I was a 10 yr patient at FL Eye Care Centers.in the fall of I called to find out how much it would cost to get a presecription check for my contact lenses (again) because it had been 3 years and I needed a current prescription to get more contacts on-line in Canada ($40.00 savings). I live on $16,600 after taxes so this is how I have to do it.
The person I spoke to said they were having an eye exam special for $79.00. I thought, OK. I can do this. $80.00 is bearable. I made the appointment, showed up and they gave me a piece of paper to sign. I have been going there for years, I thought it was a HIPA privacy statement. I didn't really look at it. I just smiled and signed it and went to the waiting room.
The exam went just fine. Same old routine for checking a prescription, except that the two assistants both looked in the file for me and asked me if I was there to get glasses. Each time, I smiled and said, "No, I'm here for a contact lens prescription check up so I can get them on-line. I don't make enough money now to purchase them from you guys. I'm really sorry! (smile smile)." Then Dr. William Cutter came in. More of the same eye exam routine I've endured since 4th grade. He asked me if I was there to get glasses. I said the same thing to him - apologetically.
I got the prescription and left. I sent it to Lens.com and they took some time filling it. Said it was unusual. Two weeks later, I got the lenses, labeled the boxes and the lenses L & R, and then tried them.
Turned out, the prescription was for glasses. I couldn't see through the lenses at all, and I was out $125.00 for the lenses and $79.00 for the exam. Lens.com was very sorry but they said it wasn't their fault because they had contacted Eye Care Centers of FL to verify the prescription and no one responded in the 24 hour time frame they allowed.
I went back to Eye Care Centers of FL and requested to be made whole. Dr Cutting didn't have the guts to talk to me. The Operations manager came out waving the paper I had signed and told me to pound sand (in so many words). I got really mad and they escorted me to the door.
After I calmed down, I called the more upscale operation down the road Eye Associates of Ft Myers. They told me that I was not the first person to be treated that way. They helped me out by doing the exact exam I needed for $55.00 and gave me a trial pair of lenses. They were wonderful. I am still wearing the last 2 lenses of my old prescription and the new trial pair because I never could accumulate the $125.00 to go back to Lens.com (other bills jumped in front).
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