Optical Express: Laser Eye Surgery Deposit

Jackal1701a

This is a review of my experience of 'Optical ExpressCustomer Service' relating to the refund of a deposit for Laser Eye Surgery.

I had LASIK eye surgery over 5 months ago. On the day of myfirst aftercare appointment my wife accompanied me and was tested to see if shewas suitable for the same procedure I had had. She was, and so the clinicianpressurised us into making the holding deposit payment of £250 and booking theprocedure then and there.

My main concern at that point was that if I started havingside-effects in the following two months leading up to her surgery, would westill be able to cancel and get this money back? The clinician advised us that'yes this would get paid back up to 72hrs before the surgery'. So we made thepayment and were handed a simple payment receipt. As we left the branch we weregiven a patient pack, containing all the relevant documentation and t&c's,but were advised 'don't worry about reading this now, your wife will need tohave a look through it closer to the time of the surgery and come with itsigned or ask the surgeon any questions that she may have'.

Since then I have suffered many acute side-effects includingsevere dry-eye (waking me up 2-3 times a night with my eye-lids fusedtogether), ghosting & glare (making me unable to drive at night) pain in myeyes, and hugely variable clarity of vision that has meant I have been offwork. In fairness OE have been attempting to assist me throughout this with myaftercare regimen, and I am still hopeful that my eyesight will settle down(even though I am upset and angry that the true likelihoods of variousside-effects were not fully explained to me prior to having the procedure).

Clearly, having faced these side-effects we decided that itwas not wise for my wife to go ahead with the same procedure. However, we wereinformed by Optical Express that the deposit made is non-refundable and thatthey only return the money if cancellations are received within 72hrs ofbooking.

For the last 4 months I have written letters, had hugelyfrustrated phone-calls and am now at my wit's end. I still keep getting thecompany line from their staff, 'due to our terms and conditions this deposit isnon-refundable'. These are the same t&c's that were directly contradictedby the advice given to us in the branch at the point-of-sale; the samet&c's that were handed to us after payment was made and the same t&c'sthat we were told not to worry about reading straight away (despite the factthat there was a severely limited time-dependant clause on the payment ofrefunds).

So my advice is simple. Do your research on the procedureitself and ask yourself the question are you willing to take the risks. Then,and only then, with 110% certainty should you book a procedure and pay thedeposit, as once it's paid, you will never see it again.

OpticalExpress_representative

Jackal1701a wrote: »

This is a review of my experience of 'Optical ExpressCustomer Service' relating to the refund of a deposit for Laser Eye Surgery.

I had LASIK eye surgery over 5 months ago. On the day of myfirst aftercare appointment my wife accompanied me and was tested to see if shewas suitable for the same procedure I had had. She was, and so the clinicianpressurised us into making the holding deposit payment of £250 and booking theprocedure then and there.

My main concern at that point was that if I started havingside-effects in the following two months leading up to her surgery, would westill be able to cancel and get this money back? The clinician advised us that'yes this would get paid back up to 72hrs before the surgery'. So we made thepayment and were handed a simple payment receipt. As we left the branch we weregiven a patient pack, containing all the relevant documentation and t&c's,but were advised 'don't worry about reading this now, your wife will need tohave a look through it closer to the time of the surgery and come with itsigned or ask the surgeon any questions that she may have'.

Since then I have suffered many acute side-effects includingsevere dry-eye (waking me up 2-3 times a night with my eye-lids fusedtogether), ghosting & glare (making me unable to drive at night) pain in myeyes, and hugely variable clarity of vision that has meant I have been offwork. In fairness OE have been attempting to assist me throughout this with myaftercare regimen, and I am still hopeful that my eyesight will settle down(even though I am upset and angry that the true likelihoods of variousside-effects were not fully explained to me prior to having the procedure).

Clearly, having faced these side-effects we decided that itwas not wise for my wife to go ahead with the same procedure. However, we wereinformed by Optical Express that the deposit made is non-refundable and thatthey only return the money if cancellations are received within 72hrs ofbooking.

For the last 4 months I have written letters, had hugelyfrustrated phone-calls and am now at my wit's end. I still keep getting thecompany line from their staff, 'due to our terms and conditions this deposit isnon-refundable'. These are the same t&c's that were directly contradictedby the advice given to us in the branch at the point-of-sale; the samet&c's that were handed to us after payment was made and the same t&c'sthat we were told not to worry about reading straight away (despite the factthat there was a severely limited time-dependant clause on the payment ofrefunds).

So my advice is simple. Do your research on the procedureitself and ask yourself the question are you willing to take the risks. Then,and only then, with 110% certainty should you book a procedure and pay thedeposit, as once it's paid, you will never see it again.

Hi,

I believe that my colleagues in our Customer Care team are currently dealing with you directly with regards to your wife’s refund.

There are some areas of your review which concern me and which I would like to investigate further, particularly some of the symptoms that you have experienced post-surgery. I have made arrangements for a member of our Clinical Care team to call you directly to discuss your concerns and your on-going clinical care. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at clinicalservices@opticalexpress.com and I will be happy to assist.

Thanks,

Stephen Hannan
Clinical Services Director