Optolabs (Bangalore) - Avoid Them. Review on Choosing Contact Lenses

Flashy advertisements, tall claims and rock bottom prices do attract everyone’s attention. Lured by such ads one may end up buying a highly inferior product which was not really required at that point of time.  One such ad. got my attention and eventually left me poorer by a couple of thousands.

Optolabs(Precision Optics) Bangalore, promised everything in their ads., that one wanted to read. Sample these – ‘Now the safety of your loved ones is just a matter of Rs.499/-; ‘International Quality, Complete Safe Eyes Spectacle’ includes Frame+ Lenses+ Eye Testing;  Riskless, Scratchless, Weightless,  etc., etc.,

Progressive spectacles carried a price tag of Rs. 1499, which was indeed very attractive. Although I was using progressive lenses made earlier from another optician I didn’t want to lose the chance of acquiring one more pair if I could get them for Rs. 1499. I visited Optolabs show room in Commercial Street, Bangalore.

First of all I was advised that Progressive Lenses costing Rs.1499 were the cheapest, hard lenses, and so, mediocre in quality. They showed me other products which ranged from Rs.3000 onwards and recommended that I buy one of those.(soft lenses).  I was not prepared to shell out this kind of money as I already owned a pair in good condition.  I was then shown what they called “Semi-Soft” lenses which were priced between Rs. 2000 – 3000.  I agreed to buy one of these.  I was asked to choose a frame. The glasses were ready after a few days.  The price was Rs.2420. This was in December 2004.

I started using this pair in Feb. 05 sparingly, as I was still using my old glasses.  Within a span of 3 months the lenses started getting smudged and cloudy.  Inspite of my best care the blurring got worse and vision through the middle portion became difficult.  A few weeks later the screws dropped and had to be refitted.  My troubles did not end here. The left stick got detached partially and began to hang like a fractured limb.  It was time to pay another visit to these “professionals.”

I explained my problem to the person in-charge and requested him to get the spectacles repaired.

His reply was incredible – they cannot repair the specs as the frame was given free of cost under some scheme.  He sounded as if I got the frame in charity.

I informed him about the smudging and blurred vision – he said it happens with everyone and  he can’t help it;

I told him that specs purchased three years earlier from adjacent optician were still in good condition in comparison to their product – he said he does not care what others are selling and that I should have gone there instead of coming to them.

I then asked him to get the specs repaired at my cost – he informed that the frame is not repairable as the spring inside is broken and the only thing I could do to salvage the lenses is to buy another frame and get the lenses fixed.  A second killing if I agreed.

What does all that mean?  It means their frames are of such  low quality that they are not repairable even by those who sell them.  In other words “Use & Throw.” You are lucky as long as they last.  Their lenses are  made of  very poor quality plastic  and nowhere near the over-blown  claims they make in their bombastic ads. They are peddling their substandard and shabby products to gullible customers who are snared by their ads., and opt for a cheaper version. It is true…when we buy expensive – we cry only once, but when we buy cheap – we cry forever.

At the end of the story(10 months) I am left with a pair of spectacles having blurred lenses and a broken frame; both these conditions cannot be corrected by the sellers.   The question is “Why do these cheats give out such cheap and inferior frames and say that they are given free of cost.  Granted they are free – why can’t the frames be repaired by them at customer’s cost?  Please remember, a customer is never told that these frames are not repairable once damaged.

Dear readers, please continue your association with your time-tested opticians. You will be safe. Do not get carried away by the low prices and fall a prey to the high-sounding gimmicks of such swindlers.  You will be a loser. Avoid Optolabs at all costs. As for me, I will proceed against them in Consumers Forum in due course.

Best regards

Arshad