Bad mouthed optometrist

[uncut]

@haliopt.......stay out the Tim Horton's drive-thru.


Your hug...(*)

[Oedema]

The people blabbing to get a lawyer have either never dealt with lawyers or have watched one too many episodes of Matlock. You can't C & D someone from expressing an opinion contrary to yours....and that's what it boils down to. BS lawyer letters are exactly that, BS. I thinks that most of the other posts offer the
most suitable advice for the situation. Don't let the dude get your Mojo :)

Absolutely correct, however lawyer BS is quite often all you need to get what you want. Kind of like those liability waivers you have to sign at a ski resort... On another note maybe I'll stop dissuading patients from visiting a certain large chain operated by a "sir" with a taste for ugly motorcycles and yachts...

[LandLord]

How did that work out for Abe anyway? How about " the best defense is a great offense " Vincent Lombardi.( he didn't get shot.)

Yes he got shot, but that philosophy did help him become President of the United States of America and end slavery. A much bigger task than handling one bickering optometrist.

[Speed]

I agree with this being a lose,lose. Best you can do is send him a thank you note for the referals and say you will return the favor. Go buy and see if you can pick up some business cards if his. (You don't have to do anything but pick them up. You can toss them later.) If he thinks you are getting his business, this will at least drive him crazy. Above all, be nice.

[chip anderson]

Hear is a quote from Socrates, I think: " I shall try to behave that they will not be believed."

Probably the best way to handle this.

Chip

[Craig]

Don't fill his rx's and tell the patient why you made that decision.

Yea, that will show him not to talk about others!

[TLG]

I would visit his office and see if you could talk with him. Tell him what your patients are saying he is saying. Ask him nicely what his problem is with you. Did you offend him some how? Did he have a patient or two who got glasses from you that had problems? There has to be something.

Be pleasant and stress how you want to solve whatever his problem with you is.

At the best you will learn what is causing him to bad mouth you and solve his concern. At worst he is now aware that what is is saying is getting back to you and will hopefully stop.

He must be doing it a LOT if you hear about 2-6 times a month. You need to do something.

Voted Best Reply!

[doglas]

boy, just got back from a short holiday,& what a pile of posts, i thank you all for your input, i think i'll a least go talk to my lawyer to see what his thoughts are. as far as sending him a letter of niceness, i don't think i could get myself to do it, besides if i send him that letter, then it sort of defeats the lawyer's letter. we went to "sight testing" last year, & i think this is were the escalating is coming from....i think. but the only thing with that thought, is i'm one of the last retailer's to do sight testing in b.c., everyone else already does it. so? i don't know. one thing i know for sure, is optometrist's really dislike optician's doing sight testing...my father whom is an optometrist, (whom needs to retire) say's a c&d letter, he know's of the fellow in question. but that being said, my father also hates me doing sight testing
doglas

[SEOGlopex]

i'm seeking some guidence here, so what to do?...if anything, i have a retail optical that's being in operation for over 20 years now, & never in my past had any problem with an optometrist before....until now, he is relatively new to the area, maybe 2-5 years, but this guy is constantly bad mouthing us, eg. "that place would be the last place i would go" "he doesn't have a clue of what he is doing" ect. i get about 2-6 compaints per month from my customers, telling me this, so if it's happening this much, the bad mouth must be a daily practice for him, now do i have recourse? can i complain to their board? does their board care? or it's a different industy so who cares, can i complain to my board, or is it something they would say to me, no jurisdiction & get over it, is there someone else to contact? or should i just make myself an appointment, & pay him a visit....i have never come across anyone with such an attitude before....& it's not like i'm taking his business, i'm about 4 miles from him. the reason i'm posting this is because it happened again yesterday, & while he is discussing me with one of our customers, another customer pipes up in the waiting room & tells the optometrist, that she would go know where else but to me...but the stories just keep going on & on. thanks' for your thoughts about this, doglas

nice share... really appreciated.... :P .. However, on other note:

Double sided coin here.... First, is this a 'dispensing' practice'? If so, his/her retention rates may be low due to your successful capture? If this is the case, you wouldn't be complaining and they would be. If it is a refracting practice only, they shouldn't give a hoot where the patients end up unless the Rx's are not being filled properly? Are you a 3 for 1 type operation? Is your business reputation a professional one? Are you providing sight testing and now competing? Did you drink too much at a past convention? Did you date his/her spouse in high school? The reasons are endless... It's highly unlikely and extremely rare that 'innocent' people end up with a target on their back. You've obviously hit a nerve with something - envy, jealousy? The Canadian optical grapevine is extremely small and even the small incidents with patients/colleagues will travel. In the meantime, you need 'hard' evidence that in fact this is actually happening. I'm no lawyer (thank goodness) I'm guessing a few patient affadavits would be required - good luck obtaining! If you do manage to get them, as Phitrace noted, a good ole fashioned C&D letter ought to take care of it.

[MakeOptics]

This post isn't really adding much, just giving a reason for my opinion.

I suggested a C&D letter, my reasoning is that this doctor is being very passive aggressive by talking badly to your customers. I don't see how being passive aggressive back can accomplish much. As the saying goes, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight". This might get some laughs but here is what Dr Phil has to say about the subject:

How to Spot and Deal with Passive-Aggressives

Passive-aggressives often don't own their feelings and can be pessimistic no matter how well things are going. The following are some passive-aggressive behavior warning signs.

A reluctance or failure to keep promises.

Sabotaging the efforts of others.

Blaming others for personal failures.

Exaggerating misfortunes.

Complaining of feeling unappreciated or misunderstood.

Persistent pessimism, even when things are going well.

Avoiding work and social obligations, often making excuses.


Here are some tips for dealing with a passive-aggressive:


Don't feel guilty.
Remember that you're not to blame for someone else's passive-aggressive behavior.


Refuse to play their game.
Because a passive-aggressive personality doesn't know how to respond appropriately to conflict, he or she will most likely deny everything. It's important to express your concerns and anger, but stick to the facts at hand and how his or her actions make you feel.


Confront their dishonesty.
Not confronting the passive-aggressive behavior will only reinforce it. Confront the person immediately and let him or her know you are confused by the behavior. If they value the relationship, he or she has to stop the behavior.


Don't let them get away with bad behavior.
Instead of letting the person off the hook and allowing him or her to continue the behavior, try to create an atmosphere in which he or she might feel more comfortable sharing feelings of anger, resentment, fear, etc.

I don't know when you started doing sight testing in relation to when he started bad mouthing your practice but I would definately discuss with him the impact he PERCIEVES compared to the imapct that you are actually going to make. You may even try to cultivate a referel relationship where he is your primary doctor for health assesments. I do however stronly feel that you must assert your dominance or continue to be victim to his passive aggressive behavior. Good luck and I would be very interested in a response to this topic discussing your tactic, approach, and the results. Anxiously waiting.