I'm a little perturbed about warranty work.

[drk]

First of all, heap scorn upon me for dealing with vision care plans. Ha ha. Drk takes vision care plans with crappy margins.

I admit it.

Here's the deal: how can you have great service with poor margins? YOU CAN'T.



Case in point: my optician is on the phone and I'm sticking my nose into her business. (It's really my business, if you think about it.)

"Ok...which lens? All right, you're just in the nick of time. I'll call you when it's in."

Yep, some caller had a "scratch" in her lens and wanted it fixed. MAYBE the caller suggested a warranty (or maybe my super-helpful optician just did a 'no-problem/no-fault' warranty lickety-split. I'm not going to ask because she's mad at me over this already.)


Well, I'd say that's pretty damn good service! Call with a complaint of a scratch on a PAL with AR and sight unseen we'll automatically for free replace the lens and you don't even have to leave your couch.

Meanwhile, my optician is going to have to call VSP for a "warranty authorization" (roadblock), then do the computer entry to order it (time and my money) and then have it come in lens-only and call the patient to come in (more time and my money) and insert it into the frame IF IT FITS (more time and my money) and I don't even want to know about how I get the credit on my invoice, again (accountant/bookeeper time/money).

All for peanut VCP reimbursement AND TRUST ME WHEN I SAY PEANUTS.


So, I don't want to be a patsy. I want to give good service, but not for free.

I'm thinking of throwing out some speed bumps.
1. We MUST SEE THE lens
2. We must take your frame and send it to the lab
3. There will be a copay. Maybe $25.

This will apply to frames, as well. (We may not need to keep the glasses for frame warranty).


What do you do?