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Thread ID: 111252	2010-07-20 00:13:00	Any Opticians out there?	B.M. (505)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1120550	2010-07-27 04:12:00	I thought they sounded too good too be true. :)	Trev (427)
1120551	2010-07-27 07:04:00	How absolutely prophetic of you Paul. :D I decided I’d get a quote from SpecSavers (snip) And the rest of the conversation went like this: Great, now how much? $1078! :eek: What, you’re quoting two for $399. Ahh yes, but these ones quoted on to you have the second highest class lenses available. Well what about the bottom class? Unfortunately they are getting obsolete and hard to come by. Ok, just put new lenses in my old frames for the second pair, how much then? Same price Sir, you see the second pair of frames is free so there is no point using yours. Ok, how much to put some standard lens in my existing frames so I can use that pair in my workshop or where there is a risk of damage. That will be an additional $499 Sir. But you’re advertising two pair for $399. Yes, but that is a special basic package deal that doesn't include repairs. Special alright, stick your glasses where the sun don’t shine. :mad: So there you have it, the advertised price is simply advertising Bait and bears no resemblance to what the final price will tally up to. I wonder how many suckers there are out there that fall for this rubbish? Yeah, I feel for you a bit there, and there's plenty I'd like to say, but had better bite my tongue since I work for a competitor and don't want trouble. Suffice to say my own employers do a bit of a bait routine as well, but their offers typically have a far better chance of being closer to the final sale price, as they're typically offering a better standard of product in the bottom tier gear, albeit at a higher starting price... but consequently lower 'upgrade' expenses when establishing the final deal, so less of a shock regarding the final price, but in most cases, still a significant upgrade from the sticker price... and ultimately, not much difference in the final total that you pay. We only add $30 to the cost of the lenses as a grinding/fitting fee if you want to use your own frame (unless it's rimless or has a nylon loop holding the lens, which attracts extra fitting fees). Worth shopping around a bit more, there's another major chain, plus independants scattered throughout the country. One thing I will say however, is that the government has been totally misguided (or misled) in believing opening up practice ownership to big business will result in better value for NZ. So far (in my personal opinion) the reality seen with the major chains has been ultimately no significant improvements on any particular measure (price/quality/service/standards), but now ultimately with the companies profits going offshore, NZ as a whole is probably (to date) worse off for having the big players paddling in the optical pool. The only advantage for NZ so far that I can recognise is many extra $ being spent on advertising... like any of us really want more ads in the media. :yuck:	Paul.Cov (425)
1120552	2010-08-02 00:13:00	The saga continues so let me fill you in. :D A couple of days after telling them what to do with their glasses the phone rings and a young lady from SpecSavers advises that they would be happy to reappraise their quote, however she was advised I didn’t share her enthusiasm, so that was the end of that I thought. Another couple of days pass and the Manager rings. (10/10 for persistence if nothing else.) Anyway, after giving him chapter and verse about his promotion he advises that he would honour the advertising and supply two pairs of progressive glasses for $399. All I had to do was choose some frames. So I relent and off I go. When I arrive I’m shown the selection of frames available with the $399 deal. Blow me down if there isn’t some I’d swear were the same as my old ones. They’ll do nicely, but they have a price tag on them of $199. Then the conversation went something like this; These Frames are marked at $199. That’s right Sir. Well by my calculations the frames are worth $398. That’s right Sir. Therefore the Lenses must be worth 25cents each. Well Sir the Lenses aren’t top of the range and are in fact ground to 17 year old specifications. I’ll take a punt, here’s 50cents, put a couple of them in my old frames. I’m sorry I can’t do that. Well, are these Lenses not of merchantable quality? Oh yes they are fine. They’d better be. Ok, I’ll take two pair for $399. That will be $429 Sir. :eek: You’re kidding. No Sir, there is the cost of the Eye Test which we have already discounted 50% to $30. Really and how did you propose to provide a set of glasses for $399 without doing an eye test? Ummm, well we can’t, but the $399 is for the Frames and Lenses only. Right, I want a copy of my eye test then. What for Sir? So the next time I’m in Aussie I’ll get some new lenses put in my old frames at a reasonable cost. Yes Sir, but our Glasses are already manufactured in Melbourne. Jeeeeeez, just give me a copy of the eye test and order the b….y things. Yes Sir, as I say they are manufactured in Melbourne so take about 10 working days to get here. Great, I’m getting quite used to my $2 glasses. :) Incidentally, if you read this Paul, or any other Optometrists out there, is there enough information below to get Lenses made? Sph: Right Eye +1.5 Left Eye +1.5 Cyl: Right Eye -0.75 Left Eye -0.25 Axis: Right Eye 75 Left Eye 115 Near add Right Eye 2.5 Left Eye 2.5 :thanks Bob	B.M. (505)
1120553	2010-08-02 00:23:00	Why bother man. I just get them done when I walk into a shop mall in Asia. Eye test are free, people from overseas are astounded when they hear eye test have to be paid for here. I got my glasses, std hard lenses, about $150NZ. I walk in and they just dropped their lunch look thru this machine got my rough prescription, in the room for 5 or 10 mins and in a day or two I could pick them up ..... I know a no. of NZders who get them from overseas too. I didn't have Armani frames but I had some Titanium frames nonetheless.	Nomad (952)
1120554	2010-08-02 00:29:00	Right, I want a copy of my eye test then. What for Sir? Dunno what the guy was on about. It's called a traveler's card. If you travel and you lose or break them, you can use that to get another pair while you are overseas. Many optometrists provide this card after you done your eye test. Re: optometrists. Some of them move around. So they may work for Specsavers as well as maybe a more upmarket one too ..... Ie., they may work M-F and then at specsavers on the weekend.	Nomad (952)
1120555	2010-08-02 00:34:00	See posts #2, #9 and #14 :) :)	Zippity (58)
1120556	2010-08-02 02:25:00	Lots of the small outfits are being taken over by the corporates,where profit is the motive for the business,service a distant second.	Cicero (40)
1120557	2010-08-02 22:27:00	Incidentally, if you read this Paul, or any other Optometrists out there, is there enough information below to get Lenses made? Sph: Right Eye +1.5 Left Eye +1.5 Cyl: Right Eye -0.75 Left Eye -0.25 Axis: Right Eye 75 Left Eye 115 Near add Right Eye 2.5 Left Eye 2.5 :thanks Bob Well, yes and no. It's sufficient to take to any other optical outlet to get whatever you want made up. However, it's missing a few important bits if you wanted to order online. What is missing is the lens centration info. These numbers are dependant on the size and shape of whatever frame you choose and how high they tend to sit on your nose is, which is why these numbers are not included when no frame has been specified. The PD (inter-pupillary distance) (ie how far apart the eyes are, from pupil centre to pupil centre) is the most basic of these measurements. In your power the PD isn't very important, and you can bet it's not made to an appropriate size in your hobby specs. The more out of order the PD is, the more likely eyestrain and fatigue becomes. If you were to use hobby specs, I'd suggest +1.25 for distance or TV, and +3.75 for near (based on what you've mentioned above), although I'm always a bit hessitant when I see an Add above +2.25, as it may indicate either failing eyesight, or more likely, a young optom who has erred too high, in which case +3.50 may be a better choice, or even as low as +3.00 for the computer screen, which typically is further back than you'd have a book. For progressives you also need to have heights to the pupil included in the measurements, and ideally the PD should be broken down into half PD measurements... the risks of getting online progressives measured and made correctly makes them quite questionable in terms of value and usefulness. If they don't work out you'll never get them corrected without spending the same money again, whereas a store based purchase will typically cover you for the costs of correcting any issues (but obviously it's dearer to help cover them for the costs they face in fixing issues that arise).	Paul.Cov (425)
1120558	2010-08-03 00:26:00	Firstly thanks very much for your time Paul. :thumbs: Yes I had a feeling that there may be a few measurements missing from the Eye Test. Just for fun I thought I’d measure pupil centre to pupil centre myself with a pair of Vernier Callipers and a mirror. After much experimenting I’ll swear the centres are 61mm. (I’m now blind so problem solved) :waughh: However, this leaves us with the outside lenses dimensions. How the devil do you measure that? Are there standard frame sizes and shapes which the lenses are cut to? I see the frame has “Engelhardt 140” written on the inside of the left ear piece so does that tell us anything? And by the way, I haven’t ignored your posts Zippety & sam m, I’m just trying to work out how they can make lenses in America to fit Frames in NZ and what details I may need to provide. :)	B.M. (505)
1120559	2010-08-03 00:33:00	dunno about that. when i got opsm, you buy the frames and they send to be done at a optician where they cut the glass and etc... the ones i seen overseas they have the frames themselves too so they do it all themselves. there are some places that do their own cutting too in nz, re: the measurements etc .. one place had me to look this way then they use a marker and mark the lenses on the shop's demo frames ... if you give them the measurements i guess they can do that instead of marking but i have no idea how they can do it if they don't have your frames. i guess they send your frames to them or they send you the lenses uncut and you get someone else to do them .. althou if you are getting frames you have not tried on etc .. wouldn't diff frames sit on your face differently therefore that measurement will be different :confused:	Nomad (952)
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