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I've been going to the same eye doctor for years now. They're right next to the Lenscrafters in the mall, and they have seemed quite competent.
Until this year. As far as I can tell the doctors are still competent, but the assorted other staff, not so much so. I went in for an appointment to get contacts again (I've done without for several months). I will yield on the fact that the initial pre-doctor screening was chaotic in that I did agree the trainee could help do it, and that meant for a lot of chaotic explanations, although the fact that the guy giving them had to be reminded to give me back my glasses at the end of the sequence (I can't find them if they're not on, and not where I expect them) doesn't win points, even if I know he was distracted.
However. After that, they called me to say, gee, I did have to pay for the lenses now. Previously it had been not so much so because you get a trial pair, but the company didn't do that any more, so you had to order the whole set. I protested, but really, what do you do? They'll reorder if the prescription's wrong on their dime, so...I agreed. Reluctantly. And very put out not to have been warned earlier - this is the same brand and type I previous used and they have always had a trial pair. So, they place that order.
Then they call me and say one of my lenses (I think right, but I forget which) is on two-week back-order. SIGH. Okay, fair enough. Then they call two days after that to say my lenses are in and can I schedule an appointment to try them on. "But," say I, "one was on two-week back order! Do you have both eyes already?" Oh, no. They just have the one that wasn't on backorder, oops. Never mind. (Why the **** do you not make sure you have everything before hassling me?)
Thursday night, Scott advised me I had a voice mail and it was from the eye doctor's office. The voice mail was from a couple days prior, and said that she forgot in her earlier call that she needed to make an appointment with me to fit the lenses. It was too late to call them then, Friday I simply didn't get around to it (too many other things going on) and yesterday I plain forgot. I called this morning. And grilled about whether BOTH sets of lenses were in because other than the call when only one was in THERE WAS NO PRIOR CALL. Wonder who Miss Brilliant left a voice mail for that wasn't me....
They confirm both sets are in, and can fit me in at 3:30 today, and only then (for today). I accept. Then a voice in the background tells the (I don't doubt new) chica on the line that that will not work but 1 and 3 will. I'm not sure if those were open or if they were where they could cram me in, but I take 1 pm and head for the mall. Not before trying to make sure my cell is on there. It is. I ask her why they never called it. Well, they called my home. Yes, I noticed, but I don't get notification of voice mails left there unless I pick the phone up. Oh, so we should always call your cell! No, I like my minutes. Call my house, if you don't get me, call my cell.
Why have space on the form for a cell number if YOU NEVER EVER BOTHER TO USE IT ANYWAY? Grah. I swear I'm going to change my voice mail message to tell people I won't get it until next month, I am so sick of this. But I also don't understand why they didn't call my cell when I hadn't called them back in a day or two, at least. Feh.
Got in, got taken back to try them on, washed my hands and asked where I could dry them. "Paper towels there," says the girl. I look at her in horror. "Are they lint free?" "Oh, no," she replies, "lint free wipes there." And points them out to me. If you don't have contacts, paper lint in your eye is not a good thing. I was washing my hands before putting lenses on, at her request. She should never ever have pointed at the regular paper towels - if I had been a newbie, I would have been in for a very painful surprise.
Then I had to make the next followup appointment and we had a lovely conversation that briefly went in circles before we found a time for it, on Thursday. But, compared to the rest of it, that was at most slightly irritating, rather than screamingly so.
Until this year. As far as I can tell the doctors are still competent, but the assorted other staff, not so much so. I went in for an appointment to get contacts again (I've done without for several months). I will yield on the fact that the initial pre-doctor screening was chaotic in that I did agree the trainee could help do it, and that meant for a lot of chaotic explanations, although the fact that the guy giving them had to be reminded to give me back my glasses at the end of the sequence (I can't find them if they're not on, and not where I expect them) doesn't win points, even if I know he was distracted.
However. After that, they called me to say, gee, I did have to pay for the lenses now. Previously it had been not so much so because you get a trial pair, but the company didn't do that any more, so you had to order the whole set. I protested, but really, what do you do? They'll reorder if the prescription's wrong on their dime, so...I agreed. Reluctantly. And very put out not to have been warned earlier - this is the same brand and type I previous used and they have always had a trial pair. So, they place that order.
Then they call me and say one of my lenses (I think right, but I forget which) is on two-week back-order. SIGH. Okay, fair enough. Then they call two days after that to say my lenses are in and can I schedule an appointment to try them on. "But," say I, "one was on two-week back order! Do you have both eyes already?" Oh, no. They just have the one that wasn't on backorder, oops. Never mind. (Why the **** do you not make sure you have everything before hassling me?)
Thursday night, Scott advised me I had a voice mail and it was from the eye doctor's office. The voice mail was from a couple days prior, and said that she forgot in her earlier call that she needed to make an appointment with me to fit the lenses. It was too late to call them then, Friday I simply didn't get around to it (too many other things going on) and yesterday I plain forgot. I called this morning. And grilled about whether BOTH sets of lenses were in because other than the call when only one was in THERE WAS NO PRIOR CALL. Wonder who Miss Brilliant left a voice mail for that wasn't me....
They confirm both sets are in, and can fit me in at 3:30 today, and only then (for today). I accept. Then a voice in the background tells the (I don't doubt new) chica on the line that that will not work but 1 and 3 will. I'm not sure if those were open or if they were where they could cram me in, but I take 1 pm and head for the mall. Not before trying to make sure my cell is on there. It is. I ask her why they never called it. Well, they called my home. Yes, I noticed, but I don't get notification of voice mails left there unless I pick the phone up. Oh, so we should always call your cell! No, I like my minutes. Call my house, if you don't get me, call my cell.
Why have space on the form for a cell number if YOU NEVER EVER BOTHER TO USE IT ANYWAY? Grah. I swear I'm going to change my voice mail message to tell people I won't get it until next month, I am so sick of this. But I also don't understand why they didn't call my cell when I hadn't called them back in a day or two, at least. Feh.
Got in, got taken back to try them on, washed my hands and asked where I could dry them. "Paper towels there," says the girl. I look at her in horror. "Are they lint free?" "Oh, no," she replies, "lint free wipes there." And points them out to me. If you don't have contacts, paper lint in your eye is not a good thing. I was washing my hands before putting lenses on, at her request. She should never ever have pointed at the regular paper towels - if I had been a newbie, I would have been in for a very painful surprise.
Then I had to make the next followup appointment and we had a lovely conversation that briefly went in circles before we found a time for it, on Thursday. But, compared to the rest of it, that was at most slightly irritating, rather than screamingly so.
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