Deposit Refunds

Hi, I've gone through several rounds of calls to OE about the refund that is due to me. After browsing this forum, I doubt I will receive it in the next month or two even. Can you tell me what number you called and got your refund through please?
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admin: Pls send your number info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi

Well hooray my credit card company have today credited my account with all the money which I paid over to oe. As expected no one from oe bothered to telephone me to do the refund so my claim with Santander got the result.

Thank goodness I paid by credit card and thank you sasha for all your help

Hi there

Please can you provide me with this number or tell me where to find it?! 28 workings days was on Monday and they've told me there is an internal delay blah blah, I called again today and said I want a call back or will be complaining so any advise would be appreciated!

Kind regards, Shreena
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admin: Pls send your number info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Called OE again today to be told I hadn't canceled the op until the 16th Oct which is a lie. I booked and payed the £400 deposit on the 6th Oct and money left my a/c on the 7th Oct. The 7th is also the day I requested to cancel my op.

2 days later on the 9th is when I received the call back from the cancellations department & was told the refund process will start immediately. Refund should be in my a/c within 28 days.

Called Hugh Kerr today, explained the situation. I said I didn't want to have to go to store for a refund. After me calling him twice he returned my call and told me they would refund me today. Passed me on to Lindsay Shaw and she took my card number and exp date and said refund would be in my a/c within 5 working days.

Will keep u guys updated. Thanks to Sasha for the help

Yeah lucky escape indeed

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I was given the hard sell by John Margetts in August who failed to give me any information regarding the potential risks of Lens replacement. I was due to have my first eye done on 28 September but found OERML 3 days before. I contacted Sasha who gave me a lot of information and I cancelled my surgery.
Unfortunately I paid £5000 upfront for the procedures and was trying to get a refund but OE have a ridiculous 28 working day refund policy. Having broken their code of conduct a refund should be immediate. The BBC have been told of this…

To not even meet one of the surgeons before the operation is telling. OE's figures for 20/20 vision after this operation are leaving more than 3000 people traumatised or even worse. I feel so lucky to have avoided OE potentially ruining my eyes.

I threatened OE that I would picket the shop in Exeter and now have my full refund.
Many thanks Sasha
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admin: John Margetts story

After an initial consultation at Optical Express in February 2015 I made up my mind to go for Lasek. I paid £400 deposit on 10 June and £2150 balance on 15 July by credit card, and received a letter confirming my surgery date on 4 September 2015 at Bridgewater Wellness Clinic.

I had a consultation one week before surgery for tests and scans, and when I arrived for surgery on 4 September, after a few more tests, I was taken to meet the surgeon for the first time. Mr Muhammad Kazmi told me that he thought my corneas were very thin and that, should he go ahead and perform Lasek, he could not guarantee the result would last even for 5 years, and there would be no chance of secondary treatment due to my thin corneas. He advised that there was a 5% risk of severe dry eyes after treatment and suggested a better option would be lens replacement surgery, which would cost approximately £5000.

I discussed this with my husband and told the clinic that I would not proceed as I believed the risks were too high. They said that someone would contact me within 48 hours to arrange a refund, but warned me that the caller would probably try to persuade me to go for lens replacement. I didn’t hear from OE so I called them on 8 September and their salesman Andrew told me he’d arrange for someone to call me back.

Caroline called the same day and advised me that they could continue to manage my dry eye problem with drops and then reschedule lasek surgery. I pointed out the problem wasn’t with dry eye, but with my cornea being too thin. She said she would refer the case and call back, also asking if I would consider lens replacement as an option, which I declined. She rang back later and agreed that I would have a full refund within 28 working days, and again offered me the option of lens replacement surgery, and again I declined.

I questioned why the refund took so long and she told me that OE is a medical provider and subject to 'Medical Industry Protocol' and heavy auditing, that they never do instant refunds, but not to worry as I would "absolutely get all the money back”.

On 16 October, I rang OE who said that their accounts team "literally hold the purse strings” and would call me not later than 27 October. I said this was unacceptable as the 28 days were up and I wanted an immediate refund . She said this was not possible as OE had experienced a slight internal delay which they were "working through as quickly as possible".

I called OE again and Sandra advised me that my file was with their financial directors awaiting a final decision. She would not clarify what the process was, only that it was their “internal processes”.

I remained insistent and was then transferred to Kimberley who told me she was a customer services team leader and could only agree with what Sandra had said. I asked to speak to someone else who may be able to help. She told me they were experiencing an administrative delay and only the company secretary could authorise the refund. When I asked I was told his name was Graeme Murdoch and I asked to speak to him, but Kimberley said that he is not available to speak to patients and advised that I could email him at customer services.

All of this has left me feeling upset and outraged at my treatment.

Luckily I found this website and Sasha has given me some guidance and advice which I am now following. I have raised a complaint with my credit card company and am relieved to know that I am guaranteed to get my money back through them if not OE.
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admin: Angela recorded 6 phone conversations with OE. I listened to these last night and the content is truly shocking!

Caroline works in the 'Cancellations and retentions team' - that's ‘cancellations' to you, but ‘retentions' to OE, as this team do all they can to retain (keep) deposits and payments!

Caroline horrifyingly tells Angela that on occasions when surgery doesn’t go ahead they (cancellations team), "have a look and give a second opinion”, and repeatedly tries to persuade Angela to have lens exchange (RLE/NLR).

The fact that a customer service representative (sales person) is attempting to overrule and contradict a surgeon by advising a patient is unethical and totally inappropriate.

Kimberley claims that it is only Graeme Murdoch who is able to authorise a refund. This is a lie, as OE 'Head of Customer Care' Lynsey Shaw ( www.linkedin.com/pub/lynsey-shaw/42/b13/329 ) can approve a card refund in a heartbeat, as has been detailed in previous posts.

Caroline told Angela, "We're a medical provider so we get heavily audited… industry protocol…"!

This is utter nonsense, and the recordings will be provided to relevant organisations and interested parties.

Update in my refund:
I received my money after 3 working days from Tuesday when they took my card details.
Big relief.
Thank you Sasha!
My advice to other people:
Don't go to OE. If you go than do not make an appointment after the consultation .Tell them u want to think about it. This way u don't need to pay the deposit and u don't have the refund issue.

And last but not least think twice before u do surgery.
Don't let people rush you. And really think if u want to take the risk!

The OE policy of refunds is simply bs.

If you are due a refund the week OE staff are due to be paid forget it. This is where the internal delay bs kicks in.

Constantly changing cancellation period from 3 days to 7 then back to 3 again.

You do have to admire the brass neck.

I breath a huge sigh of relief when I read these stories, to think I nearly had that operation, thank you for sharing it makes me shiver to think they are behaving like this...it is disgusting Thank you for sharing....and I will never ever complainant about wearing glasses again!!!!