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Medical Forum / General / Vision / September 2005Lenscrafters' employee damaged my glasses during adjustment
Hello. Today, after noticing that my spectacle frame was somewhat loose I decided to visit Lenscrafters for an adjustment. Needless to mention, the frame and lenses were purchased a little over a year ago at Lenscrafters. One of the emplyees (who I later learned was a general manager of the store) said he would take care of that. As you know, before bending a plastic frame, they need to heat the worked on element. Unfortunately, the person performing this adjustment, seemed to be quite in rush and doing two things at a time. He put the frame on the heating instrument for a little (in my opinion) too long. The result of frame adjustment wasn't fully satisfactory, but it seemed better than before the adjustment. After walking out of the store I quickly learned that the left lens has been damaged - more precisedly, the upper half of the lens was full of visible 'cracks' on the surface, that looked as if you heated a plastic bag. The lenses are hi index 1.67 plastic with an A/R coating. I am sure he overheated the lens, which in turn created those cracks, making looking through the lens almost impossible. I immediately returned to the store demanding a consultation with the manager. At this point I learned that the manager was the person who damaged my lens. I informed the person at the front desk that one of the lenses has been damaged by that guy. She took the glasses to the back office to consult with another emplyee. After returning she informed me they would replace the damaged lens, but that would take two weeks. That seemed ridiculous to me - I came to the store just for an adjustment, and here, suddenly, some guy damages my glasses. Two weeks - I thought - is an extremely long period of time, especially that I dont have a spare pair of glasses I could use, so I demanded an expedited service. They refused and said it will take two weeks. [Btw my prescription is quite strong -9.5 and -6.5]. Nobody said they were sorry, nobody apologized for the incovenience. They said I could go to lenscrafters.com and find a number I can call to file a complaint. So now, with my eyes two inches from the computer screen, I am asking what sould I do. How I am going to study (I am a university student), how am I going to work... Should I file a lawsuit in the tort low for damages caused by en employee's negligence? What else could I do. Since my right eye vision is very low, I wasn't able to drive, so my girlfriend took me home. Every advice of suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Eugene > After walking out of the store I quickly learned that the left lens has > been damaged - more precisedly, the upper half of the lens was full of > visible 'cracks' on the surface, that looked as if you heated a plastic > bag. It sounds like they've done all they can to fix things for you. They did miss the boat by not communicating sympathy. But threatening litigation is the very thing that makes people hesitant to apologize, because it's an admission of guilt. They provided a free adjustment as a courtesy, more than a year after your purchase, and accidentally damaged your lens because they were busy serving paying customers. They immediately set about providing you with a free lens, to the best of their ability. What else can they do? No injury was done. No pain-and-suffering except inconvenience. No permanent disability. No attorney will be very interested unless you pay up front. If they replace your lens for free, the net tangible loss is near enough zero that it doesn't even qualify for small claims court. Meantime you have your glasses, and a replacement on the way. That's about all they can do. They may quote two weeks on all special orders, but they likely asked for priority service. -MT I have not threatened them with a lawsuit at the time of the incident or any time thereafter. In my belief, the guy working on the adjustment, missed the boat by trying to hide the fact he damaged lenses, not by not apologizing. I don't expect apology - I expect a proper service that I had paid for. I realized now that it took him unreasonably long time to attempt to clean the cracks - unfortunately it wasn't fixable. He never mentioned what happed. What is your point in saying that it was a courtesy that they were making an adjustment to the frame free of charge? Not even a year has passed since I purched the glasses. The person doing the adjustment wasn't busy serving other paying customers. Notice -that I had also paid for my 'product'. Looks like you believe in a philosophy of a market seller: "sell, and do not care". And don't service until they buy $500 worth of glasses every 12 months. I suppose they set about providing new lenses because they might have realized they just damaged two weeks of my 'normal' functioning - as I can't operate normally in damaged glasses in school and at work. The injury done - in fact - not as significant as bodily injury; nevertheless disturbs my life. The net tangible loss will be a sacrificed (lost) income from fork (or opportunity cost of my being unable to perform at a normal level), and heavily impacted studying ability. Try to heavily scratch your glasses, and wear them for two weeks, trying to study and work and perhaps then you will understand it more clearly. Assume the fact of an incident is being hidden from you. In the meantime I have damaged glasses, plenty of stress I am experiencing etc. I am not in favor of frivolous lawsuits, but the lack of professionalism and human sympathy at that Lenscrafter store was just outrageous. > I have not threatened them with a lawsuit at the time of > the incident or any time thereafter. In my belief, the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > attempt to clean the cracks - unfortunately it wasn't > fixable. He never mentioned what happed. He probably didn't even notice it. You said "After walking out of the store I quickly learned...". They handed you freshly adjusted glasses. I assume you must have looked at them, but didn't notice the damage until after walking out? If he was "hurried" as you say he probably didn't take a lot of time to inspect them closely either. > What is your point in saying that it was a courtesy that > they were making an adjustment to the frame free of > charge? Not even a year has passed since I purched the > glasses. You wrote: "Needless to mention, the frame and lenses were purchased a little over a year ago at Lenscrafters." > The person doing the adjustment wasn't busy serving other > paying customers. You wrote: "Unfortunately, the person performing this adjustment, seemed to be quite in rush and doing two things at a time." Just what was that "other thing"? > In the meantime I have damaged glasses, plenty of stress > I am experiencing etc. I am not in favor of frivolous > lawsuits, but the lack of professionalism and human > sympathy at that Lenscrafter store was just outrageous. Glasses are fairly fragile, can be lost, etc. All these are fairly normal occurences. Any time they are worked on they can be damaged or broken. I'm strictly a consumer and I suspect their liability (and professional fairness) wouldn't extend beyond providing a free replacement in a normal amount of time. If your glasses are critical to your daily function I would think it your responsibility to have a backup. As far as "professionalism" and human sympathy, they are not there for counseling. And yes, I think it would be an extremely frivolous lawsuit (and I'm from California where we set the bar pretty low...). -Quick ...@interia.pl wrote: > I have not threatened them with a lawsuit at the time of > the incident or any time thereafter. In my belief, the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > attempt to clean the cracks - unfortunately it wasn't > fixable. He never mentioned what happed. He probably didn't even notice it. You said "After walking out of the store I quickly learned...". They handed you freshly adjusted glasses. I assume you must have looked at them, but didn't notice the damage until after walking out? If he was "hurried" as you say he probably didn't take a lot of time to inspect them closely either. -He did notice it, but was try to hide the fact. At first I believed it was only a ramaining fluid after he tried to clean the lenses. -If he was hurried, he should not have attempted fixing it. > What is your point in saying that it was a courtesy that > they were making an adjustment to the frame free of > charge? Not even a year has passed since I purched the > glasses. You wrote: "Needless to mention, the frame and lenses were purchased a little over a year ago at Lenscrafters." -glasses were purchased less than a year ago. It was my mistake of saying a little over a year ago. > The person doing the adjustment wasn't busy serving other > paying customers. You wrote: "Unfortunately, the person performing this adjustment, seemed to be quite in rush and doing two things at a time." Just what was that "other thing"? -Some rush for no reason, or just to go back and chat with others. > In the meantime I have damaged glasses, plenty of stress > I am experiencing etc. I am not in favor of frivolous > lawsuits, but the lack of professionalism and human > sympathy at that Lenscrafter store was just outrageous. Glasses are fairly fragile, can be lost, etc. All these are fairly normal occurences. Any time they are worked on they can be damaged or broken. I'm strictly a consumer and I suspect their liability (and professional fairness) wouldn't extend beyond providing a free replacement in a normal amount of time. -They are fragile and should be carried carrefuly, not left on the heater. If your glasses are critical to your daily function I would think it your responsibility to have a backup. - A reasonable person would not assume the glasses would be damaged during adjustment. As far as "professionalism" and human sympathy, they are not there for counseling. And yes, I think it would be an extremely frivolous lawsuit (and I'm from California where we set the bar pretty low...). - Professionalism in conducting business. Heared of that? Sympathy just to say sorry. BTW Should not they have checked the optical centers of the lenses before ordering them for me? I don't want to learn two weeks from now that the lenses they will get for me will have some distoreted optical centers? They also don't have the frames - how does the process of making new lenses look like in this case? if you bought your glasses there then they know the pd. they are helping you out. they should have apologized but you'll be fine. chill > > After walking out of the store I quickly learned that the left lens has > > been damaged - more precisedly, the upper half of the lens was full of > > visible 'cracks' on the surface, that looked as if you heated a plastic > > bag. > No injury was done. No pain-and-suffering except inconvenience. No permanent > disability. No attorney will be very interested unless you pay up front. If > they replace your lens for free, the net tangible loss is near enough zero > that it doesn't even qualify for small claims court. I'm not a lawyer either, and I'm certainly not an OD (and have no idea how eye care works over there). By looking at the URL for the poster, it appears that he is posting from Poland. They may not even have small claims courts, and the concept of free adjustments may well have a different time period than is customary in the US. > Meantime you have your glasses, and a replacement on the way. That's about > all they can do. They may quote two weeks on all special orders, but they > likely asked for priority service. I would have expected a sincere apology. Nobody expects to lose the use of their glasses due to a minor adjustment. > > > After walking out of the store I quickly learned that the left lens has > > > been damaged - more precisedly, the upper half of the lens was full of [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > claims courts, and the concept of free adjustments may well have a > different time period than is customary in the US. I currently stay in the U.S. > > Meantime you have your glasses, and a replacement on the way. That's about > > all they can do. They may quote two weeks on all special orders, but they > > likely asked for priority service. > > I would have expected a sincere apology. Nobody expects to lose the use > of their glasses due to a minor adjustment. I would really appreciate if someone would help me with the question I already posted: BTW Should not they have checked the optical centers of the lenses before ordering them for me? I don't want to learn two weeks from now that the lenses they will get for me will have some distoreted optical centers? They also don't have the frames - how does the process of making new lenses look like in this case? Thank you all for all replies. Eugene > BTW Should not they have checked the optical centers of the lenses > before ordering them for me? I don't want to learn two weeks from now > that the lenses they will get for me will have some distoreted optical > centers? They also don't have the frames - how does the process of > making new lenses look like in this case? They ordered a circular "blank" with both surfaces ground to your prescription. The new lens will be "edged" or cut to shape, when you take your frame back to have the lens inserted. If they don't have your pupil information on file, they can measure it at that time. If you go back upset and angry and threatening to sue, likely they'll say as little as possible. Everybody will be sweaty and tense and can't do their best work. If you want a better experience, tell them "I know sh.t happens and I appreciate your fixing it" -MT >Hello. <snip blather and indignation> It seems to me that despite the lack of apology the shop is doing what it can to correct the problem. Keepd a spare pair of glasses. Even wearing a 5yo-Rx is better than not being able to see your hand in front of your face. +++++++++++++ Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account... > He put the frame on the heating instrument > for a little (in my opinion) too long. you are probably correct. After returning she > informed me they would replace the damaged lens, but that would take > two weeks. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > expedited service. They refused and said it will take two weeks. [Btw > my prescription is quite strong -9.5 and -6.5]. You are asking too much. Even LC can't do those in "about an hour". But they could knock out a pair of thick lenses to get you by. > So now, with my eyes two inches from the computer screen, I am asking > what sould I do. How I am going to study (I am a university student), > how am I going to work... Ask them to make you a good deal on a temporary standard lens in a cheap frame (assuming you don't have a backup pair, which to me is *way* ridiculous for you not to have with an Rx like yours). > Should I file a lawsuit in the tort low for damages caused by en > employee's negligence? What else could I do. You could do that. I would argue that you are negligent not having a spare Rx. > Since my right eye vision is very low, I wasn't able to drive, so my > girlfriend took me home. ibid. w.stacy, o.d. >> informed me they would replace the damaged lens, but that would take >> two weeks. >You are asking too much. Even LC can't do those in "about an hour". But >they could knock out a pair of thick lenses to get you by. That's how a professional would handle this. >> So now, with my eyes two inches from the computer screen, I am asking >> what sould I do. How I am going to study (I am a university student), >> how am I going to work... >Ask them to make you a good deal on a temporary standard lens in a cheap >frame (assuming you don't have a backup pair, which to me is *way* >ridiculous for you not to have with an Rx like yours). No kidding. He could use them for basketball or wrestling with the kids. >> Should I file a lawsuit in the tort low for damages caused by en >> employee's negligence? What else could I do. > >You could do that. I would argue that you are negligent not having a >spare Rx. Guilty! Robert Martellaro ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Optician/Owner Roberts Optical robopt@execpc.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr > Since my right eye vision is very low, I wasn't able to drive, so my > girlfriend took me home. Unless the better eye is -1 D or closer to neutralization (apparently not, in this case), you probably couldn't legally drive without corrective lenses anyhow. I would contact that LC again and let them know you are totally incapacitated while your glasses are away being made and ask what they can do. I would get a consultation with a lawyer if they don't have a satisfactory solution. It's funny how 2 weeks can turn into only a few days once you mention you are getting a lawyer. BTW keep in mind many of the people replying to you in this newsgroup work in the opticial industry so they are biased toward supporting their business rather than you the customer, of course they wouldn't want to be sued by a customer for their own incompetence. You are definitley suffering right now, physically and financially, as a result of LC's actions so I would at least speak to a lawyer as you have nothing to lose, only LC does. Good luck! > Hello. > Today, after noticing that my spectacle frame was somewhat loose I [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Eugene > You are definitley suffering right now, physically > and financially, as a result of LC's actions so I > would at least speak to a lawyer as you have > nothing to lose, only LC does. Good luck! Amazing. You live here in California too right? A lawyer will listen and then tell you what their fee is. I assume you keep one on retainer. Jean (and you?) are suffering. Probably all the time. Jean mentioned being in college. It may be difficult to show financial damage. I am not in the optical, medical, or legal profession. -Quick I suspect that if the cracked lens shattered and damaged your eye you would have a case, but secondary damages are another matter. If the airline lost your luggage with your computer and as a result you failed to make a business deal, would you expect the airline to be responsible for that loss? I think not. Mark > I would contact that LC again and let them know you are totally > incapacitated while your glasses are away being made and ask what they can [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > > > > Eugene |
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