Advantages: Nice premises, good product, good value for money, can order on-line
Disadvantages: Disorganised, time-wasting, money-grabbing

...Recently I decided to ditch my glasses and treat myself to contact lenses instead. I knew SpecSavers were offering a good deal on monthly disposables and someone had recommended them to me (huh!). So I decided to get the lenses from SpecSavers. Well, I was most unimpressed with the service I got at my local branch (Gloucester). They were so disorganised, and both visits turned into a long series of annoyances. More seriously, they would have prescribed me lenses on a very old prescription, and their free contact lens 'trial' wasn't as initially offered. This opinion/moan is mainly about the service I received rather than the product itself, which is actually fine! With eyecare, so much of it is about the care and service — unfortunately, SpecSavers fell way below expectations for their service, which was pretty bad. Next time, I... Read review

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Advantages: good value, comfortable, no cleaning required, freedom
Disadvantages: initial dizziness, slight irritation & tiredness in aircon offices

...Having purchased a couple of pair of relatively cheap specs this week it was suggested by my better half that I should also try wearing contacts once again. Not having worn contacts for over 3 years because of the nature of my job (web developer involving lots of staring at computers all day long), I wasn't too keen. However, on visiting my local SpecSavers in Birmingham I was pleasantly surprised by the new range of products now available. I opted for the daily disposables for socialising & clubbing while opting for specs for work. The great thing about disposables is that you don't have to piddle about cleaning them each & every night. You simply wear them for a day and then bin then prior to bed. SpecSavers offer a choice of quantities and prices. I opted for a pack of 60 for £55 which should keep me going for 2 or 3 months... Read review

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Advantages: 2 for 1 offer, value for money
Disadvantages: limited range, staff seemed to look down a little on me, the going up and down, sit here, sit there

...I needed to purchase some new glasses, so went to SpecSavers in Harrow. It's a small shop, but everyone was smartly dressed in suits, appeared to be friendly. I was asked to sit here, someone took details, go upstairs, sit there, go back downstairs, sit there. I must admit a lot of toing and froing. They measured me for glasses, queried my contact lenses, current prescription, etc. Asked if I had any health problems, if anyone in my family had health problems, if anyone else in my family wore glasses, had problems with their eyesight,etc. I was then led back into the shop and asked what my previous glasses were like. I mentioned that I had had them for years, and they were very large, so I was looking for something more trendy and smaller on the face. The Assistant looked around the shop and looked at various types for me. She... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to use and maintain,comfortable and convenient.
Disadvantages: A little uncomfortable for 1st time users

...Being a glasses wearer for quite a while, I have always been fascinated by contacts lenses; not to say that my glasses were the hugest you'd ever see and made my face totally unattractive but I have always dreamt of not having to wear them especially for social and sport case scenarios. This pressure is definitely more evident amongst the teen group. So, what was stopping me from getting contacts lenses? Lack of money and a traumatic experience of previously trying them! It might have been different for you, but initially, I really found it difficult placing a "foreign object" in my eye. A few years had passed, and my financial situation had improved (I don't own a Ferrari, but I'm working on it). Anyways I was in a much better position to finally afford my contacts lenses. I did what had to be done and visited my local Spec Savers... Read review

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Advantages: practical, delivered to door & cheap
Disadvantages: can only wear 8hrs a day, no swimming

...First of all, these are not for you if you are forgetful or lazy. They are to be taken out after 8 hours of wear (well thats for me anyway, I think it differs for people depending on how bad your eyesight is and how long you have been using contact lenses. In my case, my eyes arent so bad but I havent been using them long, maybe 4 months.) Hands must be washed with anti-bacterial handwash everytime you put them in and take them out and they must be cleaned every single time with solution (this is provided by SpecSavers) Its pretty damn irritating having to take them out after 8 hours, its a bit of a pain in the backside so I wear mine either during the day then take them out when I get home from college and wear my glasses for the rest of the night or I wear my glasses for college if I want to wear my contacts on the night if I am going... Read review

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Advantages: Put them in & forget about them, no more glasses
Disadvantages: You'll need to look afte them, regular check ups needed with optician

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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A lot less faffing about
Disadvantages: None

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Advantages: Wide range of products and brands
Disadvantages: Cheap and not so cheerful

...I spend a lot of my time visiting shops and assessing them (in a vain attempt not have to work in one) in order to fund the ever increasing costs of my education. (So far, its been relatively unsuccessful but if I had a penny for every time I had said ‘Why am I doing this?’ with regards my education then I’m sure I could fund it easily!) That’s why I tend to avoid writing about shops for Ciao. Most of the time, I’m so sick of them that I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to write about them. . However there is one particular shop that I’ve been hearing a lot about and have recently discovered myself is well worth a visit. The store in question is Savers Heath and Beauty, a growing force in the toiletries market, with over 190 stores in the UK and further plans for expansion. It has been trading since 1988 (previously just under... Read review

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Advantages: Wide range of specs, good advice, thorough test, friendly staff, lots of branches
Disadvantages: Not all branches open on a Sunday

...had no problems and wasn't likely to get any. My Visit: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I phoned SpecSavers to make my appointment, mainly down to the advertising - there's plenty of opticians in my town, but SpecSavers were the first that came to mind. There are two branches of SpecSavers in my town - one on the High Street and one in Morrisons supermarket. My appointment was at the High Street branch. On arrival I was met by a receptionist who gave me a pre-test. She was a friendly woman who explained it was just to get a preliminary look at my eyes, and this gadget would take readings electronically to help the optician when I went through to him. This test involved sitting on a stool, resting my chin on a paper pad and peering through some kind of binoculars mounted on a machine to look at a hot air balloon. She fiddled... Read review

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Advantages: No more glasses !
Disadvantages: Can irritate eyes and takes getting used to

...I have had rapidly deteriorating eyesight since the age of 15. I can remember sitting in my GCSE maths class, squinting at the black-board, it was then l realised that l needed to go to see an optician. So off l went to Curtis Opticians, Carlisle Road, Londonderry, where l was told l was short sighted with a slight astigmatism in my right eye. So there l left with my Deirdre Barlow style frames in a subtle apple green and navy blue – SEXY! I wore my specs right through until very recently. When l graduated in 1996, mum said she’d get me contacts as a present. Why choose such a pressy? Well generally l didn’t wear my specs out at night (-vanity is an awful thing!) and evening my friends and l were at a night club (Burberrys in Portrush, Co Antrim to be precise!), and in my state of blurred vision l could not see... Read review

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