and The Patient of the Year Award goes to....

[Johns]

Thankfully, most of us don't have DMs!

[tdj]

Your job in retail is to make sure complaints don't reach your DM. Do what you have to do. If their AR is crazing, strip it but tell them you're "polishing" the cracks out. Which you would not have to do if they didn't leave them on their dashboard. Then they come in yelling that your product is defective.

No matter how ghastly the customer's behavior, it's easy for them to obtain a complaint card and rewrite history. Our DM grills us when we get a complaint, to prepare himself or when he has to actually deal with a member of the public. Apparently, he isn't fond of it.

Stupid. This is how we get the idiots that come in insisting that scratches can be polished out, don't think anything is ever their fault, have never had proper care explained to them, among other things. Because people like you want the easy way out and would rather lie than educate the patient.

[tdj]

Also, if you are dealing with someone like that in an environment that does have things like district managers and comment cards? Document, document, document. Lengthy notes in the file every time you explain something to a patient like not being able to leave glasses on a dashboard. Sure, your DM may still choose to roll over to make the patient happy, but it sure as hell won't be your problem, because you can point to that thorough note you left the same day documenting the appropriate moves that you made.

[Judy Canty]

Stupid. This is how we get the idiots that come in insisting that scratches can be polished out, don't think anything is ever their fault, have never had proper care explained to them, among other things. Because people like you want the easy way out and would rather lie than educate the patient.

Play nice.

[pseudonym]

Also, if you are dealing with someone like that in an environment that does have things like district managers and comment cards? Document, document, document. Lengthy notes in the file every time you explain something to a patient like not being able to leave glasses on a dashboard. Sure, your DM may still choose to roll over to make the patient happy, but it sure as hell won't be your problem, because you can point to that thorough note you left the same day documenting the appropriate moves that you made.

The statement "patient declined warranty" on their invoice has saved me from many an allegation that I never offered it. I choose to answer your previous post with what it deserves- silence.

[shannon]

Your job in retail is to make sure complaints don't reach your DM. Do what you have to do. If their AR is crazing, strip it but tell them you're "polishing" the cracks out. Which you would not have to do if they didn't leave them on their dashboard. Then they come in yelling that your product is defective.

No matter how ghastly the customer's behavior, it's easy for them to obtain a complaint card and rewrite history. Our DM grills us when we get a complaint, to prepare himself or when he has to actually deal with a member of the public. Apparently, he isn't fond of it.

Thank you Thank you Thank you.....you are reminding me why I left the corporate would....lol...RM, DM, GM AGM RM ARM, accchhhhhhh! Titles often (not always, but often) give some a sense of "ive made it....i need not do more that what i see the other managers doing (generally, not much)....wait, nope....the ones on the shorter end of the totum pole are so going to get grilled to (as it should be)....World of Optics....get a raise and a title, walk on cloud nine, loose humility. Part 2: Being low on the totum pole you are now the first face patients see when a manager is called...hahah, good luck! Humility is quickly restored.

Sorry, this got SOOOOOO off topic...it just popped in my head and i'm having one of those days.....me sorry :(

[OHPNTZ]

[QUOTE=shannon;426873]Holy Cow....she definately deserves this award.She calls first b/c we take Medicaid...There lies the problem. I would say 9 out of 10 of my worst experiences with patients has been with patients on medicaid. From a fistfight between siblings in the exam room, to an action figure thrown in the face behind the slit lamp...to bathrooms where the toilet was misssed...to waiting rooms trashed and not picked up...

[mdeimler]

A Gateway patient went crazy and bit the heck out of a local optician. He had blood all over the place.

[loratz]

U think that's bad,lady came in my store with 3 kids ranging from 7 to 12 with 1 of their glasses missing a screw (that they did not purchase from me) and I was going to do a freebie.Well,as soon as they came in those I guess those kids thought that they just arrived at McDonalds playground Fun,Fun,Fun.Before I walked to the back the mother sat down and got texting or something oblivious to her 3 human tornadoes.Came back out from the lab probably 3 minutes and there was the mother patting one of her little s*#ts back and proceeded to chew me out about "You didn't hear my son choking and I shouldn't be a business like this and Blah,Blah,Blah.Come find out while they were destroying my office(Oh Yeah when putting things back in their place after they left 1 frame broken 2 displays now garbage) they came upon my candy dish with DumDum suckers in it behind my desk.

[bob_f_aboc]

hmmmmm.....dum dums attracted the.....never mind

should have given them a few more for the ride home. natural selection at its finest.

[gmc]

We had a lady a few days ago that had lost her Rx sunglasses that were a few years old.

She insisted that since she had been a loyal customer for so many years that we give her a new pair. Or at the very least, let her pick a pair out of the Lion's Club collection box and put her lenses in it for free.

Needless to say, that didn't happen.

[kat]

Years ago, prior to opening my own shop, I worked in a family practice with the son (OD), dad (master Optitician), mom (office mgr). One day a Mom came in with 2-3 kids (can't remember how many), the kids proceded to "trash" the place, well Mom went into the exam room, pulled the patient out and kicked them all out of the shop!!! I thought, biy I can't wait till I can do that. We lost 5 frames, 2 displays and had to re-paint one of the walls at the check-out area (Sharpie markers). I truly believe that if people could learn to respect we would all be better off.

[jefe]

Holy Cow....she definately deserves this award.

She calls first b/c we take Medicaid and tells the person who answers the phone that she's at an Applebees (there are 5 in town) and how does she get to us? She couldn't tell us which one she was at, no problem. She comes in with an out of control child who wrecks everything and screeches at the top of his lungs that he is not leaving without the Etch-a-sketch we have in the kids room. Mom says...."I'm taking this, I will just bring it back". Mom gets her glasses ordered and leaves (with child and etch-a-sketch) and the owner realizes she left her drivers license and runs out to the parking lot to find her parked in the middle of the parking lot and getting back into her car. He gives it to her and she leaves. Our other patient leaves and comes back to say someone just hit her car and there were parts all over the ground, crap. Well, 2 and 2...so we call the previous patient and give the phone to the hit and run victim. She explains that she knows it was her who hit her car and we had all of her information and that she already called the cops. The toy theif screams profanities at her and said how dare she call the cops, there was more damage to her own car anyway (oh, well, in that case....). After the word warrant is mentioned the patient is convinced to come back and is issued all kinds of fun citations for this and that....

Her glasses are ready today and she was called to be told just this...she is confused about where we are located....again. "oh, the place I hit that car!!! ( insert stream of profanities)".

I saw NONE of this, I just went to file her insurance today (wasn't even at work yesterday) and of course I have to question why there is a big post it note on someones medical file that says "Warning: Hit and Runner". I'm sorry I asked about this patient, because I found it all pretty funny. On a side note, her insurance declined her claim and we will never see that money or the poor poor Etch-a-Sketch again.

that is all on the The Patient of the Year.

I had a contender for that dubious honor recently. This guy came in with his young daughter for a free repair, and while he was waiting the daughter went to use the bathroom. The father went to the bathroom to check on his daughter, and when she came back to the dispensary, she had a bad, bad smell. They left, and I went back to the bathroom to check it out. She had apparently pooped her pants and tracked some of the poop all over my tile floor and the rug outside the bathroom. And the toilet -- oh, my!

The father hustled her out of the store without saying anything. Grrrrr!

[opticianbart]

People like that are used to getting what they want, whatever it is. Three weeks ago, I walked into our Od's exam room, interrupted the exam, and told a lady to get her 3 kids (12, 9, 5 yr olds) and take them out of my office.

She said "I guess you don't value my business very much!" To which I replied, "You are absolutely correct!"


The youngest child was taking frames off the wall and throwing them, while the other two were trading profanity laced insults at each other.

At my age, I don't have the patience, nor the desire to put up with anything that disrupts my ability to run my business the way I want to. Life is too short. Let someone else take the abuse. I'm way past done.

Good lord I wish I worked for you.

[Arsenal]

It's a full moon every day around here, so it's the patient of the day award. Id hate to see one worthy of patient of the year status.

[IhaveSpecialEyes]

Thankfully, most of us don't have DMs!

A thing I am most thankful for! Pretty sure that stands for Douche Monkey! Love working for a small business and the best Dr. bar none! oops, back to work I go!

[IhaveSpecialEyes]

On a side note: fixed a patients glasses, smiled and said there that should feel much better! His reply, "Did you get new dentures?" WTF? First who says that and second I do NOT look like I wear dentures! ...I must have appeared bewildered as he then stumbled out with.."It's just that your teeth are so white" I smiled waved my hand ala Vanna White and said nope all mine

[Huffam]

$5 says she was on her Obamaphone when she hit that car!

[Huffam]

People like that are used to getting what they want, whatever it is. Three weeks ago, I walked into our Od's exam room, interrupted the exam, and told a lady to get her 3 kids (12, 9, 5 yr olds) and take them out of my office.

She said "I guess you don't value my business very much!" To which I replied, "You are absolutely correct!"


The youngest child was taking frames off the wall and throwing them, while the other two were trading profanity laced insults at each other.

At my age, I don't have the patience, nor the desire to put up with anything that disrupts my ability to run my business the way I want to. Life is too short. Let someone else take the abuse. I'm way past done.

You're an Optician, not a babysitter right? i have had to ask plenty of people to leave for not watching their spawn in my stores in the past

[drk]

We just don't let people leave their kids unattended. Where parent is, kid is.

It doesn't always work out, but it helps.

[Wes]

Put up a sign that says "Unattended children will be given a Red Bull and a puppy."