Unlimited Trivex redos?!

[leeshu]

I had a patient come into my office for an eye exam about a year ago. He is a concrete site manager for a local construction company. His glasses were more than scratched-- the entire front surface was removed. He complained that with his job, that his glasses always look that way. His previous optician had him in polycarb (!). I refit him into Trivex. He came back the next year and his glasses looked 95% better, but still he had bad scratches.

My lab will only let me do one remake of Trivex without charging me. Do you know of any lab that will allow me unlimited redos on Trivex?

[varmint]

Why not offer him a 1 or 2 year warranty for $15 or $25 that entitles him to unlimited replacements at a reduced cost that will be enough to cover your lab costs & time.

[uncut]

Why not offer a package price for a 2 or 3 pak of replacement lenses with first dispense, similar to the way disposable contacts are handled?

[RT]

Scratch warranties are a function of the coating, not of the lens material.

[Speed]

I had a patient come into my office for an eye exam about a year ago. He is a concrete site manager for a local construction company. His glasses were more than scratched-- the entire front surface was removed. He complained that with his job, that his glasses always look that way. His previous optician had him in polycarb (!). I refit him into Trivex. He came back the next year and his glasses looked 95% better, but still he had bad scratches.

My lab will only let me do one remake of Trivex without charging me. Do you know of any lab that will allow me unlimited redos on Trivex?

Really? Do you give your business away like that?

[blinkvelo]

Are you nuts? Why do you expect the Lab to pay for your customers hard use? If you think he should get free replacements when a product is not defective then YOU should happily pay 'the lab' for the replacement lenses. If you don't want to pay for them why do you think a Lab wants to?
So, if you feel customer service for your practice is better served with Giving a way your Time, Training, Over Head and Products i think varmint has a reasonable suggestion.
Good grief..

[Diopterman]

Why should the lab have to pay for this patients abuse?
The labs are making FAR less than you are on this job. Why don't you replace them on your dime?

Does Carhartt replace his beat up jeans multiple times for free?
Does DeWalt or Milwaukee replace his tools multiple times for free?
Does Danner replace his workboots free of charge everytime he ruins a pair?

Where is the patient's responsibility here? Why doesn't he take better care of his glasses? I bet he could use a face shield, a goggle that fits over his spectacles, or something similar.
I bet this patient would be a great candidate for glass lenses. Yes..........that is right....GLASS LENSES!

[Speed]

Sell him a pack of those cheap disposable overspecks.
You can get these by the box.
http://www.labsafety.com/CREWS-Yukon...pecs_24553048/

[Judy Canty]

Do you know of any lab that will allow me unlimited redos on Trivex?

No, no I don't. Do you really think that your lab, or any lab, gets those "remade" lenses for free?

[Speed]

Surface warantees were started by lens manufacturers long, long ago. Then long ago they changed. "We have calculated your warantee returns, so instead of you and us having to deal with the expense of returning them, we not will discount blanket # that will cover this expense." That discount has since been recouped in price increases so that the lab, middle man is in actuality covering this expense. I can remember our retail customers telling me, it does not cost you anything. This made me want to send them out a lens blank. "You may send that to the lab of your choice and they will be thrilled to process that for you."

[leeshu]

Thank you speed and diopterman. I really appreciate your imput. You two really made me think about this. You expressed your opinions very eloquently without resorting to childish name calling.

Previously, I had thought that my policies would demonstrate excellent customer service but you really showed me that, as Speed said, all I was doing was giving away my services and degrading my abilities in the process.

Dipoterman, I really like your question of whether DeWalt replaces their tools once they break. I enjoy woodworking in my spare time and I have had multiple tools break on me. Not once did I blame the manufacturer or retailer when this happened.

I really need to change my policies. Thank you again.

[Speed]

I had a patient come into my office for an eye exam about a year ago. He is a concrete site manager for a local construction company. His glasses were more than scratched-- the entire front surface was removed. He complained that with his job, that his glasses always look that way. His previous optician had him in polycarb (!). I refit him into Trivex. He came back the next year and his glasses looked 95% better, but still he had bad scratches.

Why does he always come back 1 year latter?

[Judy Canty]

1 year warranty replacement?

[Speed]

We knew a guy once that part of his sales pitch was to tell the customer to bring them in in 11 months and 29 days and have them remade.

[FVCCHRIS]

Why should the lab have to pay for this patients abuse?
The labs are making FAR less than you are on this job. Why don't you replace them on your dime?

Does Carhartt replace his beat up jeans multiple times for free?
Does DeWalt or Milwaukee replace his tools multiple times for free?
Does Danner replace his workboots free of charge everytime he ruins a pair?

Where is the patient's responsibility here? Why doesn't he take better care of his glasses? I bet he could use a face shield, a goggle that fits over his spectacles, or something similar.
I bet this patient would be a great candidate for glass lenses. Yes..........that is right....GLASS LENSES!

Absolutely what I was thinking...ALL of it! An Optician with a little time under his/her belt would have politely and professionally brought to the patient's attention all of those points.
After that the patient would have been told absolutely, we'd be happy to replace those lenses under warranty but that any further redo's- due to the nature of the business that this poor unfortunate patient was in, would not be without charge. Then we would have also reviewed some other options for him- including glass(which was the first thing that came to my mind when I read the thread). This guy would have left happy and he would have been thankful that his Optician was there to solve problems-not complain about the number of redos and the costs involved. I surface lenses including Trivex and I don't understand the assumption that accounts think we're somehow being compensated by some mystical lens credit God out there. It's called a trash can and less groceries that week.

[Judy Canty]

Absolutely what I was thinking...ALL of it! An Optician with a little time under his/her belt would have politely and professionally brought to the patient's attention all of those points.
After that the patient would have been told absolutely, we'd be happy to replace those lenses under warranty but that any further redo's- due to the nature of the business that this poor unfortunate patient was in, would not be without charge. Then we would have also reviewed some other options for him- including glass(which was the first thing that came to my mind when I read the thread). This guy would have left happy and he would have been thankful that his Optician was there to solve problems-not complain about the number of redos and the costs involved. I surface lenses including Trivex and I don't understand the assumption that accounts think we're somehow being compensated by some mystical lens credit God out there. It's called a trash can and less groceries that week.

+1

[tigerlilly]

This is someone who definitely needs two pairs. He needs a pair for work that will get ground up and have to be replaced as necessary (with a one-time remake if that's your lab's warranty), and then a pair for everything else in his life that actually lasts and can be replaced as necessary at each exam and RX change.

[TLG]

I'm not a big fan of glass lenses, but there are applications where it is simply the best choice - such as concrete work (although the safety factor is a problem).

[scriptfiller]

I wonder if he brings his truck the the dealer and expects the dings and scratched to be removed?

Allow a one time N/C replacement if your lab allows, and tell your pat. to get some "fit-overs".

[eyeguy21]

Yeah, absolutely. One time replacement only. We're pretty liberal about what we replace but technically the warranty is reserved for damage as a result of Normal wear and not patient abuse.

[kat]

Our expertise and proffesionalism is being tossed out the window every time we "give" free lenses away, don't you want them to be examined again in a year? Do you really want your lab to have to raise their costs to you due to excessive "re-makes", do we not educate our patients on proper care? I could go on and on, but others have said it better for me, Varmint, Diopterman, Tony etc. He should have a work pair (safety) and a dress pair.

[MikeAurelius]

Thanks to the guys who voted for glass lenses!!

Leeshu: definately glass lenses will take more abuse than most monomer/polymer will, but they will still get scratched up albeit less deeply I believe than what he's been using in the past. IMO, this is one of those learning opportunities that get presented to us from time to time: awareness of what the patient does at work and what happens to his/her glasses. I totally agree with the two pairs suggestions above as well as the suggestions about additional facial protection. Look at the guys face and if you see excessive 'weathering', hand the guy a mirror and show him what's happening to his face because of the concrete. Make the case for additional protection! You may not carry it in your store, but most welding supply houses have a very good selection of full face shields that are very inexpensive.

As far as 'normal wear and tear', what he does is waaay outside 'normal'...

(And turn it into a teaching opportunity for your staff as well!)

[leeshu]

Good suggestion about the teaching opportunity, Mike. But for legal reasons I was taught in optometry school to stay away from glass lenses (especially for a construction worker). Trivex and polycarb are much safer. I'm interested to hear what opticians say about this.

[MikeAurelius]

Good suggestion about the teaching opportunity, Mike. But for legal reasons I was taught in optometry school to stay away from glass lenses (especially for a construction worker). Trivex and polycarb are much safer. I'm interested to hear what opticians say about this.

Unfortunately leeshu, you were taught incorrectly. While monomer/polymer lenses may be more break resistant, they still break and can cause eye injury/damage just like glass lenses. Glass is not the pariah the schools make it out to be. I'd personally like to wring the necks of the teachers and textbook writers who put mythical legalities before optics.

[DragonLensmanWV]

http://www.youngeroptics.com/impact_...Test_high.html


I'd like to see them include chem tempered glass.