Deposit Refunds

Dear Sasha,Thank you so much for your help in getting my deposit returned. You are such a kind and honest person, and I really appreciate how quickly everything was !Best,
Gordana

Hi Sasha, 
                I had Glasgow head office on the phone laying down the law on my £500 DEPOSIT refund, quoting T&C saying they would only give me £250 . 
I then told them that i had sent emails 2 days before but had no reply to date. 
He then asked who i send the emails to and i told him the names that Sasha gave me, he then put me on hold and came back with a completely different attitude and said he would call me back. 
He did call me back and i got a full refund thank you for all your help. 

Dear Sasha,

I'm reaching out because I need some help with getting my deposit back from Optical Express. I had an initial consultation at the Guildford branch on January 22, 2025, for possible laser eye surgery. After the consultation, the optometrist told me I wasn't suitable for LASEK and suggested Refractive Lens Replacement instead.

During the consultation, the optometrist only focused on the positive things, like no risks, 20/20 vision, and no cataracts in the future. But the risks weren't really explained. He told me that I would be able to use the computer 6 hours after surgery. The sales person told me that I would be able to go home alone on public transport and just to wear sunglasses.

The surgery was priced at £7,191 with a 10% discount included and the option to pay in instalments. I was really excited about the possibility of being free from glasses and contacts since I'm both short-sighted and long-sighted and already use multiple pairs of glasses and contacts.

I paid a £500 deposit and booked my surgery for March 3, 2025. But after a very fast virtual consultation with the surgeon, Sonya Mall, on February 18, 2025, my feelings about the whole thing changed. The session felt cold and impersonal, and the surgeon didn't give clear answers to my questions. She also mentioned risks like night glare and contrast issues, which weren't mentioned before. Most importantly, I felt like she didn't treat me as a person — just another case — and didn't seem to care about my concerns.

On top of that, she contradicted what I was told in the first consultation and said I'd need a week of rest after surgery, instead of just 6 hours, like they had originally said. With all this new info and the way the session went, I immediately started rethinking my decision.

After all of this, I contacted Optical Express to cancel my surgery. They told me I'd get £250 of my deposit back within 28 days. But it's been longer than that, and I still haven't received anything.

I feel I'm entitled to a full refund since I only cancelled after the consultation with the surgeon, and Optical Express hasn't followed their own policy by not refunding me within the promised 28 days.

Could you let me know how I can go about getting the full deposit back? I'd really appreciate your help.

Thanks so much for your time!

Gordana
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admin: Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi I have booked a date to get lens replacements and now after doing more research into Optical Express I have changed my mind and want my £500 deposit back. I also just found out someone i know had a settlement out of court from Optical Express and he has told me to cancel the operation. 
I went for my consultation on Tuesday 4th March at 3.00pm and felt i was forced into making the date of the 23rd March for the operation, also the Optometrist was wearing glasses which wasn’t much of a advert for Optical Express, the other thing was the surgeon Anne Marie Firan was coming up from Barnsley, so same again, if any thing was to go wrong she would be down south. Please can you help!
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admin: Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

dear Sasha, I can’t thank you enough! I had been struggling for ages to even get a reply from Optical Express, and within less than 24 hours of reaching out to her, Sasha got my full refund sorted. She's honestly a lifesaver, and I feel so lucky to have found her. If anyone is in a similar situation and needs help, I 100% recommend reaching out to her. She is pure magic! 🥰

Dear Sasha,
I hope you can help me with my situation as it is out of hand, and I have been completely deceived by Optical Express.
I initially went for a consultation at Harley Street where they ran tests and confirmed I was eligible for surgery. I was told I must pay a £500 deposit, and that I would receive a £600 discount, but this was confusing because I still had to pay the added £600 upfront, and told this would be deducted later.
I trusted them, even though their explanation didn’t seem clear, but I later found that my surgery email confirmation only mentioned a £500 deposit, with no record of the £1,100 total I had actually paid. My only proof of that payment is my bank statement.
After paying they told me I had to return because their machine wasn’t working, and they needed to complete a final test.
I went back the next day, but the machine was still not working. I had to come back a third time, and again, the machine still didn’t work. They then told me they would complete this final test on the day of my consultation with the surgeon.
On the day I met the surgeon, they finally ran the test and told me I was not eligible for surgery. At that point, they told me I would receive a full refund within 28 days.
I received only £500 back, and my £600 was withheld with no explanation. I sent multiple follow-ups and was completely ignored.
Eventually, I called and was told that £239.60 was deducted as an “admin fee” because I had seen the surgeon therefore they are willing to refund £360.40. This was never mentioned to me at any point before. If they had told me in advance, I would have never agreed to go through with it, since I had no choice but to see the surgeon only because they repeatedly failed to complete my tests earlier.
They refunded me only part of my money as if hoping I wouldn’t notice, and they only came up with this excuse after I kept pushing for my full refund.
I saw that you help people who have had similar experiences, and I truly hope you can advise me on what I should do next. I really appreciate any help you can offer.
Best regards,
Anatolijus B 

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admin: This company never fails to shock with their dishonesty and greed.
On the positive side, consider yourself fortunate to have been turned down for surgery, as you might then have been seeking help for your irreparably damaged eyes, instead of just a refund!
Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

I booked my surgery for February and paid a £500 deposit. After reading the awful reviews online and finding this forum, I cancelled this and requested a refund. OE told me I would receive £250 back and the other half could be used in store or if I wanted to book surgery again in the future! I got in contact with Sasha who has been absolutely phenomenal and helped me along the way to get this money back. I have now had the second half refunded, much quicker than the 28 days that they told me it would take. Thank you so so much Sasha, I’m so grateful for you and all the hard work you do. I hope people continue to find you before booking with these companies! 

I am left astounded at the level of dedication and hard work you put in every situation Sasha.
May you reach every height of success!
What a result helping me with my £500 deposit.
#GODSEND

Appreciation for Sasha's Support in Retrieving DepositI'd like to extend my heartfelt appreciation for the outstanding support I received from Sasha to reclaim my deposit. Sasha assisted me diligently from December 23rd to January 7th, a period commonly known as the busiest time of the year. Despite the high demands and pressures, her unwavering dedication and guidance were instrumental in steering me towards successfully recovering my full 's support included not only providing clear and detailed instructions but also offering timely follow-ups to ensure I stayed on the right path. I am extremely grateful for her assistance! Thank you, Sasha, for your exemplary support! 

Thank you so much Sasha. With your help I got a full refund within days instead of months and the whole matter is now behind me. Feels amazing to get away from this now and move on. 

Thank you again