I have a pair of Chanel sunglasses (not my only pair, I might add, but it’s a weakness and I can’t help it) that are my absolute favourites. Despite them being the things I’d rescue first from a fire (okay, obviously Dora & Mr BBB too) I’ve abused them horribly by letting them joggle about with the crumbs and small change at the bottom of my handbag. It came to a point a couple of years ago that they were just no longer wearable.
Now, you would think that Chanel would be able to help but no – while they will mend your jewellery (last time I used the service, it was free but took forever) – they don’t get involved with lenses. Personally, I think it’s something to do with the licensing which is held by Luxottica – you can buy Chanel sunglasses in plenty of places that don’t stock any other kind of Chanel. The license deal apparently ends at the end of this year and would give Chanel more control over where their sunnies are sold. Anyway, that’s pure digression.
After a great deal of searching, I found a company on-line with such a miserable looking website that I really had to take a leap of faith to send off my beloved sun specs to have the lenses replaced. It’s called alphaomega-glasses-lens-repair.co.uk HERE and they promise to either source new lenses or remake them. £60 and one week later, my sunglasses were returned, restored and perfect, and most importantly, I can see out of them without my eyeballs accidentally focusing on the scratches rather than what is in front of me. It’s a no-frills service but I can’t recommend them more.
I have another pair to send off - again Chanel, but this time they came to me because my son used to work in Harrods and every now and again they sell to the staff lost items that have been handed in – Max managed to nab them for me for the grand sum of £10 and I always wonder about who lost them. Did they care? Did they have hundreds of pairs or were they a very precious purchase? I give them a thought every time I wear them. As a PSA, there are lots of reels and YouTubes about how to get scratches off your lenses – don’t do as I did and buy the scratchy stuff that promises to restore the lenses. I managed to not only wipe off the scratches but the UV coating as well so the Harrods find is unwearable at the moment. Trust me, invest in new lenses before watching yourself literally ruin your glasses.