Why replace when you can repair?
Photos courtesy of SimpleSpex
Unlike Prue Leith who recently disclosed she owns 75 pairs of spectacles, I only have two. So, when I accidentally sat on my favourite horn-rimmed, Orla Kiely’s, dislocating a handle or temple to use the correct terminology, I was dismayed. At Specsavers I was told the damage was unrepairable because the hinge had snapped. In the past, they had tightened up loose sunglasses at no cost but not this time,’ We don’t stock that line anymore. Anyway, you’re due for an eye test where you can buy two-for-one. Or you can always try Superglue,’ the shop assistant suggested.
I wondered how many more people there are in the world like Prue Leith, with drawers stuffed with spectacles who could just peruse their other seventy-four, rainbow-coloured pairs and forget about the broken ones? In the last decade, cheaper manufacturing means spectacles have become a fashion item and are treated more as accessories with many people owning multiple pairs for different outfits, moods and seasons. But I didn’t need two new pairs. I just wanted my old faves repaired.
I simply couldn’t believe my spectacles were unfixable, so I did some online research and discovered the repair company Simplespex. I emailed a photograph through of my damaged specs and within hours, received a positive and human response. The issue was diagnosed, priced and I paid £28 in advance for the cost of the hinge and repair. I sent my spectacles in the post and they were returned, reconstructed a week later with another friendly note.
Simplespex founder, George Devenish who has a background as an optical technician, saw a gap in the market and set up his small perfectly formed company in 2013. Business has grown year-on-year. He explains whatever the brand, all spectacles have more similarities than differences. ‘The same spring hinge mechanism found in a Tom Ford frame can be found in budget frames which we sell for £15 – £30,’ he explains. Devenish provides an excellent service and an antidote to the insidious replacement culture that surrounds us.
Built-in obsolescence is a toxic by-product of the fashion world and capitalism. To sell consumers new products rather than replace existing ones represents greater profit for businesses. This was demonstrated to me not long after the spectacles incident when my mobile phone had a meltdown. I wondered if mobile phones could have strokes or be possessed by a malign force. My phone would randomly call people without my instruction. If I pressed one digit another would activate. My device which I use in a hundred ways every day was rendered incapable and incomprehensible and my life ground to a halt.
My son insisted it was because the mobile was old, so I prepared to upscale and buy a new model. The man at the phone company explained it would be a £40 deposit followed by a further 18 payments of £38. ‘But what’s wrong with it?’ I asked. ‘Probably the screen but we don’t offer screen repairs,’ he said with genuine disinterest. So, I went to my local phone repair shop where I was told with more interest. ‘It’s 99.9% your screen.’ The screen was replaced for £35 and my phone returned to its former good behaviour.
Both repairs: the spectacles and mobile, gave me great satisfaction. Not only had I potentially saved hundreds of pounds, but I felt the pride of a consumer renegade who had outwitted a system that seemed rigged. Whether it’s having old togs repaired at a local dry cleaner or a bit of domestic DIY, is there anything more rewarding than breathing new life into something pronounced deceased or past it? BBC’s The Repair Shop has become one of the nation’s favourite TV programmes. It seems that even watching things being resuscitated by skilled craftspeople is fascinating. And, many objects can hold precious memories and personal histories.
In July 2021, the Right to Repair bill passed in Parliament which impels manufacturers of white goods: washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, and TVs and other electronic displays (but not smartphones or laptops) to supply replacement parts for their products. With 50 million tons of electronic waste every year, It’s predicted that this law could extend the life of most electronic products by 10 years.
With a cost-of-living crisis and a planet groaning with overstuffed landfill, there are many reasons we should repair rather than replace. And if we can’t do it ourselves with the help of a YouTube tutorial or helpful podcast, there’s nearly always someone who possesses the practical skills and know-how to resolve our problems. You just have to find them.
Remember, when a retailer tells you something is unrepairable, it might be worth questioning this assertion which might not necessarily be serving your best interests or pocket.
Nilgin Yusuf is a writer and regular TNMA contributor.
More on repairing not replacing HERE. And check out our selection of the best books on clothes repair HERE.
Discussion (23 Comments)
Mrs Tonia says:
I’m thrilled to hear about this spectacle repair service. I’ve sat on some frames and broken others. And did in desperation resort to superglue but frames then rigid. Not practical at all to carry about. At time I determined I must have spare pairs if not perfect prescriptions.
Thanks for such useful advice.
I’m generally a repairer and mender with handy needlework skills.
Catherine says:
Such a timely & helpful article! I had the same issue with my glasses & was told at Boots they couldn’t repair or recycle them, luckily I was saving them to put in the hard plastic recycling but will now get them repaired!
Liza Green says:
Oh this is such a timely article. Thank you. I’ve had two incidences once with a pair of ancient but loved RayBans which I dropped and broke a lens, the shop I took them to wanted desperately to sell me a new pair, but finally agreed to return them to the manufacturer who replaced the lens! Secondly with my first tablet, which gave up the ghost whilst on holiday- when I took it to the swanky shop once home they were confident they could fix it – they couldn’t – and I had to replace it, despite the fact it was still pristine despite years of use. When I asked what could be done with the old one in terms of recycling the sales assistant suggested I could use it as a mouse mat or coffee cup stand! Eventually they offered to recycle and wipe the information which I was glad of. But it should have been possible to repair something as beautifully made and crafted. Ps The Repair Shop is a national treasure!
AppleEverAfter says:
This is such a helpful article, thank you! Now I know where to take my approximately 15-year-old Raybans the next time I drop them and my other half steps on them …. I do think it’s worth investing in a really good pair to start with though. I’m not sure a cheap frame would have survived that particular crunch.
Eve McBride says:
Thank you so much for this article! There is nothing more frustrating that being told your specs cannot be repaired and then given the “hard sell”, especially with something as essential as specs. I now know where I can take my broken specs and not be made to feel uncomfortable for wanting to have them repaired.
Gretta De Ferry says:
Excellent article, thank you so much for highlighting the potentially deadly issues that accompany the over-consumption model that we currently tend towards as a society, fast fashion being a particularly horrendous example. @notneedingnew on instagram has a lot to say about this. And thank you for the information about Simplespex, have kept that as it is a matter of time before I need it!
Sandra Marshall says:
This has really resonated. I recently had to replace my much loved 12 year old Smeg gas hob, which was the perfect shade of mustard. We tried for 3 years to have it repaired , but it was obsolete apparently and when we were down to 21/2 burners working intermittently, we took the plunge. I will never forget you Smeggy, partly because we still have the matching oven!
Rach WithAnE says:
This is a brilliant post! I have £30 readers which I bought because I liked the frame and had the lenses replaced to my prescription at a local.lens supplier. Way cheaper than Specsavers (whose pricing is complicated and unfair). I’ll save this post in case I need a repair.
We try to repair electrical items but are sometimes failed by the manufacturer (Dualit for one) though a phone screen repair kit fixed a cant-fix-that-at-Apple problem for £30 at home.
I’ve also been reliably informed that my DMs can be re-soled so they’re next on the list. Oh and I’ve tried to darn but that’s a real skill!Catherine says:
Yes, I have two pairs (three if you count my prescription sunglasses), but I confess, I’m with Pru and the fun of co-ordinating with your clothes. However…a costly practice when your prescription changes! 🙂
Pippa says:
This sounds like a great and much-needed service! Thank you Nilgin.
On the topic of repairable phones, I recently was forced to replace my (still functioning) very old phone because updates were no longer being offered for its OS. This meant that my banking app, and other apps I need to be secure, were no longer updateable either. On my son’s advice, I bought a refurbished Fairphone, which is designed to be fully fixable. I’m not someone who wants to play games or watch films on my phone, and it’s serving me very nicely.Debs C says:
A full time spectacle wearer here and I get very attached to my frames too. I even bought an extra pair of frames to bank, in case those I loved failed completely.
We are so lucky to have an optical lab / opticians we use. They’ve repaired frames for us and have recoated lenses (although this does not always work, but when they are so bad there is little alternative, what have you got to lose) for a tiny proportion of the cost of a new pair!
We fix our stuff when able, because it would not be in our home unless we loved it, or valued it, and it is practically impossible to get the same quality for many items now. Something we swear by is Milliput which is a cheap two part resin product that really is worth knowing about and I’ve repaired china ornaments with it (moulds really well), fixed a toilet seat hinge (do you know how many variations there are on this household item!!), filled a crack in a water pipe and used it to make items for my dolls house!
Sign me up for the Repair not Replace Club and long live Youtube tutorials which show you how to fix so many items that manufacturers would rather you replace!
Susannah says:
Wow! Thanks so much for the information about the spectacle repairs. I only have one pair of stupidly expensive vari-focals and a pair of prescription sunglasses. I live in fear of breaking either of them and the resulting cost. Plus I really like the frames and I bet my pension that the models I chose are no longer produced.
I love getting things repaired and would like to give a shout out to local repair cafes reminding us that repairs are possible.Liz says:
An economy that requires that individual consumers spend spend spend to prop it up can never also be a sustainable economy. I wonder if you have read “Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered”, by E. F. Schumacher (1973). I first discovered it while on a summer internship in San Francisco in the early ’90’s, and I have tried to live within the ethos while raising a family in our throw-away culture. Thank you for such satisfying examples of the joy and community to be found in restoring and repairing what can be restored and repaired.
Thank you so much for this article! I have several pairs of broken glasses, and as someone who wrote the original proposal and developed The Repair Shop it has bugged me that stores like Specsavers don’t encourage repairs, especially as I am sure 9 times out of ten it will be the frames that are broken.
B Dale Saufley says:
When my now 23 year old nephew was 10 or 11, his older brother dropped his smart phone screen down. Of course the screen cracked as the phone was not in a case. The younger boy asked his parents that if he could repair the phone, could he use it and recycle his flip phone? Parents said “sure” thinking they’d just replace one phone after the damage wasn’t repairable. Well, a new screen was ordered and baby brother replaced the old – and it worked great! No more flip phone and older bro got a new iPhone.
Sarah says:
Love this post! Perhaps I will ask to keep using my glasses next time the prescription needs changing. They always tell me that acetate frames only last about 5 years before the material starts to crack, which to date has generally persuaded me to buy new frames.
Susan Cairns says:
My comment isn’t so much about repairing my glasses but I have had new lenses put in old frames. Recently I had new lenses put in my sunglasses rather than buy a completely new pair since they were hardly used. As I wear varifocals my lenses are expensive so at least this made some savings.
Like Susan Cairns above I recycle frames for sunglasses. I am currently using some old grey Emporio Armani frames upgraded with new prescription lenses two years ago also a stylish thick black Italian designer frame which I had refitted with dark Polaroid lenses last summer. I can see well, am reusing frames which were sitting in a drawer. Lenses to my myopic prescription are costly. But I’m fortunate to have found a local optician not part of a chain who take pride of what they do and are perfectly happy to upgrade my existing elderly designer frames. Happy to give them my business.
Nilgin Yusuf 
Meredith S 
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I also broke the hinge of my – relatively cheap but favourite – CK specs, and were told they were not repairable, as the hinge was embedded in the frame.
I wnjoy a repair challenge, so I did not think to investigate further but bought a replacement hinge on line – not really suitable for reasons I won’t describe but was at least a hinge – painstakingly dug the old hinge out of the plastic frame and glued the new one in.
I wish I’d found Simplespex.