On Saturday, March 16 I had an appointment with the independent doctor inside the LensCrafters store in Laurel, Maryland for an eye exam. The appointment went fine, and afterward, I approached members of the LensCrafters sales floor staff, intending to purchase new lenses (with my updated prescription) for my old frames.
The saleswoman asked me to wait for a moment, and took my glasses and the slip with my new prescription to the lab at the rear of the store. However, she returned quickly, and informed me that my frames were too bent, and that I would have to purchase new frames as well as lenses. She stated that the lab personnel had informed her that any attempt to adjust the frames or to install new lenses would likely result in the frame breaking.
This didn't sound quite right to me, since aside from the need for a few relatively minor adjustments, the frames appeared to be in good shape. When I tried to pursue the matter with the manager (Michelle), I was politely but firmly told that the lab decision was final, and in accordance with LensCrafters policy. Nonplussed, I went back to the independent doctor inside the store, told him what had happened, and asked for his opinion as to the condition of the frames. He seemed surprised, and said that he felt they were in good shape. I decided to try an experiment.
I visited a nearby, competing optical services provider and handed the salesperson the slip of paper with my prescription. Within forty minutes, I had brand new lenses, neatly installed in my old frames. Moreover, the frames had been adjusted and fit better than ever. The staff never once mentioned any problems with my frames. They simply replaced the lenses as I had requested, at approximately half the cost that would have been incurred had I replaced the frames.
In light of this experience, I can't help but draw the conclusion that there really was no MECHANICAL reason for the frames to be replaced. To put it bluntly, I suspect that the staff mislead me in order to get me to purchase a new set of frames, which I didn't really need.
I wrote two letters to Luxottica Retail (they own LensCrafters), explaining my experience. I was not actually trying to get anything out of them other than an acknowledgement and an apology. I got niether.
The customer service staff person who responded to my letters gave me a casual brush-off, informing me that the laboratory staff had acted in accordance with LensCrafters policy. They even had the audacity to state in their second letter that "LensCrafters does not wish to inconveinince customers with eyewear of inferior quality". The second letter closed with the statement "No further correspondence will be forthcoming", essentially telling me to shut up and stop complaining.
This seems like the perfect sales tactic: they can simply hide behind the illusion of acting in the customer's "best interest". The problem is, the customer has no say in what that interest is, and it just seems too convenient that somehow, they feel that the customer's interests are best served by spending more in their store...
Will
Laurel, Maryland
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