I am surprised by all the one star reviews for this place...they could do with some improvements, but it wasn't that bad!! The good: - I've been searching for new glasses for MONTHS!! But I find it quite hard to find any that suit me as I have quite a narrow head. However I found 2 pairs within this store that were both so good that I couldn't choose between them. Yaaaay! - The prices are pretty reasonable (my glasses were £120 and £130 before their various discounts...which is more than specsavers, but much less than most of the shops that I've looked at.) - As I decided to take both pairs of glasses, they gave me £50 off one pair *and* free lenses for one of them. The less good part was the service: - No staff helped me at all while I was choosing...but that was okay as I had my husband to help - Once I had decided which glasses I liked, it took soooooo long to input my order into the system. Seriously I have a slow computer at work, but their IT system makes it seem positively whizzy! - To call them you have to phone one of those horrible machine phone voices and choose from lots of options, and then wait a while before they pick up. Urgh. - Once my glasses were ready, I called and told a member of staff that I was walking over to pick them up...he didn't bother to tell me they close early (5:30) on Fridays, so I walked all the way over there to see a locked front door. Thanks. In the end, I managed to buy two really nice pairs of glasses, for £300, including lenses (yaaay!) ...but I don't think this is the best place to come if you want advice from the staff or if you want to buy your specs speedily. read more

I really should change opticians. These guys are always running late, rude and generally unprofessional. The opticians are usually ok but the other staff really poor. Last time I was here the staff were doing the test where they puff air in the eye. I'm very sensitive to such stuff and instead of being patient and sympathetic I was told off saying 'this is not a game' read more

Avoid. If this store is the Benchmark for the rest of the company, then I can not believe how any business can become so poor over the past 15 years I will not enter another Optical Express Store in my life read more

I do not understand the negative reviews on this place. I went there today for a laser consultation and the staff was amazing. I dealt with Sophie and Nabila and they were both professional, customer driven and gentle. Guess what? I will do my laser surgery here not only because of the competitive price (they do corporate discount) but also because they know what they are doing and the do it good! Well done optical express read more

Choose any other Optical Express in the entire UK but this one. Criminally bad. The doctors are just fine, but the staff are completely incompetent and likely badly trained -- if trained at all! They completely "lost" (idiot-speak for, "forgot to enter in the system") the order for my second attempt at trial contact lenses, were speechless and befuddled when confronted with this fact and refused to take responsibility, then messed up the re-order (which, thankfully, they agreed to rush) for the trial lenses -- sending me dailies instead of monthlies -- and never entered the specifications on the system! Every time I have dealt with the staff, they don't seem to know what they are talking about and have to check in with their supervisor, not to mention look completely lost on their computer systems. Also, the waiting times here are outrageous: I booked a simple appointment to check back about my trial contact lenses, and was seen forty-five minutes after my scheduled time. Optical Express, either fire the staff of this store and replace them with intelligent human beings, or close this location! read more

They either need their eyes tested or are just very rude. Stood for 5 minutes looking for help and was ignored repeatedly by the 3 staff. An acknowledgement would have done. read more

EXTREME BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE OPTICAL STAFF IS NOT TRAINED AT ALL! Don't ever go there! THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED NEW GLASSES/new precription EVEN IF YOU DONT JUST TO SELL!!! I went in there just to have a look then got talked into doing an eye test. I was then told that the eye test showed that I needed new glasses and that my vision had changed alot. I told the optician that I did not have any problem with my old glasses, but she insisted that the eye test showed i needed a new precription. I then bought new glasses on that basis. I could not se at all out of the new glasses and went back there complaining. In all i been back to the store five times (HAD THREE DIFFERENT WRONG EYE TESTS DONE THERE) being in the store for hours and hours, waiting, then talking to one staff member, waiting, then talking to another staff member then waiting again and so on. While the staff basicilly takes shifts to bully me and tire me out. Saying that I am lying or dont know what I am talking about, giving me looks that says I am grazy and so on. And the male manager and another male staff member overpowering me totally by just having a go at me while they are standing and I am sitting down. I can't even begind to tell old the nasty things they have said and ways they have behaved. The staff at Optical Express has no traning what so ever - for example they don't know what anstigmatism is. They have what I would call EXTREME BAD CUSTOMMER SERVICE AND TRAINING. I found out through proffessional opticians that I NEVER NEEDED NEW GLASSES. I tried and tried to get my money back both from the store and writting to customer service. Who basicilly don't care and does nothing. That this place offer eye surgery is beyond my comprehension and so is how it is possible that this place is still open. read more