The Cost of Doing Business

I bought new glasses late in June last year and was absolutely floored at how much they cost, which was attributed by the sales staffer to the lens options and my prescription. I put the $600 on a credit card, but paid $187 in cash for the exam. I figured after paying so much for a pair of glasses, I should be able to drive over them with my truck, pick them up, put them back on, and they'd be fine.

Or not.

Five separate times the glasses have literally fallen apart. Three times, including today, I took them back to the provider and they were put back together; the other times included once in the mall at Thanksgiving and this past weekend at Sam's Club, which has an optical shop. When I asked the technician at Sam's why these darned glasses keep falling apart, he quizzed me about where I purchased them and how much I paid, then laughed. He assured me that one, he could not repair the glasses, although he was able to put them back together, and, two, he could make me better glasses for $350 if I could get a copy of the prescription and bring it back to him.

Today, after PT, I drove to the local optician, complained that the glasses keep falling apart, and said I want to replace them since I paid a small fortune 6 months ago and am highly dissatisfied. My contention is that it's a faulty product and should be replaced -- and then they deal with the company who's providing a substandard product. The nose pieces go through the lense, but instead of a fastener on the end of that piece to hold it in place, a soft plastic flange is put onto the wire, then that combination is pushed through the hole in the lense. The assumption is that forcing the plastic-covered wire will keep it tight, but assuming anything doesn't mean it's going to work the way someone says it should. I was polite, but firm, but no deal: I can continue to return to that retail space (Desert Vision) and they will service the glasses, but I bought them and I'm stuck with them.

Nice touch, huh? I asked sweetly for a copy of my prescription before I left. While they may be unwilling to accommodate my complaint and help me into a new pair of glasses, I am more than willing to tell everyone I know that Desert Vision does not stand behind the products they sell.

I am getting a better quality lense, with all the same options I have on the current pair, and a new frame for $332.00 at Sam's Club. The technician also assured me that if I ever have a problem with the glasses, he'll either repair them or replace them: no questions asked. Yes, I'm getting a different frame style, one that has frame all around the lens, rather than rimless, but I also am getting the spring-style temple pieces which give when Daisy leaps up onto the couch and starts licking my face, skewing my glasses in the process.

If a business wants to keep its doors open, the personnel need to stand behind their products. They knew I'd come back for the 3rd time as the same male employee handled my issue each time. They checked my patient record, so they also knew when I bought the glasses and how much I paid for them. Granted, I did not purchase one of their top-of-the-line designer frames, but in my world, I paid a pretty penny for a very simple pair of functional glasses that have fallen apart five times in about as many months.

How much better to make each customer a satisfied customer than it is to piss anyone off and send them out the door to share their experience with everyone they encounter. And, more importantly, send them out the door of a locally-owned business (Desert Vision) to purchase a product from one of the big box/chain stores. The advertising mantra here is "Keep it local," but that option ups the cost of doing business for me beyond my means to continue shopping locally.