Vision Express - well there's a misnomer for a start!! I've been waiting to calm down to write this Blog, but, as that isn't going to happen apparently, I'll write it now.
I went for my eyes tested at my normal optician on 26 March. As suspected, I needed a new prescription for reading and, for the first time, some distance glasses for driving. I like to read outdoors and to wear sun glasses when driving on bright days, so that effectively meant 4 pairs of glasses to buy!!! (Or those ones that change colour, but they don't go dark enough for me, and take too long to change) My normal optician didn't have any offers on, so I visited a few others - Specsavers, Boots and Vision Express - and decided that Vision Express offered the best deal for me because they not only had a 2 for £99 offer, including lenses, but also offered a one hour service. So, I chose the best I could from a very limited range of frames, and off I went to have a coffee for an hour. When I came back, only one pair were ready.....they hadn't actually got any lenses in stock for the others.......they would have to order them, and, if I was lucky, they would be ready on 1 April. So much for a one hour service!
So, back I come on 1 April to collect the glasses, only to discover that they hadn't tinted the sunglasses to the shade I wanted: these were much too light. And the pair I had taken a week ago already needed adjustment as they were too loose and wonky. The shop offered to retint the glasses on the one hour service after the Easter break, so, unable to do anything about it, I accepted.
Visit 3: 7 April. I return with the sunglasses for retinting, only to be told by the Assistant Manager that there isn't anyone in the lab to do the retinting for me - it will have to be done the next day. I explain why I am not a happy customer, especially as the other pair that I collected on1 April are now wonky and loose and need adjustment too. No apology - nothing except a nod and a repetition that the sunglasses would have to be done the next day. He obviously missed out on the 'handling disgruntled customers' part of the customer care training......
Visit 4: 8 April: I arrive at the time specified by the Assistant Manager and I speak to the Store Manager who is immediately apologetic. One pair of sunglasses are brought down from the lab.....but they haven't taken the tint properly and are blotchy. The other pair haven't yet been done. They would like to order some new lenses and start again. Very quietly I erupt! I am sick of driving into town simply to get these glasses, paying for carparking, and going home without the glasses and with the prospect of another visit. The Manager offers to deliver them to my house, but with the negative experiences I have had, I want to collect them from the shop where I can - and will - make a very big disturbance if things still aren't right. They promise to get them overnight and tint them properly in the morning, ring me so that I can collect them in the afternoon. No offer of any recompense for all the troubles; no sweeteners of any sort.
So, Visit 5. As promised a phone call is received at lunchtime, and I go into town again. The very pleasant Manager is waiting for me with two, perfectly tinted, pairs of sunglasses - one for reading, and one for driving. She apologises again, and offers me some cleaner for the glasses as a small recompense for all the troubles. Now that is the way to treat customers! I leave with a smile on my face instead of the deep frown I had after previous visits. She even thanked me for being so patient!!!! I obviously hid my feelings better than usual, then.
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