In February 2008, I purchased a pair of eyeglasses for my son at Lenscrafters. I was infuriated when upon closer examination of the glasses about 40 days later, I realized how many scratches were on the lenses, despite the “scratch-free” coating we paid additionally for. Granted, he is 3…and he does play, but he LOVES his glasses. He can finally see clearly and despite being a child, I’ve never witnessed him being rough with his glasses. I went to the store to request replacement lenses and was told that because the glasses were older than 30 days (30 days!) they were no longer covered under the warranty. Frustrated and somewhat pre-menstrual, I decided to submit a complaint letter through the corporate website. Although the website claims that all emails will be responded to within 3-5 business days, I patiently waited, oh…about 2 weeks. And about the time I had accepted that we would need to “eat it” and purchase new lenses, I received a call from my local Lenscrafters store. I was informed that the lenses would be replaced at no cost—but “this is a one time exception only, as it is not our general policy.”

It worked!

I was so empowered by the call, I ran right over to the store…and as promised, walked out one hour later with glasses that were good as new. Now, I believe that consumers should be honest and fair—if that is our expectation of retailers. I would never advocate writing complain letters if the product in question has lived up to the expectation promised. But why should we be complacent with poor, substandard product quality? Why should we be passively willing to “eat it,” given the already high-cost of living in America?

Julie, Sherman Oaks, CA

And just in case there is anyone else out there embroiled in a back-and-forth with Lenscrafters, I wanted to share the letter I wrote:

Dear Customer Service Representative,

I purchased lenses for my son’s eyeglasses at my local Lenscrafters store in Sherman Oaks, CA on February 9, 2008. I chose Lenscrafters, rather an our family’s optometrist, due to the fast turnaround. I have since discovered these to be the poorest quality lenses I have ever seen. They are terribly scratched after only a couple months of use and, despite being a child, I have never seen my son be rough with his glasses as he actually likes them very much. As an eyeglass wearer myself for nearly 20 years, I have made several eyeglass purchases. This is, without a doubt, the worst quality lenses I have ever seen. When I stopped by the store this past weekend to speak to a salesperson concerning my dissatisfaction, I was told that this is “normal” and was offered 50% off of my next purchase of lenses (the same incentive I was offered with my original purchase). I was informed that after 30 days, the lenses are no longer covered under the guarantee and that “this is the policy.” I am not emailing to challenge your corporate policies, but in addition to being offended by the salesperson’s insulting discount, I feel inclined to let you know how disappointed I am with the cheap, poor quality products you sell. Further, I plan to following up with the Better Business Bureau as well as appropriate blogs, regarding my dissatisfaction with your service and products.