TOPIC:

Good afternoon,

I had booked to have RLE surgery at OE and after an initial 'free' consultation during which I felt rushed, because I told them I was going away soon and did not wish to be worried about aftercare, they convinced me all would be fine, and promptly tried to book me in for surgery on 7 October. But I could not make that either, so they then came back with an even earlier date of 1 Oct 21.
By this time I felt obliged to sign up and pay £500 deposit, but thankfully did not sign up to their finance package.
I then read all the contraindications and started to worry if I had done the right thing and I wasn't sleeping with worry.
On Thurs 23 Sep I had a 'clinicians' appointment which was a quick 5/10min phone call from a lady in Scotland, whereupon I said I was feeling a bit nervous and unsure, but she just said "oh the nurse will make you feel fine on the day", and I said I heard that the surgeon 'Dimitris' [Dimitris Kazakos] could be quite abrupt and she replied "yes but he is just profesional..." she seemed more concerned I had the documentation ready to take with me!
After a weekend of worrying and nearing the time to pay my balance I decided that it was not the right thing for me so I called them on the morning of Tues 28 Sep to cancel, 3 days before my planned surgery, whereupon they said I would probably have to forgo my deposit!
They then contacted me again, and 'Fiona' reiterated that as I had cancelled 3 days after my 'clinicians' call then the best they could do was either keep my deposit on file for a year in case I change my mind, or in a few weeks AFTER the cancellation had gone through they would send a £250 voucher for use on new glasses. By this time I just wanted to stop worrying so reluctantly thought I had to accept if that is the best they would do, and at least I do not have to worry about going through with surgery.
I now realise that they are probably not entitled to keep my deposit and would appreciate any advise on how to get it back?!

Kind Regards
Karen Doran
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admin: Please send your phone number, and when we speak, remind me that a complaint needs to be made to the GOC as there are a number of issues here that need investigating, not least that you had not even spoken with the surgeon, and wouldn't do so until minutes before surgery - read Steve's post below
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Hi Sasha

I would like to bring to the forum's attention my experience with Optical Express. After much consideration and research I decided to explore the possibility of lens replacement surgery with OE.

On the 23rd August 2021 I went to OE in Inverness Scotland for a consultation re lens replacement. I was there for 2 hours and went through numerous examinations on numerous machines. I explained that I had been wearing glasses for the past 15 years (prior to this I had 20/20 vision) but as time was moving on I was heavily reliant on multifocal glasses. I had never worn contact lenses and to the best of my knowledge was not suitable for laser surgery. I was told I was suitable for Multifocal lens replacement.

I was diagnosed with prediabetes type 2 and my blood sugar was being managed by one form of tablet medication. As long as this was under control this was not a problem according to the optician in Inverness.

I therefore decided to undertake the surgery. They required a £500 deposit payment and I decided to pay the full cost in cash from savings. The total bill was £6,820. The surgery was booked for the 4th October in Glasgow with the surgeon David Teenan. I was instructed to read and sign triple copies of a detailed contract waiver stating that I understood the risks. I was told there was a 99 percent success rate. I was told that I would have a telephone consultation with the surgeon performing the operation one week before the procedure (David Teenan). I received a phone call from somebody at Optical Express in Torquay that lasted less than 5 minutes. They confirmed the date and time of surgery and asked me if I had read and understood the terms and conditions which I needed to bring with me. That was the sum total of the the so called consultation.

I booked a hotel close to the surgery, booked my two collies into boarding kennels, and my wife took 2 days holiday from work to accompany me on the 4 hour drive to Glasgow.

I arrived on time, was met by the receptionist, went through the normal Covid-19 questions and was taken to the waiting room on the first floor. 45 minutes later I was taken to a room at the side of the waiting area by Daniel (Practice Manager) who conducted two quick further scans. As a result of those scans he indicated their may be a problem with the planned surgery. I was then taken into another consulting room by the head optician who was rather direct and abrupt and another scan took place whereby he indicated to me that I was not suitable for the Multifocal lens replacement. He went to get the surgeon to consult further, whilst waiting for this another trainee optician in the room at the time asked me if he could also examine my eyes!! The surgeon (David Teenan) then entered the room without any welcome or acknowledgement of myself. Went through the same scans again and told me he would not proceed I was not suitable for that type of lens replacement. I was however suitable for Monofocal Lens replacement which I had decided on my initial visit to Inverness not to have. He was with me for no more than 3 minutes and left the room.

I was then taken back to Daniel (Practise Manager) who apologised and told me as this was not my fault I would receive a full refund which could take upto 28 working days!! I asked for written confirmation of this and he promised I would be contacted by the appropriate department to confirm this. I arrived at 14:25 hrs and was shown the door at 16:10 hrs. In order for the surgeon to examine my eyes I was given a large quantity of eye drops to dilate the pupils which meant I could not see properly on leaving. This lasted until the following day.

I met my wife back at the hotel and decided to drive back to Inverness that same evening. My wife had to drive the entire way due to the condition of my eyes.

I have left messages with Glasgow, spoke to the contact centre, and emailed and telephoned to get written confirmation of the refund and timeframe from the practise manager at Inverness (Emma Fielder)

I have received no verbal or written communication from OE with regard to this debacle and am still waiting.

I have attached the initial scan report from the consultation in Inverness resulting in the booking for the surgery. Everything appeared to be in order.

I have incurred great expense, worry and wasted time, and cannot believe how OE behave. But after reading some real horror stories on this site and so many negative posts about David Teenan I believe I may have dodged a bullet.

Thanks Sasha
Steve Skerrett

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admin: The obvious question is why did an optometrist tell you were suitable for this procedure, but of course that was to meet her targets and pocket her sales commission!
They have no right to keep your money for 28 (working!) days - or any, and I would consider also pursuing them for your kennel/travel/hotel costs, as it is entirely their fault that you were missold this procedure.
Please send your phone number, and when we speak, remind me that a complaint needs to be made to the GOC, as there are a number of issues here that need investigating
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Thank you so much Sasha!
Within days of you contacting me I was able to get my full deposit back even after they had told me I couldn't due to the weird terms & conditions (which I still don't understand as nothing was signed). I wouldn't have known what to do if I didn't have your advice and experience with this company. You are so reliable and helpful and I can't thank you enough for your support. You definitely need to be recognised for your hard work and advocacy regarding this industry and it's dangers. I feel very lucky to have found your site - you are saving people from what potentially could ruin their lives because these laser clinics are majorly downplaying the risks

Dear Sasha,
On Saturday 25th Sept, I took my son to Optical Express in St Vincent Street Glasgow for a consultation for laser eye surgery. He was deemed unsuitable for this procedure but was told he would be suitable for ICL surgery. Everything then went fast forward and we were asked to pay a £500 deposit and he would be booked for an appointment to see the eye surgeon who would explain everything and check that he was indeed suitable for the procedure. The appointment we have been given is Thursday the 7th of Oct at 8am. The surgeon is Dr Teenan who we have since discovered has many complaints and a current lawsuit.

Since the consultation my son (who has autism) has been researching non stop and is now very anxious and has many reservations. He also has concerns about the type of lens they intend to use. I got the clinic to phone him today to address his concerns but they were unable to answer the questions as they said they were too “clinical” and he would have to ask the surgeon.

I have now checked the booklet we were given and discovered that we had to cancel within three days of our initial visit to obtain a full refund. We were not told this at the time and we now know that so many people have been rushed into placing a deposit without being given adequate time or information to make an informed decision.

How can I get the £500 deposit back? Do we have to meet with the surgeon first or do we send them an email to say he doesn’t wish to proceed before his appointment with the surgeon on Thursday?

I hope you can help us!

Many thanks Lydia
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admin: Yes, I can help you

1. Not just one - David Teenan has multiple legal claims in process, with many previously settled out of court.
2. A deposit should not have been taken from you without having first seen the surgeon, as only he can say if a person is suitable for surgery. This is a complaint for the GOC, as I will advise when we speak.
3. You don't need to see David Teenan before cancelling, and I will provide you with an email address to do so.

Pls send your phone number to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hi There,

I am booked in for LASIK at Leeds Optical Express with Muhammad Kazmi on October 18th.
But after asking Optical Express this week who my surgeon would be, and reading into him I am pretty shocked with how many people have had bad experiences and even named him specifically. As a result I am now looking to cancel and try and get back my deposit. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!
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admin: Pls send your phone number
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Hi, I had booked my surgery date for 3rd September in Manchester, but I had called up that morning to cancel as I had seen a lot of Optical Express reviews that had convinced me I did not want to go through with it. Particularly, with my surgeon being Dr Muhammad Kazmi who was continuously being mentioned in many complaints.

Instead of allowing me to cancel when I called, I was pressured to postpone my surgery until the 6th October to give me 'more time to think about it'.

When I asked about the risks at my consultation all I was told is that the worst that can happen is dry eyes. This is what made me feel comfortable and pay £500 deposit for my booking. But after doing more research I found that there are many serious complications that could arise that I wasn't made aware about. If they had informed me about this at the time I definitely would not have paid the deposit or considered surgery.

Now I am being told because I didn't cancel within 3 days of booking I cannot get my deposit back and that this was in the terms in conditions - although I haven't signed anything. They were being very rude on the phone and that has definitely confirmed they don't care about their customers. I was even told that they will keep my deposit on credit so I might as well get it done so my money is not wasted.

Frankly, I believe that because the money was taken from me under false pretences, when potential risks were not disclosed to me, I should get my deposit back without any argument.

I am very upset about this and want to know if there is anything that can be done. I just want my £500 back!
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admin: Pls send your phone number
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Through your enterprise and help I have my FULL payment refunded even though Optical Express wanted keep back £500 as per their dodgy terms and conditions AND the refund would take 28 days!
But through your patience, (my computer skills are basic), you have guided me through my responses and I have £5000 back in my account and I feel happy and relieved that your site rang alarm bells.
Thank You my telephone friend and advocate - LADY/DAME Sasha you should be recognised for your tireless work and dedication!
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admin: Kay, it really was a pleasure to help you! We had fun on the way

Thank you so much Sasha, I now have my £500 refunded in my account and confirmation that the finance agreement was cancelled. I made a very lucky escape and am so pleased not to have gone through with this surgery.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Hi. I went for a free consultation at Optical Express in Sheffield on the 27th July and I was told I was suitable to have RLE NLR Multifocal surgery. I don't have cataracts but they told me that because I am 70 years old there was a high risk of developing them soon, but this surgery would mean I never need to worry about getting them in the future.
They booked me on the 21st October 2021 for surgery to take place in Nottingham. I wasn't told who the doctor was but have just found an email with details for Dr Jan Venter. I don't know if he was the person who phoned me for my clinician discussion on the 11th August.
But after seeing bad press in this Saturdays Daily Mail which led me to your site i was spooked and worried so I have sent an email today cancelling this procedure, though I didn't tell them the real reason.
I have already paid £5000 which includes the £500 booking fee but was informed that because of terms and conditions set out, £500 would be kept by Optical Express. Also the refund would take 28 days, whereas when they took the money over the phone it took all of 5 seconds.
Surely this arrangement is unfair and unjust? Can you please help me?
Thank You
Kay Hardwick


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admin: As you say, it was a free consultation and they have no right to keep any of your money now that you've cancelled, certainly not for 28 days.
The optom was wrong to say that you're at high risk of developing cataracts if there's no sign yet, and s/he must be reported to the GOC, as I will advise when we speak.
The 'clinician' was definitely not Jan Venter, it was an optometrist at best,.
Pls send your phone number and I will call you
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Update to post dated 10 Aug 2021 09:39
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Hi Sasha

Following your advice and emails sent to Optical Express, I also have been contacted by them and advised that even though I also 'apparently' cancelled too late, they are willing to give me my FULL refund and I got the money back!
Amazing!

Scary to think I could have gone ahead with surgery, I am so so glad for your invaluable advice.
Many thanks for taking the time to help so many people.
Kind regards
Nora