I remember distinctly it happening literally overnight. I came to the office with a Valentine’s Dy greeting card my godson sent me. Immediately after opening it, I began hitting it against the desk to shake the bugs out of it. As my boss walked by my office, he stopped at my door way and asked me what I was doing, and I exclaimed,
“My godson sent me a Valentine’s Day greeting card, but it looks like he had eaten something sweet when he signed and handled the card. Its full of these little bugs and I am trying to shake them out!”
My boss came closer to my desk. As he reached his hand over my desk, he asked to see my greeting card and immediately burst out in a full gregarious laugh. He told me they are not bugs, but what appeared to be bugs was my godson’s best nearly microscopic manuscript handwritten words to me inside the card. Embarrassingly, I took the greeting card back from my boss’s hand and took note to mention this incident at my annual checkup of my eyes.
I have worn glasses as far back as I can remember, first for reading, then for distance then back for reading once again. Over 20 years ago, I had LASIK done and I am pleased to report my distant vision still remains 20/20 or better. As promised, by both my ophthalmologist and by the surgeon who performed my LASIK procedure, they warned me as I approach my 40s, I will more than likely need glasses for presbyopia, or age related blurry near vision. During my annual checkup, my ophthalmologist, laughed as I told her about the bugs in the greeting card and she gently reminded me when she told me of presbyopia so many years earlier. After the refraction exam, she confirmed the diagnosis was nothing more than presbyopia and prescribed lenses to help permanently exterminate all the bugs.
Although my distant vision remained excellent, she recommended progressive lenses (no line bi-focal lenses) as opposed to traditional bi-focals. When I had my LASIK performed so many years earlier, they were unable to correct astigmatism. Progressive lenses, though more expensive than traditional bi-focal lenses, would greatly reduce the need to take off the glasses and putting them back on numerous times throughout the day and help reduce eye fatigue and strain. It also helps get rid of the stigma of getting old. You know the look of the man who puts his glasses half way down his nose to be able to see over it? With progressive lenses, I would only need to wear it when I am working on a computer, reading or other close-up activities. My eyes get a break when I watch television or when I am not focusing on anything close-up. My annual eye checkup shown no significant changes and remained healthy over the years since LASIK warranting a prescription change, with no sign of diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma or pressure issues.
About a month ago, I joined my friend in getting his new glasses prescription filled and figured I should get a pair to keep one at home and one at work. We decided to go checkout a well-advertised national chain that’s been hitting both the television and radio markets with their catchy commercials. Upon entering the place, it resoundingly appeared familiar to me, but I wasn’t remembering how or when. We checked in at the reception desk and was told the next available optician will assist us. We proceeded over to the frames and begin looking at ones which may be the best looking frames which will fit the shapes of our faces and still not thin our wallets.
Browsing through the many various styles and colors of frames, I had a sudden awakening moment and remembered, this is indeed the second time I came to this retail outlet. Prior to the pandemic, I bought a pair of glasses from here. Again, the commercials brought me in and the prices and quality of material quickly reminded me why I hadn’t returned to have any future glasses being made by this company. What I remembered after three months the anti-reflective coating began to peel. When I was sold the pair of glasses, I was told there was a one year unconditional guarantee on anything but theft and loss. It was not until I returned the glasses and was told reasonable wear and tear is expected and that the peeling would not be covered. I explained I have glasses older than the one I sought remedy for and never experienced peeling or any other issues requiring a return. I just retire them and use them as back-up glasses for as long as the prescription didn’t significantly change or the frame warped.
A young gentleman called our names and proceeded over to introduce himself and assist us. Our polite and empathetic optician was young, appearing to either just graduated his schooling or finishing up his internship. He provided his opinion on frames we chose, provided drawbacks of the frames, if the peripheral vision may be limited or reading window is not strong or too narrow. My friend was able to find his frames rather quickly, so while his order being written up and measured, I continued to browse at frames. Ultimately, I found something rather inexpensive which I could keep at the office. Once my friend was my done, the optician proceeded to place my order and immediately wrote it up and took the measurements. Overall, I dismissed my previous encounter with this retail establishment as having just an off-one experience as this optician who served us was competent, fitted the demo frames comfortably, asked the right questions to make sure both fit, made sure the lenses were measured correctly and confirmed the package we ordered and went over the features of the package and explained the one year unconditional warranty.
Although the prices appear heavily discounted compared to other providers, what isn’t told is the prices are per lens and each optional feature added is priced a la carte. At first, I thought the price listed was the complete cost of my progressives until it was told to me it’s per lens and then add the blue light and anti-reflective glare was also extra by lens. This does not even include the cost of the frames. Before you realize it, the actual cost is no longer the bargain you hoped for. I am jumping ahead, but by the time I was done with my transaction, I was just quite pissed as my price was significantly higher than I expected. Since I was with my friend and didn’t want to create a scene with him, I just let it go. After this whole incident transpired, I ended up filing a complaint with my credit card company for deceitful pricing practices because no where it said prices were per lens and each option was priced a la carte.
Let’s fast forward two weeks when I went to go pick up the new glasses. From the moment I walked in and was asked to take a seat, something didn’t feel right. I requested for the initial optician who assisted me, but was informed they work on a rotational basis of next available optician serves the next customer on the waitlist. To my chagrin, I took my sit and waited for my name to be called.
When my name was called up to the optician’s station rather than her walking the floor to what appeared to be said with an air of condescending tone in her voice. I proceeded to her station and she handed me the glasses to try on. Immediately after putting them on, everything became a blur and I know my blood glucose levels were fine so I ruled that immediately out. I picked up a placard to try to read it and proceeded telling her everything I was looking at was a huge blur and I couldn’t see anything. She told me it will take a couple weeks to get used to progressive lenses. I’ve mentioned I had progressive lenses for 20 plus years and am quite aware of my eyes make take some time adjusting to the new lenses. I reiterated that everything is a blur and I see clearer without the new glasses. She took the placard I was reading out of my hands and gave me a much smaller reading placard. I quickly remarked.
“If I couldn’t see the larger fonts on the other placard, this one will not be better. I can see better without my glasses and even better when I had my refractive test at the ophthalmologist’s office.”
She kept saying it takes time to get used to it as if repeating her statement will make it stop getting blurry. I tried to explain to her that I need the glasses to work for I am on a computer most of my day. She said she understood what I was trying to say, but her body language contradicted it. She asked to see my current glasses, without doing anything more than a quick glance, returned them as she tried to assure me they are exactly the same prescription and was made to the specifications of my opthamalogist’s orders. I mentioned maybe the lens angle or the focus is off. No answer. I left the retail establishment agreeing to disagree, but in good faith will try to make the new glasses work while on my computer at work.
After several times trying to wear it at work on the first day back at work, I gave up and went back to my original pair of glasses. After work, I returned to the retail establishment. My initial optician was in and came over and assisted me. As he was ready to help and understood my concern and was preparing to give me my money back and the general manager came over after hearing me express my dislike of the service I received last week. Ironically, this time it was not the next available optician helping the next customer on the waitlist. The general manager asked to look at my current frames and lenses and compared them to the new ones. She took note and examined the way I wear my glasses and then looked at the existing pair’s reading portion.
Within moments she realized not only was my reading portion of the lenses not at the correct height but wasn’t made to the specifications written up by my ophthalmologist. She offered to redo them, I politely declined and said should she have been the one who helped me last week, she would not have lost me as a customer today. The general manager tried hard to keep me as a customer and offered additional discounts for me to get another pair and she would see to it, that I’d be 100% satisfied. I mentioned to her if she was the one helping me when I went to pick up the glasses and explained all this too me then - sure I would have given the chance but after second optician - I just wanted my money back and leave.
I shared with the general manager, how it’s a shame when someone plants a negative seed into your experience you really don’t want to offer the benefit of doubt and hope for a positive outcome. No matter how much the general manager tried to save the sale and protect the company’s image, I simply wanted my money back, end of discussion, period. I wanted to like this retail outlet from the initial experience I had with the optician but the second one just left me not only feeling angered but disgruntled how she made me feel as if I was wrong and she is right. Considering I work hard for my money and whether I choose to be cheap or thrifty or if opt to splurge, I don’t need someone trying to convince me to their defective product is not defective but insisting that I am in the wrong because I didn’t follow the proper protocol for progressive lenses.
While the experience with the last optician left me with a foul taste in my mouth for this retail establishment, I would give kudos to the general manager for keeping an open ear to the conversation I had with the initial optician requesting a refund. Her coming over to apologize for interrupting and overhearing what was going on and then further tried to remedy situation showed a great deal of resolve and courage. Further compliments to the initial optician for his professionalism from the very first greeting on the first visit and treating me as his only customer to when I returned the final time. He remained calm and listened to my complaint and offering to initiate the refund without making a scene. To the second optician who tried to convince me there is something wrong with me and not the defective product and talked to me like I am a child young and then further tried to treat me as if she was disciplining the same child, may karma return the favor in its due time.
Lesson learned again, I guess I should have learned from previous experiences, it costs more to buy cheap than if you paid a higher price initially. Clearly, I wasn’t seeing 20/20 during my experience, nor was the second optician. It took the general manager to clear up the blur but by then the little bugs have already gotten into my eyes once again.
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