Seattle Low Vision

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o whom this may concern,

This is in response to a compliant made to the better business beurou about a purchase made in our office on December 17 , 2018 by a Mr. ***. Please feel free to use this as an official response to his complaint.

Mr. came to our office shopping for a new pair of sunglasses. December is typically very busy time of year with patients wanting to use their vision benefits and health savings monies before years end. I was busy helping patients when Mr. came in. He was looking independently until I could help him. When I was available to help him he had already chosen a frame. He presented to me a print out of his vision benefits, the paper he gave me had been printed from another optical shop and had the prices of lens options written on the lower portion of it. The frame he was interested didn’t have a price on it so I went to my office and calculated the price of the frame, $200.00. His plan did not have an allowance for a frame, just lenses. He knew this already. Per his plans specifications, I told him he was eligible for a 20% discount on the frame. We discussed his options for lenses and I recommended optional upgrades for better functionality of his new sunglasses. I let him know that the frame he chose warranted an upgrade in lens material due to the possibility of chipping and that my lab insists on the upgrade or he could choose a different frame, he chose to move forward with the frame and seemed fine with the out of pocket costs. At no time did I pressure him into buying anything. I explained his out of pocket costs, recommended upgrades to dress his new sunglasses and informed him of the frames limitations . He paid the out of pocket costs, I printed an itemized receipt, let him know his delivery estimate was a bit delayed due to the holidays and he left.

The next day he called and asked for the frame specifics ie: model , vendor, color. I gave him the information he was requesting. He at no time during our brief conversation asked me to put his order on hold or to not proceed with it.

A couple of days later I received a message that he wanted to cancel his order. I called the lab to see where the lenses were in process, there is a small window for cancellation. Unfortunately the lenses had already been processed. I could not cancel the order. He called a few times that day and I was unbale to talk with him, again, busy time of year and our phones were malfunctioning on that particular day. When he and I were finally able to speak, I explained to Mr. that I could not cancel the order as the lenses were already manufactured to his specific prescription. I instructed him to reach out to his vision plan as they are very user friendly and they may void my lab bill and reinstate his benefit if he were to ask, I could then refund him in full, it was worth a try, I told him I would do exactly as his vision provider instructed me. He then said he didn’t actually want to cancel the order. He wanted a bigger discount on his frame. I told him I couldn’t do that, he received 20% already. He insisted there was some room for negotiating the frame cost, I let him know we do not barter or negotiate prices in this office. We billed appropriately through his insurance and gave him the required discount. I couldn’t offer him a full refund due to the specificity of his purchase, eyeglass lenses can not be reused or resold to someone else. When you agree to order the eyewear, its yours and cannot be returned. In most retail establishments there is a return policy, but in eyeglasses we are filling prescriptions written by doctors, there are no refunds on specific medical devices that are manufactured to be used solely by the prescription holder.

I left the conversation at that. I did not hear back from him or his insurance company at all. His sunglasses arrived I notified him via e mail and text that they were ready.

He picked them up.

Unbeknownst to me, he had filed a complaint with the Revdex.com asking for an additional $80.00 refund/discount on his frame and he has requested a full refund from his credit card vendor. He picked up the sunglasses. He is in possession of them. He made no mention of his actions or his intentions when he picked them up. I did not become aware of the complaints until 2 days after he picked up the sunglasses.

I do not feel that Mr. was talked into or forced to purchase anything from our office. I explained his options and his benefits. I advised ,as I do all of our patrons, on quality upgrades for better functionality, It is always the patients final decision on what they “add on” and can choose to purchase here or elsewhere. Our office dose not have end of year quotas or incentive programs in place. We have never agreed with aggressive sales tactics, especially in eyeglasses, we take pride in that we provide exceptional patient care/customer service with out the added pressure of up-selling.

It is unfortunate that Mr. feels the way he dose. It is also unfortunate that he picked up the sunglasses and is still seeking retribution. If he were to return them I wouldn’t be able to resell them as “new”. I can only assume, at this point, that Mr. called the day after his purchase for the frame details so he could price compare, which he certainly has the right to do. Had he explained at that time he was doing that, I could of paused his order at the lab, we could have avoided this altogether. Had it not been our busiest time of year, I may have recognized he was having second thoughts, I unfortunately missed this que.

Regards,

Cheri C

Office Manager

ADO