Sunday, April 15, 2007

consumer


Hudson, NY
Originally uploaded by madabandon.

I was really enjoying my new fancy lenses in my glasses. Glare disappears. Notice that my eyes are not hidden behind reflections. But the other day I was putting them on and I noticed the right lens had four small cracks. So I went back to Pearle Vision. They said they would order a new lens, but they had to send the glasses out and it would take a week to ten days. I asked if there were any way they could do it faster. On Friday they called and said the glasses were ready. Happy, I retreived them and went off to a rehearsal. Later when I put them on something seemed odd. They no longer had anti-glare coating. And upon closer inspection I discovered that the right lens had little bubbles in it. So I called, and was told that they were EXACTLY the same lenses as before. I finally had to go back and show them the glasses. I told them I wanted a refund. "We can't give you a refund," I was told. I told them I would report the situation to American Express, who would give me a credit and would not give Pearle the money. Suddenly they were all agreeable, and they said they would express-order new lenses and that I should have them in a week or so (In the meantime I called American Express and explained the story to them, and they are suspending the charge, just in case).

I had shown the cracked lens to my regular optician and he told me that they had given me very expensive polycarbonate lenses, and that this type is prone to cracking. They are normally used for people who play contact sports, and he said that I should have gotten normal plastic, which costs about half as much. I was not given a choice at Pearle, though I did wonder why the lenses cost so much.

So if you need glasses DO NOT go to Pearle Vision. You might regret it.

Yesterday, in another flurry of consumerism, I bought a new set of rapidographs (I can't find my old ones); iSkin cover for my MacBook to protect it from spills and crumbs and such; and a paper lantern-thing to cover the bare-bulb light fixture on my ceiling fan (the glass globe thing broke at least a year ago and I have been living with the ugly bare bulb all this time).

2 comments:

medusa said...

I had my own negative experience at Pearle Vision last year. (I'm assuming it's the same one on Montague.) I'd recently switched jobs and insurance plans, so called ahead to make sure they accepted my insurance. They said yes, I went in, had my eye exam, decided to order both contact lenses and glasses, and was just trying on frames when the man behind the counter told me that they didn't take my insurance after all.

I was furious. I had to pay for the exam out of my own pocket (though I did get reimbursed) and the worst part was that after ringing up the cost of the exam (on the most antiquated computer system ever - they still use a dot matrix printer), the clerk had the gall to ask if I still wanted to order the contact lenses.

Sad thing is, I like the optician and will miss going back there. But if there is one thing that Brooklyn Heights has, it's choices for vision care!

SHE said...

medusa: a similar yes/insurance, no/insurance thing occurred with me for a dentist appointment..

but i think my ex-husband set me up on that one, and i'm still plotting my revenge ")

madabandon: thank you. lens crafters it is then! i've stretched things out best i can by wearing my contacts 3 months at a time, but the box is getting very low..