Rawlings Opticians & Hearing Care - Caterham Reviews 118

It was the first time I used Rawlings in Caterham and found the staff very friendly, informative and listened to what I had to say.
I went there for ear wax removal and would recommend the service there.

I made an emergency eye appointment and the process was very smooth and prompt. David examined my eye and referred me to the hospital straight away, and I received a hospital appointment on the same day. They were very professional and provided excellent customer service. I strongly recommend them.

Always good service and helpful staff. Highly recommended.

Anjali was excellent she explained everything and also explained indepth the different level of lenses and advised us accordingly.

I would definitely recommend the Caterham branch as all the staff were excellent and I would also recommend my friend and family to go there.

Always a friendly and helpful greeting at the Caterham branch.
Recently had my annual eye test and was very pleased with all the thorough testing and very informative details I was given about my all round eye health.
Everyone's always very helpful ' thank you!

Eye test was thorough. All staff very pleasant and helpful. Very helpful with advice on spectacles.

I have been going to Rawlings for years first at Croydon and now at Caterham. At both locations, the team are extremely friendly and professional. The whole experience is an absolute delight and I would highly recommend to anyone needing an eye test or just fancies some new glasses.

I was very impressed with the lady who did my eye examination, she was very thorough and explianed both what she was doing and the result. She took the trouble after my appointment to follow up on my query about cataracts by contacting a friend of hers at Moorfields Hospital. The fitting of the glasses was also a very pleasant experience with help choosing the frames and a detailed examination about the fit etc. All Good.

I thought that I’d already posted this but you asked (again) so here it is:

I came to you to get measured up for new specs after a cataract op and a scleral lens fitting.
I am very well aware that I am a difficult case because of corneal scarring and I appreciated the time, care and patience taken by your optometrist in working with me.
When it came to looking at frames I used the expression “cheap and cheerful” but the cheapest that I was offered were £120 – the others were £180! As a pensioner I found this shocking – but needs must. I was also surprised that each lens was £96 – I am blind in one eye so one lens was purely a weight to balance the frame. This “pay per lens” is not something that I’ve ever experienced before in the 50 years of wearing specs - it’s always been “Lenses cost £XX” which doesn’t sound so bad. When I looked at the receipt I saw that I had paid for coated lenses at an extra £40 each – I don’t remember being asked but maybe I was – my bad.
The result was “cheap and cheerful” single-vision specs that cost £392 – by far the most expensive ones that I’ve ever had, including varifocals, reactolites and others.
The specs arrived very quickly but as soon as I put them on I knew they were not right. At all distances my eyesight was worse with them than without. The lenses agreed with the prescription and I was asked to persevere with them for a few days, which I did, and come back to be re-examined.
I did some testing with a collection of glass spectacle blanks that I have and found that the specs were hyperfocal on me – the focus was beyond infinity by 1 dioptre.
When I returned your optometrist examined me very thoroughly again, and agreed that the prescription needed changing – by slightly more than my estimation!

I am disappointed that I have been given no idea why this happened. Was this a change in my eye? And if so, is this something that can happen again? Or was this an optometry or transcription error, in which case was an apology appropriate?

But what disappoints me more than anything is the cost. Having said “cheap and cheerful” I am astonished that the price escalated so much. I came to you because I had been before just for the eye test and knew how thorough the optometrist was, and I expected to pay more than cheaper high street shops – but this is excessive.

My review: Top grade optometrists, very careful and thorough. An unexplained problem caused a requirement for my specs to be reglazed.
Prices only suitable for the very rich. No evidence that the higher prices give a better purchase.

I am hoping to win the £250 prize which will bring the cost of this experience down to an acceptable level.

Very smart premises . Calm atmosphere within the business. Very professional and informative staff . Optometrist explained everything succinctly. Most importantly , my vision has improved . Thank you.

Highly Professional

I’m always so impressed with this optician whenever I have any contact with them. This time I was greeted professionally, seen promptly and given great advice by the optician who spent time explaining everything to me. Everyone was really friendly and helpful and it was so interesting to see previous scans for comparisons. Excellent service altogether

Service was very professional, efficient, timely, friendly and painless. I was very happy with the outcome and the manner of the pleasant polite staff.

Jessica was friendly, helpful and professional when she carried out my hearing check-up. would highly recommend Rawlings for hearing aids.

I am having a problem with one of my existing hearing aid features (not supplied by Rawlings) and thought about making an early upgrade and joining their hearing plan, which offers good benefits at a reasonable monthly subscription. The information and recommendations I received was very helpful, with no pressure at all. All in a friendly and pleasant professional environment.

Rawlings is an excellent optician. Over nearly 30 years I have been a customer at 3 of their branches and all deliver the same high level of service - friendly and professional.

Now at Caterham branch I have just had my glasses and c/lens check and although a minor difference it wasn’t enough to change prescription (I feel some large ‘high street’ groups may have encouraged a change!)

Highly recommend!

Excellent service, as always, by the audiologist Ms Jessica Tovey

Great care! Friendly team.
And sorted out my new glasses easily! Great experience.

Well established & respected local company my appointment with the audiologist (Jessica Tovey) who was very professional & patient for my first hearing aid fittings.

I have been a customer of Rawlings for over 70 years.
I have normally visited my nearest branch once a year for a thorough check-up and find them conscientious, thorough, friendly and practical. Sometimes I need new glasses, but often they say that the difference since my last examination is insufficient to warrant changing them. On one occasion, I called into the branch because I was losing my vision entirely. They diagnosed a detached retina and made a hospital appointment for treatment immediately.