Deposit Refunds

I am Just over a week into a deposit refund process from OE, which they have advised will take 28 days. I note from previous reports on your website that this is unlikely to happen and that it will probably require constant chasing. The cancellation was made within 48 hours of paying the £500 deposit and before the second level consultation to agree consent. I paid with a credit card and would appreciate any advice you can give on how I should play this out, or should I just be patient and hopeful. Thanks.
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admin: That's 28 working days!
If you send your phone number I can help info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hello on 17/8/2015, I made a £400 deposit for laser eye surgery at the Optical Express Eastcheap store. But after 2 hours I changed my mind because I went home and looked at the internet and found so many bad reviews. I called them up for the refund but every single time they kept telling me they would call me back but no one did. And after reading so many complaints here I’m really worried that I wont be able to get the refund. Can you please help me out? Thanh you so much.
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admin: Pls send your phone number info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk :kiss:

Been waiting for more than 2 months at this point, same excuses every time from the customer service and purchasing departments. They keep promising to call me back and ask for card details but its just not happening.

I was really up for eye surgery, but could not obtain a signature from my GP due to health concerns, the entire decision to cancel the surgery was out of my hands and yet still I don't get my deposit back.

End of my tether with OE. Unbelievable.

So to update on my original post, I have had an awful experience with customer service, having been told last Sunday they would get back to me in 48 hours. I waited until Tuesday and was then told I would have to wait until Wednesday for someone to be in touch for my bank details. On Wednesday I phoned again at around 3pm to ask when someone was going to be in touch and was promised someone would phone by 5.30pm. Surprise surprise no one phoned! I phoned again at 5.40pm and was told the banking department had gone home.
I was then emailed and told I would receive a refund in 28 working days. I said this isn't good enough and even after phoning Lyndsey Shaw and other heads, was still told it had to be 28 working days. I do not understand where this comes from because if you go into any other shop the refund is immediate. They obviously just want to keep our money to accumulate interest.
If others who posted here such as John Mitchell, Fran Grace and Carolyn Hume can get their money back immediately after complaining then why can't I?
I may need to post on Which? about this and if all else fails I’ll have no choice but to go to their store every day and create a fuss until they give it back to me!!!
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admin: I will speak with the Which? team tomorrow as they need to update this info to 28 working days.


conversation.which.co.uk/consumer-rights...er-eye-surgery-terms

Pat, sadly unless Optical Express dramatically change their ways after the 28 days nobody will have rung you so by the time you get through to somebody on the telephone, like me, you will be given a series of lame excuses, then the promise of a refund in another 7-10 working days, that for me came and went, then another 6 working days. By this time on the advice of Trading Standards I sent a recorded delivery letter warning of an escalation in actions to recover the sum due. This finally led to the refund being made but needless to say no apologetic reply to the letter. Optical Express obviously monitor this forum so hopefully it will prompt them to refund you straight away but don’t hold your breath.

My husband has just been given the same load of boloney. 28 days to process a refund which basically means they sit on our money EARNING interest for 28 days while we PAY interest. Then on the 28th maybe they'll call to get your card details to do a refund which takes about a minute. I know this because I do credit card refunds every day.
I wish we had found this page before we set foot in the door of Optical Express!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it took me 10 weeks to get my deposit and advance payment (£3000) back after the surgery failed to go ahead at Southampton back in April this year. I contacted Trading Standards for advice at the time and this proved helpful. I hope you have more success than me but Optical Express are a total nightmare.

It begs the question how come so many people appear suitable for Laser Surgery following the consultation, pay out money, but then the surgery ends up not going ahead. It appears Optical Express endlessly exhibit a deliberate business policy of encouraging customers to part with significant sums of money then resist processing the refunds until either it becomes publicly embarrassing or the threat of legal action has to be made.

Looking at Companies House web site their business practice is tantamount to fraud and it's about time somebody in authority stood up and took them to task on this.

I had in interesting experience with Optical Express in Shandwick Place Edinburgh.
I am 28 and was sick of wearing glasses/contacts and thought I would pop in for a chat about laser eye surgery. On the Saturday 25th July I had my appointment. I was met and had all my eye tests done by a boy that had only just recently graduated from university and had only being doing the tests for a few months. I was a bit apprehensive about this as he seemed quite young and although he was very pleasant he didn't have the experience you would expect for laser eye surgery consultations. Then after I was greeted by the consultant who although was pleasant spoke very fast and went through everything very quickly. She then put eye drops in my eyes that stung and I couldn't see properly but didn't warn me of this before hand.
After she then made fun of me for blinking a lot which I would do having just had stinging eye drops in my eyes. She then asked me to watch a video while I couldn't see properly and I repeatedly told her this. I then preceded to tell her I suffered a little from dry eyes and she said that wouldn't be an issue. I do not think she explained the risks fully in the consultation but before I knew it she had me down for an operation for two weeks later. She then said I should pay the deposit to secure the 10% discount that is ending at the end of August and this is a rare offer. She then commented that I seemed very nervous but it will be fine and nothing will go wrong other than a 4% chance of a top up surgery and that's what I need to focus on. She said I had until Monday the 3rd August to cancel and I will get my full deposit back. I had only gone in for information but left with a deposit of £395 paid and a surgery booked.

Over the week after doing research online I had loads of questions to ask as I felt they weren't covered in the consultation. I went in on Thursday with my list and although I received a quib from the graduate about me having far too many question (which I ended up snapping that these were my eyes after all), the lady I spoke to did answer all my questions and said there would not be any problem with the surgery providing I do everything they say. I then said I was still worried about my dry eyes but she said it would not be permanent with the surgery.

I then phoned up on Saturday with more questions and then after looking at more stories online and finding this site I decide I wouldn't risk it. I can live with glasses but not without my sight. I then had a really sleepless night and a minor panic attack that they wouldn't give me my money back. I phoned up the Gyle on Sunday 2nd Aug at 10am as Shandwick Place is closed on Sundays and she said that I would get my deposit back and she has emailed the customer service to cancel and return my deposit and that everything would be fine. She gave me a number to phone tomorrow.

I am still worried that I will not get my deposit back after reading this site as people are still waiting after 28 days and I would like my money back as soon as possible and I just read on the internet there is a cooling off period of 7 days which wasn't told to me only to cancel by Monday 3rd Aug which is more than 7 days so they may hold this against me even though this is what I was told. I do appreciate the staff gave their time to answer my questions after my appointment and all seemed very polite but after reading this site and others like it I am still worried I wont get my deposit back. If they give me my deposit back in a timely manner then that is great but I think that to improve the experience things could have been explained a little bit slower and in more detail and maybe as a little less of a "sales pitch" during the consultation.

Hi

So I went to optical express for a free consultation on Saturday 25th July. I was told that I could have the surgery and they give me a quote of £2373 for the lasik procedure. I was told I was getting 30% off as I offered to pay in full, I was told I had to pay a deposit of £400 and I decided to pay £500. The sales girl pressured me into the surgery and told me I had until the end of the day to get it for that price as previously they had quoted me £4300. So I went and booked it and paid the money. Now I've done my research I don't want to go ahead, I have called the company for a refund and I've been told that someone will contact me in 28 days to confirm my card details and refund me the money. Is there any way I can get this money back quicker and will I get it back?
Stacey
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admin: Yes! Send your number to info@opticalexpressruinedmyife.co.uk

On April 21, I went to Optical Express at Shaftesbury avenue for a laser surgery consultation. They convinced me to pay a deposit of £400 pounds. Then I called in to let them know I won't be going on with the surgery. They claimed that they had started processing my refund.

3 months later and I still haven't received the refund. I have gone there multiple times for them to say "oh, it has been processed, it takes up to 28 days" !

Please help me get my refund. I wish I knew about this refund problem before hand.