If they weren't selling a potentially life changing surgical procedure, you could almost grudgingly admire OEs refer a friend voucher scheme. The scheme works by offering vouchers to surgery customers - or anyone prepared to sell them whether OE employees or Joe Bloggs who wants to make a quick buck. When a patient books surgery using the vouchers, he/she receives a discount of £250 and the 'friend' who refers them receives a similar amount.
The description of the scheme as 'refer a friend' suggests some kind of link between the voucher donor and recipient and also suggests that the voucher is given by Optical Express to the donor following surgery as a thank you and to pass on to a 'friend, or 'family member' as an endorsement of their satisfaction with the surgery received.
Ebay is littered with OE money off vouchers. OE are playing on people's' greed to do their marketing and recruitment for them., a clever, low cost ploy because they would offer these discounts anyway!
I have come across one seller on ebay - staceyjo2011 - who has several vouchers listed. The interesting, and quite alarming, observation is that he/she sold 14 vouchers in the space of less than one month between 8/2/13 and 5/3/13. Presumably a large percentage of these purchasers would have been intending to go ahead with surgery, otherwise there would be no point in making the purchase : but if just 50% went ahead to book the surgery then staceyjo2011 would stand to earn £1750!!!
If this was Double Glazing, I don't think there would be the level of concerns....but this is eye surgery!!
OE recently have been advertising 30% off surgery, 50% off surgery and Half Price surgery. The irony for anyone purchasing money off vouchers is that they could well be paying MORE because the other offers most likely offer better savings!!!
So by using their 'unwitting employees' OE are actually saving money
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.