Don't Go to this Clinic!
Several weeks ago I accompanied my girlfriend for her eye exam at the Hillside Optometry Clinic. The optometrist that was assigned to my girlfriend was Dr. Wendy Li. At this appointment, my girlfriend went in, got her eyes checked, and walked out twenty minutes later with her prescription.
The problem was that when we went to an eyeglass store the next day and bought a pair of $500 dollar glasses, they ended up not working. My girlfriend literally couldn’t see a thing with them on. Naturally, we blamed the eyeglass store and demanded a new pair of specs. They were very helpful, and with absolutely no fuss, made my girlfriend a new pair.
The trouble was, though, that this pair was just as bad as the previous. So, what we did then was get a refund on her glasses (which the store did again without a fuss) and went back to Dr. Wendy Li. Upon our meeting, we suggested that perhaps she had made a mistake and asked for a refund. She flat out denied having made a...
Several weeks ago I accompanied my girlfriend for her eye exam at the Hillside Optometry Clinic. The optometrist that was assigned to my girlfriend was Dr. Wendy Li. At this appointment, my girlfriend went in, got her eyes checked, and walked out twenty minutes later with her prescription.
The problem was that when we went to an eyeglass store the next day and bought a pair of $500 dollar glasses, they ended up not working. My girlfriend literally couldn’t see a thing with them on. Naturally, we blamed the eyeglass store and demanded a new pair of specs. They were very helpful, and with absolutely no fuss, made my girlfriend a new pair.
The trouble was, though, that this pair was just as bad as the previous. So, what we did then was get a refund on her glasses (which the store did again without a fuss) and went back to Dr. Wendy Li. Upon our meeting, we suggested that perhaps she had made a mistake and asked for a refund. She flat out denied having made a mistake and blamed the eyeglass store for the problem. We told her that the eyeglass store had already made two pairs for us, and in both instances the results were the same.
She then told us that the problem was with my girlfriend. She said that it was ‘normal’ for people not to be able to see with glasses (irony anyone?) and that we should wait a couple of days. We told her that it had already been a week. At this point, she shrugged off our concerns and told us that she couldn’t talk because she had a client to get to.
That night, my girlfriend and I talked, and we decided to go to a different optometrist to get a second opinion. This person did the same tests as Dr. Wendy Li, but got completely different results. We took these results to the eyeglass store, and confirmed the new results: the glasses with the new prescription worked! Once we had the proof that Dr. Wendy Li had, in fact, made a mistake, we went back to the Hillside Optometry Clinic and demanded a refund.
In face of the evidence, Dr. Li couldn’t deny that she had made a mistake (although she tried for about a half an hour); however, she claimed that even though she was mistaken, and even though my girlfriend and I had wasted a lot of time and money, she still wouldn’t give us a refund. Her reasoning was that we had to pay for the ‘labour’ and not the results of the test.
I was outraged. My girlfriend had spent over $100 dollars on this exam and the results were not even correct! I work at a local Subway restaurant, and I can tell you that if I mess up someone’s $5 dollar sub, I have to make them a new one. I can’t simply shrug my shoulders and say “Sorry for ruining your sub and wasting your time, but it’s the labour that you’re paying for. So that will be $5 dollars for nothing”.
All I can say is: anyone who is looking for good quality coupled with good service, avoid this clinic at all costs.
Comments
Some of the details here don't seem true.
The eye test fee at this clinic is LESS than $100.
Also, I find it hard to believe that any optometrist just "shrugs off" a patient's problem or concerns. They are trained professionals. Reception would probably be who the patient spoke to regarding any refund request.
I question this version of events. Beware of what you read folks.
Lol, I can't believe that someone would think that I took all this time to falsely slander some poor, innocent optometrist. But, in the interest of answering a genuine concern, I’ll try to do my best to sort out any discrepancies.
As to the doubts about the $100 dollar fee, it may be true that the eye test did cost a bit less. I can’t remember the exact figure, but it’s possible that it was in the $90 range. This doesn’t mean that I’m agreeing that the eye test was under $100 dollars. In all sincerity, I can’t remember (I wrote my initial complaint over a year ago); however, in the interest of being fair, I’ll concede that it could have been anywhere from $90 to $110 dollars.
As to the claim that I only spoke to the receptionist and not the optometrist, I have two responses: (i) first, even if I didn’t speak directly with the optometrist, that would be irrelevant; the receptionist represents the policies and interests of the optometrist. She can’t make up her own rules as she goes; she must do what her employer (in this case Wendy Li) instructs her to do. (ii) Second, as a matter of fact, I actually did speak to the optometrist—well sort of. On my first visit, Wendy Li didn’t actually say anything; she just meekly stood behind her receptionist as I made my complaint. But unless she’s deaf, I’m pretty sure she heard my concerns. On my second visit, however, I did speak directly with her. Yes, it’s true that my conversation began with her receptionist, but at some point Wendi Li came out of her office, and addressed me directly. I distinctly remember that she was the one who said I have “to pay for the labour, not the result”. I’m sorry that I wasn’t more specific in my initial complaint, but, with all respect, I didn’t think I was writing for a formal legal proceeding. It’s true that I was a little loose with the facts, but only because this is just a complaint website, not an important case demanding strict precision.
Finally, as to the claim that it’s “hard to believe that an optometrist just shrugs off complaints” I couldn’t agree more! That’s why I took the two and a half hours to find this website and write this complaint! Like you, I too was shocked. I never thought that a “trained professional” could act so unprofessional, but I guess that even trained professionals can be douchbags from time to time.
I hope this response helps you and others reading this complaint. Please don’t suggest anymore that I’m “exaggerating”. My girlfriend and I are poor people who have to give exceptional customer service every day for pennies. Dr. Li is a wealthy woman who gives terrible service and probably makes close to six figures each year. It really hurt me to lose that money in such a rotten way—especially since I couldn’t do anything about it. All I have is this complaint website. To suggest that I’m lying is to take away the only justice that I can get. I can’t get my money or dignity back, but at least I can help others from losing theirs.