Gibsonsyme Reviews 7

I have been going to this optician for a good few years now and any problems that I have had have always been resolved very quickly.
The staff have always been very polite and helpful to me and they have a good selection of frames as well
so thanks for your services.
Susan Gibson

Despite many years going here, i was never informed of the importance of wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes if you have cataracts, which i had. Sunglasses also help protect against macular degeneration apparently. The professional experts failed to deliver advice which could have protected my eyes as i got older. I phoned this morning to discuss this new information as i now have both connditions. i received (from a neighbour!!). I was met with a rather bland apology from the manager, who said it was not really in his field of expertise.... I asked why their team did not inform clients. He said he didn't know why not.

While the end product was acceptable, my experience at Gibson & Syme was far from the glowing reviews I had read online, and certainly did not live up to their director's claim of offering a "premium service." Upon entering the empty store, I was met with disinterest from the staff. I was given a cursory tour of the men's frames and left to my own devices for half an hour. The transaction felt impersonal, lacking any advice or personal touch – a far cry from the "healthcare" focus they profess, especially considering the price point.
My main frustration lies with the post-purchase service. Despite being promised a week's turnaround, it took 12 days to receive my glasses after two phone calls to chase them up. The lack of communication and proactive updates left me feeling neglected, raising questions about the "premium" nature of their service, especially for a £400 investment.
Ultimately, Gibson & Syme provided a functional product, but the lacklustre customer service and frustrating delays leave me unable to recommend them, especially if you're seeking the "premium" experience they advertise and are willing to pay a premium price for it.

I love using this optician for dispensing my specs. The staff are friendly, efficient and knowledgeable, the service is quick and the dispensing is well done. It is shedloads cheaper than my regular optician!

Quick service; Good advice;

Excellent service , my glasses needed repaired and I was impressed by the efficient and helpful staff especially as I was a walk in .They fixed my specs and also whilst trying them on checked and made a slight adjustment all in under 15 minutes . My grateful thanks to the team .

Lenses in Glasses is affiliated with or a subsidiary company to Gibson & Syme. This review concerns a negative experience with the co-founder of Gibson & Syme: David Syme.

On 22 Aug 2023, I raised some of my confusion/concerns with the Lenses in Glasses promo for the "free" enhanced hydrophobic coating upgrade. Combined with this promo, I did not know which lens option would offer the best value for money. I also was not sure I would be eligible for the promo because it would expire in 10 calendar days, which I now realise is an urgency/scarcity tactic by this rubbish company.

To ensure Lenses in Glasses received my glasses as soon as possible, I intended to use postage stamps to upgrade the delivery to Special Delivery 9am. However, the shipping box provided by Lenses in Glasses is too small for their own returns label and too small for more than a few stamps. This meant I had to pay over £20 for my delivery even though I had the necessary stamps for the postage upgrade. The choice of shipping box that Lenses in Glasses sends is therefore inadequate, not least because their own returns label sticker does not fit in one seamless placement.

When I raised the concerns/issues in a formal complaint on 23 Aug 2023, I gave more details about my issues with the website's presentation of information and my overall customer experience/journey.

I received a reply the following day, on 24 Aug 2023, from one "Tracey".

Tracey rejected my request to raise a formal complaint. This was because they thought my opinions were exclusive to me. This is a first for a company rejecting a complaint for that reason.

Tracey also made multiple references, AKA deflections, to the positive experiences of other customers. It was unclear why Tracey could not treat me as an individual, given that I had already made Lenses in Glasses aware of my autism. Autism is a disability and a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Overall, Tracey's response, sent on behalf of Lenses in Glasses, was unprofessional and even immature in parts.

When I replied, I made it clear that it was not right for Tracey/Lenses in Glasses to:

- reject my formal complaint
- make repeated references to other customers' experiences
- fail to treat me as an individual
- fail to recognise and consider my neurodivergence
- fail to consider and respond to my genuine concerns/feedback in a professional and pragmatic manner

Tracey could have clarified at least one thing: the best value lens option to combine with the promo. But they did not do this, presumably because there was no genuine interest in helping me.

I asked for my complaint to be escalated to Tracey's supervisor "so I can proceed with my lens order and the formal complaint without further barriers or confusion".

On 25 Aug 2023, Lenses in Glasses returned my unserviced glasses with a letter from one "David Syme". Syme is the owner/founder of Gibson & Syme (formerly SpectaclesDirect), which owns Lenses in Glasses.

In the letter, in which my name was spelt incorrectly, Syme wrote blanket statements such as, "We greatly value your feedback" and "Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and I assure you that we take your concerns seriously."

Syme also referred to me as a "valued customer". Syme wrote of their intent to make my experience with Lenses in Glasses a "positive one".

At the end of the letter, Syme wrote, "Please also accept our apologies for returning your glasses undone but we would be unable to fulfill this order in time for your holiday dates provided."

Syme did not write any instructions, advice or next steps on what to do about my needed lens change. So it's clear Lenses in Glasses and/or David Syme has tried to refuse service to me without explicitly stating so.