Deposit Refunds

Hi,

My understanding would that I'd get a refund in 28 days. I'm now being told on 28th day that it's 28 working days. I'm sure legally it's just 28 days. Is that right?
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admin: Nothing legal about keeping your deposit for even 28 days after agreeing to refund. Even Tesco refund payment for returned goods on the spot
For further advice, please send your phone number to: sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

I am 45 years old and I went for a consultation for eye surgery on the 2nd March at Optical Express in Uxbridge. I was told I could have RLE surgery that would stop me ever getting cataracts. I was booked in on the 22nd June for surgery with Dr Dimitris Kazakos at White City. I paid £500 deposit and they told me someone would phone me before the day of my surgery.
I received a phone call yesterday from a man in Glasgow. He told me that he was recording our conversation. He said that I would meet the surgeon on the day of surgery, but then gave me the very worrying information that I could be left with problems for the rest of my life.
I was not happy to be called by a salesperson and not the surgeon so after the call I googled Optical Express and found this website. The stories were scary so I called back and said I wanted to cancel. The woman said she was just in the contact centre and couldn’t help but would get someone else to call me.

A man called Baljit called me today. He said it was a shame that I was cancelling and asked what had changed my mind. I told him I had seen the Optical Express Ruined My Life website and asked if he knew about it. He said he did but that the people posting on it have some confusion and are not from Optical Express because they have been treated by other clinics and surgeons. But then he gave up trying to convince me and said he could refund only £250 of my deposit.

Please can you help me get all my money back?
Thank you.
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admin: Along with the company itself, Dimitris Kazakos is amongst the top five Optical Express surgeons facing the most legal claims from damaged customers (current and settled)
Please send your phone number to: sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

After being told I wouldn't get my £500 back as I didn't cancel within 3 days, I reached out to Sasha.
Within a week of her help I got a full refund!!
Thank you so much Sasha!

31 March
Went for laser - told I was too old at 56, had to have RLE. Told by sales person that I would not need any glasses.
Dr David Teenan called me on 24 April and told me he couldn’t guarantee I would not needing reading glasses, which was the point of upselling me lens surgery when I went for laser consultation!
After googling David Teenan's name and finding so many negatives about him and how many people he has damaged that swung it for me! I called to cancel but was told that the woman who’d sold me the surgery was no longer working there. (Polish name that I don’t remember)
A man called Graeme phoned me and said my deposit would be refunded to my account. He did not mention that it would only be half of the £500 I paid and nothing was sent to me in email.
I was missold this surgery and want my money refunding in full. Please can you help or advise me?
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admin: Lucky escape
Please send your phone number
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

I booked in for Laser Eye Surgery last month at Milton Keynes to have my appointment on the 21st June with Dr Sajjad Mughal. I’ve been doing some further research and now I’m completely terrified and don’t want to risk anything happening to my eyes. I called today and they said I can’t get my deposit back as I didn’t cancel within 3 days. I thought it was 30 days. Can anyone help?
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admin: Indeed it should be 30 days, but that would give people too much time to realise their mistake!
Please send your phone number
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

My story is pretty simple, my wife had lenses replaced some 12 years ago at Optical Express, as did a number of our friends and to date they ALL have some level of discomfort due to halo effect etc.

I have excellent long sight but for reading and computer work all day I need glasses, so assuming in recent years techniques and processes will have developed and improved, I recently booked a consultation on 23rd March at Sheffield Meadowhall. They advised that I am suitable for lens replacement surgery but that it will have a slight detriment to my long sight. Further, they quoted that 99.7% of patients do not suffer any long term side effects.

I explained my situation that I work overseas and return to UK every couple of months and they advised that appointments during my future planned visit were not yet open, but I should pay £500 deposit to allow me an early opportunity to secure a surgery date during my planned return trip, which I duly paid.

With time to reflect and further consider, along with discussion with my wife, I became apprehensive due to the side effects experienced by people we know and asked for a further discussion in regard to the 99.7% claimed success rate and no long term side effects, compared to the 100% of former patients known to me personally who ALL retain side effects more than 10 years after treatment.

So I requested a further discussion with their experts and I was contacted by a man (no idea who he was, but not a doctor for sure) who had no interest in anything other than reminding me that I had already signed a contract with them, and advising their legal position which meant I could lose some or all of my deposit if I did not proceed. I was far from happy with the discussion as I put the value of my sight and ensuring any treatment is correct above a paid deposit, and I advised their representative of my dissatisfaction with his approach, and suggested that if the call is recorded it should be used for their training and not how to engage with their customers. He advised the call was recorded but declined to comment upon my constructive feedback to his approach to customer service.

I no longer intend to proceed with any treatment and want to recoup my deposit, but I am unsure as to the best approach to take considering the attempts to bully and intimidate me during my last call.

Please note that I have not currently been offered an appointment for surgery.

Hoping for your positive feedback and support in dealing with these people whom I found to be at best, patronising, bullying and unscrupulous.

Kind Regards
Alan
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admin: OE's normal modus operandi!
Please send your phone number
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Update!

A day later I received all funds owed, including my £500 deposit! Thank you Sasha!

Hi everyone,
It was only last week when I spoke with Optical Express and they told me that I'm not entitled to refund because I didn't cancel within 20 days. Today, I received email confirmation from OE that my deposit will be returned to me.
All this is thanks to Sasha's help.
Sasha, thank you so much for all your help and effort. You are a star.

Good afternoon, I am currently still waiting for my refund of over £2700 from Optical Express, I cancelled my surgery over a month ago due to reading all the terrible reviews and have phoned them multiple times asking for email confirmation of the cancellation but despite this request and being told somebody would call me back I have received nothing so far. I was also told my deposit of £500 was non refundable. Would you be able to assist me in this matter?
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admin: Please send your phone number
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk