So a few weeks ago I got a letter from the DMV telling me it was time to renew my driver’s license. The letter told me I can renew my license by mail now. Coolio. Told me I needed to:

1. Sign off on the DMV form
2. Get my eyes checked (and doctor sign-off for the eye test report)
3. Send them everything along with a check for $80.50.

Fine. Today I headed out with my little ‘Eye Test Report’ card to go to Pearl Vision.

On the way there I had the feeling I might flunk the eye test because my prescription might be too weak. (Due to this theory that I wrote a while ago and still believe 100%).

Anyway, I decided if my eyes were really too weak to pass– I’d just do it up right then and there buy new lenses from Pearl. Maybe poke around with sunglasses too and see if any looked decent on my bald head and all that…

There were four employees in the Pearle Vision and no customers. The four of them were sitting around talking or whatever. I excitedly waved my Eye Test Report card and told them I needed a test for this here DMV thing. The lady said to me, ‘We don’t do partial exams. We only do full exams.’ I asked how much for the “full exam” and she told me $79. I was like, ‘Screw that. I’m not gonna get a $79 “full exam”. When I can get some “partial” exam somewhere else! Or maybe no exam and I’d just head to the DMV and risk flunking the test there! Explore options at least! I walked out…

And as I walked away from Pearl Vision I started listing all the things wrong with what they just did.

1. There was no reason to tell me about the partial/full exam thing. All I knew was I needed an “exam” and even though $79 is alot– because I’m overdue checking my eyes I probably would have just done the full exam. Once I knew about the “partial” thing I felt like I was getting ripped off if I went “full”.

2. Four people behind the counter. Doing nothing. Butt picking. Even if you have an anti-partial exam policy– wouldn’t it have been worth it? Nobody was doing nothing! Coffay slerpers all around. Make a buck off me!

3. You’re a “neighborhood” store. Act neighborly even though you’re a chain! Wake up! I got glasses on my stupid head! Aka potential customer? If you were friendlier than ‘We don’t do partial exams’– maybe I’d come back one day? And buy your flimsy over/under priced glasses?

4. Hey! I might have bought new lenses! Today! On the spot! Or brand new glasses as far as you know! If anyone walks in and flunks a DMV eye test– you got em right where you want em, Pearl!!! WTF! They’re probably gonna buy something! Better chance than the daily gaggle of 16 year old girls that try on glasses for a 40 minutes and then leave after declaring that all your glasses “look stupid”.

5. Why not give the stupid partial exam anyway? What kind of policy is that? What are you afraid of? The crazy afternoon crush of bargain people looking for cheap partial exams for the DMV? What kind of dumb dumb policy is that anyway?

7. You made a customer immediately walk out of the store. Now, I don’t know much about business—but that’s gotta be in the top two ‘donts’. (Number 1 being “Don’t murder the customer.”)

I probably could go to 20 with this list but I’ll stop there. It’s just weird with all this recession stuff that businesses aren’t learning to smarten up a little and batten down the hatches and umm… not chase away people looking to spend money?

Plus, I’m pissed because it was something I was so almost gonna scratch off my “To Do” list!! And now I put it on the “To Didn’t Do It Yet’ list…

ok bye!
tOdd

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