Bailey Nelson Optics Reviews 

Their website mentions delivery in 10 to 12 business days…..reality is a set of excuses! First & last time buyer, avoid if you can !! This is for their NZ business but guess it’s the same everywhere.

Terrible terrible . 5 visits to get lenses that I could see with . Changed my frames to cheap rubbish but I had paid for expensive ones . Arms fell off repeatedly . Pretty shop , nice but very untrained staff . I have worn glasses for 45 years . Worst ever . Chadstone .

Albany NZ Branch. Place recommended by a friend so I went in today (29-5-23)with the intention of buying glasses. Was totally ignored by the only salesperson the whole time I was there. A customer came in from the back of the shop and was immediately attended to. I asked if he was the only worker on and that I was waiting for service too, the salesman said he was attending ‘to this gentleman here’. When asked ‘what about me?’ I was dismissed with another, ‘I’m working with this gentleman.’ After several attempts to engage him into some kind of professional discussion, ie when might I have service, he ended it by saying ‘Thank you for coming. Have a nice day.’ I said I’m leaving and I won’t be back, he again said ‘Thank you for coming. Have a nice day.’ Shocking, unprofessional service. I will never return.

I found the Botany Branch in Auckland excellent. Comprehensive professional examination, super fast arrival of both my contact lenses and my glasses and wonderful aftercare. Couldn't fault them, I highly recommend!

The exam itself was great, with really cool machinery and a very smart and attentive optician. The deals and glasses are good and I’m happy with the end result so far🤞 hopefully the glasses will last well. The shine came off the overall experience for me when it came time to buy the glasses and I’m offered paid extra. The same extras that brand messaging on the wall claimed was included as standard. Inconsistency between marketing and the actual offering irks me so hopefully they sort that out.

Albany branch NZ. Dreadful back up service.
Glasses so heavy an uncomfortable, nose pads dig in regardless of trying soft pads. Was not informed about glass thinning to make then lighter at time of ordering. Told unable to exchange for lighter frames without paying the $800 again. Would definitely recommend you go elsewhere. So disappointed.

Here to select frames only as prescription was done elsewhere. Both stores I visited, Malvern and Glen Waverley were most helpful when it came to choosing frames. The problem is with the fitting and lenses, my glasses literally fall off my head when I bend down and the arms jut out the back of my head, poking through my hair!!! The lenses are the worst quality lenses I have ever had from several optical stores, they take me at least 10 minutes to clean at a time, smudging continually throughout the process. My partners lenses are the same and even one of the employees at Bailey Nelson admitted to having the same problem. I have tried several types of cloth and the issue remains. Buyers beware, lenses are horrible.

Covent Garden London Branch. Great service, staff are really helpful. Choice of frames not available In UK Opticians, good to see some designer glasses.

I found the staff to be very friendly and professional, with a great selection and awesome deals. I especially enjoyed the amount of attention to detail that James has. He is very very good at making sure your glasses fit right

I am very disappointed with Bailey Nelson. I have been trying to get in contact with them regarding my glasses since early december and i never got an email back or a call back. I went in store and they said they do not deal with online orders and I have been stuck with the frame that doesn't fit my face and a prescription I am not sure fits either. Would not recommend at all.

I have worn glasses since around 2013 and worn BN frames since early 2019.

I have never written a negative review online, not even after heinously bad food poisoning, but to me glasses are a medical device first and foremost, and problems with them can really impact a person's day to day life, comfort, and even safety.

Here's why I won't be shopping with BN and will be warning friends against them the next time someone comments on my glasses:

**Hit or Miss On Getting What You Ordered** 

-When I ordered from one shop, I was told not to check back for my glasses--they'd call me. Two weeks went by, and when I called in, they told me my glasses had come in a week before, and no one had called. I was getting headaches in the meantime.

-Another time, my partner got the wrong frames ordered for him (not sure if it was an error on the staff input end or fulfilment end, but they were round instead of square, not easily confused). If they can’t get the frames right, what about (more importantly) the prescription for the lenses? All those lens coatings we pay extra for?

-Another time, my glasses showed up with a different metal arm colour than the ones I had ordered in the shop. I didn’t really mind, but if you're really particular about the look of your glasses, this might not be the brand for you.

**Hit Or Miss Product Knowledge**
I asked in the shop if a clip for a certain frame existed and was told no, but it was being prominently advertised online and another staff member confirmed this.

**Hit Or Miss Adjustments**
I have had to return to various BN stores multiple times for small adjustments on various glasses (nose pads, ear area curve), and find that how good the adjustments are really depend on which staff members are doing it.

After my 3rd adjustment to the "hook" area on the arm of one pair of frames, my glasses were painful to wear. This is the situation that made me stop being a customer:
-I have worn this frame model before with no issues.

-I asked in the shop if it was possible to *buy* a non-adjusted replacement arm for the frame (with the idea I could try to get it replaced and adjusted elsewhere versus dealing with more hit-or-miss adjustments), and was told no.

-I reached out online to see if I could get a new frame, not wanting to say the shop name or cause trouble for any one person, as I saw it as a training issue and not the store/staff member’s fault. This is also why I am posting on Trustpilot and not naming the location of the stores I have visited beyond the country.

- I wasn’t trying to get a freebie—I also happily offered to pay for a replacement frame out of pocket if it wasn’t covered under their replacement policy, to take to an independent optician for adjustment. But, though online support checked, the frame colour was discontinued because it was "limited edition", which I didn't know when I bought it.

-Online support referred me back to the shop where I had had the adjustment because they had my file, despite the fact that I no longer wanted to go somewhere that had adjusted my glasses in a painful way. Also I didn’t want to come off like some kind of Karen returning all the time for adjustments and bothering them--I knew the team member had done their best but it was not going to get better. Online support then looked at my purchase record and had the store call me anyways.

-Once the online support passed my case back to the shop, I was told that not all of the team members adjusting glasses are opticians, some have on-the-job training but more of a "sales focus". That's valid but, glasses are a medical device I need to see, so I’d prefer to know they are being adjusted by an expert.

-Despite the file being the whole point of online support bouncing me back to the shop, there were no notes about the adjustments made to my file. 

Since the frame I got was discontinued and can't be replaced, I will be taking this one to an independent eye shop to see what they can do, and may have to buy a new frame.

Overall it’s like fast fashion: cute styles, and affordable, but there isn’t always attention to detail in terms of customer care or fit, styles rotate and certain items can’t be replaced, re-bought, or sustainably repaired after sales etc, and staff can be either very experienced and knowledgeable or seemingly new/overly busy. 

If you know this going in, you might still have a good experience--staff in the stores I have visited are nice, and the ones with more experience are very skilled. But BN’s corporate policies and training have really harmed my trust because I never know if the experience will be great or terrible.

The icing on the cake was getting marketing content about a limited edition frame drop while I'm just out here trying to solve discomfort created by their adjustment process.

Note: I can't recall the exact date of experience, but it was late Jan 2023

Had an appointment at Burwood. When I book appointment we have been told that it will be Bulk billing but at the time of appointment the optometrist told us that there will be fees for eye examine. I found it's unprofessional and misleading information. It's such a waste of our day.

Went into the Bondi junction store this afternoon. Saw the frames I wanted and had my prescription ready to hand over. Money wasn’t any issues as it was an emergency. Waited for nearly 10 minutes without any acknowledgment or eye contact from the 4 staff members there. A caucasian guy walks in and gets served straight away with a “hello, how are you?” So I walked out. Approx 1650. Check me out on camera, I’m wearing a black polo and broken ray ban clubmasters.

Had a great experience with customer service at Bailey Nelson Canada. I wanted to cancel an order that had not been shipped, as I had realized I ordered the wrong glasses. They canceled and refunded me promptly.

Had my first ever eye test and purched a couple of pairs of vary focals from the Covent Garden store in June and now had three months to get used to glasses for the first time in my life.
Really happy with my whole experience with Bailey Nelson. From start to finish, they looked after me and, I felt, advised in a very considered way, no pressure.

I purchased 2 pairs. Sunglasses and regular glasses. Ordered glasses on Apr 19, 2022. Received beginning of May. By mid June both nose pads fell off. Also one lens has a scratch. I figured it could be replaced under a warranty. But no, it's going to cost me 130.00 out of pocket. I have had lenses replaced before. I am going to call my benefit carrier to tell them not to recommend Bailey Nelson.

The frame oxidized bad quality. Cheap but poor quality.

I would have given no stars but that is not possible. I purchased a pair of expensive frames from Bailey Nelson and they broke - the company refuses to repair or replace them. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY. Their products are cheaply made and do not last.

I have just picked up my 2nd pair of varifocals...very happy with them. The staff are lovely...special thanks to the lovely man who helped me choose frames...I asked him to be honest and he was. Its no good having someone who tells you they all look good when they obviously don't! Great range to choose from..many thanks

Amazing customer service, very responsive and helpful. great in shop experience also. Glasses are durable and stylish. very satisfied! (London)