Lansing Ophthalmology

Glaucoma, Cataract Surgery, Board Certified Eye Physician & Surgeon

In a nutshell, the doctor is fantastic, but the two female employees in the front require serious work on improving their skills at customer service.

My mother, frail and elderly, was in need of some new glasses. Doctor Kowalski took great and extraordinary care in her examination of my mother's eyes. My mother moved slowly, having to get in to and out of a wheel chair, dealing with a catheter bag, and portable oxygen tank. The doctor was very caring, attentive, and patient, in addition to being proficient at her job. Arlo, the man who helped us choose frames was equally agreeable.

Arlo said that the frames would be ready in 7 to 10 days. We paid for the glasses, and I took my weary mother back to her room down the road in the hospice care home. Time is in short supply for my mother, so we hoped that the time estimate for the glasses would end up on the early side so that she could be comfortable with seeing her knitting, and seeing the visitors come in the room too.

A little over a week went by (Tuesday), so she called to get an update on the glasses, just for her peace of mind. She was told that the glasses would be ready next week on Wednesday. So, we patiently wait.

One more week went by, so I called on Tuesday, just to see when we could expect the glasses so that she can make plans for someone to go get them. The girl who answered the phone, Carrie (as I later found out), said that they were not ready yet. (...silence) I asked when would they be ready. She sighs, and then says “I don't know”. (silence) “Could you call someone and ask?”, I say. She says that the optician is the only one who can check on the order, and that she was not there. “When will she be there?”, I ask. “Tomorrow”. It was like pulling teeth, trying to drag information out of her. It was quite aggravating. She then told me that the glasses were on back order. Again, she did not volunteer any more information, and I had to ask about when will they be ready, and who can tell me. She said, “I don't know what else to tell you.”. I said, “This is where you say that you're sorry.”. (silence) ...She sighs. (more silence). I asked her name, and after the yet another sigh in the conversation, she refused to tell me her name, but said that she was not being rude. I told her that she's digging herself into a hole. I will call back tomorrow and talk to the optician, Elena.

So, we now were told, 15 days after the order was placed, that the glasses were on back order. One of the aids in the palliative care recommended Eye Care Associates in Charlotte. We called them, confirmed that they could make some glasses with the script from another doctor, and made an appointment for 25 minutes later. They were models of good customer service at Eye Care Associates, but that's another review. As I travel alone to this other eyeglass business to get some new frames ordered, my mother called the first office to cancel the order for the back-ordered frames, and ask for a refund. Well guess what? Only Elena the optician can do refunds. She's not there.

A few minutes later, Mom gets a call from Elena. The alarm must have gone off that there was money going out the door (loosing business) rather than in, so she came in on her day off. The glasses were not back-ordered, but had been sitting in the office for two days. She claims that she had trouble reaching my mother on the phone. A little detective work on her part, and she would have seen of the patient-information form that she was staying at the palliative care place down the road, and could have found the phone number to reach my mom. That's really beside the point though. The main issue is having to drag information out of the receptionist, and being given misinformation at that.

Mom calls me while I'm at the very nice Eye Care Associates, talking with the extremely helpful and understanding associate who was willing to bend over backwards to help my mother in her unique situation. We put our business on hold there because the glasses had magically appeared at Lansing Ophthalmology now that we've requested a refund for the (not) back-ordered glasses. The two glasses would have cost about $200 less total at Eye Care Associates, by the way. They were not the same frames, but they were comparable in my view.
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I drive back to Lansing Ophthalmology but Elena is gone, and the store closes soon anyway.

The next day Wednesday 10 July 2013, I go to collect the eye glasses with my sister. We walk in. A female employee is alone at the frames table and offers to greeting, verbal or non-verbal. We go to the reception desk, and are told to go see Elena to get the glasses. She was the unwelcoming girl at the frames table. Not a good start here.

Elena provides the glasses, and asks if my mother will be in to get fitted. I said that she would not because it's difficult for her to get out. I asked if she would show me how to adjust the glasses. She scoffed at the notion of a novice doing it, but did adjust the one new frame to match her old frame. That one thing was probably the only redeeming value of the whole interaction with us, Elena, and Carrie. She then said that we were “all set”, and offered no apology for our troubles up to now. So, I told her that I'd like to explain the sequence of events to her from our stand point.

I proceeded to tell her the story, but was repeatedly interrupted by her with defensive and argumentative comments. I told her to let me finish talking. That only made her put on a colder smirk as she clasped her hands. Elena was not apparently interested in truly listening to me. Yes, I'm sure that she could hear my voice, but empathy is an unknown word to her. I finished the scenario, and said that I'd like to give her the opportunity to make things right. Evidently, Elena and Carrie went to the same school of customer service, because she gave a sigh, then forcefully said with a snip in her tone, “Well, you obviously have something in mind! What is it?!”. I was appalled that an employee who is working in a customer-service position of a business would be speaking to a client in such a manner. I told her that Eye Care Associates had similar glasses for $200 less (she interrupted me again—with something about her having called them to confirm, but I cut her off—I was just not interested in her arguing with me) , and that I thought that we should get a discount for our angst caused by the poor service. Carrie had said that Elena was the one to give refunds. Now Elena says that Vickie the regional manager is the only one to give refunds. Way to give the run around, folks! I then told Elena that I was waiting for one more thing from her. She insisted on giving me excuses, reasons for this and that, and rationale that probably helps her get through the day thinking that she's done a good job. I was not interested in defensive arguments. I wanted an apology. She then said, upon my urging, “I'm sorry that you thought that the glasses would be done sooner.”. Oh, good grief. This girl has not been listening to me. Now she offers a half-baked apology, and does not even apologize for anyone's actions (or lack thereof) at her store. She states this twisted apology by placing blame for the situation on us, the customer. Even if she did offer an apology now, it would not be sincere because I was almost saying, “Repeat after me...I'm sorry for the treatment that you have received...”.

I then reminded her of the phone call between her and my mother earlier that morning. My very calm and kind mother, who is in hospice—I informed her, said goodbye at the end of the conversation, and Elena sighed and slammed the phone down to its holder. This icing on the cake of the saga, only added to the mounting stress placed on my ailing mother these two girls at Lansing Ophthalmology. Elena showed no remorse for her actions, when I confronted her about this, and predictably offered a defense instead of simply apologizing. I kept wishing that she would stop arguing with me, her client, and just act like a human being, and say a heart-felt, “I'm sorry.”.

The negativity of this purchase could have been avoided with better communication, responsive helpful attitudes, and all of the other makings of good customer service.

On my way out, I told Elena that they are losing a customer of 30 years because of the attitude of her and Carrie. My mother, her many friends, and family would know to never shop there again, to which Elena replied, with a roll of the eyes, and uncaring countenance, “Okay”.

Provides eye care, laser surgery, laser vision correction, prk, lasik, glaucoma treatment, cosmetic surgery, pediatric eye care, and retinal diseases.at lansing ophthalmology's affiliated eyecare centers we not only provide you withvalue pricingyour sight our focuscare experience.the highest quality eye care-we also provideway of providing you with the ultimate eyeyou with the highest quality...

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