My wife and I are both extremely happy with Specsavers - any problems have been solved quickly and painlessly. A friend, who uses the samr branch as us, was not happy with her service; it could be that she complained to us rather than Specsavers.
Having said that, Specsavers are franchises, so you might get better service in one branch than another. I don't know about Vision Express but someone I used to work with was not happy with them.
As said, it all depends on the branch, I know of several people who were unhappy with both in one town, but local to home I have heard good reports.
You need to ask friends/neighbours/colleagues in your area.
Boots! Been going to Specsavers for years but lately have found them to be too 'factory' like. Boots are more one on one, a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for,
After getting lost in reviews online... they seem very mixed. I would say it comes down to the individual branches but on a whole, specsavwrs seems most cost efficient and vision exspress Seems most time efficient
spathiphyllum, as a whole. Thanks for all the responses, it seems to be pot luck for any provider in any town. I asked as I'd had a bad experience in Specsavers, but it seems others are no better. I'll probably stick with them for continuity.
Bradley - just be aware that if you go to a different branch of Specsavers they won't have any access to the records from the other branch. eg, the photo they took of your retina last time will not be available for comparison.