Opticians

[claire81]

I had a big shock, as some of you may have read i am having money troubles but desperatly needed new glasses (i had shingles in my eye when i was pregnant with Jamie and my right eye deteriorates quite fast), so anyway i went with my maternity exepmtion card and my child tax credits form, and guess what.......................I wasn't entitled to a penny!!!! It just cost me £85, i only pick up £240 per month in wages!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to me on WORKING tax credits to be entitled and maternity doesn't cover optical prescrtiptions!!! Mr Blair got a right tongue lashing, who appointed that pr*ck and his team to be in charge, i can't wait to get him out!!!!
I actually get up off my ass and work 10 hours a week to pay off loans etc, but it seems all this government enocourages is to sleep around have 10 kids you don't wanna look after and claim off the government!!! If you're married and work u get p*ss all!!!

And i mean no offence to ANYONE claiming benefits/single or anything as i too have been there done that, it just annoys me the way this country is run.

 

[Urchin]

My glasses got broken recently and we have had to claim on the house insurance... I only wanted replacements as close as possible to the ones which were broken and they were £342!!!

I have the reactions lenses and have them thinned but I thought that was ridiculous.

I know what you mean about the benefits, I'd have thought you'd at least get the eye test for free, but no

 

[mum2A&L]

i thought it did cover tests & lenses????

i get mine from www.glassesdirect.co.uk. i've had mine for over a year now, and still going strong.

 

[smurf]

that is crazy - god their b******ds

 

[claire81]

URCHIN £342!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I won't complain anymore!!!!!!!
I usually wear them for driving/tv, but my sights really bad now and i need to wear them permenantly now, they could have thrown in some prescrtption sunglasses for that aswell!!!!

I really thought i was covered, when the child and working tax credits were combined it was Working Families Tax Credits and i was covered then, but since they seperated she showed me a sheet which said it has to be working not child tc. I went to our cheapest one around, the used to be Looks, have changed the name to New Image. I just had a look on a website and it confirmed they were telling the truth!!

 

[Em78]

its such a con that we have something wrong with us tha requires correction (ie glasses or lenses!) and we have to spend a fortune on it! this is my one (hopefully - touch wood) thing i have wrong with me and while i'm grateful its only my eyesight i still dont see why we cant get more help.

i used to work in an opticians in the office and the reason glasses cost so much is because they lose money on the free nhs sight tests. when i was there it cost £17 to have an eye test (no real profit in that figure when you take into account rates, wages, electric etc) and the nhs only gave the opticians £14 back for every nhs patient having a free eyetest. so the actual opticians were losing £3 per nhs sight test (and they do a lot!). so they have a huge mark up on the cost of the glasses and contact lenses to recoup the loss and make some profit.

i always wait for the half price designer frames sale in boots. this time i was really lucky though as just before they were a year old i noticed the paint was flaking in places. took them back and they got me a new frame. they swapped them over and i went home and then realised the frame was bent as there was a gap between the frame and one lense i could get my nail through. took them back and while she was looking she noticed a scratch on one lense and said she would do the whole lot again for me under gaurantee! brand new glasses that will hopefully last a couple of years for free!

Sorry claire i went on a bit!!!!

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