Supermarket optician Tesco has been forced to remove a social media advert that compared the cost of its eye tests with a tin of its own brand 24p baked beans.
The advert was posted on the multiple’s Twitter and Facebook accounts on April 11 to widespread social media condemnation. It was removed shortly after.
Pat Cameron Davies, secretary of the Association of Independent Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (AIO) told Optician that the organisation was sickened and disappointed that anyone deemed the value of an eye test to be lower than a can of beans and said that it could be the supermarket’s ‘Ratner’ moment.
‘One of AIO's major ongoing campaigns is to try and stop any optical outlet not only misleading the public but also demeaning our professional worth by offering “free eye tests.”
‘The only professional way forward is to charge realistic fees for all our services which must include a full ocular examination,’ said Cameron Davies.
A Tesco spokesperson told Optician: ‘Providing free eye tests is an important part of our opticians service and our social media post aimed to highlight this. Following a very small number of complaints we removed the post immediately. It was never our intention to cause any offence.’
A change.org initiative petitioning Tesco Opticians to remove the advert from social media channels was also created.
