Today's Pet Peeve: Multiple Pair Discount Errors

[AngeHamm]

I love multiple pair discounts from my labs. They make it so easy for me to offer big savings on second pair sunglasses, computer glasses, occupational glasses, or just a different look. I really lean on those discounts to drive multiple pair sales. But the next time I have to call a lab to get them to apply a discount they accidentally omitted I think I'm going to have to break something. I feel like my lens suppliers have at best a 50% success rate with this lately. What's supposed to be a nice benefit is routinely becoming a daily pattern of five-minute phone calls at a time of year when every moment of my time is precious.

Ugh.

/rant

[Chris Ryser]

I really lean on those discounts to drive multiple pair sales. ^{But the next time I have to call a lab to get them to apply a discount they accidentally omitted I think I'm going to have to break something.} I feel like my lens suppliers have at best a 50% success rate with this lately.

The markup of a lab is considerably smaller than the one used by retail opticians. So the special they have made to boost business is backfiring on them, so they forget the discount once in a while.

[DanLiv]

The markup of a lab is considerably smaller than the one used by retail opticians. So the special they have made to boost business is backfiring on them, so they forget the discount once in a while.

I wouldn't go that far, that's accusing our labs of attempting to intentionally mis-bill us, which I don't think is the case. Sure it could happen, but if that is really the case DEFINITELY get a new lab. You don't need your most integral business partner trying to screw you.

It's quality control just like anything else, just in the billing rather than the production department. If I have to accept errors, I'd honestly rather have them on paper than in my lenses! However, we don't need to accept them. Continued billing errors are a customer service failure just as much as delayed/wrong/damaged jobs. If someone at the lab cares about your business they will take the complaint seriously.

We've had several periods of recurring problems of all sorts with our lab, but every time we point issues out to rep and management they take pains to correct and eventually things smooth out. Everyone makes mistakes, the important thing is correcting them and taking steps to avoid them in the future. That's why we've been with them 20 years.

[AngeHamm]

I wouldn't go that far, that's accusing our labs of attempting to intentionally mis-bill us, which I don't think is the case. Sure it could happen, but if that is really the case DEFINITELY get a new lab. You don't need your most integral business partner trying to screw you.

Yeah, I don't buy that cynical explanation for a moment. I don't work with vendors who don't have my back in our partnership.

It's quality control just like anything else, just in the billing rather than the production department. If I have to accept errors, I'd honestly rather have them on paper than in my lenses!

Truth.

We've had several periods of recurring problems of all sorts with our lab, but every time we point issues out to rep and management they take pains to correct and eventually things smooth out. Everyone makes mistakes, the important thing is correcting them and taking steps to avoid them in the future. That's why we've been with them 20 years.

Also true. Labs seems to have ebbs and flows where everything is perfect for nine months, and then for three months it seems like every other job has some kind of problem. One of our labs had a big shakeup recently, and it has shown in their production. Having once been a lab rat, I'm generally inclined to wait those periods out.