First topic message reminder :

Hi Guys
I have to share this with you as I simply could not believe it myself. I need new specks and as you know these days they are not cheap, well mine are not as they have to be verifocal, thin and light, reactalight anti glare all singing and dancing It costs me a small fortune to get new ones. Tescos quoted me £390, Vision Express £385 My own opticians Hamilton Smith quoted me £520 then I tried Asda in Peterborough and they quoted me the following - with new frames and all of the above £139 Yes you read that right, I could not believe it - naturally I snapped that deal up Amazing or what!!! Plus while we waited we were given free drinks voucher - I know where we will be going from now on - so spread the word. Asda for Specs

Admin wrote:

I wonder if this on my front door would keep away unwanted callers

Already printed off a photo and put it at the top of the stairs. It will ward off any evil spirits

Admin wrote:

I wonder if this on my front door would keep away unwanted callers

Oh I say We have some smart asses on here today - Guess they ate their brussels for lunch than My little book is out now and that's two so called friends scrached out now. I know who my :: are. Just :Searching:for new one now

tonyb60 wrote:

Admin wrote:

I wonder if this on my front door would keep away unwanted callers

Already printed off a photo and put it at the top of the stairs. It will ward off any evil spirits

:Please:That's it WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jacqi give him clout round the ear please and make it a good one.

OMG I just showed Dougie the response and he said ' Excellent idea why didn't I think of that myself' Have to go now he needs hospital treatment :Great:Also have to make a few housecalls

We visited an opticians in Pavlikeni today where I had an eye test. We were quoted around 200 Leva a few weeks ago for lenses which would have been bifocals with reactalights. After the eye test we had a talk with the optician where she quoted me for English lenses or Italian ones and the price was 270 Leva for the Italian and 317 for the English. We thought that was certainly more than the 200 quoted and then we were told that was for each lense, so the total price would have been 580 Leva for the Italian and 674 Leva for the English which included the reactalights. Suffice it to say we will not be going back to that opticians again!!! I feel sure that BG's wouldn't pay that much for lenses even if they had the money, in Bulgarian terms that is more than an average months earnings.

On the other hand, if they don't dive or use a computer they can probably manage without!

Glad i splashed out on a spare set while I still had my discount card!

Equinus wrote:

On the other hand, if they don't dive or use a computer they can probably manage without!

Glad i splashed out on a spare set while I still had my discount card!

Oh yes, no car and no Internet, but they still have to count the sheep and the chickens every morning!!! So will you when you get here and how many Rakia's Dave has drunk!!

Berni, bought a pair like your last year and stopped wearing them after two months. I was looking over the top of them instead of through them.

John

I paid a fortune for glasses here in Bulgaria but I have a very dodgy right eye which is top of the range of lenses. The girl receptionist apologised for the cost and she was also surprised but she had a book with all the prices for lenses listed. A published book and not just a shop one. She showed me the price list. The lenses came from France and I chose quite expensive frames and they were bi-focals. I found they seemed very strong and made me feel a bit dizzy so I went to an English optician on a visit to check the prescription. It was absolutely correct and told that Britain no longer uses the French lenses. They told me it might be high blood pressure that was causing the dizziness and it was!

I really don't think you can compromise on glasses if you have a real problem. I managed for years in Greece with cheap but attractive reading glasses and was surprised to finally find how bad my sight was. Hence the Bulgarians struggling on or sharing glasses for reading! There are so many variables when needing glasses that I don't think you can say you were ripped off. The optical shops clearly show cases of glass frames from cheap to expensive and it is the lenses that cost!

Have had some problems with the new glasses. Firstly I had my eyes tested at Tescos then took my perscription to Asda and may more opticians Asda came out the best value for money at £139 for everything including the new frames -bargain. Waited about 7 days then got them but I could not see in the distances so they sent them off again and another 7 days came back this time I could not see close up so had them for a few hours but just could not get on with them - Went back to Tescos to check the perscriptions and they said all fine it is the alinement of the glasses. Went back to Asda they sent them away again (bear in mind this is the 3rd set of lenses now) they came back a few weeks later but no reactilight in them and I still could not see close up. So they were senting them off again for new lenses with reactilight and adjustments until I said why don't Asda do an eye test and then see if it is any different before we sent them off again. Booked in for eyetest and there is .5 difference between the tests plus as I left the new glases at home had to pick another frame slightly larger to accomodated the verifocals. Got my new glasses back and 4 sets of lenses later plus an new eye test and no cost to me, my new glasses are perfect and I can see. All thanks to Asda who went way out of their way to ensure they fixed the problem and the lovely lady said, it does not matter how long it takes as long as we get it right. So some nice chocolates and a thank you card on it way to this lovely Amanda at Asda

Brilliant story Berni - not only have Asda gone to all this trouble so that you can see properly, but they make you look younger as well!!

Glad you got sorted Oddball but I still think it was a lot of trouble to go to. Also, if we live in Bulgaria and need glasses we have to use the shops the Bulgarians use. I would personally never consider going to a supermarket or even Boots for an eyetest. The opticians I used in Britain did a thorough healthy eye test as well as the glasses prescription. They cleaned and checked my glasses and have everything on computer. Charming people and a smashing upmarket free coffee machine. Still, horses for courses I suppose. Oh and the cost of my new glasses in England was about the same as in Bulgaria.

oldun wrote:

Also, if we live in Bulgaria and need glasses we have to use the shops the Bulgarians use. Oh and the cost of my new glasses in England was about the same as in Bulgaria.

There doesn't seem to be much chance of buying specs here in BG and paying the same as the UK prices. My experiemce of being told that the price for new lenses would be 200 Leva, then having an eye test and being told that the price is really nearly 800 Leva has given me the feeling that it was part of a scam. Oh yes, 200 Leva seems a reasonable price, "
so lets have an eye at 20 Leva,"
which takes all of five minutes. The end result is that the optician had made 20 Leva from me and others for an eye test, because I didn't want the lenses I never got the test result either.

I cannot believe that the poorest country in the EU can charge three times the cost of buying specs in the UK, it deoesn't make sense to me and I can only believe that I was quoted nearly 800 Leva because I was English and "
we all have money."
Very despondent about it all now and will look forward to buying some when I am next in the UK.

Now now Itchy never give up my friend - where there is a will there is a way. So firstly look on the websites here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]? and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. You can email them your perscription also check if they deliver to BG but if not, you can send to family or friends in the UK and if that fails you can sent to me and I will send to you. Some of the glassed and lenses combined start from £27 has to be worth a shot.

oddball wrote:

Now now Itchy never give up my friend - where there is a will there is a way.

I won't be giving up Berni - but will look very closely at all costs here in BG with buying specs, after living in Turkey we have become extremely "
streetwise."