Specsavers Ireland vs. UK - ripoff!

Reesy

Bought glasses in Dublin - EUR 189 for glasses with a free pair. EUR 45 extra per pair for the antireflective coating.

The brother, who lives in Wales, admired my new glasses & took the product number off the frame and found that in UK, the same deal cost GBP 129 for the same 2 pairs... and GBP 30 only for antireflective coating. That's way more than the exchange rate of 86p to the euro.

If you get glasses from specsavers, buy them north of the border!

whippet

Reesy wrote: »

Bought glasses in Dublin - EUR 189 for glasses with a free pair. EUR 45 extra per pair for the antireflective coating.

The brother, who lives in Wales, admired my new glasses & took the product number off the frame and found that in UK, the same deal cost GBP 129 for the same 2 pairs... and GBP 30 only for antireflective coating. That's way more than the exchange rate of 86p to the euro.

If you get glasses from specsavers, buy them north of the border!

use your new glasses and start reading some of the multitudes of threads on here regarding the pricing differential between Ireland & the UK .... its not all black and white.

- Rents
- Rates
- Costs of Labour
- VAT rates
- electric
- heat
- Wage costs
- Administration costs
- Smaller market
- importation and distribution costs

All of these will have the impact on the price in ireland and likewise the UK costs will impact the price in the UK.

Ireland and the UK are to totally different markets with totally different market forces and thus will not have the same price.

PumpkinPie2

Ireland and UK might possibly be different markets (although I am not quite convinced by that old chestnut), however we are united in having access to the same poor quality frames from Specsavers.
I have been their customer for a number of years on the understanding that their frames are fairly rubbish but that they will patch them up when they fall apart, inevitably.
Last week they charged me €7 for replacing the arm on a pair of reading glasses I bought from them less than 2 years ago. The replacement does not even match!
Next time, I'll be buying a better quality frame elsewhere.:cool:

maxer68

Reesy wrote: »

The brother, who lives in Wales,

Ask your brother the following questions

How Much is he paid
How Much would he be paid here if doignt he same work. (probably 20% more)
How much does he pay in Tax
How much would he pay in tax here. (average 15% less than UK)
How much does he pay in council tax? (none here).
How much is his water artes? (none here yet)

That might answer the question of why retailers have to charge more in Ireland. - they pay a far higher rent, far far higher council rates (up to €50000 year for a standard sized shop in Dublin shopping centres - UK equiv would be less tha £15000), they pay higher wages and they pay higher emplyer prsi.

If all these taxes were loaded on the public here just like they do in the UK, I'm sure all prices could be the same.

PumpkinPie2

Pardon me for butting in...but the question to ask is: what is Specsavers profit margin in Ireland and the UK?
For example, Tesco's profit margin is Ireland is greater than that in the UK, so it would seem that all the costs they incur in Ireland do not stop them from making very large profits here.
So, if prices seem excessive on our little island, perhaps we could be forgiven for concluding that we are being ripped off...on the same principle that "if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck etc...":D

ejmaztec

PumpkinPie2 wrote: »

Pardon me for butting in...but the question to ask is: what is Specsavers profit margin in Ireland and the UK?
For example, Tesco's profit margin is Ireland is greater than that in the UK, so it would seem that all the costs they incur in Ireland do not stop them from making very large profits here.
So, if prices seem excessive on our little island, perhaps we could be forgiven for concluding that we are being ripped off...on the same principle that "if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck etc...":D

If the overheads are higher here, then the gross profit margins would have to be higher to compensate.

maxer68

PumpkinPie2 wrote: »

Pardon me for butting in...but the question to ask is: what is Specsavers profit margin in Ireland and the UK?
For example, Tesco's profit margin is Ireland is greater than that in the UK, so it would seem that all the costs they incur in Ireland do not stop them from making very large profits here.

The difference in Tesco net margin here v the UK is estimated at less than 0.5%. But because it is "higher" it meant the press were able to go to town on it. The actual fugures were 7.3% in Ireland & 6.9% in the UK.

Also you can't compare a giant grocery multiple who owns many of its own store or who would have extremely favourable rental terms with any developer against totally independent franchisees in prime locations. All specsavers stores are independent fanchisees.


As for the OP he/she was voluntarily fleeced. That anti-reflective glare covering is nonsense and makes the spectacles more difficult to clean for normal use. There is no need whatsoever for it for the normal person. That's an immediate saving of €90 and the OP was complaining about a €30 difference. (assuming it 2 pairs for €189)

CuppaCocoa

http://www.goggles4u.com/

Never pay full price for specs again!

rubadub

PumpkinPie2 wrote: »

what is Specsavers profit margin in Ireland and the UK?

And another question is what is the average margin for a company in this business in country A vs Country B, this goes for any item. If all the local Irish owned spectacle companies are charging €100 for glasses which are £10 in the UK, then they would be complete and utter idiots to charge the equivalent of £10 here, this is regardless of overheads and VAT, even if it costed far less to supply the item here any businessman with a ounce of cop on will look at what his competitors are charging -and not just blindly work off the same margin in all countries/regions.

tomdublin

whippet wrote: »

use your new glasses and start reading some of the multitudes of threads on here regarding the pricing differential between Ireland & the UK .... its not all black and white.

- Rents
- Rates
- Costs of Labour
- VAT rates
- electric
- heat
- Wage costs
- Administration costs
- Smaller market
- importation and distribution costs

All of these will have the impact on the price in ireland and likewise the UK costs will impact the price in the UK.

Ireland and the UK are to totally different markets with totally different market forces and thus will not have the same price.

But none of this explains the ripoff regarding contact lenses from that same company. Trying to order contact lenses on their UK website is impossible as they don't deliver to Ireland. If you order on the Irish website identical lenses cost between 40 and 60 % more. This has nothing to do with higher costs as postage to the two countries is pretty much the same and they are presumably shipped from the same place in the UK. They simply charge these prices because they get away with it.

rubadub

tomdublin wrote: »

But none of this explains the ripoff regarding contact lenses from that same company.

It can explain why there might be a lack of competition, which is one of the main reasons for the high price.

As always in these threads they only compare the company with what they charge in the UK. They stick their head in the sand and refuse to look at what the local competition charge.

tomdublin wrote: »

They simply charge these prices because they get away with it.

+1, and as I said they would be utter idiots not to.

keithclancy

Reesy wrote: »

Bought glasses in Dublin - EUR 189 for glasses with a free pair. EUR 45 extra per pair for the antireflective coating.

The brother, who lives in Wales, admired my new glasses & took the product number off the frame and found that in UK, the same deal cost GBP 129 for the same 2 pairs... and GBP 30 only for antireflective coating. That's way more than the exchange rate of 86p to the euro.

If you get glasses from specsavers, buy them north of the border!

Here you go without bringing the Conversion rate into it:

Ireland: 129 euros
http://www.specsavers.ie/glasses/mens-glasses/abel/

Netherlands: 139 euros
http://www.specsavers.nl/brillen/modern/abel/

Ireland: 189 euros
http://www.specsavers.ie/glasses/modern/j.c.-02/

Netherlands: 169 euros
http://www.specsavers.nl/brillen/modern/j.c.-02/

Ireland: 149 euros
http://www.specsavers.ie/glasses/modern/f.c.-96/

Netherlands: 169 euros
http://www.specsavers.nl/brillen/modern/f.c.-96/

Its just the way companies price things per market, some items sell better than others.

tomdublin

rubadub wrote: »

It can explain why there might be a lack of competition, which is one of the main reasons for the high price.

As always in these threads they only compare the company with what they charge in the UK. They stick their head in the sand and refuse to look at what the local competition charge.

+1, and as I said they would be utter idiots not to.

Yes but it also has to do with passive Irish consumers who are willing to pay these prices. If you go to getlenses.ie and several other websites you can buy contact lenses at roughly UK prices, it really just takes a bit of searching.

aujopimur

Specsavers would sell glasses to a blind man.

sandin

Looking at the 2 sites, the difference is quite small and on one day acuvues, the Irish site is about 25% cheaper.

comparison

one day acuvue 90 day supply, UK £120 (€159 incl extra vat), Ireland €120
Ciba Vision Daily, IK £87 (€117 incl extra vat), Ireland €125

Coopervision frequency monthly £28.50 (€38 incl extra vat) Ireland €40

Mostly the difference is about 5% and that is probably explained by shipping costs. Whereas one day acuvue are made in Ireland and hence are more expensive than UK.

ejmaztec

Should have gone to Vision Express.

tomdublin

Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism 3 month supply

Specsavers UK site: 46.00 Pounds

Specasvers Irish site: 75 Euro

There is no VAT on glasses or contact lenses in either country as far as I know so that doesn't help explain the difference

keithclancy

tomdublin wrote: »

Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism 3 month supply

Specsavers UK site: 46.00 Pounds

Specasvers Irish site: 75 Euro

There is no VAT on glasses or contact lenses in either country as far as I know so that doesn't help explain the difference

Nope, Normal rate of VAT (23%) applies on contacts and spectacles in the Republic:

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/rates/decision-detail-00619.jsp
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/rates/decision-detail-00940.jsp

sandin

tomdublin wrote: »

Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism 3 month supply

Specsavers UK site: 46.00 Pounds

Specasvers Irish site: 75 Euro

There is no VAT on glasses or contact lenses in either country as far as I know so that doesn't help explain the difference

vat @20% uk, vat at 23% Ireland.

Yes - this is one price anomaly in favour of the UK site and likewise, the acuvue daily shows a similar price anomaly in favour of the Irish site.

rubadub

tomdublin wrote: »

that doesn't help explain the difference

You have already explain the reason for difference in prices!

tomdublin wrote: »

They simply charge these prices because they get away with it.

It would be very strange to expect the same market demands in different countries/regions. So people should be pointing out and/or questioning oddities like when product ARE the same price. Not when they are different, which is the expected norm.

tomdublin

rubadub wrote: »

You have already explain the reason for difference in prices!

It would be very strange to expect the same market demands in different countries/regions. So people should be pointing out and/or questioning oddities like when product ARE the same price. Not when they are different, which is the expected norm.

It has nothing to do with basic market demand (optical products are a necessity for those who need them in either country). It's a problem of Irish consumers somehow being so passive/ill-informed/complacent that they allow themselves to be ripped off without much resistance. It's exactly the same with the supermarkets, pharmacies, dentists, GPs, the semi-state energy suppliers etc where Irish prices are phenomenally above those in almost every other European country. There is a strange culture of acceptance and passivity here. The other problem is that various governments have traditionally favoured suppliers over consumers and shied away from effective counter-measures such as facilitating parallel imports, cracking down on price cartels and rigged supply chains, and strengthening consumer protection legislation.

keithclancy

tomdublin wrote: »

It has nothing to do with basic market demand (optical products are a necessity for those who need them in either country). It's a problem of Irish consumers somehow being so passive/ill-informed/complacent that they allow themselves to be ripped off without much resistance. It's exactly the same with the supermarkets, pharmacies, dentists, GPs, the semi-state energy suppliers etc where Irish prices are phenomenally above those in almost every other European country. There is a strange culture of acceptance and passivity here. The other problem is that various governments have traditionally favoured suppliers over consumers and shied away from effective counter-measures such as facilitating parallel imports, cracking down on price cartels and rigged supply chains, and strengthening consumer protection legislation.

Nah, its the exact same here in the Netherlands.
In fact, I usually buy all my clothes in Ireland/The UK because its a bit cheaper.

sandin

tomdublin wrote: »

It has nothing to do with basic market demand (optical products are a necessity for those who need them in either country). It's a problem of Irish consumers somehow being so passive/ill-informed/complacent that they allow themselves to be ripped off without much resistance. It's exactly the same with the supermarkets, pharmacies, dentists, GPs, the semi-state energy suppliers etc where Irish prices are phenomenally above those in almost every other European country. There is a strange culture of acceptance and passivity here. The other problem is that various governments have traditionally favoured suppliers over consumers and shied away from effective counter-measures such as facilitating parallel imports, cracking down on price cartels and rigged supply chains, and strengthening consumer protection legislation.

Problem is, you'll believe anything you read in hysterical red tops and not do any checking yourself
Pharmacy - the majority of prescription drugs are now sold at the EU average. (there is a specific calculation)
GPs - average price is €50, which surprisingly is similar to many European countries when you exclude subsidies.
Supermarkets - on average, there's no difference, hence very few southern shoppers in Newry these days.
Electricity - sorry, but ESB domestic tariff is in the LOWER half of eu prices. (eurostat)

But if you think the UK is so brilliant, move there. There's nothing to stop you. (don't forget to pay £2700 av council tax + £400 water charges, + higher fuel bills, + higher income tax, + higher electricity bills etc etc)

davo10

Don't forget benefits higher here and £9000 university tuition fee per student in UK, average student debt per student expected to hit £53.000 in coming years

tomdublin

sandin wrote: »

Problem is, you'll believe anything you read in hysterical red tops and not do any checking yourself
Pharmacy - the majority of prescription drugs are now sold at the EU average. (there is a specific calculation)
GPs - average price is €50, which surprisingly is similar to many European countries when you exclude subsidies.
Supermarkets - on average, there's no difference, hence very few southern shoppers in Newry these days.
Electricity - sorry, but ESB domestic tariff is in the LOWER half of eu prices. (eurostat)

But if you think the UK is so brilliant, move there. There's nothing to stop you. (don't forget to pay £2700 av council tax + £400 water charges, + higher fuel bills, + higher income tax, + higher electricity bills etc etc)

Don't even know where to start... my GP charges 60 Euro per 10 minute appointment, which gives her an annual income of almost a million and is way way way above what any GP anywhere else in the EU gets. In countries with social insurance systems GPs typically can still charge as much as they want but their earning potential is basically capped as insurance companies will only pay a certain amount (usually around 15-25 Euro per appointment). Irish supermarket food prices are the highest in the EU after Denmark and Luxembourg, not to mention dentists and on and on and on...

rubadub

tomdublin wrote: »

There is a strange culture of acceptance and passivity here.

It will change from country to country, that's what I really meant by changes in market demands, rather than number of people per capita who require a product. If you are in a country with no culture of looking for bargains you can get away with charging more, if there is a difference in available competition it will help, e.g. if you are selling here and know that many online sellers do not sell to this country then you have less competition than you would if selling in the UK.

tomdublin wrote: »

my GP charges 60 Euro per 10 minute appointment, which gives her an annual income of almost a million and is way way way above what any GP anywhere else in the EU gets

What do you reckon most GPs get? I would like to see that same strange calculation done backwards.

davo10

Tom if you begrudge your GP his/her fees, you can always do what he did, go back to school, sit the leaving cert and get results in the top 1%, apply to Uni, study for 6 years, run up huge student debts, do your internship then hope you are one of the lucky few you get on a GP scheme, open a clinic and wait for years to build up a patient list or buy in to a practice by paying an enormous fee and then after all that, you too can charge €60 to provide diagnosis/advice/treatment which will help ill people get better and often save lives.

Simples really, don't know why more people don't do it.

ejmaztec

davo10 wrote: »

Tom if you begrudge your GP his/her fees, you can always do what he did, go back to school, sit the leaving cert and get results in the top 1%, apply to Uni, study for 6 years, run up huge student debts, do your internship then hope you are one of the lucky few you get on a GP scheme, open a clinic and wait for years to build up a patient list or buy in to a practice by paying an enormous fee and then after all that, you too can charge €60 to provide diagnosis/advice/treatment which will help ill people get better and often save lives.

Simples really, don't know why more people don't do it.

Or do what increasing numbers of cash-strapped people are doing now, i.e. suffer in silence and hope that whatever's wrong isn't serious.

sandin

tomdublin wrote: »

Irish supermarket food prices are the highest in the EU after Denmark and Luxembourg,.

as I said - move to the other great countries. Nothing stopping you.

BTW - the supermarket survey you are quoting was based on prices taken in February 2011 and also showed the difference between Ireland, France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, & Norway was a mere 3%. (113% of average - 116 of average) The UK scored 104% of average, but sterling/euro rate at the time was 93p - if the survey was done today, the Uk would rank more expensive than Ireland.


As for the GP - plenty charging €50 or less and there are now some GPs offering annual fees for familes for unlimited trips - if you don;t look for the lower prices, you won't get them.

tomdublin

What do you reckon most GPs get? I would like to see that same strange calculation done backwards.

60 Euro for a 10 min appointment is 360 Euro an hour, 14,400 a week (assuming she works 40 hours a week) and 691,200 a year (assuming she takes a 4 week holiday). That's gross income and she will have some expenses but these are probably pretty minimal by comparison.

tomdublin

rubadub wrote: »

It will change from country to country, that's what I really meant by changes in market demands, rather than number of people per capita who require a product. If you are in a country with no culture of looking for bargains you can get away with charging more, if there is a difference in available competition it will help, e.g. if you are selling here and know that many online sellers do not sell to this country then you have less competition than you would if selling in the UK.


What do you reckon most GPs get? I would like to see that same strange calculation done backwards.

60 Euro for a 10 min appointment is 360 Euro an hour, 14,400 a week (assuming she works 40 hours a week) and 691,200 a year (assuming she takes a 4 week holiday). That's gross income and she will have some expenses but these are probably pretty minimal by comparison.