An absolute horror of an opticians. Avoid like the plague.
I've used Specsavers for the best part of a decade now, and they used to be rather good, but this Shandwick Place branch is a total joke.
I went in for an eye test recently and was less than five minutes late, but was told that I would have to book another appointment because I missed my slot. Ok, fair enough, the fault was mine.
So I had to wait another WEEK for the next available appointment and I showed up ten minutes early. I was then forced to wait over 20 minutes past the time of my appointment to be seen. The receptionist staff were rude and dismissive and I felt almost completely ignored. While I was sat waiting, I had plenty of time to examine my surroundings, which are worn and poorly maintained, with grubby flooring and stains all over the seats.
Eventually the optician came to see me. He was in such a rush that our whole appointment lasted probably less than five minutes. Perhaps it's just my lack of knowledge of modern eye-test procedures, but I didn't feel confident that an accurate measurement of my sight was taken at all.
I returned a week later for a contact-lens fitting, and the situation was even worse. The staff were so rude and discourteous that I couldn't believe it. There were also at least three separate staff that either coughed or sneezed on me.
A lady (not an optician) gave me a new pair of contact lenses. She didn't tell me anything about the brand, type, prescription. Just "here, put these in". And then began another long wait. I watched the staff run around in front of me like headless chickens for about 20 minutes before an optician came for me.
This new optician had no clue why I was there, what my history was or what he should do with me. He didn't even know if I was there for a sight-test or lens fitting or a kick up the back-side. He asked me what kind of contact lenses I was wearing and I nearly screamed in frustration when I had to explain that his assistant lady had just given me lenses and told me to put them in my eyes without telling me anything about them and now even this guy doesn't know what's going on either!
He presented me with a card with some text on it, asked if I could read it, and then sent me out the door. A complete waste of time.
So here I sit, a month later, still wearing those same lenses and none the wiser as to my prescription. I've tried calling them but I get put through to some call-centre because the branch is too busy to take my calls.
I am as baffled as I am infuriated by the incompetence and lack of professionalism in this place. Part of the problem is doubtless the pressure the staff are under to turn customers around as fast as possible and run bookings extremely tightly. The other part of the problem is that nobody seems to give a shit.
If you want to get your eyes seen in a place that will give you some sort of confidence in the outcome, go elsewhere. read more