Just want to vent a little

[snv]

We had a patient that came in a week ago ordered an easyclip progressive lenses with her MD's rx. She took almost two hours to pick out this frame, and my optician said that she was in here couple weeks before to check out some frames too.

We used the same brand of progressive as her old rx (which is almost identical to the new Rx) and fitting the progressive very accurate.

She came in yesterday to pick up the new glasses. Right after she put it on, she said she can't see well. My optician check it again and again and it is like what her Dr.'s prescribed. We advised her to go back to her DR's for an Rx recheck, but she refused. We figured that she now just want her money back. We told her that we only can refund the frame back since our office 's policy on edged lenses is that they can't be refund. IF new frame are used, we'll give 50% discount on the lenses.

She demanded the money back regardless of our policy, and threatening to get her lawyer involved. I'm calmly told her to go ahead with that. Hope I do that right thing.


snv

[For-Life]

You did the right thing, but sometimes it is just better to get the idiots out of your store for good and give them a refund. Of course she has no case.

[shellrob]

I feel for you as this happens to me all the time. We too have the no lens return policy for obvious reasons. I'm sure she's had some type of rx change along with a change of the frame, in which now the measurements are different. I wish everytime we put a new pair of glasses on someone they were perfect. But of course that's not reality. I would try to get the old rx from the doctor so that you can compare the differences in the 2. Also try to get as much medical information as you can as well as there could be other reasons for the changes in the lenses. If you cannot figure out why she's having difficulty based on checking everything you can and she then refuses to go back to the doctor, then at least you know that you've done everything you can to help her. She might have buyers remorse as well.

[IIII]

I think all of us have experienced the same thing. How old was your patient? What was her correctd va? I wish all rx's would have corrected va. I have found that some patients with less than desirable va will buy glasses hoping that the new rx will make them see better, even though the doc said that it wouldn't. Then they are disappointed and feel like they wasted their $.

[snv]

She's in her late 40s. Her old Rx and old frame is almost the same shape and size as the new one. Her old seg height was 18 and this one is 17, which I don't think it make a big deal. One thing my optician mentioned to me was that when she walked in to pick up her glasses, she keep asking my optician that "Is EasyClip a name brand frame?" . Also, when we offered to switch frame for her, she picked out a Dior frame that cost $120 more than her Easyclip, but she do not want to pay the difference.

I do feel a buyer remorse coming, but I have to put my foot down in this one. MOST customers are always right, but not this patient.

[shellrob]

What about her add power? That can be a big change.

[snv]

her add went from +1.00 to +1.25. The only thing change in her sphere was there's a -0.25 astigmatism on her left eye in her new Rx. Since I did not prescribed the Rx, I told her to bring the glasses to her Dr and asked him to recheck but she's definitely refused.

[drk]

Eat it! It's hard to do, I know. Just know that you are going to hate her more and more, and be more and more upset the longer it goes on!

Just refund and get her out. Be nice. Take the high road. Be like Lenscrafters.

Remember the consultants' advice: "A cranky old battle-ax rip-off artist patient who has a bad experience will tell 40,326 of her friends that you are a totally incompetent con man."

YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT.

[Jason Carruthers]

Need more info. All you say is she can't see well. When this happens I investigate until I figure out the cause. "Can't see well" is too vague. If you refund her and she buys glasses elsewhere she might have the same problem. You must isolate whether it is

* prescriber error
* dispenser error or
* user adaptation.

Then you can solve the problem. Money back because she changed her mind is not good enough. Unless she admits it, which is rare.

[Robert Martellaro]

Put a big "X" across Bozo's picture. Put picture on entrance door facing out.

Take a long lunch.

Leave early.

Make an appointment with your bartender.

Hope this helps

[Chris Ryser]

Just refund and get her out. Be nice. Take the high road. Be like Lenscrafters.

Do like drk say's....................................

Next time you get customers that come a few time and finally take 2 hours to choose a frame.................have regretted the purchase after a few days because they are not sure if that is the frame she actually wanted.

So, when she picks it up.........she does not like the frame anymore and say's that she can not see properly.

When she gets home she will ask any and everybody the question, how everybody likes her face with the new glasses. Any faintly negative remark will make up her mind to bring it back for a refund.

These people will never be satisfied with anything fashionable they purchase, because there was always something better elsewhere.

Be on your toes when the next one comes and spends hours looking at frames. Gently ease them out the door and tell them that the competition has the model she is looking for

[drk]

Next time you get customers that come a few time and finally take 2 hours to choose a frame.................have regretted the purchase after a few days because they are not sure if that is the frame she actually wanted.


When she gets home she will ask any and everybody the question, how everybody likes her face with the new glasses. Any faintly negative remark will make up her mind to bring it back for a refund.

These people will never be satisfied with anything fashionable they purchase, because there was always something better elsewhere.

Be on your toes when the next one comes and spends hours looking at frames. Gently ease them out the door and tell them that the competition has the model she is looking for

This is true: extreme indecision during the frame selection so often leads to "mind changing" after the sale! It's a red flag waving.

[Aarlan]

For the few times in one's career when something like this occurs, just eat the lens price (also talk with your lab...oftentimes, if you're a good account they will help you out in a jam). This lady needs to go to a chain optical and be a headache for them instead...then she can get all the refunds she wants.

AA

[Jedi]

As much as we all would love to tell her to take a hike, because she is absolutely off base, you don't want to be a martyr in this situation. If you can, charge her a modest "restocking fee" and refund the rest.

In the future, it may be in your best interest to create a warranty card outlining your refund/exchange/warranty policy. Then you would have something in writing to fall back on.

[Aarlan]

Jedi,

Although I agree that the patient is probably in the wrong, I agree with DRK's assessment.

A cranky old battle-ax rip-off artist patient who has a bad experience will tell 40,326 of her friends that you are a totally incompetent con man."

It would be worth the few extra dollars in this case to be rid of her forever. She can rant and rave all she wants, but by returning all of her money she has no reason to complain. It is not as if it is a situation that arises weekly (if it is you're doing something wrong), but in the 4 years total I've been in private practice, we've only had to do it once.

Besides, it will be worth the few extra dollars to not to have this headache hanging over you for the next few days/weeks

AA

[Jedi]

It's not so much the money, but the perception of control. The problem with completely refunding a situation like this is the customer is in control of the situation. By imposing a restocking charge (10-15%), that consumer has to agree with your terms, and you still maintain control of the situation.

[Lewy]

As much as we all would love to tell her to take a hike, because she is absolutely off base, you don't want to be a martyr in this situation. If you can, charge her a modest "restocking fee" and refund the rest.

In the future, it may be in your best interest to create a warranty card outlining your refund/exchange/warranty policy. Then you would have something in writing to fall back on.

Have you got anything to show as an example, as this is just the thing I have been thinking of doing, along with other information in form of a 2 year warranty,

Regards,


Lewy

[Ed_Optician]

As part of this make sure your refund/exchange/repair policy is posted and printed on the sales invoice.
A friend of mine got nailed in Small Claims concerning damage to a POF because the policy was not printed on the invoice despite it being posted on the wall by the dispensing counter in 60 pt type bold faced
The person you have on your hands will if you do not give her a full refund go to her credit card company and get a charge back for the remainder no matter what your refund policy is. Make sure your refund policy is printed on the patient copy of your invoice/receipt

Ed

[ken@foothills]

Had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago +1.00 distance with a +1.50 add, same correction as the old pair, the new frame is a little smaller, used a short corridor progressive. Comes in puts new glasses on says old Rx is crisper. For one thing I can't believe a hyperope can distinguish that finite of vision difference of two glasses with the same Rx. And I have played this game over the years, recheck the glasses, measurements, fit, vertex, remake the glasses two or three times and in my head knowing their is no reason why their vision shouldn't be clear. Now, I just get rid of them as quick as I can, they suck so much energy out of a person and time. Real customers are waiting for you to finish up with the "Princess and the Pea Syndrome Patient" and of course Pea customers don't have a real life and can sit their all day sucking your energy and time.

[Bev Heishman]

Refund what you can and do not make new glasses for her again. This is happening more & more with the offers that Lenscrafters is offering. The other Saturday I had a patient whom took 3 hours to select and wanted Silhouette drills for reading only. The design was impractical and they wanted to negotiate price although we had 6 individuals waiting.

After 3 hours, the daughter came in and selected a Kate Spade which was stunning, semi rimless and supported the +4.25 reading rx they wanted at less price. The person selecting even solicited votes from our staff and other patients. On pickup 1 week later, at the patients choice, they didn't like them as they told another member of my staff or wanted them.

I told the individual that I would take back the glasses but there is a non refundable charge of $50 for the SV lenses we used. Some of you may think this is wrong, but when someone takes this amount of time & waits one week to decide, the raw material costs should be covered especially when they say the are going to another practioner. At $50 it still did not cover staff time, other patients were inconvenienced whom already had appointments were inconvenienced and had already spent their morning in the office.

[finklstiltskin]

I don't know why you guys think that refunding her money will keep her from complaining to her friends and family. She obviously has some major issues, and her friends and family are probably used to her complaining, and by this time, tune the complaining out.

I have never personally been a fan of "the customer is always right" because at our office, much of the time, the customer is WRONG. I mean, sure, you want the customer to be happy, but be reasonable. This is purely a case of buyer's remorse which IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Not every office can afford to eat the cost of lenses every time someone is less-than-happy about it.

[ziggy]

I have a section of rubber hose on a board which is hung on the wall, with the inscription "FOR THOSE WHO COMPLAIN". Try it and let us know how it goes.

[Rainstorm]

I would personally go ape**** if I told someone that my glasses were not working and i just wanted to get my money back and they wouldn't give it. I agree that she was irrational in her refusal to go back and see her Dr. If people have problems with their Rx where I work, I encourage them to take our glasses back to the Dr. so that they may use the rx "real world" style while checking acuities. I let them know that many factors can change the result of an exam from one day to the next, like time of day, fatigue, having been doing an activity where you were using only one range of vision, diet related things like diabetes and even subtle changes in medication..If the Dr. Changes the Rx offer to remake at no charge.
But, if they are unwilling to do that, give it all back. They are done with you, and you are done with them.

[William Walker]

If it were me, I'd call the prescribing MD, and ask him if he remembers this pt. Chances are, he can tell you if she's .....memorable everywhere she goes, or it might just be that she perceives something different with these new ones. I'd ask if his receptionist can call the pt to set up an apt.

That way, you look like you went above and beyond, by calling the doctor, and let the pt know that if the Dr. changes anything in the Rx, what your Rx change policy is (Ours is no charge) which could take care of the patient - even if knowing that going back to the Dr. can potentially get her new lenses/glasses.

Also, by calling the MD's office first, I think you have a lesser chance of the Dr. jumping to the good-ole 'My Rx is perfect, these were somehow made wrong' cliche.

Good luck,
William