned out to be much less stressful than anticipated. Very impressed with the almost instant improvements to my vision and very impressed with the helpfulness of staff at the Bristol and Cheltenham branches of Optical Express.”
