Conways of Oxford

Very kind owner fixed my glasses in a few minutes.

Professional, efficient and friendly - highly recommended. Feel like you’re in excellent hands.

The shop sells some unique and well-designed frames that are not commonly found in other opticians particularly in Oxford area. The eye test is always done in a very thorough and highly professional way. These were the main reasons that I chose to have a new pair of glasses by Conways in Oxford. However, the entire experience was spoiled by two serious things. 1) Prices were agreed in good faith without a proper quote or invoice. Many of the frames were not priced at the time. Due to lack of any written agreement on the prices and total costs, I ended up paying more than agreed. But I accepted because I liked the new glasses very much. I would suggest the shop improving by having a clear and transparent pricing system. Some of the frames are apparently charged more than the listed prices from the manufacturers' website. 2) The waiting time was far too long. It took nearly 8 months to have the new glasses ready. There were all sorts of excuses to keep you wait. Conways is an independent optician and I would like to see it grow and prosper. But the shop definitely must improve their service particularly in pricing and in time keeping.

Friendly, knowledgeable, approachable staff. You feel in safe hands and that they know what they are talking about. Great place, especially following the revamp!

I've been a Conways customer for about 40 years and have always found them excellent. All the people I have seen over the years have been meticulously professional, experienced and with a great personal touch. Conways has the best collection of frames you could imagine, so there is something to suit everyone, and the advice is invaluable. They really care.

Great opticians: really experienced, friendly, welcoming and efficient, with a beautiful new refurb of the premises. They have a brilliant selection of frames with unusual and quirky ones, not just the standard black and tortoiseshell versions. Morgan is great at picking out the best specs, based on face shape and personality, so I’m really pleased with mine. It’s great to have a small business that can provide such high-quality personalised care.

It’s a pity I can’t give 0 stars! Took over 6 weeks to make a single pair of very expensive glasses. Repeated promises that they would phone me without a single phone call. I went into the shop on numerous occasions only to be lied to again and again. Was offered a pair of free reading glasses to apologise. After a month they were ready but the lens was “incorrectly positioned” so couldn’t use them. They sent them off after another two months I want to collect and yet again they are completely unusable. Basically this is an optometrist that cannot make glasses! I have just taken the unusable reading glasses and will get some professionals to make lenses for them. Especially at the price, a total scam!

My glasses were badly broken following a fall on defective Vale of White Horse District Council paving. Conway's cleaned up the lenses and provided a new frame (the old frame was not repairable, although they tried) efficiently, quickly and, cost effectively. I found all the staff very helpful and pleasant (especially Morgan who carried out the repair). [btw as far as I know I am not related to the Conways of Oxford.]

I endured 6 months of frustration with Conways. 3 sets of wrong lenses, an ill fitting frame, a fourth lens and frame delayed due to a “damaged grinder”! Plus multiple delays and implausible excuses. Enough was enough and got a full refund. Nevertheless after all this wasted time I had no functional glasses. I went to another Oxford optician (David Spicer) and within 6 days, I had frames that fitted and lenses that worked. Their approach was fundamentally different: precise measurements of both position of my eyes and the suitability of the frame and good communication. They were efficient and patient focused. I now have glasses that work and this highlights just how bad it had been throughout my contacts with Conways. A tale of two fundamentally different opticians!

I have dealt with Conway's for nearly 20 years and their professionalism and service always has been (and still is) second to none. Nothing is too much trouble and they put customer service before profit every time. My most recent experience was when I lost my glasses in a wood and then found them, somewhat dishevelled 6 months later. I took them into Conways where I expected Megan to pronounce them unrepairable. While I waited, Megan worked her magic and made them nearly as good a new. 'How much do I owe you', I enquired, 'nothing' came the reply. Customer service above and beyond.