August 18 2010

Pearle Vision is Dumb

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

20

KittyKarin says:

Good points but what happened to 6? 6… 6 for my sorrow? (Sorry, bad Violent femmes reference)

FLOWY DRESS WAITRESS says:

THEY SUCK! stupid FOUR friggin employees doing nothing.

Bob in Peru says:

Perhaps you should have gone to Minnie Pearl Vision. She always greeted her audience with a friendly, “Howdy!”

Nicol says:

LOL!!!!!!! @ Bob in Peru.

Mr Magoo says:

I had a similar problem at LensCrafters…
I went in with my prescription which I had gotten from my eye doctor and wanted to buy glasses. I handed a lady my prescription and she said the date on it was 2004 (I had just gotten the prescription the day before.. and she thought the 2009 was a 2004.. (Shocking, dr.s have bad hand writing.)…
She snapped at me and said “Not a Chance in China” was this a good prescription.. She stormed off mumbling about seeing if she could get me an eye exam.
Shell-shocked by the entire experience, I turned around and walked out and bought my glasses (and sunglasses) somewhere else..

Anonymous says:

She actually said “Not a Chance in China”? Awesome. I’m going to start using that. China is so crazy and handsome.

DakaMan says:

There is NO RULE 6!

Fourth Bruce says:

Now this term, I don’t want to catch anybody not drinking.

Angry Man says:

Why didn’t you just get a free full eye test on state heath care?

..oh right… America….

Anonymous says:

… the home of the Welfare State…

Kristy says:

KittyKarin! I JUST listened to that song! Good catch 🙂

Earp says:

Todd- you shoulda said, “With that attitude you’ll be back to serving fries and shakes in no time”

YEAH that woulda showed ’em…

In any case, welcome to the new US business attitude–“I don’t own it, no family of mine owns it, it’s a big chain of stores I have no real attachment to or investment in, so go f**k yourself stoopid customer because I’m just waitin’ on mah CHECK and quittin’ time”

Todd's Respect Lawyer says:

Welcome to the real world. Have you noticed that it’s the women that act like dicks when it comes to customer service. Very very sad.

Anonymous says:

Yeah, Todd’s Respect Lawyer says. What’s up with that? Women suck, dude. They SUCK.

Mr Bill says:

It’s because they get paid the same no matter what they do. A lack of tact or caring about the customer? Sure. But you think they work on commission? Ha.

Lenscrafters and Pearl Vision chains all suck anyway. Find a local optometrist.

All kind of moot when you should just go the DMV and get it over with. Yeah it pretty much wastes a day but it’s not like you have a job or anything. Take a book.

Snooks says:

Your points are all valid, but directed at the store; the 4 people that annoyed you were likely just part-time employees that simply don’t give a spit.

Deni says:

I read your former post about prescriptions and I totally agree with you! I got my glasses in 6th grade and only get a new pair every 3-5 years. I think that’s why I’ve only gone from 20/40 to 20/90 in 30-some years!

pharmacist says:

nice post. thanks.

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