Underwood Opticians

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Reviews

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  Tinkerbelle22

  Cant recommend Underwood Opticians enough! I was in desperate need for a repair to my glasses today, (without them im as blind as a bat) Im normally a client at their Bedford Place branch, to be honest i wasnt even aware that they had more than one branch but it was a nice surprise in my hour of need, they were able to offer me an appointment this morning and hey presto fixed my speccies!! Thank you so so much! Super friendly and helpful as always <3

  28-02-2023
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  Adam Sideserf

  Avoid at all costs! As a local Chandler's Ford resident, I was keen to explore independent options for opticians. I especially feel that it is important to support local businesses in the current economic climate, so naturally, I was thrilled when I learned about Underwood Opticians located relatively on my doorstep. Unfortunately, I was soon disabused of any notion of fortuity which quickly turned into a nightmare. I made a call into the Chandler's Ford branch and as a first-time client was surprised to learn that I could book in an eye test appointment at relatively short notice. When I arrived for my appointment, I was shuffled into what I can only describe as a cupboard under the stairs with a myriad of antiquated-looking machinery cluttering up the room. The appointment felt hurried and we didn't conduct a field sight test. When I enquired about a glaucoma test, I was rebuffed and told that glaucoma was extremely rare in anyone under the age of 40 and therefore, I wouldn't need to test for this. This is despite me informing the optometrist that my father is currently being treated for glaucoma and my grandmother has advanced glaucoma. Despite all of this, I completed the tests to the best of my ability, whereupon I was informed that I would need a slight prescription. I was taken out to the main reception and left with the receptionist who didn't really seem particularly interested in engaging in discussions around eyewear. I was charged the princely sum of £40 for the eye test, which I didn't appreciate at the time is a lot of money for an eye test. I paid and then left. The next day, I reviewed my prescription and looked at some options online. Based on feedback and reviews, I settled on ordering with Glasses Direct. Despite the Underwood opticians' writing being pretty tricky to read, I inputted my prescription into the order form online and submitted my order for a couple of pairs of glasses. A week or so later, the glasses arrived and unfortunately, they were simply not fit for purpose and it was apparent that the prescription was wrong. I verified with Glasses Direct that the prescription that they had given me was correct, so my next step was to call Underwood Opticians to clarify that I had read their prescription correctly. This was a difficult experience from the first call as even the staff struggled to read their own prescription. They did offer to call me back following a conversation with the optician who issued the prescription, which they duly did and confirmed that what I had understood as the prescription was indeed correct. From there, I was keen to explore the next steps and what the potential for a retest was, as it appeared that the prescription that I had been issued was fundamentally wrong. I was told that the problem was with Glasses Direct (or whoever the supplier of the glasses was) and they could not take responsibility for an incorrect prescription. Following some back and forth with the owner, Mr Underwood, I was told that I would have to pay again for any retests and that is standard practice as per the College of Optometrists and their policy. I had hit a brick wall with Underwood, and it definitely felt like that in terms of the customer experience. My only option was to pay another £40 for a test that may or may not provide me with the correct prescription this time. Ultimately, I decided that I wasn't prepared to take my total spent to £80 and to take another risk with Underwood Opticians, and frankly, I was at this point feeling less than charitable towards them after that awful experience. Underwood treated me terribly and hid behind the College or Optometrists 'standard practice'. They are a cowboy outfit operating on a wild west tariff…. avoid them at all costs!

  30-12-2022