Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? You can find lots of answers to most of the commonly asked questions below:
- Orders
- My Prescription
- Lenses
- Delivery
- Payment
- Returns & Refunds
Orders
Q: How do I start?
A: Just have your prescription ready and follow our 3 easy steps.
Q: I don’t have a prescription, how do I get one?
A: Any high street optician will be able to provide you with a copy of your latest prescription. If your prescription is over 2 years old we would highly recommend that you have another eye test.
Make sure you receive a copy of your prescription- you are entitled to this by law. Whilst not essential, we would suggest that you ask for your Pupillary Distance measurement on this (see FAQ- My Prescription).
Then choose your frames from us and you are ready to order.
Q: I’d like to try some frames first…
A: No problem! For a small deposit, usually 50% of your chosen frames individual selling prices, we can send you up to 4 pairs of frames to try on. Your deposit is returned to you in full once we receive any frames back.
You have 7 days to return any trial frames to us.
Q: I can’t find my preferred brand on your website
A: Let us know any brand or model number of frames you like, and we’ll do our best to source them for you at our usual low prices.
Q: How is it possible for you to charge so little?
A: With no shop or expensive testing equipment, our costs are much less than a high street opticians’. So we gladly pass the savings on to you!
My Prescription
Q: I’m having trouble understanding my prescription
A: Your optician is duty bound to provide you with a legible copy of your prescription. If you can’t understand it, take it back to your optician and ask them to give you a clear copy.
If you’re really stuck, post or email it to us and one of our Dispensing Opticians will check it for you.
Is my prescription inside your standard stock range and therefore included in the quoted price?
* The vast majority of single vision prescriptions fall within our standard range and are therefore included in the price. Our standard lens stock range consists of lenses with powers of less than + or - 6 dipotres Sphere (Sph) or 2 dioptres Cylinder (Cyl.) For prescriptions outside this range, please call for a bespoke quote. If you are not sure give us a call or send us an email.
Q: I can’t find my Pupillary Distance measurement on my prescription; in fact, I’m not sure what this is…
A: Your Pupillary Distance measurement is the distance between your pupils.
Your lenses should be made so that the centre of your pupils is in line with the centre of the lenses.
Q. Are you entitled to your pupillary distance measurement?
Some opticians don’t write this on the prescription, so you can ask them for it during your eye test, or we can use our average measurement when making your glasses. You could even send us a spare pair to get your measurement from.
You can also do this yourself, although it is easier to get a friend to help. To get your http://www.specspost.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/measure-pupillary-distancepupillary distance measurement, hold a millimetre ruler just above your eyes and measure the distance. The average distance is 63 millimetres.
Q: I’m concerned that I may have made a mistake when entering my prescription.
A: Don’t worry, our team of Dispensing Opticians check every order for obvious mistakes. We will contact you if we think a mistake has been made.
Lenses
Q: Are the lenses for my prescription included in the quoted price?
* The vast majority of single vision prescriptions fall within our standard range and are therefore included in the price. Our standard lens stock range consists of lenses with powers of less than + or - 6 dipotres Sphere (Sph) or 2 dioptres Cylinder (Cyl.) For prescriptions outside this range, please call for a bespoke quote. If you are not sure give us a call or send us an email.
Q: What lenses do you use as standard?
A: Our standard lens is a basic plastic lens (often sold as a 1.5 CR 39) and is exactly the same product you would normally be given by a high street optician.
Q: Are there any other lens options?
A: Yes, we also do a Thin and Lite’ plastic lens (often sold as a 1.6). These come with an AR coating, UV and Hard coating as standard. They are ideal for short sighted, distance or reading requirements. Thin and lite lenses are most useful for people with a stronger prescription, as these lenses are lighter, thinner and can make your glasses more attractive.
Q: What is AR coating?
A: AR coating is an Anti-Reflective coating applied to your lenses. They are often recommended by opticians.
Q: Would I benefit from this?
A: If you work with computers, or drive at night, an Anti-Reflective coating would be really useful for your next pair of glasses. The glare produced by light is greatly reduced , which means that your eyes are less tired at the end of the day. The decreased reflection also makes your glasses look better.
Q: I’m worried about scratching my lenses
A: We also offer Anti-Scratch or Scratch-Resistant coating. Our coatings do not interfere with lens function and do not affect vision. The Anti-Scratch coating reduces the appearance of scratches which appear over time on lenses through normal wear and tear. Choosing this coating should prolong the life of your glasses.
Q: Do you have any other coatings or tints?
A: We have Sun-reactive and Photochromic coatings. These lenses darken on exposure to sunlight. Once the UV is removed (for example by walking indoors), the lenses will gradually return to their clear state. So there’s no need for a separate pair of sunglasses! We have Transitions lenses for an additional £42 or Sunsensor Photocromic lenses at £32.
Q. Are Transitions lenses as good as sunglasses?
A. Transitions lenses are every bit as good as prescription sunglasses. They use state of the art technology to ensure comfortable vision in every light condition. See our page on Transitions lenses for an in depth description and an interactive demo.
Q: What are single vision lenses?
A: Single vision lenses only correct a near or distance correction. It is the same correction across the whole lens area.
Q: Do you have bifocal lenses?
A: We do, at an additional £30.
Q: Do you have progressive lenses and varifocal lenses?
A: We do, just send us a spare pair so that we can take the necessary measurements.
Q: My old frames are just fine, but can you put new lenses in for me?
A: Yes, we can re-glaze your old frames from as little as £20
Delivery
Q: When will my glasses get to me?
A: We deliver within 10 days, however bifocals, varifocals (progressive) and rimless frames may take longer.
Q: How much do I pay for delivery?
A: UK Standard Delivery costs just £3.50 or free on orders over £40, European Shipping costs £4.95 and International Shipping costs £9.95.
The delivery charge is only applied once per order, so you only pay for shipping once, no matter how many pairs you order.
Prices stated are in pounds sterling and will be applied at the checkout.
Payment
Q: Can I pay with NHS vouchers?
A: Unfortunately we cannot accept NHS vouchers as payment or part-payment. However, we are happy to accept vouchers provided by your employer as payment or part-payment towards your new glasses. Please contact us if you would like to know more.
Q: Is your site secure for payment?
A: Yes, we want you to be safe shopping with us. We use a secure server with 128 bit encryption and we also use Security Metrics.
Q. What are Security Metrics and why do you use them?
A. Security Metrics help us to comply with legislation, to help keep your payments safe and secure. For more information, please follow the link below to the Security Metrics website.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is the “requirement for organizations that process, store or transmit payment card holder data”.
All retailers are required to comply with the PCI, and assistance in becoming PCI compliant is provided by Security Metrics.
If any credit card processing is done over an internet connection, the PCI DSS requires your Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are scanned at least quarterly by an Approved Scanning Vendor- such as Security Metrics.
http://www.securitymetrics.com
Returns & Refunds
Q: What is your policy on returns?
A: Return any glasses to us, for any reason, within 7 days and we will give you a full refund, no questions asked.
Q: Do you offer full refunds?
A: Yes. We are confident that you will love your new glasses, but if you need to return them for any reason, we guarantee your money back in full.
Please see our Returns Policy for more information.
