T The
Boring Details...
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The
waiting in Dr. Katz' examination room at the Moran Eye Center was long, but
the eye examination was friendly and competent. I was given a
prescription and a $50 dollar discount coupon, redeemable at the adjacent
optical shop. Although the selection of eye glass styles was sparse,
I went in. After all, I had the coupon, and I needed only lenses, not
frames. But when I presented my $50-off coupon, the optician would
not honor it. OK. But this story is not
about bait-and-switch. |
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Quick-read Synopsis:
1. Don't do Business with Midwest Optical
2. Don't do Business with LensCrafters
3. The Moran Optical Center could steer you wrong.
4. Moran's Dr. Katz... maybe. |
The optical company who would
make the lenses is the
Midwest Optical Company.
The next week, Moran called to say I could go to
the Midwest Optical because my lenses were ready to be inserted into my frame. I
called the Midwest Optical to make an appointment.
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Midwest Optical Co. |
I
left early from my job to meet this appointment. One hour after I arrived at the
Midwest Optical Company I was told I had to come back the next day, because
someone at its office had made some mistake -- a new employee had not recognized
that something had to be done that takes a long time to do. I told him
that I would be glad to return in one day but that I expect a discount to make
up for the time lost from my wok.
The next day I my new lenses were fitted into my frames.
The technician / optician did not
offer the refund we had discussed on the previous day, so I asked him about it.
He retreated into the inner sanctorum of the optical workshop.. He
returned with a cell phone, saying that Moran Eye Center wanted to speak with
me. The woman on the telephone, the manager, said that no one had made a
mistake. And no, she would not recommend some other optician.
A female who said she is one of
the Midwest Optical Company's owners appeared. She denied the mistake that
her technician / optician had admitted on the previous day. She thought
that the money lost should be made up by me.
The money I asked for ($20) was less than what
I had actually lost. I told her that I don't mind making the trip to her
shop twice, but that I would like to be reimbursed for my financial loss. She
explained that he profit margin is only five dollars. No was the answer, in
short.
Principle be damned.
When
I told her that I would make this web page, she said that I should include a
picture of me (sic). Ok.
REFUND...
I went to Moran to
obtain
a refund for the entire thing. |
The Midwest Optical
Company 1983 S. 11th E. SLC UT
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"The
customer is always WRONG" |
 The Moran Eye
Center's manager refused to recommend another Optical shop. I called
Lenscrafters. I spoke with a lady, the manager. I had paid $205 to
Moran
(see refund slip above).
Lenscrafters
wanted over $350, but Lenscrafters has much better quality glass lenses, she
said. I asked her how I would be able to discern the difference between
the high quality lenses and the lesser quality lenses, she replied at great
length with an explanation of processes that Lenscrafters performs in order to
make lenses. I asked her again, how I can tell the difference. She
said that she was unable to put this difference "into words".
The
Good News...
 I contacted
Wolcott Optical Service.
Wolcott's price is only about $170, including tax -- for the same thing!
The service is friendly ...but upon bending and readjusting the bow on my
glasses -- without my asking for this -- the optician accidentally broke off the plastic "turtle shell" veneer
from its metal surface -- no replacement was offered.
The
Bad News...
Unfortunately I could not see as
well as I expected with my new glasses. One eye's vision is about as
blurry as it was before, with the other side I still noticed an
astigmatism. Wolcott happily re-checked my lenses to see if they matched
my prescription. They matched.
I called Moran. Some weeks later I was allowed to
see Dr. Katz again. The receptionist knew that I returned for a
re-examination but insisted on more money (I ended up not paying). I was examined
by A technician and by Dr. Katz, the ophthalmologist. They discovered that
there was indeed a problem. Dr. Katz' "89" had been interpreted as "39",
the number which specifies the astigmatism axis of my left eye. That's why I saw things blurred -- there was a 50°
difference. Dr, Katz was kind, saying that this was his mistake, and gave
me a me prescription to take to Wolcott. He even noted on the prescription
that he takes responsibility for the mistake, writing "my error". I think
he did this so that Wolcott would not try to bill me again.
Dr. Katz was kind enough to
obtain a refund for me for the co-payment which the receptionist had insisted
I must pay. He did not offer to reimburse me for the time I had
lost from work in order to be examined again by him and for the time for the
extra trips to Wolcott. I had made a big stink about this same issue with
my first opticians, Midwest Optical. So, what should happen now?
I returned to
Wolcott with my corrected prescription. The
personnel there were happy to make a new lens to the new specifications, at
no cost. Then I mentioned the damage one of
them had made to my eyeglass frame on the previous visit. A man,
perhaps the owner, explained that I have an old frame, and besides, he does
not "want to talk about the past". The he offered to sell me a new frame
at a discount. I was no interested. Next he pointed to the store
area, and started to tell me something about this store, sixty years ago. I
cut him off. After all, what's all this, from someone who does not talk
about the past?
It's
not over until it's over...
I returned to Wolcott
again. I had mane many trips
there by now. The second lens that Wolcott had made was not tinted the
same color as the other lens. The lenses darken in sunlight. An
adjustment was made. Later I noticed that, though improved, the color
of the left and right lens still did not match. I never went back. I'm
tired.
PS: It's several years
later now. I still wear the glasses with the mismatched tint.
It's stupid that I should be walking around this way, but I do.
At least I get to tell this story and show this URL whenever
someone
Googles
it.
In January of 2006 I returned
for an eye exam; I brought my wife in for one also. Two ills came.
My wife's first time visit cost about TWO TIMES as my return visit's cost.
I asked Moran to call me to explain why. It turns out that Moran
charges more the first time, without explicitly notifying patients! I
returned to WOLCOTT to have
our prescription cast in silico, as the say. We had some problems
there, too. I guess I'm just not lucky when it comes to spectacles.
Victims:
Email me
and I'll post your message here; with or without identification. Rebuttals accepted, but you must identify yourself.
A copy of this
web page has been shown or sent to all parties involved.
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This
prescription is after cataract surgery in both eyes,
2013 (right) and 2014 (left). |
This
prescription is about five months later,
in 2015. |
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(OD & OS:
Abbreviations for oculus dexter and
oculus sinister, Latin terms for right eye and
left eye.) |
"Alan R." <***@***.com>
wrote:
Dude,
I'm an Optician. U or this guy,
whoever, went LOOKING for trouble. (No pun intended) Look for TROUBLE and u
will find it!......
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2005 15:03:20
-0600
Subject: Unfortunate Optical Experience
From: [...]
Recently, I came upon your website on "Looking for Glasses." It sounds as if
you had one bad experience after another. As a previous Optician for
Lenscrafters [...] I would like to clarify for you what the employee
of the Lenscrafters store failed to communicate to you. Yes, the prices are
much more expensive
then most other discount opticals. The primary reason
for this is that Lenscrafters makes your lenses in the store in an hour to
three hours depending on the Base Curve and Cylinder (theses are the numbers
written on your RX.) If you have a very complicated RX, then the glasses are
sent out to a company lab that is equipped to handle this more delicate RX.
Most discount optical stores (but not all) send out all their jobs to labs
that have them made in three days to two weeks. So, you are essentially
paying for expedience and knowledge that a properly trained Lenscrafters
employee should be equipped with. It sounds as if this Lenscrafters employee
was ill prepared for their job. In addition to speed and knowledge, the
guidelines for lens cutting is much more ridged in most Lenscrafters,
typically having higher standards on lens RX measurements then what the
state law requires.
You also mentioned that while having your frames adjusted at another store,
the frame was damaged. This is an unfortunate occurrence that happens with
older frames. I could go into the reasons for paint chipping or plastic
cracking but I doubt most people would like to know how these flexible
plastics break down due to use and wear when the bodies natural oils and
acids are applied to them through practical use.
I adjusted Frames for about 5 years and with that experience, I have learned
which old frames are adjustable by looking at them and gently examining
them. Last I had heard, it was a Lenscrafters policy for opticians to adjust
old frames so long as the customer knew that there was a possibility that
they may break. Now, not all opticians are all alike and some forget to
remind the customer about this little possibility. We are not magic workers
and when a frame breaks I find no joy in the disappointment this brings to
the customer. I always feel awful and my past managers usually would offer
the customer a discount on new frames due to the unhappy circumstances.
When it comes to you requesting to be reimbursed for your time, my feelings
on that are mixed. Yes, it's unfortunate that you lost time out of your busy
day on an unproductive pickup and doctors visit but keep in mind people do
make mistakes and most do not intentionally do it on purpose. The lack of
sympathy for your lost of time was not called for unless you were an
intentionally obnoxious customer with the intent of starting trouble from
the start. I doubt that was the case. In my experience at the store I worked
in, we would usually offer free cleaning products or apologize profusely for
our error.
The fact that the store you purchased your glasses from would have normally
charged you to change an incorrect prescription is unethical and it was
lucky for you that the doctor was ethical enough to cover that cost for you.
Lenscrafters also fixes RX changes free of charge so long as they are within
three months time from the original purchase.
I have been a graphic artist for the last two years since graduating college
and leaving my job at Lenscrafters to pursue my career in art. Recently, I
have found that my optical RX needed to be updated. As a previous employee
for an optical retailer, I am very wary of purchasing glasses from just any
place. My advice to you or anyone when shopping for glasses is this: go to a
place and talk to the employee that greets you
and asks you questions
about:
your vision, places you'll be using your glasses (office with florescent
lights, computers, outside, hot temperatures, do you wear contacts and need
these as a back up pair for when you take contacts out at night, etc.) A
person who asks you these important questions is a person who actually cares
about putting you in the right pair of glasses that suits your needs. In
addition to asking you questions, you should feel comfortable with this
person, if not, you should either seek another employee in the store or try
a different optical.
To ensure a better experience when shopping for glasses, please do not
attempt to shop for glasses on the weekend. For some people this is their
only option due to their circumstances. If this is the case, please realize
that Saturdays are the busiest day for an optical and there will be a
lengthy wait. Try to be patient and realize this is the time when both the
employee and potential customer are both stressed to the max and this is
when mix-ups and mistakes happen. Be understanding to the employee and the
employee may see that you are reasonable and you'll be surprised at the
service you get because you were polite and understanding.
Hope this email was helpful and, I hope your next optical endeavor is a much
more pleasant experience.
[signed]
At 04:22 PM 1/21/2009, you wrote:
Just came upon this website. Amusing. Just a note: I was told by
my former ophthalmologist and his optician that there are only two
optical labs in Salt Lake City. So, your options were limited to
begin with. This may have changed since then (4 years ago), but I
wanted to let you know.
Please don't use my email address or name.
Thanks.
Date: August 2, 2010 4:24:37 PM MDT
Subject: Optical note
Just a note that Moran made a similar mistake with me. When my glasses came
back from the optical shop they were very fuzzy and completely wrong. They
remade the lenses to the same result. It turns out, Moran had written my
prescription incorrectly as a "minus" prescription instead of a "plus". Like
you, I had to be re-examined and wouldn't pay for the follow up to the screw
up.
Why does Moran keep screwing up the prescriptions? It's basic writing and
penmanship for heaven's sake!
[signed]
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3-D: Cross your eyes.
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Links
Wolcott
Optical Service
Moran Eye Center: blind
people
who can see with their ears [sic]
Midwest Optical Company
(defunct URL - 2004 )
Last updated:
January, 2015
Publisher's statement: Any inaccuracies will be corrected, if brought to
publisher's attention.
Email.
Do these things suck? ~~ Unpleasant experiences with companies,
professionals and organizations. Scams.
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