Review of Optical Express UK
Felt trapped by an appointment. Went on site to book an initial appt to enquire about laser eye surgery, was offered next day appt at 11:05. They wanted a a ?50 hold on a card, okay, so I booked. The purpose of the appt (according to their site) was to find out what the process is, how it all works. I thought it was either an online appointment, or a telephone call. I received a call shortly after from a call centre, informing me that it was an in-person appointment (with no address provided at the time of booking) and that it would last for an hour-and-a-half (also not disclosed at the time of booking). This information was given in the follow up email (sent after I had committed to the a ?50 fee if I didn't attend or if I rescheduled). I complained to the call centre person when they told me this and the reply was 'terms and conditions..' and 'you were sent an email...' Yes, but AFTER I had booked and committed a ?50. If I had known this, I would have booked at the end of the day or at the weekend. They provided a number to customer services and I was able to cancel the appt as I was in the cooling off period (same day). I asked her to add these key details to the website at the point of just prior to booking. I hope they do. If they made people select a branch, it would indicate that it's an in person appt. 90 mins is not a lunch time pop in, it's a proper scheduled appt that requires time off work. They agreed to cancel my appt, but they have lost a customer, I felt trapped and I won't use them now because of this. Pity. Edit: They have since explained that location usually does pop up, (but it didn't for me on this occasion). And they did release the charge, and I appreciate the response, so upgrading the star review.
Hi Marie,Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your recent experience left you feeling misled and disappointeda€”thata€™s never how we want a prospective patient to feel when engaging with Optical Express.We appreciate your concerns and absolutely understand the importance of clear and timely communication, especially around appointment format, duration, and the a ?50 no-show policy.However, wea€™d like to clarify that when using our direct online booking platform, patients are in full control of their booking journey. After entering a postcode, the system displays the closest clinics and a list of available appointment dates and times, allowing you to select the option that suits you best. Before confirming the appointment, the website clearly states the need for a card to secure the booking and explains that a a ?50 fee will only apply in the case of no-shows, cancellations, or reschedules within five days. This message appears both at the point of appointment confirmation and again on the payment details page.We appreciate that even with these steps in place, the process still felt unclear in your experiencea€”and we take that seriously. Your suggestion to make the in-person nature and length of the appointment even more prominent during booking is a valid one, and we have shared this with the relevant teams for review as part of our ongoing improvements.We're pleased to hear that your appointment was cancelled without issue, but wea€™re genuinely sorry to have lost your interest as a result of this experience. Should you ever reconsider, we would be glad to provide a more positive and clearly communicated introduction to our services.Kind regards,Optical Express