“This is a complaint about Dorking Specsavers, who I visited for an eye test.
I chose them over my usual optician, because they were closer and because I had had a pleasant experience a year ago being served by a very helpful person on the shop floor when I needed a lens that had fallen out of my glasses replaced.
However, my eye test felt like a conveyer belt. It also seemed to be trying to achieve perfect vision in my lazy eye, and I could feel the lens for that eye being made stronger and stronger through the test. I was told my prescription would be making a sufficient leap in both eyes since my last eye test (at my independent optician’s 2 years ago).
Following the test, someone on the shop floor took over, and encouraged me to have occupational lenses (which come at a price) and despite me telling them I had 3 pairs of expensive frames (Stepper) they marshalled me over to the frames and encouraged to buy new frames for my new prescription and said I could use the glasses I already had for spare for reading. This was a red flag for me as my prescription for reading had jumped significantly so why would I use my old prescription for reading…? I declined on the new frames and detected a drop in enthusiasm. I asked a number of questions to squeeze out some understanding of how the occupational lenses would work. I decided to put my faith in SS and I parted with £370 for two sets of them. The person said they would try and get my glasses back to me in 5 days, I think it was over a week before I heard anything.
I went in to collect them and the glasses were discombobulating to wear. The same person on the shop floor wasn’t particularly concerned or enquiring and advised me to try them for at least 2 weeks even though I was moving my head up and down in an attempt to find focus. I did try for a few days but they felt overly powerful to the point of strain and it was difficult finding a focal point of clarity for reading or looking at a computer. On taking them off I had blurred vision and the beginnings of a headache. After a while I returned to my old glasses, of which I had retained a pair, because wearing the new prescription was also affecting my productivity. I called the Dorking branch and explained. The person I spoke to told me to come in and that they would lessen the prescription to something more comfortable. I mentioned it was much better with my old prescription and that I didn’t want to persist with the occupational lenses. They were non-committal on this point. I work full-time so getting to the opticians again is a faff, plus I could detect from the conversation that they wanted to hold on to the sale and have a second chance and probably didn’t want me to return to my old prescription. I’m aware this would put them in a difficult position but I’m old enough to know who I trust with my health and frankly in comparison to my last optician I was feeling uneasy about my decision to go to Specsavers. A few days later, I rang in again and this time I asked, the same person I believe, for the email of the branch so I could put my concerns in writing before too much time elapsed, as getting there was proving difficult that week. I did persist with the new prescription and occupational lenses briefly on and off but each time I had the same issues. Looking back, I would have thought there needed to have been more scrutiny of the frames and how they sat on my face and more time spent on observing how I read and work and also listening to my initial feedback. No precise science seemed to have been applied in making sure the occupational lenses would work for me. I also note there is zero advice on how to look after your eyes. In an email I also requested transparency on my refund options and a note of my former prescription. I had a reply from the same person I had spoken to who said that they couldn’t send me my last prescription because they didn’t do the test for it. This felt deliberately obstructive because they knew my last prescription and in the very least they could have dropped down an explanation to me in an email even if they couldn’t hand out the formal notice. They chose not to comment on refund options. Instead I was asked by this person in an email to ring the branch ‘to clarify next steps and go through options…’ - basically a ceasing of a paper trail. And this is where the main part of my complaint begins…
I did call and the conversation I had with the same person who I had written to me and who I had initially spoken to on the phone ended with them being condescending to me about my knowledge and my ability to know my own eyes. At the beginning they did admit there had been a big jump in my prescription that wasn’t necessarily beneficial for my eyes and could cause problems and they did offer me another eye test with ´a more senior optometrist’, but I knew that whoever that was would have a bias now, plus I’d have thought all optometrists should be at a high enough level if they are going fo be prescribing. I have since checked that the optometrist who did my eye test has been registered since 2017 and seems to be highly qualified. They might just be one who favours going for the strongest prescription, irrespective. However, my two eyes are quite different from each other and require a little more of a nuanced approach. Towards the end, the adviser inferred I was partly to blame as it was me who had had the eye test, and to hammer home their superior knowledge, as I was enquiring and challenging on a number of points, they threw out some nuggets of information about my eyes that I hadn’t heard before, something along the lines of there being an 8 point discrepancy and my eyes having a condition with a Latin name, but when I asked them to repeat the information and better still write it down in an email, they refused and said they would only go as far as emailing me the new prescription (which they had already sent) and I could work it out for myself and then they slammed down the phone whilst I was mid-sentence asking why she would not want me to possess that information. I gave it a few moments expecting them to call back, then when they didn’t I wrote them an email:
Dear,
How disappointing that you should slam the phone down on me and become defensive when I ask you to put in writing some of the information you were swiftly giving me about my eyes. These are my eyes. Why would you not want to empower me? Thank you for letting me know what your university lecturers told you and that I do not understand or have a degree in optics and that I must be in the 1% that has eyes that do not agree with occupational lenses. Dismissive and invalidating and an attempt at making me doubt my own body. It was clear that I did not want another prescription from Specsavers. I made it clear that I wanted my old prescription put back in. I’m upset that you agree that the prescription is probably too much of a jump but that I should trust you to come in again. I tried to explain to you that I really do not understand why a lazy eye should be magnified to such a degree when it hardly does any work. I even spoke about my reservations to your rep. It completely destabilises my vision. Please send me the points you were making about my eyes so I can make my own informed decision on this matter. Why should I ever trust Specsavers again.
Regards
As I was writing I had a call from the branch. Of course, I was expecting this to be an apology. But it wasn’t the person who had just slammed the phone down, it was the person who had dealt with me on the shop floor and who had encouraged me to buy new frames. They left a message that began with a reasonably passive agressive stance:
‘I believe you’re a bit unhappy with something I’ve done….etc…’ There was laughing in the background, it may have been related, it may not. There was no reference to my call being cut off by the previous adviser even though this person was clearly aware.
Seriously unprofessional. This should have been escalated immediately or the person who slammed down the phone whilst I was mid-sentence should have had the courage to apologise to ensure professional standards were maintained and to restore some faith.
I’ve given it a whole working week for them to follow up. I can see they won’t commit to writing now and it will be a they said/they said scenario. But I am a dissatisfied customer, I do not deserve to be condescended to and have a phone slammed down on me in any instance but especially when I have genuine reservations and I have parted with £370 for an unusable prescription. Since then I have not had a response to my above email either. It has been completely ignored by everyone at Specsavers. I have heard nothing. No manager has stepped in. It does disappointingly support my belief that the health of my eyes are not their main concern. Selling is, and that there is a lack of leadership at this branch. If I had with blind faith had another eye test and allowed them to lower the prescription then none of this would have happened. But I do not have blind faith and when faith is lost, faith is lost and the rudeness now makes this insurmountable.
I will be requesting that my original prescription be returned to my frames and I receive a full refund so I can go elsewhere.”
“So I’ve been with them for a number of years I get a repeat prescription delivered every 3 months pay monthly. I phoned my local branch to see if they had any spare in store was told no , but then told I could order my prescription today but would need to pay £36 today I already pay monthly so this was a shock to me , let’s just say I’m looking for a new optician today one not very satisfied customer”
“Had eye test 3rd April 2025 Still waiting for glasses after wrong prescription TWICE still waiting for sunglasses it is now 8th August 2025 over 4 months now, summer near enough gone what a nightmare this place is Were going to ring me twice but must have lost my phone number having to ring them. still no sunglasses. Old glasses still better than new ones
Would not recommend city centre store Milton Keynes”
“Home visit: my mother who is 85 was told (in an earlier telephone call) that reading glasses would be approx £30, so she knew beforehand that there would be a payment. On the day, she was given a selection. "I'd like a cheaper pair," she said. She was charged £70 for the glasses. On top of that a home visit 'fee' of £30 (her previous Specsavers home visit was free). £70 for reading glasses is outrageous. And the home visit 'fee' is unwarranted, as nothing had changed in her circumstances since the last (free) home visit.
Specsavers is a thoroughly disreputable company that took advantage of my mother's age and vulnerability.”
“Initial eye test booked and cancelled on the morning of the test- unforeseen circumstances. Then offered a further appointment another 4 weeks to wait. Got a call to offer earlier appointment in one week so waited and waited for the time slot given but no one showed up. Appointment had been looked on the system but not forwarded to who was coming out to do the test so they didn't come. A further test was booked for another 2 weeks away. Test was done and new glasses x 1 pair ordered at a cost of £530 with the advice glasses would be there withing 2 weeks. That was over 3 weeks ago and when I enquired they have a back log so another 11 days before the,glasses will be here. Again unforeseen circumstances was cited as the reason but the courteous thing would be to contact people who cannot get out to have their eye test done and inform them of the extended wait. Not a good service at all , system seems to need to be looked at and revised or employ more staff to cope with the volume of customers”
“2 out of 2 glasses did not work, its all a game to get you to add "special" stuff.
How hard can it be to make reading glasses, and driving glasses? lots of excuses, they just want to keep bringing you back to try to upsell.
VERY Disapointed.”
“After reporting a very poor experience at one of Specsavers shops after being charged for what should be free NHS batteries to hearing aids supplied and fitted by Specsavers I have received no response from both their web site nor their chat line.”
“I am writing to raise a concern about a recent glasses purchase made for me (I’m 17 years old). I was told the lens thinning was optional, and I made it clear multiple times (3 times) that I didn’t need it. However, the staff member continued pressuring my father, who didn’t understand it was optional since she described it as if I did not get it would have massive and serious impact and ended up paying £60 for something we didn’t want or need.
I have had a similar prescription before and never required thinning and had unevenness. I believe this upsell was misleading, especially considering I’m under 18 and eligible for NHS support.
I would like a breakdown of the charges and would appreciate a review of this situation to determine if we are entitled to a refund or adjustment.
Date of experience: 15 July 2025”
“Absolutely disgraceful - I waited for 45 mins for them to answer
After 25 minutes of waiting I was told I was next in line - really - then waiting for a further 20 mins !!!!!!”
“Losing $145,000 to a scam shattered me. I felt helpless and completely broken. That’s when I found Mrs. Mercy. Her team’s professionalism stood out right away. They didn’t sugarcoat anything—they gave me a clear roadmap and followed through with constant updates. I didn’t expect much, but they came through and recovered a large amount of what I lost. Their support made all the difference.”
“Losing $145,000 to a scam shattered me. I felt helpless and completely broken. That’s when I found Mrs. Mercy. Her team’s professionalism stood out right away. They didn’t sugarcoat anything—they gave me a clear roadmap and followed through with constant updates. I didn’t expect much, but they came through and recovered a large amount of what I lost. Their support made all the difference.”
“I'm probably never going to use this Specsavers again. They've pretty much failed me on all fronts.
- glasses that don't fit and hurt my head, my ear makes clicking noises from them digging into my temple but they still slip 100 times a day and leave red marks on my nose.
- lenses that don't work or are not my prescription and make me go cross-eyed or close one eye to read defeating the purpose of having bifocals, having to read books at arms length because things are not in focus in the reading section of the lens.
- lenses that are blurry, have chromatic abrasion so words have red and blue light coming from them which hurts my eyes and makes them water. The glasses actually cause double vision.
- I don't think they suit me because nobody helped me choose a glasses frame
I wanted to get a second opinion on my eye test but they just got the same guy to do the eye test again. I've tried to adjust to the glasses by wearing them all day everyday but they're not working properly, so something is going wrong either with the prescription or with the glasses frame.”
“There was no option for no stars
My bed ridden mothers hearing aids were not working , after a doctors referel , spec savers Darlington refused to help her at home , they abandoned her in the last weeks of her life”
“The journey that commenced as a hopeful investment opportunity took a sharp turn towards devastation, resulting in a loss of $97,100.
Discovering that I had fallen victim to a scam left me grappling with a mix of emotions - embarrassment, anger, and a sense of uncertainty regarding my next course of action. Amidst my quest for a remedy, I stumbled upon RANGEPRO.ORG, a company that initially gave me pause.
Their professionalism, however, shone through brightly. Right from the start, their team treated me respectfully, articulated the recovery process in a transparent manner, and steered clear of making any grandiose pledges.
Their consistent communication and efforts to keep me informed throughout the process were a reassuring presence.
To my pleasant surprise, their endeavors bore fruit by successfully recovering a sizable portion of the funds I had previously deemed lost forever.”
“Home visits. I would not use Specsavers home visits and try another company, who are able to follow through a home visit.
1. Difficulty contacting company after initial visit. No call back from Specsavers after calling them numerous times.
2. Do not carry receipt book for cash payments. The elderly are required to phone and pay over the phone for glasses.
Apparently, they are too busy to follow through in a professional manner.
My take on this situation is to organise their time better or not book so many home visits.”
“I received very poor customer service. After waiting months for the lenses that I wanted to go on special- The salesperson got my order for new glasses completely wrong - they supplied presciption lenses when I asked for reading glasses. When the glasses arrived I advised the store they were incorrect. They told me they would order the correct glasses and I could pick them up in a week or two and return the incorrect ones. Then they called back a week later and told me they would not supply what I asked for originally. I will not be going back to this shop again.”
“Do not use the home testing service, Despite the advertising it's operated by an outside contractor and, based on my experience, not very good.
They conducted the test in my cramped front room using the contents of a rucksack and billed me £503 for a pair of varifocals. The glasses arrived by post, no visit to fit or check them (apparently they don't do that) and they proved not only useless to use around the house but in some aspects unsafe. When I complained the contractor sent someone who took the glasses away and promised a full refund but have now refused to do that. I used Specsavers in the past with no problems but this service is an expensive disappointment that should be avoided.”
“I’d give zero but that is not an option.
My latest experience has been absolutely shocking. I have been a loyal customer of specsavers for many years and as a family we have spent thousands of pounds there.
I was called for a repeat eye test. The initial experience on the day was disjointed and poor with the eye test itself and communication. I ordered new glasses at this time.
When I collected my new glasses a couple of weeks later they initially seemed ok so I left wearing them. As the day progressed I felt very disoriented and developed a headache. I tried them numerous times but each day I would develop a debilitating headache which would only go after I had taken them off. When I revisited the store I was advised by a dispensing optician that a retest was advised and that due to the issues I was experiencing the lenses may be a problem as they were larger than what I was used to.
The retest showed that the initial test wasn’t quite right. With the help of the dispensing optician I chose new frames and ordered a replacement pair, paying an additional fee.
When I collected the second pair, they initially felt ok but as I wore them they were slipping off repeatedly so I went back and a member of staff adjusted them. I was unaware of what he was doing initially, but it transpired that instead of the usual heating of the arms to readjust them, he cut them off. When he first put them back on me they felt snug but not too bad so off I went. By the time I got home they had left very painful red marks and indentations both on my nose and behind my ears. I persevered with them but could not manage more than an hour of wear before they were too painful to wear and it took a long time for the red marks and indentations to fade.
I again returned to store and it was identified that they were too tight. They offered to pop the lenses out and put them in the frames from the shop floor to replace the ones that had been ruined by the other staff member. Again I agreed to try that as it was what was being recommended as the best option for me. I still experienced feelings of seasickness when wearing them and noticed that I got a big reflection in the lense of anything behind me in the car when driving. This was obviously quite disconcerting and I didn’t feel safe driving in them. I again returned to the store and was advised that the focal point was correct and they were made as per the prescription but that the shape was slightly different to my old glasses so they heated them and tried to match my existing frames as much as possible. They checked the fit and agreed that the arms were much longer and not really suited to my head but made some adjustments and I was asked to give them another chance. I did, I tried again, I still can’t wear them due to the fit not being comfortable and the reflections making them unsafe to drive. I still get the seasickness feeling from them after wearing for more than an hour. I’m not sure why there are so many issues with them but they are unwearable.
Today I returned again. The dispensing optician I saw previously was not there so I saw another staff member instead. Apparently as it is now over 100 days since the initial eye test, I can not have a refund. Despite the fact that I’ve been back and fore so many times, advising them of the problems. Despite the fact I was willing to try a display pair after they ruined the ones I paid for. Despite the fact they are not just unwearable and unfit for purpose but dangerous for driving, as it’s taken so long and I’ve been so patient with them it’s now too late.
The best they could offer was to take my existing frames and put new lenses in those, but as those frames aren’t available any more I’d be without them for a couple of weeks while they did this. I was offered to keep the ones that I can’t wear while it was being done but as they are unwearable that isn’t a valid option.
I’ve now spent weeks of travelling back and fore and to try to resolve the problem, not to mention the cost of the frames and lenses and am left with nothing but disappointment.
One thing is for certain I will never use specsavers again and nor will any member of my family. It was very clever to keep sending me off with tweaks and adjustments to try until it was too late and they could refuse the refund. I feel totally conned and defrauded.”
“My husband got new glasses in January which he couldn’t use. Despite going back several times over the months and having the lenses changed he had no use from the glasses. The problem was finally fixed with a cataract operation. And now have had to pay for new glasses. The person who did his eye test was great. The people at the front of shop are purely sales people who are only interested in having you pay as much as possible for glasses. Definitely wouldn’t recommend spec savers”
