A copy of my complaint... If I can find someone to send it to!
I am writing with regards to my disappointment with the service, or rather lack of, of Wolverhampton Specsavers over the last 12 months. I have used Specsavers since a very, very young age and have had glasses from you every year since. I have also had contact lenses for almost 10 years.
The troubles began when I started having headaches and found I could not wear contact lenses as my eyes were light sensitive to the headaches. I always see Steve at the Wolverhampton office, who again, had always been wonderful. He informed me that my prescription was wrong, it had been noted down wrong and my one eye was being over corrected. He expressed how sorry he was and had the prescription corrected at the front desk and made the change to my contact lenses, ready for the next delivery. I was also given a £50 gift voucher (Which unfortunately couldn’t be used as I had already had my new glasses and it was out of date within a month).
The lenses never came.
I contacted the office and they told me that I had cancelled my contact lenses. I insisted I hadn’t and explained what had happened a few weeks before. They corrected the mistake and reordered them.
They still didn’t come.
I phoned the office several times and eventually they offered to have one pair ordered into the office for me. Although this defeated the object of having 3 months delivered to my house, I agreed.
They never came.
I was then told that there had been a flood at the storage unit and the manufacturers were in the process of remaking all the lenses that had been damaged. I would have to wait until this had been sorted.
By this point I had been waiting for my contact lenses for 5 months. I contacted your head office and expressed my annoyance and asked how, in over 600 stores, not one of them stocked a single pair of my lenses. Although he was polite in doing so, the gentleman I spoke to basically told me it wasn’t his fault and I was to wait until they were ready.
So I waited.
They FINALLY came, 6 months late. I had to go into the office to pick them up. The lady on reception kindly told me that they would order me 3 months free. Again, this defeated the object when I had already paid for them! She suggested I phone and cancel my order for 3 months and then phone again to continue it. After yourselves randomly cancelling my order earlier in the year, I declined to do this.
In March/April I made an appointment for an eye test. I explained to the lady that I had been suffering with dry eyes and found wearing contact lenses very uncomfortable. I also explained that my paternal grandmother is undergoing treatment for Macular Degeneration and was slightly concerned as my left eye is constantly dry and I quite often have stabbing pains. She showed me a picture of my right eye and said it was fine. The left eye picture came up and the screen was mainly black with faint lines. I was told this was just the flash of the camera but everything was fine. She then told me to go out and get some drops – writing the name down for me.
On going to purchase the drops, I was informed they were not to be used by contact lense wearers.
So I went to see Steve in the hope he could advise me on how to get more wear from my lenses. He told me I was better off trying a new set of lenses – they are more expensive but it was my only real option. I agreed to a week’s trial.
After the week’s trial my original lenses came through the post, I decided to see which I preferred between the two. I put in my new lenses to find I couldn’t actually see anything through my left eye. I tried reading the channels on the TV and couldn’t, likewise with car licence plates.
The following day I went into Specsavers and explained that I couldn’t see out of the left eye and could they check my prescription. She told me it was right and was I sure I hadn’t put my lenses in the wrong eyes. She asked me if the other lenses were the same, which I couldn’t answer as I had only tried one pair, then made an appointment to see Steve again.
Upon seeing Steve he carried out the full test as always and told me that it wasn’t the prescription, or my eyes so I must have a faulty batch and I was better off having the lenses I trialled. He went out to reception and told them I was changing lenses.
A young girl talked me through changing them and said they would arrange to order me one pair of lenses. I asked why I was only getting one pair when they come 3 months at a time and she told me it was because I had opened 2 pairs. I explained I had to open one pair as I didn’t know they were faulty and the second pair was opened, as suggested, to make sure it was the batch and not my eyes/prescription. She then spoke to her manager who said I could have the 3 pairs but I had to pay the difference as the new lenses were more expensive.
I tried explaining that I had been sent faulty lenses and I didn’t see why I should have to pay for lenses that I had to have because of a mistake. At this point her manager came over and asked if everything was ok, making me feel like I was being a trouble maker! I was nothing but polite and even apologised to the girl if I was making her uncomfortable but I just wanted to know if it was normal practice to make people pay for errors caused by others. I was told the new lenses would be in the shop for Friday 18 May.
However, as if all the above wasn’t bad enough, I had a full check up with regards to my health and I was told that my left eye is extremely dry and only working at 30% what it should be, tears should take 10 seconds to dry and mine are less than 2. This will be sorted with a short course of medicated eye drops. I can’t help but feel that perhaps that is the reason I was having so much discomfort with my regular lenses and if the optometrist had listened to me, instead of telling me just to get drops, (which I cant actually use) I wouldn’t be in the position where I am having to pay extra for lenses, which, by the way, still have not arrived! 4 days after I was assured they would be with me!
I have always used Specsavers and I have always recommended them to friends and family, yet after everything that has happened I am yet to receive so much as a simple “Sorry.”
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