Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 46

Thread: Crazy patient of the day!

  1. #1
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,175

    Stick out tongue Crazy patient of the day!

    This women comes in yesterday with a bag of parts from a eyeglass chain; tells us she bought it 2 years ago and it broke. She wants it replaced or fixed at n/c.
    We look it up in the computer and it does not exist! They leave it for me to deal with today.

    I get a call first thing this morning and she is demanding the manager; I ask who she is and how can I help her, after telling me 5 times she needs to speak to the manager I tell her I am the owner. She proceeds to tell me that she paid $30 for the cord 2 years ago- we cannot find in the computer at all- and the last one she bought lasted 8 years, so I should give her back $15.

    I told her she was goofy and she insisted that since we are a high-end shop we should stand behind the cord and give her her money back.

    I feel better now.

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder mdeimler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Three Mile Island, PA
    Occupation
    Optical Retail
    Posts
    720
    "Goofy" is the term you used ??? That's awesome. Are your employees allowed to use the word goofy, if appropriate ?

  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Seaford, NY USA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    6,008
    Old Neiman Story:
    Complaint Dept:
    Guy walks up: "This hammer I bought isn't worth a damn! And I want my money back!
    Agent: "Okay sir. Are you sure you bought the hammer from us?"
    Guy: "Yes, absolutely! Now give me MY MONEY!!"

    Agent gives out the money. Supervisor sees her at end of day and asks how her day went.
    Agent: "Ok, except for an irate man who wanted his money back for a hammer he felt was no good"
    Supervisor: "Ok, so what did you do?"
    Agent: "Gave him his money back"
    Supervisor: "So what's the problem?"
    Agent: "We don't sell hammers."

    This story/myth is often trotte out to explain the nature of Neiman customer service.

    True or false, I do not claim to know.

    FWIW

    B

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Sunny Southern Cali
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    598
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    Old Neiman Story:
    Complaint Dept:
    Guy walks up: "This hammer I bought isn't worth a damn! And I want my money back!
    Agent: "Okay sir. Are you sure you bought the hammer from us?"
    Guy: "Yes, absolutely! Now give me MY MONEY!!"

    Agent gives out the money. Supervisor sees her at end of day and asks how her day went.
    Agent: "Ok, except for an irate man who wanted his money back for a hammer he felt was no good"
    Supervisor: "Ok, so what did you do?"
    Agent: "Gave him his money back"
    Supervisor: "So what's the problem?"
    Agent: "We don't sell hammers."

    This story/myth is often trotte out to explain the nature of Neiman customer service.

    True or false, I do not claim to know.

    FWIW

    B
    I have heard a similar customer service story about Nordstrom's where an old man got a refund on tires he didn't like. Apparrantly they built on the site of an old Goodyear Tire store. Love those urban legends!

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter rdcoach5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Rossford, Ohio
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,604
    OK, I had a couple come in and started out complaining about how much we charged for last glasses through VSP. Hundreds more than the almost exact same from elsewhere. So I looked up the superbill from his last order and printed it out. He paid $ 43 dollars total. Where do they get these ideas and why, then would they come back if they thought we had ripped them off?

  6. #6
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In Flux
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,615
    Quote Originally Posted by rdcoach5 View Post
    OK, I had a couple come in and started out complaining about how much we charged for last glasses through VSP. Hundreds more than the almost exact same from elsewhere. So I looked up the superbill from his last order and printed it out. He paid $ 43 dollars total. Where do they get these ideas and why, then would they come back if they thought we had ripped them off?
    The answer to that is very simple and is probably staring you in the face on your computer screen.

    The low prices being advertised by on line opticals has been hammered into the publics head along with the message that we are greedy.


    The public's perception of value has been altered and reshaped, thats what we are all experiencing. It can be corrected in some states and provinces .

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder Mizikal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    kansas city
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    512
    Quote Originally Posted by rdcoach5 View Post
    OK, I had a couple come in and started out complaining about how much we charged for last glasses through VSP. Hundreds more than the almost exact same from elsewhere. So I looked up the superbill from his last order and printed it out. He paid $ 43 dollars total. Where do they get these ideas and why, then would they come back if they thought we had ripped them off?

    We get this a lot too. " I paid $400.00 last year. The frame cost $200.00 and they broke what are you going to do about it?"

    The glasses are at least three years old cost $84.00. (don't have glasses that high). I just show then a copy of the receipt. They of course have a copy of it at home. I even had an older lady tell me her nephew was a detective and he was going to either arrest me are investigate me I don't remember which. In all honesty I don't remember yesterday and I sure as heck don't remember what my own exam and contacts cost me two years ago. Yes I am a bad optician every two years!

  8. #8
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In Flux
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,615
    ,,
    Last edited by idispense; 12-15-2013 at 10:52 AM.

  9. #9
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    washington
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,916
    I still think my story wins (this is a big contest right?)

    Patient yelling at us to price match her frame that she claims she found on-line for like $70 less than what we sold it to her for.

    Yeah, ok lady. We ain't a supermarket. We don't price match.

  10. #10
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    St. Cloud, Minnesota
    Occupation
    Ophthalmic Technician
    Posts
    3,089
    Quote Originally Posted by optilady1 View Post
    I still think my story wins (this is a big contest right?)

    Patient yelling at us to price match her frame that she claims she found on-line for like $70 less than what we sold it to her for.

    Yeah, ok lady. We ain't a supermarket. We don't price match.
    "This ain't Burger King, you don't get it your way!" -- unknown, attribution to a variety of comics, but dead on.

  11. #11
    OptiBoardaholic kentmitchell1961's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Nashua, NH
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    272
    Quote Originally Posted by optilady1 View Post
    I still think my story wins (this is a big contest right?)

    Patient yelling at us to price match her frame that she claims she found on-line for like $70 less than what we sold it to her for.

    Yeah, ok lady. We ain't a supermarket. We don't price match.
    Had that at an LC I worked with, suggested she get the frame online then. She did, it was one of 'ours' (LC) stolen, still had our tag on it. I pointed out that was the reason it was cheaper, it was hot. She left, with the frame....

  12. #12
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Seaford, NY USA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    6,008
    For what the cost of that chain represents, I would just comply, rather than have an adversary event in the store.

    But that's me.

    B

  13. #13
    OptiBoardaholic kentmitchell1961's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Nashua, NH
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    272
    Oh I was more than happy to sell her lenses, she was just mortified she had purchases a hot frame and was to embarressed to go through with the deal...

  14. #14
    Master OptiBoarder CCGREEN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Emerald Coast of Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    967
    Frankly I have on occasion politely but bluntly asked the whack job to go away, I know that in the long run they are going to do nothing but cost me $ from my bottom line regardless of what I try to do to make them happy. We all know there are times when we need to ask the nut bag to leave. After all it is not our fault they have our location confused with someone else. Why should we offer to compensate them? All they do then is go tell their other whack job friends how they pulled one over on us so "you need to go do it to..........after all they owe it to you". IDIOTS!

    (I'm just trying to get through the next 10, 15 or even 20 years) Then I'm going fishing in the AM and motorcycle road trip in the afternoon.

  15. #15
    OptiBoard Apprentice
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    New York, NY
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    38
    Quote Originally Posted by idispense View Post
    I wonder what would happen if we replied to these people with:

    "I am just going to look up your file and pull your receipt." Then pull the receipt and place it face down on the table and say: "Before I flip this over, if you are wrong on the time or price , will you promise to apologize and pay me the difference between your receipt and what you claim? "
    This I would so totally do ...

  16. #16
    OptiBoard Apprentice
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    New York, NY
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    38
    Quote Originally Posted by kentmitchell1961 View Post
    Had that at an LC I worked with, suggested she get the frame online then. She did, it was one of 'ours' (LC) stolen, still had our tag on it. I pointed out that was the reason it was cheaper, it was hot. She left, with the frame....
    Lol ... She set herself up for that one.

  17. #17
    Rising Star NUECoptical's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Logan Utah
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    66
    Quote Originally Posted by idispense View Post
    I wonder what would happen if we replied to these people with:

    "I am just going to look up your file and pull your receipt." Then pull the receipt and place it face down on the table and say: "Before I flip this over, if you are wrong on the time or price , will you promise to apologize and pay me the difference between your receipt and what you claim? "
    I wonder how well that would work. Maybe it would help them realize how prone to exaggeration they are.

  18. #18
    OptiBoardaholic CoolOptician's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    261
    Quote Originally Posted by NUECoptical View Post
    I wonder how well that would work. Maybe it would help them realize how prone to exaggeration they are.
    Unfortunately, I'm sure we've all had our 'fair share' of these people. I never 'argued' with them, but I didn't 'just comply' with what they wanted, as sometimes it could 'grow a monster.' We did have one elderly lady accuse us of selling her trifocals instead of bifocals that she wanted, and just continued to pull out every accusation she could think of.....we quietly responded with what we knew we had done, each time. Three days later she came in and apologized, said she was on some medication that she wasn't used to and it did 'funny' things to her.

    So Craig, maybe that is what you should do, instead of calling them 'goofy' (which I loved btw), maybe we should just start asking them all if they are on medication?
    Mother Theresa - MRS. "CoolOptican"

    Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do. —
    James Harvey Robinson

  19. #19
    OptiBoard Novice
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Midlothian, Virginia
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    3

    Amen

    Quote Originally Posted by idispense View Post
    I wonder what would happen if we replied to these people with:

    "I am just going to look up your file and pull your receipt." Then pull the receipt and place it face down on the table and say: "Before I flip this over, if you are wrong on the time or price , will you promise to apologize and pay me the difference between your receipt and what you claim? "
    Awesome! That rocks!!

  20. #20
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Michigan
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,827
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    For what the cost of that chain represents, I would just comply, rather than have an adversary event in the store.
    Mmm hm, me too. I don't argue with crazy, I like to send crazy on it's way as soon as possible and if offering a new chain would do it then by all means go pick one out.

  21. #21
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,175

    Idea I treat everyone the same and crazy get's no special treatment at Eyetopian Optical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    For what the cost of that chain represents, I would just comply, rather than have an adversary event in the store.

    But that's me.

    B
    You know me better than that; I am in the luxury business and we do not let cheap, complaining crazy people make us change our core philosophy of win/win! If every transaction is not going to end in a win/win, we do not do it.

    The lady could not even show she purchased them from me or could we find her record, she did not even buy it from me. I have sold 8 frames in the past month that where over $3,000.00 each and I guarantee none of those clients would ever bring in a bag of beads and sand telling me to give me 1/2 the money back after a few years!

    I cannot deal with a consumer in a manner in which I personally would never do or condone in my personal life, so yes the lady is upset and she can tell all her friends what poor service levels we offer.

    By the way, we just had our best month ever by doing it the Eyetopian way of win/win so we will continue to not allow cheap crazy folks to cause us to venture to a lose/win scenario. It does not work for me or my business model.

    Craig

  22. #22
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,175
    Quote Originally Posted by cocoisland58 View Post
    Mmm hm, me too. I don't argue with crazy, I like to send crazy on it's way as soon as possible and if offering a new chain would do it then by all means go pick one out.
    The LaLoops we carry now are not a $10 item, but the lowest price retail is $60? The chains are close to that, so we do not even have a cheap chain that breaks to sell her.

  23. #23
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Seaford, NY USA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    6,008
    Quote Originally Posted by Craig View Post
    You know me better than that; I am in the luxury business and we do not let cheap, complaining crazy people make us change our core philosophy of win/win! If every transaction is not going to end in a win/win, we do not do it.

    The lady could not even show she purchased them from me or could we find her record, she did not even buy it from me. I have sold 8 frames in the past month that where over $3,000.00 each and I guarantee none of those clients would ever bring in a bag of beads and sand telling me to give me 1/2 the money back after a few years!

    I cannot deal with a consumer in a manner in which I personally would never do or condone in my personal life, so yes the lady is upset and she can tell all her friends what poor service levels we offer.

    By the way, we just had our best month ever by doing it the Eyetopian way of win/win so we will continue to not allow cheap crazy folks to cause us to venture to a lose/win scenario. It does not work for me or my business model.

    Craig
    No disrespect intended, friend. It's just a chain.

    B

  24. #24
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,175
    You are very Zen in your wise ways; I may have to go back on my happy pills to get there though.

    I still was not giving her back $15.

  25. #25
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In Flux
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,615
    Ok so a customer calls and it's been six or seven months since we made the last Rx. They now have a new Rx with minimal change. Dr says it might help or not as the real issue is cataracts and they are not scheduling extraction yet. Patient tells Dr they don't want to pay for a new lens if its only marginal improvement. Dr tells patient to ask the patient to ask their optician about free Dr's. redo for Rx change.

    facts: The patient does not want to spend their own $ to improve their own eyesight
    The Dr does not want to spend his money on the patient

    Question : What's your response to the patient ?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Why are some people crazy!!!!
    By optilady1 in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 41
    Last Post: 05-23-2012, 08:43 PM
  2. help with crazy lady
    By ih8wlmrt in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 01-19-2010, 10:28 AM
  3. Crazy Customer Need Help
    By Mojo in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 07-16-2009, 09:19 AM
  4. 100% Crazy
    By uniqueu in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 37
    Last Post: 02-16-2009, 08:28 PM
  5. crazy rx,s
    By harry a saake in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 01-27-2005, 12:27 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •