The Sight Center Of Northwest Pa

Re: Complaint ID#***Dear Ms*** ***I received your letter dated January 23, regarding a complaint from our patient who claims the Sight Center provided “improper eyeglasses” and that she would like a refund of $I have attached a complete timeline of events as well as copies
of correspondence with this patient from January 19, through November 16, regarding her glasses.You will see from the correspondence that the Sight Center made and dispensed eyeglasses to the patient the first time in March The patient complained about the weight of her new glasses and the Sight Center replaced them for her with upgraded (therefore lighter) materials at no chargeThe patient then complained that she could not see with her glassesAfter confirming that the glasses met ANSI standards and matched the prescription, our optician suggested the patient be re-checked by the prescribing physicianPatient called several days later and claimed she was seeing perfectly with the glasses and that she had adjusted to them.In August 2016, the patient again contacted the Sight Center claiming that a friend told her she “looked like a man” in her eyeglasses and that she would like a refundIt had been several months since we dispensed the second pair and the patient had indicated that she could see with themThe optician told the patient that at this point and because it had become a cosmetic complaint, there was nothing she could do.In October 2016, the patient visited her eye doctor who confirmed that the glasses were made to ANSI standards and matched her prescriptionThe eye doctor determined that the patient could see slightly better than 20/while wearing her glasses.The patient claims that the eye doctor told her “the axis was off” but the visit records indicate that the glasses meet or exceed ANSI standards (meaning they are made to the prescription as written by the physician) and that she could see perfectly with them.Patient then claimed the eye doctor told her the PD (pupillary distance) was offOnce again, we communicated with the doctor’s office who said this was not true and that the patient could see perfectly.Now, in January 2017, we have received this complaint and the patient’s request for a refundI have reviewed all the correspondence and summarized it on the attached pagesI also called the prescribing physician’s office and confirmed that the patient was seen and that the eyeglasses were determined by them to meet the patient’s prescription and visual needs.It is my belief that the patient has been appropriately served by the Sight Center and in fact, has received excellent customer serviceIt is obvious from the correspondence that our optician did everything humanly possible to make the patient happy, including completely re-making the glasses at no charge to the patient when she complained that they felt heavy on her nose and faceThe optician appears to have treated the patient with patience and respect and the patient confirms this in her correspondence.As you can see from the attached invoices, the second pair of glasses which were made at no charge to the patient would have cost her significantly more than the original glassesWe were not able to receive a refund or discount from the lens manufacturer because it was outside the day window to do thatTherefore, the Center bore the cost of the second pair of glasses in order to try to make the patient happy.The Sight Center is a small, private non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent blindness and promote independence for those who have lost their sight We provide reduced-cost eyeglasses to those in our community who are uninsured and are of low income as a service to that population who may not be able to procure eye glasses through other meansThis patient’s glasses would have cost significantly more if dispensed by a private, for-profit entityWe simply cannot afford to provide this patient with a reduced-cost pair of glasses, a free pair of upgraded glasses AND a refund.I hope this letter properly addresses the customer complaintWe make every effort to ensure our patients are treated with respect and dignity and that their visual needs are met to the best of our abilityOur staff is committed to the finest in customer service and I believe we have more than met that standard with this patientIf there’s anything else you feel we should do, please feel free to contact me againI will send a copy of this letter to the patient and hope that she will realize that we cannot meet her request for a refund.Sincerely,Linda H***, Executive Director