Specsavers commissions quality study for glasses purchased from various optician stores

Technical Research Centre of Finland finds no significant differences in quality of tested eyewear

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There are no great differences in the quality of eyeglasses sold by different opticians. This is the finding of a study conducted by The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) and its Swedish counterpart SP.
      The study was commissioned by the British optician chain Specsavers, which landed in Finland a couple of years ago, sparking a fierce price war in the field.
     
VTT sent four test buyers to outlets of the three largest spectacles dealers in Finland, namely Instrumentarium, Silmäasema, and Specsavers. The researchers, who acted as buyers, were allowed to decide independently on the branch and the time of purchase and the test was kept secret from the staff of the outlet in question.
      Each one of the four researchers acquired prescription lenses according to their personal dioptre strength requirements fitted into a frame of their choice with the best possible anti-scratch and anti-reflection treatments.
     
In other words, twelve pairs of spectacles in all, some with metal some with plastic frames, were included in the study.
      The glasses were then tested at a SP laboratory in Sweden for optical performance and mechanical durability.
      Also, it was verified that the test buyers had been given lenses of the correct strengths.
      “The differences were so small that from the consumers’ point of view all the tested pairs of spectacles can be considered to be of good quality”, the VTT report concludes.
      Specsavers have commissioned similar quality tests in other Nordic Countries as well. Sixteen optician chains in all have been included in such studies. The results have been analogous to those achieved in the VTT test.
      According to Specsavers country manager for Finland Pekka Happonen, the test proved that the claims that there are huge quality differences between lenses and frames purchased from different shops are untrue.
     
Earlier this year, Specsavers complained that opticians writing prescriptions had urged the customer to buy a particular brand or had directed them to a specific outlet in one out of ten cases, allegedly on the grounds that the customer would buy quality lenses.
      The company has claimed that its arrival on these shores and the obvious increase in competition has led to other stores using unhealthy trading practices to defend their position.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Recession troubles Finland´s opticians, already embroiled in price war (29.4.2009)

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