I tried to cancel my contract for contact lenses after laser surgery
In July 2011 I signed a £13 direct debit with Specsavers for monthly disposable contact lenses, which I thought was an excellent service. In the summer of last year I rang them to cancel the direct debit as I was getting my eyes lasered. I also needed to return the spare lenses I'd already been sent.
But when I went into the store in Sheffield where I had originally signed the direct debit, the staff found that something was amiss. I later got a call to say that, due to an administrative error, they had failed to debit any money from my account and I was told to contact someone at the Sheffield store. When I tried this I was told someone would get back to me, but they never did, and I assumed they must have decided that the issue wasn't worth pursuing.
I have had no correspondence with Specsavers since, except for regular postal reminders that my eye check is overdue, until I got a letter from a debt collector demanding £143, including extra costs.
I am furious with Specsavers for selling on my "debt" and handling this matter so badly, when I was fully prepared to arrange payment with them, in spite of this being their mistake. JG, Sheffield
Given its size we get very few complaints about Specsavers, which is just as well as we have found this firm as difficult to deal with as you. Specsavers HQ's attitude has been one of it not being its fault, even though its staff and systems appear to have failed all the way along. It claims it wrote to you several times asking for the money to be repaid, but you say these letters didn't arrive. Neither staff or head office appeared to know what the other was doing.
Eventually, after some testy exchanges and far too long a period of time for a relatively small sum, the press office finally got its act together. It has now asked Capitol Collections to waive the £15 admin fee and has reduced the debt by £50, leaving an outstanding balance of £80, which you are happy to pay. Let's hope that is the end of the matter.
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