Gastly Glasses

As my husband and I prepared to go into Kohl’s last Saturday, I noticed something on the left lens of my glasses.  I took off my glasses and wiped vigorously with my special cleaning cloth.  No matter how hard I rubbed, the small line remained.  That is when I noticed four similar lines on my right lens.

 

I had purchased my glasses from All About Eyes.  The optometrist had been phenomenal, however, the woman who sold me my frames was terrible.  She forced me to order a pair that I was not crazy about.  I ended up not leaving the parking lot that day and changed my order to the frames that I wanted.

 

A month after owning my glasses, I noticed a small circle in the center of my left lens.  I took my glasses back and received fantastic service from the manager.  He stated that a piece of the protective coating had come off and easily found out that the lens replacement was covered by my insurance.  I had my new lenses within a week.

 

But, my new scratches were a different story.  My husband inspected them and agreed that they are definitely scratched.  He complained about having a cloudy lens on his glasses, too.  So, we headed into All About Eyes expecting the same wonderful service.  What we received was arrogance and belittling.

 

We calmly stood at the front counter and waited until a very tall gentleman approached us.  Matt went first and showed him the cloudy lens.  The first words out of the man’s mouth were:  “What do you use to clean your glasses?”  I was mildly miffed.  I have had glasses since the fourth grade.  I think I know not to clean them with a burlap sack, thank you very much.  So, I pointed to the cleaning cloth that was on the desk and said, “A cloth just like that one.” 

 

The man grabbed his bottle of spray and the cloth and began to clean Matt’s glasses.  I told him, “We’ve done that already.”  He continued to wipe and then said, “Yes, I can see that they are cloudy and have a scratch.”  Duh!  That is when he really insulted my husband.  He said, “This is what happens when you don’t use the spray AND cloth.”

 

I was furious!  No way was I going to have this person tell me that our glasses are messed up because we don’t know how to properly clean them.  That is when my husband, who is usually a quiet guy, piped up.  “We have never had problems with our glasses from other places.”

 

This really riled the employee.  He raised up and immediately jumped to the defensive.  “Well, it’s nothing WE did, if that’s what you’re thinking.  These glasses are made at a lab in another state.” 

 

Wow!  Not only was the man not taking responsibility for the shoddy work done by a lab that their company endorses, but, he was also treating us (paying customers) like dirt.  I handed over my glasses and was informed that my scratches were definitely different.

 

I said, “I woke up this morning and the scratches were there.  And if the glasses aren’t on my face, they are in a case.”  (I wasn’t trying to rhyme, it just happened.)  I had a feeling that he was about to blame me for the mysterious blemishes anyway.

 

“Well, it all has to do with the type of coating on the lenses.  You could have gotten the better coating, but, who wants to spend the $80?  You went with the cheaper $40." 

Seriously?  Did this man just call us cheap?  We ordered the type of coding that the sales person had suggested we order, but yet, the defects are OUR fault?  Stunned, Matt asked if our glasses were still under warranty.  The man fumbled around with the computer and told us that he wasn't sure.

What he said next was truly bizarre.  "If your insurance doesn't cover the lens replacement, we could always try to work out a deal."

A deal?  We had already spent over $200 on our glasses.  And I had brought my glasses back just two months after wearing them with the first issue.  Now we are going to have to shell out more money for yet another shoddy pair of peepers?  The employee wrote down Matt's phone number and said that he would double check with his manager on Monday and give us a call. 

I knew what I had to do.  "Could we both have a copy of our prescriptions, please?"

The man gave me a very hateful look and said flatly, "Sure."

Monday arrived and Matt was angered to learn that not only was the lens replacement not covered by the insurance, but the man made no mention of the so-called "deal" we were to receive for all of the trouble.  In addition, I am still having to look through scratches every day, which is driving me crazy!

Thankfully, I was able to order another pair from America's Best.  A very friendly employee informed us that the problems we are experiencing have to do with the anti-glare coating.  I noticed that on their sales sheet, it said that the coating actually makes it easier to clean and prevents smudges.

"Really it's just the opposite," she said.  "The coating is the first thing to scratch or flake off."

Since neither of us have trouble driving at night, I told her to just leave the coating completely off.  I cannot imagine spending another $200 for a third pair.  I am already $400 poorer because of this whole fandango.

The glasses should be ready in 7-10 days and I cannot wait!  My advice to others is to not let anyone pressure you into purchasing eye wear that you do not like with features that you do not need.  Speak up and let the sales people know that YOU are in control of your own purchases.