"You made my glasses wrong"

[Ryan]

Ok, what would you do in this situation.

Patient picks up new glasses, Essilor Natural with Crizal, and can see when she leaves. Comes back next day, and says "You made my glasses wrong." OK, I double check RX and checks out great, measurments look good, etc. She said she took them to Pearle down the street and "they told me the prescription is wrong. They checked the left eye and it was fuzzy and they couldn't read it and said the segs were crooked and they didn't know how ANYONE could see out of these glasses."

The rx is +2.75 -0.25 cyl. I think the person reading them didn't know how to read a -.25 cyl on a lensometer.

I assured her the rx is correct, but she did'nt believe me because she "bought glasses at Pearle for 10 years and never made them wrong." So she is now doubting her purchase at my store because of the "competition" down the street. What do you do in this situation?

[NC-OD]

Assuming the rx is correct and they are fitting right,

I would tell her she was ABSOLUTELY right. They are made wrong! Walk over to the lensometer and pretend to take a reading and tell her the axis of the astigmatism is off a little. "No wonder your having problems. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT" (again). And then apologize profusely. Then get a few tools and come out right in front of her and "adjust" the nose pads and "twist" the lens all the while talking to her......I think that's what magicans do......talk while they are performing to distract the viewer.

I find many times this "attempt" at adjustment is enough for some patients. Just make it look good. At least it works for me....but then again, I am only an optometrist.:D

[Joann Raytar]

I agree with NC-OD on this one. That is pretty much what I would do. If the Px feels she is not seeing correctly and has already been told that something is wrong you are problably not going to convince her otherwise.

[Rich R]

Hello Ryan, I get that once in a while, I would do the same as you by rechecking the rx to make sure the're correct, then I dot the markings and draw fitting cross on the lenses, have patient put them on to make sure they line up with pupil. May just need adjustment. I also see she came back in one day, I would also tell her she needs to wear them 3 or 4 days to get adjusted to them.
Rich R

[Magician]

Progressive lenses with a AR coating on them! And I seriously doubt you sent your patient out the door with the markings on the lenses.
Bet the Pearle people couldn't find, or didn't even try, to find the marks so they could put them in the right spot to check. Probably considered them Sv, centered em up in the ol' lensometer (right about where the corridor starts), and went wow - blurry. Then we wonder why we get news media events that show opticians in a bad light.

[Wolverine602000]

Did you check the pd inset on the lenses to make sure that they are lined up with the patient pupil. If you did disregard the letter. If you check to have the patient close one eye and turn right and fixate the other on a subject. then have the patient turn right or left to see if the object clears up or not. this test you should have htem fixate on something up close as well. Try with both eyes. Also see if she as another pair you can compare.Also make sure you kept her in the same quality Progressive remeber that there is soft aspheric and hard aspheric designschanging these can cause problems. Because not seeing well and seeing like they want to is two different things. These are just some ideas that can help you asure that you fit the patient correctly. IF all is well then maybe try the sunshine lab rutine.:drop:

[Jeff Trail]

Depending on how far you want to take it, I had a simular situation with one of my accounts when dealing with a "chain" store and more or less they were telling the patients this and that and then selling htem the same job for less and done "right" this time.. after about the fourth time this guy got that same song and dance he verfied it and took the print out and filed a complaint with the state optical board for unethical practice!!!!! ... Now if you are in a state with a strong lic. board like here in FL. you can actually get things done... found out the person at the chain doing most of this stuff was just a tech. and the optician was going along with it (mostly they were just going for the sales for spiffs) In FL. you get caught doing this you lose your lic.!! and the store gets a pretty big fine!!
Myself, I'm not going to say "oh you're right we did it wrong" and than let it sit for a day and give it back..you are putting yourself up for litigation if something does happen...
I'll go to extremes and show the patient the laser marks and how they are supposed to be and even show them in the lensometer.. and chances are if you are proffesional about it and act and talk like a proffesional than the problem is solved.. if they are doing all that just to get the money back because they found the same thing for less money you are not going to win no matter what you do.. one other account I have does something pretty nifty, if they are trying to just get a deal (money back) she gives them a discount slip to use on there next purchase or any family member (usually 25%) it works a lot of the time and they feel like they are in a win win situation..but to admitt fault when there is no fault? NOT ME

Jeff "would retire before I start playing the chain store games"Trail

[Judy Canty]

If your customer already thinks that the other Optician, if indeed it was an Optician who did the checking, is more expert than you, you've already lost the battle. I'd refund the money, and I know how much that hurts us independents, and pray that she brightens someone else's door. Otherwise, she'll keep darkening yours and eat up all the profit you may have made. I've made this kind of mistake in the past and that warm fuzzy feeling you get from knowing you're right just won't pay the rent.

[harry888]

Ryan,

Just tell her to get a third opinion. If she had been going to Pearle for 10 years, they were looking for a reason for the competition to look bad.

Harry

[Texas Ranger]

Harry888, I'm pretty close to Ryan and have offered to be a third party, I seem to have the same problem Ryan has,but with the offices of dispensing MD's. ha ha .

[hcjilson]

Its unfortunate that this sort of thing occurs. Knocking competition is unprofessional.If there was a problem with the glasses, the optician involved should have had the courtesy to call you first, to tell you he/she had found a problem.But the same applies to you as well.I would contact the manager of the franchise and state your case.Find out who made the statement in the first place and then talk to the individual involved, confronting him/her with your findings and ask for an explanation.You should hear some backpeddling or an apology.That should keep future repeats to a minimum.

Concerning your customer,(the one who didn't trust you in the first place) a little diplomacy is required.I would state your case right up front,with the full knowledge of both sides that the glasses are correct.I would place the problem of what to do directly in the lap of the person who created it to begin with.Ask your customer what THEY think would be a fair resolution to the problem.You can't lose! You are giving the customer what they want.If they say refund, return the money......you can get credit for the lenses and AR as non adapts, and the least you have done is make the customer happy.They'll never be able to say you left them with a bad taste.If the customer walks, you are better off without them.

Most people, when asked what they think is the fair thing to do, will tell you what they want.You can't fight "buyers remorse" all you can do is be professional.Believe me, their opinion of you will rise.
Good luck from harry j

[Steve Machol]

Excellent advice Harry! I agree completely. It's important to remain professional and courteous at all times. It doesn't pay to do otherwise.

[Jerry Thornhill]

I agree with Steve about being courteous and professional with the customer. I had this occur with a Pearle about 14 years ago and offered to remake the lenses even though there was nothing wrong with them. Further conversation revealed that the lady really was not unhappy with the glasses but had stopped at Pearle for an adjustment and one thing led to another and she showed them the Rx and they came back with they are wrong.

Here is the action that I took. I made myself a new pair of progressives and went to the Pearle office for and adjustment and some advice on how to get used to wearing them as I was having a hard time.

The optician wanted to see my prescription if I had it so he could verify if it was correct. He went to the back room and returned saying that the Rx was totally incorrect. I asked if he was sure and his reply was yes and his manager verified it also. He also stated that this was the 3rd Rx this week from that location thatr was incorrect.

I asked to see the manager and when she appeared I lost it. In a room full of potential customers I told her that she and her associate should learn how to check a pair of glasses before telling someone that they are wrong. I asked if they were just ripping people off by lying to them and that I was reporting her to the state board and giving them the Rx and pair of glasses that they had just said were wrong to check and I had better never hear of them telling one of my customers that the glasses were incorrect when they were not or she we would be hearing from my attorney.

I left with a satisfied feeling especially when all the potential customers walked out.

Not the best or smartest way to handle it but it felt good.

Jerry

[Danimal2]

I personally would take the customer into the lab area and give them the nickel tour of the lensometer. Show her how it works, dial in her Rx and show her for herself. If she is still not satisfied, offer to remake the lense. You may loose a little money, but you will gain a customer.


Daniel J. Biddix

[John R]

Would be interesting to know why she came to you and not "pearle" after 10 years of good service, can't be that good if she has gone elsewhere without a very good reason. Yet goes straight there thinking there's a problem rather than coming back to you first.
Take Hj 'sadvice put the ball in her court to solve the problem. I would also consider a visit to pearle just to talk about the problem, and maybe talk to other local indie's to see if this has happened to them as well.

[Ryan]

The reason she came to my store is because we have a particular brand of frame she likes and she got her eyes examined from our Dr. next door, who used to work for Pearle years ago. The new lenses should be in by the weekend and I might send her Al's way if she is still not happy so he can be an honest 3rd party. Little does she know that recently I check a pair of glasses Pearle made and they made the no line bifocal upside down in the left lens!! What quality work!!! Anyway, I assured her these will be correct and I am having our Dr. check the Rx on the lenses when they come in before we call her, so she can have the comfort knowing they are "correct." Thanks for all of your help!!

[Judy Canty]

but, if the lenses were made properly the first time, what did you change with the new order? Too often we allow consumers to cause us to doubt our skills and abilities. I'd keep the original lenses in her frame and have your Doc over-refract her to ensure that you're working with the right rx. Let her Doc be the ultimate authority, not someone who's abilities are already suspect.

[hcjilson]

Ryan,
Just out of curiosity, how did you handle the situation with the upside down left lens?
hj

[bblack]

Jerry you are my hero. I would love to have been a fly on the wall the day you visited that Pearle. I would have to be very sure that a pair of spectacles was wrong before I would tell a customer such. We have enough of a credibility problem in the optical business without turning on ourselves. Call the optician who made the glasses or get the doctor involved but this should not be a way of prospecting for new customers.
I also do not agree with remaking eyewear that I know is correct. If the individual is having a problem there may be other reasons for the problem other than the lenses. I would want the doctor to evaluate the patient again and stress that I will only do what is in their best interest.

Bill

[Cindy Hamlin]

Harry, I agree with your recommendations. That has always been my rule! I treat other opticians as I wish they would treat me!

As a very last resort, I have had the OD beside us check the glasses. It amazes me, let an OD say they are okay and it is the end of the discussion. I have given the patient the 10 cent tour, taught them to read the lensometer and find markings, explain the fitting and adjustment of the frame and lenses and will, as last resort, remake the glasses (especially if they were correct in the first place). The more time you spend with a customer the more they realize you care and even if they get a refund, they will remember the patience and care you showed to them!

~Cindy

[Johns]

I'm appalled at how easy some opticians are willing to roll over and give in. Don't we do this for a living ? If you're confident in your work, stand behind it. Explain to the lady that your office is on the cutting edge of optical evolution, and therefore, dispensed a pair of lenses that was so technically advanced that the technician down at Pearle (who was problably selling garden tools at Wal-Mart last week) didn't know how to read it. End of story...Goodbye... Have a nice day !! (To the sound of slamming door)

[sparky]

Anytime I have a first time patient in the office, (single vision or progressive), I always check the lens material,pd,oc, and bc. I try not to change things too much. Everyone knows people can adjust to the oddest pair of glasses!! Tilts and vertex distance also play an important part in an rx.

[Joann Raytar]

Explain to the lady that your office is on the cutting edge of optical evolution, and therefore, dispensed a pair of lenses that was so technically advanced that the technician down at Pearle (who was problably selling garden tools at Wal-Mart last week) didn't know how to read it.

I don't consider what I would do giving in. Slamming other shops and bad mouthing them to a patient just doesn't seem professional to me. Just because that particular store down the street from Ryan is being unprofessional that doesn't mean he should fuel the fire with the same kind of behavior. Both shops will end up looking bad in the end, no matter who was right. It isn't a matter of right or wrong in this case but who makes the better impression on the patient and reacts to the problem in a manner that demonstrates good business practices. That may involve an unbiased third opinion but not name calling.

Scenario: What if that Pearl used an autolensometer? We know that some models don't read progressives or prism correctly and will give a bad reading. The patient doesn't know this. If you stress "technology" to the patient, who is going to appear more advanced? The patient will see a fancy gizmo in the autolensometer and lack of technology in an old manual lensometer. The argument has backfired.

[Jeff Trail]

Harry had some really good points and I jumped into this thread a few posts before him but after reading all the posts that followed I have some questions..
First why was she back any way? ...was it because the Pearle person told her they were wrong or was there actually a reason why she was back (optically speaking) to begin with ?
I think we sometimes forget to look at the big picture and throw up the defenses before looking at the big picture .. so if the guys at that Pearle were optically handicapped was there any real thing wrong and was it an RX problem?
I know as a wholesaler at times working with a wide range of optical people we tend to forget the big picture and take things out of context and forget the whole basic thing is to help someone be able to get the best performence and correction possible and make a profit while doing it... I know some of my accounts you get this feeling that the patient gets to be the least important part of the equation and it's them against the lab, the Doc and the other inhouse optical battles .. I know it's off the beaten path of this thread but makes me wonder in what direction we are headed in this field.. and I have seen it get worse over the years as third party stuff have taken a bigger role in the way we do things in optics...

Jeff "wonders who is actually in charge now a days" Trail

[Johns]

"Rolling over & giving in" refers to the early replies to the original thread such as..."apologize profusely" and "refund the money on the spot". Why ? It was stated that everything checked out. Why run away from it ?

Why should you have to play games like that ? By explaining the technology to the patient (educating them) you are not "slamming" your competition, your merely explaining why/how they may have come to their conclusion. As the dispenser, it is your right to be able to educate (and re-educate) tyour customer. Maybe this is not the lens for her, and you have to put her in something else, but at least you will have solved the problem, and not BS'd your way deeper, or given a refund so readily.