OK long saga.
Starts with an email offering me a discount on designer glasses, cool I'll check it out.
So I find branded frames that one would expect to be a designer range … of course not at BUPA. Oh no, the designer range is special.
Now the coupon said a discount on any over $200. The designer range starts at $500, so the first bit of misleading marketing.
So I abandoned that plan and wanted to use a $50 voucher they'd sent me as well.
So I just needed these for reading the PC screen late at night. To that end, I can't see them, the computer doesn't care and no one else sees them. This meant I could go for the cheapest that fitted.
I go to the rack that says “From $150 including single vision lenses”.
I find a nice pair with a sticker that says $150.
Furthermore, I go to order and things go bad.
First up they try to upsell on a whole range of extras that more than double the price, NO, THANKS.
Then I go to pay, what I expected was $150 less my $50 coupon … oh NO, not in BUPA maths.
The $150 frames become $50 member price and then there is a special grind charge of $150 … WTF.
I did not ask for or was never offered any special grind and to this day have no idea what it means.
I fought with BUPA and threatened to take them to FT, they refunded the overcharge.
However, they refuse to speak tome and refuse to take ownership of what is clearly a bait and switch practice.
Outcome
1) I will raise this with FT and hopefully the ACCC can look into them.
2) I will NEVER go to BUPA optical again.
3) I recommend you go to spec savers or others, remarkably $149 glasses are $149 … it'll never catch on.

BUPA are nothing more than money grubbing machine no longer interested in member welfare.
I've been with them here and overseas for over 25 yrs and this is how they treat loyalty.

Approximate cost: $150

Staff were very efficient and discovered that I am squinting when using both the computer even when zoomed to 110% and when watching TV. I can't have bifocals I have to have a prism because of floating vision in my left eye and it makes the lenses too thick and they rub against my eyelashes. I chose more expensive frames because I constantly take them off and put them back on.

Approximate cost: $250.00 gap