If any breakages occur...

[Delgadido]

While I am adjusting I cannot be held responsible...

I made a previous thread where this topic came up.

I dont cause any damage usually. maybe i broke an old temple sleeve but that is as far as it goes.


but it gets rather ridiculous when you have to adjust a brand new frame for a kid because some idiot didnt fit them in it properly.

It has always sat in the back of my head to deny the adjusting of a brand new frame or someone who comes in with an attitude.
If they get the frame from us that is one thing. if they are bringing it from the optical down the street cause it is closed is another.

I do work at walmart and I know that there are plenty of unprofessional and uneducated idiots in the company.

But I do quite a bit of adjustments for alot of people out there. Sometimes if I am in a bad mood I usually say it in a unfriendly way just to buzz them off.


but how many people actually come back to buy glasses for you?

I would like to discuss the whole concept of this because these people will be satisfied with their frames they recieved from their previous optician and will go back there instead of purchasing from the adjuster.

I think unless they are from out of town they should go back to their original shop or send the frame back to their online store for their adjustments.


any input?

[Ginster]

I don't mind at all adjusting glasses for customers/ patients who buy elswhere, If they understand as you said, that if they break in my hand I am not responsible. I take my time and do a great job fitting the glasses as if they where mine to fit to begin with. They leave with a feeling that I know what Im doing, and that I was kind to them and took my time to help them with glasses they purchased at another place that when they came back to pick up the optician there did'nt care about the fit or they did'nt know what the hell they where doing so when they leave there they have to come see me because they fit so bad. The next time they get glasses, they won't pass my shop by they will see me first. If not, they will tell one of there friends that my shop is in an Ophthalmology practice if they need to see an OMD, You see, great service goes along way, wheather or not there your Pt. or customer to begin with, I beleave it will pay off in the end, remember the seven degrees of separation theory?

Best Regards my fellow opti-boarder. Ginster:)

[bob_f_aboc]

While I am adjusting I cannot be held responsible...

I made a previous thread where this topic came up.

I dont cause any damage usually. maybe i broke an old temple sleeve but that is as far as it goes.


but it gets rather ridiculous when you have to adjust a brand new frame for a kid because some idiot didnt fit them in it properly.

It has always sat in the back of my head to deny the adjusting of a brand new frame or someone who comes in with an attitude.
If they get the frame from us that is one thing. if they are bringing it from the optical down the street cause it is closed is another.

I do work at walmart and I know that there are plenty of unprofessional and uneducated idiots in the company.

But I do quite a bit of adjustments for alot of people out there. Sometimes if I am in a bad mood I usually say it in a unfriendly way just to buzz them off.


but how many people actually come back to buy glasses for you?

I would like to discuss the whole concept of this because these people will be satisfied with their frames they recieved from their previous optician and will go back there instead of purchasing from the adjuster.

I think unless they are from out of town they should go back to their original shop or send the frame back to their online store for their adjustments.


any input?

Sometimes the parents won't bring their kids back in to us idiots for a proper dispense! I will pre-adjust a frame before ordering, if possible. When we have to order a size smaller or larger or the kid doesn't want a brown frame, we idiots don't have a lot of chance to adjust the frame for the kids.

I have been more than happy, when someone walks in with a pair of glasses they got somewhere else cheaper, to adjust a patient's glasses no matter where they got them. Parts, repairs, troubleshooting visual problems, and the like are another story though.

Please think these things through before judging all the rest of us idiots!

[Now I See]

Sometimes if I am in a bad mood I usually say it in a unfriendly way just to buzz them off.

why??

but how many people actually come back to buy glasses for you?

They may not, but you have more of a chance of them coming back (or at least telling someone else about you) if you are willing to help them out a bit. :)

[AdmiralKnight]

My biggest thing, wether it's adjustments, repairs, nose-pads, etc etc, while you probably won't get most of those people back. If you give away 100 free pairs of nosepads, and only one of them comes back, You're still up. Chances are, more than one will come back.

That being said, working at Walmart might be a different story. I'm sure you get tons of people just walking by (usually the Vision Centers are right at the end of the checkout lanes, yes?) with absolutely no intention of buying their glasses there. If I got 25-30 people a day walking in and asking me to do a free repair, I'm sure my attitude would change.

[Fezz]

My biggest thing, wether it's adjustments, repairs, nose-pads, etc etc, while you probably won't get most of those people back. If you give away 100 free pairs of nosepads, and only one of them comes back, You're still up. Chances are, more than one will come back.

What do those 100 pairs of nose pads cost? What does the labor cost to put them on and adjust? What about the potential sales that are lost when you are replacing nosepads for free, and not making the sale that bolts because you were too busy with charity work?

I wonder how many folks would feel a bit differently if it was your own $$$ buying those *free* nose pads? I wonder how you would feel paying an employee to do charity work.

Food for thought?

[HarryChiling]

What do those 100 pairs of nose pads cost? What does the labor cost to put them on and adjust? What about the potential sales that are lost when you are replacing nosepads for free, and not making the sale that bolts because you were too busy with charity work?

I wonder how many folks would feel a bit differently if it was your own $$$ buying those *free* nose pads? I wonder how you would feel paying an employee to do charity work.

Food for thought?

Why not ask the patient for their info name and contact number and give them a time lets say they'll be ready in about an hour or we'll call you in the next hour. I would guess that most would walk away and the ones that stay you can attend to while you don't have any paying customers.

[obxeyeguy]

Sometimes if I am in a bad mood I usually say it in a unfriendly way just to buzz them off.

Rule #1 We don't get to have a bad day, no retail does.
Rule #2 When we do have a bad day, refer to rule #1

[cocoisland58]

but it gets rather ridiculous when you have to adjust a brand new frame for a kid because some idiot didnt fit them in it properly.

I love when people come in with badly adjusted frames they got elsewhere. Really I do. First I say something like "Tsk tsk. What in the world did they do to you? You sit right down and we'll fix this for you". Adjusting is something I do very well, very custom and I take my time. While I am sitting there asking them to take their frame on and off and feeling behind their ears I am also talking to them, gaining their confidence and making them feel like they matter because they do matter. Do they come back? Yes, more than you think, or they tell their friends and co-workers about us. Once you have been in the same store for ten years or more you see the pattern and you know that it works. Delgadido? You need an attitude adjustment.

[Fezz]

Adjusting is something I do very well, very custom and I take my time.

Coco,

You sound exactly like my plumber! I got to tell you....that Dude is AWESOME! Oh yeah...he rocks. As a matter of fact, one of his highly skilled partners was at my house this morning! I got the honor of having him, the owner, and a apprentice coming on Monday to work around the well pump that they put in during the summer! Hey...these guys do their work with excellence and they do it very well. They do custom repairs like no others. Hell, they have been fixing what others screwed up, haven't been able to do right, ruined, and even charged me for, for the last nine years.

They charge me for their excellence and expertise. They charge a premium, because what they do...they do very well, very custom! I gladly pay for their help, experience, and wisdom!

Why wouldn't they? Should I expect them to repair what another outfit screwed up or under delivered on....and not charge me? Do you think that if they didn't charge me, that I would tell enough neighborhood Wingnuts to use them, that it would be in their best interest?

Oddly, my mechanic is a top notch expert. His hands are more nimble than a heart surgeons! His custom work would make Barrett Jackson drool! Would he charge me if Meineke put a *custom* exhaust on my Cowboy Cadillac and got it all wrong? You bet. Would it be worth it...you bet.

I suggest that it is about time that we as a profession stop giving away our experience and knowledge! We are professionals....start charging.....and ACTING, like it!

[tmorse]

I suggest that it is about time that we as a profession stop giving away our experience and knowledge! We are professionals....start charging.....and ACTING, like it!

I heartily agree... opticianry is the only 'profession' that doesn't really charge for its time and expertise. Ther is a standard retail mark-up for frame and lenses, but fitting, advising, educating, etc is all added 'at no charge'. And so the public has determined that your opticianry skill and expertise has no real monetary value.

TRUE STORY: An optician told me of a person that came into her store with a badly adjusted frame (purchased elsewhere) with one (1) missing screw. She found a matching screw, re-adjusted and cleaned frame and lenses, and charged... $2.00.
He went ballistic, telling her it was "illegal" for her to charge for an optical screw, and that he was going to report her, etc. She calmly stated, "These screws are all been purchased by me, and my time and expertise installing them has value. Had you purchased these eyeglasses
here, there would have been no charge. But for you, the charge is $2.00". This was in 1995.

[Uilleann]

Fezz my man, I agree with your entire post - in principle. But I also am a firm believer in friendship with my patients. And as they say - a stranger is just a friend you ain't met yet right? Or is that Republicans...? :) I like to always try to take the extra time with anyone I can (as my own time allows certainly) as I believe it to be one of the very strongest forms of marketing/advertising available out there.

I have actually gotten extremely good service and even repairs *for free* from mechanics in the past (cue hallelujah chorus) - though I will grant you it's about as rare as a Scotsman in underwear! But the one thing that I will say is this: I remembered them. VERY well in fact. And I usually sent friends there too at some point.

For me, there's great service, but also a genuine interest and caring in operating a business that separates the men from the boys (so to speak...sorry ladies!). I like to be made to feel important enough that I know I'm the focus of attention if I need something. Whether it's a nosepad, a pint at the (usually far too busy) bar, or my custom lobotomy. Damnit, I want to be first, and I want to be special!

yeah yeah...I know...I already AM "special". You don't have to say it Fezz - you were thinkin it. You're up to four cases of penance now btw...

At any rate - that's the groove I've fallen into, and it's worked pretty well over the years. It does seem that as a whole, American business has drifted further and further away from those little personal touches. And I believe it may be the deciding factor for a lot of folks when they're ready to drop a large amount of coin on some new freetoricaspherformsuperdupergoldplated lenses with kryptonite and don't forget the new hydro-olio-aerodynamic surface...and a frame with lots of diamonds on it!

I may not be independantly wealthy yet....but I'll let you know how it all works out. You've got a few years right? So no rush.....:bbg:

[cocoisland58]

I'd love to charge them. But as we know they would balk and walk. The other day a man came in needing a pair of nosepads. I said "Sure. Did you purchase your glasses here?" No. "It's $ per pair then". What?! Never mind I'll take them back where I got them! Off he went in a huff. Now, why on earth would he expect that to be free if he isn't even our customer? Why? Because we have allowed it all these years and I don't see it changing in my lifetime.

[FullCircle]

What do those 100 pairs of nose pads cost? What does the labor cost to put them on and adjust? What about the potential sales that are lost when you are replacing nosepads for free, and not making the sale that bolts because you were too busy with charity work?

I wonder how many folks would feel a bit differently if it was your own $$$ buying those *free* nose pads? I wonder how you would feel paying an employee to do charity work.

Food for thought?

I see where you're coming from. I've never had my car in to a mechanic and been able to get him to change the brake pads for free.

Oddly enough, people often have the same view of opticians as they do of mechanics - both groups are trying to screw you. So then does it really pay to do free work for non-patients?

[Jubilee]

Last month, I had a 3-4 people stop by that needed adjustments, and minor repairs. (Things like putting a lens back in, nose pads, etc.) That did not get their glasses from me.

In the past 2 weeks, 2 of those people came back, along with their families. That is 6 people who got exams and glasses for me spending 14-20 mins of my time, a screw and a pair of nose pads.

Better return than a lot of marketing/advertising promotions.

[LilKim]

I'd have those people that just randomly stop in sign a waiver that any breakage (lenses or frame) is not the responsibility of the OD to replace it. Besides charging them a nominal fee of $5.00.

[Fezz]

Let me add to my above post:

A few years ago, I decided that giving away *free* nose pads, doing adjustments on eyewear bought elsewhere, cleaning, and trying to educate the person was doing more to harm my professional image than good. What other profession gives away their service? Why was I giving my expertise away? I didn't see a whole bunch of converted patients coming back because I gave away my expertise. Sure, there were a few.....but not many.

I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized that these people did not put a value on what I was doing. They didn't realize the amount of training, education, blood, sweat, and tears that I put into my craft. They didn't care. Most of the people thanked me and I assume they appreciated the freebie, but they really didn't GET IT.

So.....I started to refuse these adjustments. I stopped the giveaways. I even started telling the patients who were at our office for an exam, that I could not adjust their eyewear if bought elsewhere. Many of them were very surprised. They would often say things like, "I am getting an exam, why can't you do that?", "Do you mean that I have to go all the back to Dr. So-and-So?" I would tell them that they are correct. I would tell them that I would be happy to discuss new eyewear options, new technologies, and evaluate what is right and wrong with their current eyewear, but I would not give my professional expertise away. I started to educate these patients! I suggested that they return back to wherever they got their glasses for the adjustments.

A funny thing has started to happen. I am seeing far more of these patients back for eyewear purchases! They are understanding that I am a professional! They realize that they often don't see the same person at the other place when they go back. The gears start grinding. They realize that I am always at my office. Why? I'll tell you, because, I am a professional!

I stopped giving away my brilliance and expertise and I am reaping the rewards!

I am a professional.....................are you?

[obxeyeguy]

I have a sign on my counter, 8 x 10, so I know they see it. "Minumum repair charge is $10.00" I don't charge for repairs/pads/etc on eyewear purchased from me, but i do quite offen in the tourists months. I feel that this has put a value, all be it a small one, on the service that I perform, whether I charge the 10 bucks or not. Kind of like Chris R's story about his Rado watch battery.

[chip anderson]

Actually I usually see several people a week that come in and say: "You've always been so nice to me and adjusted and repaired them for free whenever I needed it. I'm getting all my glasses from you...

I know it's scary thinking of ole chip being nice to anyone, or having to be that way yourself, but it pays off eventually.

Chip

[Barry Santini]

I heartily agree... opticianry is the only 'profession' that doesn't really charge for its time and expertise.

Here, I beg to differ. The typical profit margin in our industry, especially in this day and age, is, IMHO, *more* than sufficient to handle free repairs, nose pads, adjustments, etc., even if the eyewear in question was not purchased in your office.

In our store, aligning/repairing eyewear purchased elsewhere is an opportunity to show off our skills. Think of it this way: If a new restaurant in town felt they offered very special foods, they'd love the opportunity to get someone to try them and taste the *difference*.

As I've mentioned before, fittings skills are the *sine qua non* (essential ingredient) in the recipe that separates you from other local opticals, chains, and/or the internet. Practice and prefect them every day. Spend the time to satisfy the adjustment finickiness of your most demanding clients, and you'll be a far, far better dispenser for it.

My clients, like most of yours, feel that our experienced hands are, in their words, "like magic."

And yes, to your question, we get many of our new clients from experiences just like that!

FWIW

Barry

[Fezz]

Think of it this way: If a new restaurant in town felt they offered very special foods, they'd love the opportunity to get someone to try them and taste the *difference*.

Barry

How many meals would they give away for free? If they handed out toothpick samples on the sidewalk for a weekend, would that show how great they are? Would the chef come out to your table and slice the roast, that you bought at the grocery store, just to show you how a well honed blade and a skilled hand would slice that cut of beef?

[Robert Martellaro]

TRUE STORY: An optician told me of a person that came into her store with a badly adjusted frame (purchased elsewhere) with one (1) missing screw. She found a matching screw, re-adjusted and cleaned frame and lenses, and charged... $2.00.
He went ballistic, telling her it was "illegal" for her to charge for an optical screw, and that he was going to report her, etc. She calmly stated, "These screws are all been purchased by me, and my time and expertise installing them has value. Had you purchased these eyeglasses
here, there would have been no charge. But for you, the charge is $2.00". This was in 1995.

I would have said that $2 was fair if you would at least act like a human, but since you've proven yourself to be an ogre, let's make that $20.

In our store, aligning/repairing eyewear purchased elsewhere is an opportunity to show off our skills.

You bet! It's free advertising, and you will acquire new clients this way if you have excellent fitting skills. Some folks have been (temporarily) rendered speechless when they see the improvement in field of view, perspective, and quality of vision after the lens is positioned properly in front of their eyes!

[optical24/7]

I don't do any adjustments or minor repairs for free on glasses not purchased from me.....Oh, they don't pay me with money, but their time. As I'm doing these repairs and adjustments they get to hear me talk about products and services we offer. I get to question them about their visual needs and how satisfied they are with their current eyewear. I do this very much like Barry stated. I have "captured" many patients over the years by offering my services for *free* ( non-monetary).

Many times I don't even remember these people, but they will remind me how I helped them. They have referred friends and family to me. This has been the best advertising I've ever done if you consider return on investment.

[Chris Ryser]

Did you purchase your glasses here?" No. "It's $ per pair then". What?! Never mind I'll take them back where I got them!

Of course he realized that he probably could get them for free at the place of purchase.

If you would have said I charge you $ , keep the receipt and next time you need glasses bring the receipt and we will deduct the price from the new purchase, you might have found a new customer who now had to go to the other end of town to get the freebe, spend some time and gas to get there..

[Chris Ryser]

Many times I don't even remember these people, but they will remind me how I helped them. They have referred friends and family to me. This has been the best advertising I've ever done if you consider return on investment.

A perfect way of gaining new customers....................