Deposit Refunds

Here's an update. I finally got a call on the 14th October from a man keen to find out why I was cancelling the procedure. I told him I had changed my mind.

He proceeded to try and persuade me otherwise "the procedure you are going to have..." and I told him "No, I won't be having the procedure and I would like my deposit back". His tone changed from warm to cold immediately. He said it would be refunded within 28 days. I asked for it back more quickly, he said it wasn't company policy...

I am now waiting to see what happens. I expect it back in my account by the 6th November.
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admin: You are legally entitled to an immediate refund. No doubt you had eye drops administered before you signed paperwork?!
Have emailed you

Hi I would just like to say a massive thank you to Sasha, this lady is amazing, I decided against surgery with Optical Express in January 2014 and plugged away at trying to get my deposit back but got nowhere with Optical Express, apart from being told you can't have your money back but you can have a gift voucher.

I was on the verge of giving up when I found Sasha's OERML Facebook page and website, I spoke with Sasha a few times and in 3 weeks this lady helped me get my deposit back - again, thank you

Hi everyone, here is a story about my recent experience with Optical Express.

I had a consultation for laser eye surgery on the 27th September 2014 in the Aberdeen branch.

I got a call back from a female employee on the 2nd October to book an appointment for the surgery for the 22nd October 2014 but she was unsure of a time and she would phone back to confirm. I also made a deposit of £395 at the time. She dais she'd call back the next day to work out the Hitachi finance agreement and confirm the appointment time on the 22nd October.

She didn't call back on Friday 3rd Oct, or on Sat 4th Oct.

i live in the Orkney islands so on the 6th Oct i called Optical Express to see what was going on as i needed to book flights and accommodation. I was told i would be called back within 48hrs.

Two days later, still no phone call. so i called again and was again told that I’d be contacted within 48 hrs.

I still didn't have a definite appointment for the 22nd Oct so couldn’t organise travel and accommodation. I was now beginning to think this was shocking customer service and did I want to trust them lasering my eyes.

I made the decision to cancel the surgery. I called on the Thurs 9th Oct to cancel the booking and was told the cancellation team was busy but they would call back in 48hrs again.

I called again on the 10th Oct to try and cancel the surgery, again i didn’t get through and again was told that Optical Express would call me back within 48hrs.

From then on i called several times to try and cancel the surgery even though I'd never received any confirmation of despite having paid the deposit. Optical Express did eventually call me twice when I was at work and missed the calls. Calling back I was told as on previous times that the cancellation team was busy and I'd be called back within 48hrs.

Eventually i got a call back on the 22nd Oct, ironically this was my supposed surgery date. We had a chat and they pressured me to consider other available dates. I said I'd have a think about it overnight.

The next day, 23rd Oct, I received a call again. I said I wanted to cancel my non-existent appointment and asked about the refund of my £395 deposit. I was told that it was non-refundable if cancellation is not made within 72hrs of making the appt

I would have done if I could have done, even though I wasn't ever given a confirmed appt to cancel!

I have been extremely disappointed by the customer service provided by Optical Express. The inept handling of such an important procedure made me question trusting Optical Express with laser eye surgery, which led to my decision to cancel.

I have been told I can have a £395 credit note, but as I live in the Orkney Islands this is completely useless to me. I want a refund of my money!

Hi all, I was due to have laser eye surgery next Monday.

Today I Googled my surgeon's name (Luca Antico) and found two negative references to him on this site. I called Optical Express immediately and cancelled my appointment.

Luckily I'm still within the 72 hour cooling off period (I paid my £400 deposit yesterday) so I'm confident I'll get my money back but thought you might like to hear what they had to say about this site and it's founder, Sasha Rodoy.

The person i spoke to, Diane, in what i presume is the refunds/cancellations department, told me that this website is funded by the owner of their competitor Optimax, where Sasha had her surgery. (I was also called back by a woman who tried to talk me out of cancelling)

Whether this claim is true or not (and i'm guessing not), they can't dismiss all of the many comments on here from people who are either unhappy with the way they've been treated or are experiencing serious side effects as a result of their surgery with Optical Express.
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admin: Diane was telling the truth saying I had surgery at Optimax (Google my name for more details), but she blatantly lied when she claimed OERML is funded by Optimax.

The important question is, have OE's directors instructed sales staff to tell this lie to customers wanting to cancel after finding OERML?

I have now spoken with Alisa in person and intend to seek legal advice

Here is a copy of a letter I sent to OE after I was recommended by the surgeon on the day of my operation, NOT, to go ahead as I had been given misinformation or no information at all. This letter details everything from start to finish.

"My consultation for suitability took place at 1400hrs in Newcastle upon Tyne on Saturday 21st June. Test went well and I was informed that I was a suitable candidate forLens Replacement. The price was given to me as £3990.

I was then informed that the clinic was located in Edinburgh which came as somewhat of a surprise, there was no mention of this during these tests or that I could find in your literature.

After some negotiation via telephone and email with Steve Shedden a deal was struck to reduce the price to compensate me for taking time off work, losing work performance bonus, travel to Edinburgh, overnight accommodation (Thursday night only at this stage) and to pay for a chaperone to accompany me. The reduced price sent to me via email by Steve on 26th June 2014 was as follows:

Treatment type: RLE Multifocal

Full price for treatment: £3,990.00

Your new price: £3,192.00

Total saving: £798.00

Finance term: 30 months Interest free

Monthly payment: £89.73

Deposit required at time of booking: £500.00

On the 14th August 2014 I received the following email from Jennifer Randall:

Thank you for trusting Optical Express with your lens replacement correction procedure, I am delighted in confirming the details as follows:

Procedure: Multi Focal lens Exchange
Surgeon: Mr David Teenan

Location: Optical Express The Edinburgh Clinic

1st eye
Date/Time: Friday 26th September at 11:40

2nd Eye
Date/Time: Friday 3rd October at 11:40

You will also need to attend a post-op appointment the day after each eye has been treated. We will book this in closer to your treatment date and let you know where and when this will be, although they are generally held in the morning.

Having read the email the thing of most concern to me was that I had to return to Edinburgh on the Saturday after each procedure for ‘post op’. This had not been pointed out to me at any time. This meant an extra night in accommodation and for my chaperone, an extra day off work; However, I reluctantly accepted it having taken into account the discount given, I paid the deposit (£500) to secure my place.

The next contact I had from Optical express was an email on the 17th September asking me to get in contact. Unfortunately due to other activities in my life I was unable to call until Wednesday 24th September 2014. During this call confirmation of the dates and times as well as location of procedure was confirmed. I was then asked if I was taking the eye drops as requested two days before op?.... What eye drops?? When I pointed out that there were no eye drops I was informed that I may have to arrive earlier than planned in order to complete a scan. The caller informed me they would be in touch with further details.

On the same day I made the call, 24th September, this email arrived:

We are looking forward to seeing you again in a few days for your eye surgery treatment.

Date:
Time:
Location: Friday 26 September 2014
11:40
The Edinburgh Clinic (View map)

To make sure your treatment gets off to the best possible start, please take note of the advice below:

• Remember to bring your Patient Information Folder and Informed Consent Document with you
• You should allow for a three hour visit to your chosen clinic
• We would recommend that you have a friend or family member accompany you on the day
• As you will be unable to drive following treatment, you will need to arrange alternative transport
• You are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing
• Please do not wear any face make-up, creams, deodorant or perfume.

Following your treatment, Optical Express will continue to look after you and provide comprehensive aftercare tailored to your specific needs.

To ensure that your recovery is progressing as it should be, we have already booked your first aftercare appointment for the day following your treatment:

Date:
Time:
Location: Saturday 27 September 2014
9:50 am
Edinburgh - Shandwick Pl (View map)

I trust you are looking forward to a life without glasses or contact lenses and you can rest assured that we will take good care of you

The last paragraph of the email was correct; I was indeed looking forward to a life without glasses, but not so sure about the last part, things were not going well.

After finishing work on Thursday evening, 25th September, I travelled up north to my daughter’s home at Preston in Northumberland, still some 1 ½ hour drive from Edinburgh, to stay overnight and she would then accompany me to the clinic the next day.

At 0730hrs 26th September 2014 I received a call on my mobile informing me that I had to have an eye scan prior to surgery. This was to take place at Shandwick Place Edinburgh ASAP.

To say I was annoyed would be an understatement. We set off and arrived at approximately 1050hrs in an unknown city centre location. The scan was scheduled for an hour so parking fees were paid to cover it, when in fact the scan took no more than 15mins.

We then proceeded to the Clinic with the scans. During a chat in the consultant’s office it was pointed out to me that the surgery could reduce my long range vision by up to 30%. I was asked my occupation and when I pointed out that I was a HGV driver, additional information regarding driving in the dark was given to me, notably, and that if I were to drive in the dark I would encounter ‘glare’ on my lenses. The surgeon, Mr Teenan advised me against going ahead.

To the best of my knowledge, at no time during the build up to my arriving in Edinburgh was it pointed out to me that that this procedure would have these results on my vision. I can categorically confirm that I made the staff in Newcastle and the staff during telephone calls aware of my occupation. I even pointed out that I had taken time off work, the Fridays, in order to attend with the intention of returning to work on the Monday and comment was made to me that it was recommended that I should take a full week off post op.

Having thought this through and put it on paper, this event has been a catastrophe from the start with miss-information or no information at all, which I have to say is very disappointing, I was so looking forward to getting rid of my glasses. I had even recommended this to friends and family which resulted in me calling and booking a consultation for a friend, regrettably, this will now not go ahead after our recent conversation.

Please refund my deposit, my expenses and make a suitable compensation package to enable me to draw a line under this as soon and as amicably as possible."

Five days ago I received a call from OE offering to refund my deposit, expenses and compensation of £80.

To say I was insulted regarding the compensation was an understatement, I told them to go away and rethink it.

Today I received an email informing me that there first offer is final, no adjustment will be made.

I am now looking for legal assistance to take this further, any advice in this matter would be appreciated.

Age 65 in December, I'm longsighted & need different glasses for distance and close work, so I finally decided to have laser eye surgery with OE. I attended a 2 hour consultation at Brighton and was advised I would need LASIK on one eye & LASEK on the other and assured my vision would be 20/20 for life .

I paid £400 deposit. Procedure was due to take place on 19 September @ Southampton West Quay, at 11.15am. Arrived promptly and waited 45 minutes before being seen by a surgeon, only for him to tell me it was most probable I would need reading glasses within 3 - 5 years if I underwent this treatment, and that the correct treatment for me would be lens replacement!

My wife and I listened to what he had to say and decided that this may be the best way forward, although more expensive. I paid a further £600 and received a call a few days later asking me to attend OE clinic in Bristol or London for a further consultation with another surgeon. (I live in West Sussex)

I spent approx 3 hours @ Harley Street and returned home feeling unsettled by the incorrect advice I was originally given to have laser treatment.

I have fairly recently undergone four years of varying cancer treatments and have been in remission for one year, so I was feeling uneasy regarding the whole handing and procedures that OE offer.

After a restless couple of nights I decided to cancel the treatment as the poor diagnosis and recommendation left me in doubt of their professionalism and competence. I rang them and eventually someone from the cancellation team returned my call. Very friendly and very apologetic, the woman stated that another person would contact me after referring my 'case' to the Clinical Services dept.

They did ring, and informed me that a decision had been made that the deposit was not refundable!!!
I obviously refuted this as I was not given the correct advice at my first consultation.

I have also now discovered that Laser surgery should not have been offered to someone of my age.

What should I do now??
Many thanks

I am aged 50 and do not have cataracts.

I went to Optical Express at Sheffield Meadowhall Shopping Centre for information about RLE surgery in September.

The optometrist examined my eyes and told me that I was definitely suitable. I paid £3,500 after being given a discount.

I went to Bridgewater Hospital on the 1st October for the first operation and was actually outside the operating theatre - pen mark on left eye - when the surgeon (Dr Andre Oberholster) took a quick look at my eyes and said he was not happy to proceed because he saw a scar and wanted a second opinion before he’d go ahead.

He referred me to an independent specialist (Mr Michael Lavin) and told me this would cost £210 which they would refund if he said I was suitable for surgery. I saw Mr Lavin on the 3rd October and he told me I did have a retinal scar and was unsuitable for RLE surgery.

I called Optical Express to be told they would give me a full refund, but it would take up to 28 days. They also said they would not refund the £210 I paid Mr Lavin.

This raises serious concerns and questions.

The optometrist said I was OK to go ahead with RLE after examining my eyes. WHY did she say this if I have a retinal scar ?

If she is professionally trained to take responsibility for examining patient’s eyes and approving them for surgery why did she not see what Mr Andre Oberholster saw?

I do not believe my payment should have been taken from me.

From what I have read on this site it appears that the optoms and sales staff work hand in hand to sell as many procedures as they can. The clinic was very busy on the day I was due to have my operation so what if the surgeon had not noticed my scarring and had gone ahead?

I will be giving my information to the General Optical Council as I believe the optometrist was negligent in advising me to undergo RLE surgery.

I will also expect OE to refund my money immediately AND the £210 which I would not have spent if the optometrist hadn't been negligent in the beginning!

Regards,
Shaun

It's Monday and still no call from Optical Express. I've left yet another message on their cancellations line and will chase again this afternoon. It's all geared to sell, sell, sell...

Hi Sasha,

After a few years of dithering I decided to make an appointment with Optical Express to explore my options for laser surgery. I was Tuesday morning (7/10) bright and early. I met people who'd just had the procedure while waiting, watched testimonials on TV and then went in for my tests. Everything focused on my suitability and the process LASIK versus LASEK and before I knew it I was agreeing a date for LASIK iDesign in Milton Keynes and handing over a £400 deposit.

Looking at it now, it's crazy that they should be in such a rush to book you in for this type of procedure.

Somehow I missed the story about Stephanie Holloway in the press. The optometrist testing did ask me repeatedly if I had questions, but the issue of complications didn't really arise. The message was that it's very safe and the main risk is from infection afterwards. Fortunately, two people mentioned it to me within 24 hours and I decided to check things out last night. I found this website and read the small print in the consent form they gave me. What a fright I had.

After a sleepless night I decided to cancel the operation. Wearing spectacles does not bother me that much. Since I'm within the 72 hour window (which they didn't tell me about) I'm hoping to get a full refund of my deposit. I have emailed Lynsey Shaw in their customer feedback team, left a message for the cancellations dept and actually spoke to a person in the 'inbound' dept in Glasgow - who told me that my record had been amended with the cancellation. She said not to worry because the date and time of my call had been noted as within the 72 hour period.

I just hope that Optical Express will honour their own customer care policies. From what I've read hear that can be problematic... but I will keep you updated.

Regards,
Rachel

Hi Sasha

I attended OE Bluewater on 27th September for a consultation for laser eye surgery and by the end of the appointment had been talked into paying £395 deposit and booking treatment in 2 weeks time. This was despite my reservations and having only gone in for information. I was given eye drops so couldn't read a thing and was completely pressurised to make a decision.

I was told that the only surgeon they recommended had appointments available for the next two weeks and there no dates given after that, so if I didn't book immediately then I would need to go though the consultation process again.

I voiced my concerns about paying the deposit in case I changed my mind and was assured that I would have 14 days to get a refund.

After leaving the consultation and having time to digest it all, I still wasn't happy so went back and asked for a refund, to be then reassured again and offered a further 10% discount, and came away without my refund.

I phoned OE head office 6 days later and was interrogated about my decision to cancel, and told in no uncertain terms that I would not get a refund. I was unhappy about this and asked them to refer to the store.

5 days later I am still awaiting for a phone call as they say the person they need to speak to has been off work!

I am concerned about this as it seems other people have suffered with similar pressure and struggled to get their deposits back.

Is there anything you can do to help?

Kind regards,
Tara
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admin: Similar to Gobinder's experience - see post 09 Sep 2014 15:47
Pls send your number and I will call you: admin@opticalexpressruinedmylfe.co.uk