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TOPIC:
Decided Against Surgery! 19 Jun 2019 15:20 #61
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Getting my deposit refunded 17 Jun 2019 16:50 #62
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Apologies in advance for this being a long message, but I want everyone to know my whole situation in the hopes that more people will claim against OE and also be successful in getting their money back. Sasha dealt with my case personally and was so helpful and informative and guided me every step of the way, leading to my full refund of my deposit.
 I had already resigned myself to the fact I wouldn’t get my money back as that’s how deposits work, it was only after reading things on this forum and others about OE that I started to research a little more and thought I might as well try. So first of all I’ll start with my visit to OE... I recently went for a consultation at optical express and like many other people who have written on this forum, I left £500 lighter, even though I only went in to chat about the procedure. I was planning to get it done in November maybe, but they booked me in for less than two weeks time, it all seemed very pushy and rushed, they're very good at convincing you to do what they want you to do. After leaving I now knew the name of the surgeon [Luca Antico] and after doing a little research I discovered a few negative things about him and the Exeter branch of OE. This spurred me into really doubting about the procedure at all, I figured my eyes aren't 'that" bad yet, so why risk making them worse until they are, so I decided to cancel my appointment and requested my deposit back as it was only a day after I booked in, they said they have put my details to another team and they will be in contact, two days later still nothing. Which proves what a lot of others on here have said... ‘the second you cancel or have any problems, OE want nothing to do with you’. After my consultation I had letters, messages and emails galore! The second I cancelled... nothing! I messaged OERML to seek advice and promptly received a message from Sasha saying that she would call to discuss the next steps. After a brief chat she said I would definitely get my deposit back, all I had to do was file a claim using an MCOL. I was having a few problems with the government website and Sasha kindly stayed on the phone with me and helped me with everything. We filled in the form and filed the claim. The MCOL cost £35, but this will be refunded by OE along with your deposit. Whilst on the phone Sasha also informed me of how corrupt the whole laser eye business is, I had read a few things but I learned so much more and I’m even more thankful now that I didn’t allow this procedure to go ahead! It’s crazy that the government allows it to continue legally. For example, there is a statement on the terms and conditions they give you in your welcome pack which says ‘These terms and conditions are still valid even if they have not been signed’ which is completely illegal, so if you too have paid a deposit already and haven’t signed these forms... you’re all good! And don’t need to worry Two days after I filed the claim I had a missed call and a voicemail from someone at OE stating that my refund, including the £35 for the MCOL, had been issued and would be in my account within 3-5 working days. Sure enough, 3 days later it was in my account. Thus proving that as soon as any legal documents were issued, OE couldn’t react quick enough to settle up and not have to go to court, because they know legally they have no leg to stand on! They obviously make all their money from people who don’t pursue them to get their money back, it’s terrible! I hope anyone who reads this will now have the confidence to go ahead and try to get their money back and not allow OE to take another easy £500 from someone. Many many thanks again Sasha for all your help and advice! |
Decided Against Surgery! 18 Apr 2019 19:35 #63
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28th February 2019 - I attended free consultation for laser eye surgery at Optical Express Bath store and optometrist told me I was suitable for lens replacement surgery.
3rd April - Spoke to Optical Express & booked bilateral lens replacement surgery for 27th May. Paid £500 deposit without meeting surgeon or knowing who it was! 5th April - Optometrist phoned me & told me not to have both eyes done on the same day & to reschedule. I cancelled & asked for refund. Was told someone would contact me that day to arranged this. No one did. 8th April - Email from OE asking me to contact them if I had any questions. I replied saying I wanted my deposit refunded. 9th Apr - Recieved email from OE saying that refunds take 28 working days according to their T&Cs. I replied that this was unacceptable as I did not sign or see T&Cs and that they are not legally entitled to hold my money. Had no reply from them. With the help from Sasha I have put in a MCOL and it was issued 11th April. I am claiming my £500 deposit plus interest plus £60 court fee. Still waiting. _________________________ admin: Mei-che received her £500 refund + £60 court fee from Optical Express a few weeks after issuing her MCOL. I asked her a number of times to update her post with this info, to let others know that they too can get their deposit refunded. On 3 July she finally responded with this message: 'Hi. When I can i will do.' Obviously a very busy young woman, I've saved her the effort of doing so  |
Trying to get my £500 deposit back. 23 Feb 2019 09:08 #64
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After reading a bit more information on the practices of Optical Express and the surgeon assigned to my surgery I decided that there was enough evidence to convince me not to go ahead with surgery.
I phoned the Bristol branch to cancel and was told that the cancellation team would be in touch. They phoned at at time in the morning which wasn't convenient so I asked them to call back at 1pm - They phoned me at 5pm - again I couldn't answer. After this I took the initiative to call them however I was put through to a standard call centre employee, when asked to be put through to the cancellations team (the girl that left me her name) I was told that it was not possible to do that because the girl was off sick, when asked if I could speak to someone else, this was also refused. So now with the help of Sasha I have put in a MCOL against OE to recover my £500 deposit plus court fees, this has been submitted and I am currently awaiting the outcome and a reply from Optical Express. I will update once received. _____________________________ admin: Unfortunately, even after asking him three times, Ben Sandford is apparently too busy to update his post with the news that his deposit was refunded as a result of my help |
£1,000 Deposit 23 Jan 2019 10:04 #65
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Stumbled across this forum when looking for OE cancellation terms!
I attended a free laser eye test check Friday 18th Jan and all was well,everyone is familiar with the process,I was then asked about booking a date price total £5590 although I’m an angry looking bearded man lol so the sales team didn’t pressure me when I said I’ll go away and make my decision when I can at least read . I received a courtesy call Mon 21st and they dropped 10% so I went ahead with £1000 deposit. Read the pre op terms agreement this morning Wed 23rd and decided there is to many negative risks involved and called to cancel. Phones up head office,was told they have took note of my cancellation and i will receive a callback within 2 days from the cancellations team. After reading this i don’t look forward to the process. P.s can I not get a reversal from my bank? —————————— admin: Contact your bank and ask them, or email me for advice: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please come back and update your post when you have your refund, as it helps others who find themselves in the same position |
A rollercoaster I wish I never jumped on! 14 Dec 2018 16:34 #66
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27th Oct 2018
I attended my free laser consultation in Hull. For the past 7 years I have been contemplating laser eye surgery with OE and visited them on many occasions to get my free laser eye consultation. Each time I went they told me I was suitable for laser but never really went ahead with it until this year. I was given an initial price of £4390 for both eyes, LASEK iDesign. But was told I got an “on the day” discount of £300 which took the price to £4090. I haggled further and got this to £4000 after she called her regional manager. Don’t be fooled by their “on the day” discount as they appear to offer this regardless. To be honest I think they make their prices up on the spot as there seems to be no formula for their calculation. It’s funny because over the 7 years I attended I was given discounts of xx% off and sometimes up to £500 off. I didn’t decide on the day and I came away to think about it. £4000 was a lot of money and was not something I could afford. The “buy now start finance in March” seemed very appealing so I approached family who offered to help me get a large deposit together. 2nd Nov 2018 I paid £3000 deposit and confirmed a surgery date of 16th Nov 2018 at Leeds. I also opted to have a telephone consultation with Dr Muhammad Kazmi (who was my consultant of choice) for 6th Nov 2018. I had spent a lot of time comparing OE surgeons and found that patient satisfaction/surgery number was high for Dr Kazmi. I also set up my £1000 finance agreement to start in March. With my surgery date booked in I decided to purchase my travel and hotel to Leeds. I had a follow up appointment the day after so made sense to stay over at a cost of £76.85 non-refundable. 6th Nov 2018 Had a call from OE customer service telling me I couldn’t have a telephone consultation and that the surgeon requested to see me. My surgery date of 16th Nov 2018 now became my face to face consultation with Dr Kazmi and my surgery date was pushed to 14th Dec 2018. I emailed OE customer service to express my anger and they advised me I would be refunded for my lost funds in travel and accom once my surgery had been performed. 16th Nov 2018 Had extra tests at Leeds branch and spoke with the surgeon. He told me in no uncertain terms that I was not a suitable candidate for LASEK and that he advised against it. I was told having the surgery would probably result in me needing a follow up surgery and would weaken my eye muscle and could potentially create another eye condition. I was also told he could not guarantee the 20|20 vision nor could he assure me my eye sight would be better than what I can see through my glasses. He also added my cornea was thin and the back of my eye wasn’t a perfect shape and he’d have to calculate aka guestimate where to perform the laser. I decided not to have the surgery in which Dr Kazmi said I was “making the right choice”. When asked about my refund he told me he would contact head office and they’d be in touch. Before I came to OE I had already come across the OERML forum and saw all the horror stories including how bad OE are for refunding. I thought “this wont happen to me” – Oh how wrong I was. I knew instantly from cancelling my surgery that this was going to be a battle getting my money back. The thought of OE hanging on to my money for “up to 28 days” didn’t sit right with me. After reading through the deposit thread on OERML I knew that my refund wouldn’t be a simple process and I was not willing to wait 28 days to then have to battle for it. 18th Nov 2018 I emailed Sasha that evening for advice. 19th Nov 2018 Had a phone call with Sasha to go through my options and expectations. Sasha also made me aware that Dr Muhammad Kazmi was currently being sued – something which I was not aware of. On the advice of Sasha, I emailed OE to advise them of my recent visit to the surgery and that I wanted a full refund including the money for accom and travel they said they’d give me. I asked that OE called me by the end of the day to process the refund – OE never responded. 21st Nov 2018 Submitted a MCOL against OE for the amount of £3076.85. This was for the deposit, claim fee, interest, accom and travel. They now had until 11th Dec 2018 to respond. Coincidentally the same night I had a voicemail from Chris Cunningham from OE wanting to discuss my surgery etc. Nothing about a refund. Chris tried again a few days later but I ignored them on the advice of Sasha. 4th Dec 2018 I’ve had no contact from OE thus far and nothing from my MCOL. I emailed a copy of the MCOL to Stephen Hannan and requested a read receipt. 9th Dec 2018 Received a read receipt from Stephen Hannan 10th Dec 2018 OE requested an extra 14 days to review my MCOL putting the new deadline date at 27th Dec 2018. 12th Dec 2018 Received an email from Niamh Mceachen (Accredited Paralegal | Legal Department) from OE stating she acknowledges receipt of the email I sent to Stephen and my MCOL request. She then advise they’ve reviewed my case and have confirmed that a refund of 100% of my claim will be processed by the end of the day and I would be notified. That’s right.. They’re paying me back for everything including interest. 13th Dec 2018 Didn’t hear anything from OE and have not yet received my refund. Responded to Niamh to let her know but have not had a reply. 14th Dec 2018 Started losing my patience with OE poor customer service so I sent Niamh another follow up. She replied hours after stated I had been sent a text on Wednesday previous to confirm receipt of refund (Which I have not had). She also said her latest email contained receipt of refund (which it did not). I responded to Niamh to advise. She quickly responded with a copy of the receipt from their card machine which stated the refund has been processed of £3286.80. 4pm: Received the full amount in to my bank. A side note for anyone who comes across this and are contemplating getting laser eye surgery. Ask yourself – how clear can you see with your glasses? If the answer is “pretty darn good!” then I urge you not to get laser. The risks are not worth it and you have no guarantee you will be better off with it. I wanted laser for so many years because I just did not want to wear glasses. Yes! They’re annoying. They steam up, they fall off, they break. But, after my journey with OE, I’m so grateful I can see so clear through them. I’m also grateful for Dr Muhammad Kazmi who was brutally honest with me and said not to get it done. I was massively disappointed and was a little sad. But, I’m glad that door is now closed forever. If you actually read through OE terms and conditions and paperwork they hand you, you’ll see how much they don’t cover for and the limited 12 month aftercare is a little concerning. They also say they charge £150 fee if you cancel the surgery. Luckily in my case I got all my money back. I’d also like to thank this forum and Sasha for being a big help and for reassuring me when it felt like a never ending “David and the Goliath” moment. Thank for you giving your time up to help people like me!  |
OE won't give back my £6,390! 23 Nov 2018 10:07 #67
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OE won't give back my £6,390! 15 Oct 2018 11:35 #68
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I attended a free consultation on 29 May 2018 for eye surgery @ Optical Express Brighton store. The optometrist told me I was suitable for refractive lens exchange (RLE) and booked my surgery dates on 28/29 September, even though I had not met with the surgeon.
I paid £500 deposit via phone on 30 July plus the balance remaining of £5,890 on 13 September - still not met the surgeon at this point. The surgeon Dr Amir Mani called on 19 September for a phone consultation and told me I was NOT suitable for RLE!!! Between 20-24 September I called numerous times to ask for payment to be refunded. A guy called Chris Cunningham eventually called and said it would take 28 working days. By 27 September I still had no written confirmation of my refund and wasn't prepared to wait fo my money back so submitted an MCOL. OE have now filed an 'acknowledgement of service' but still haven't written to say they're giving my money back!! I have taken legal advice and been assured that OE are not entitled to keep my money for 28 working days - not even for one day! They took my deposit without me signing anything, told me I had to pay the £500 deposit to secure the surgery and that the balance had to be paid 7 days before the surgery date. Unfortunately, just wanting to get it out of the way, my partner paid the balance by phone, before Dr Amir Mani called me! This is totally scandalous! My partner and I have just got engaged so we need all the money we can get at the moment - the fact that OE are illegally holding our £6,390 is just unreal! _________________________________ admin: I have begged Clare to update this post, but she hasn't found time to do so For some bizarre reason, in response to her MCOL, on 19 October Clare receved notification that OE intended to defend her claim! 
Signed by Rebecca O'Hear, I expect OE's Trainee Solicitor got a smacked hand for her ridiculous action! www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-o-hear-74315712b/ The good news is, OE paid £6,800 into Clare Nye 's bank a/c on 1 November without further argument! |
Refund 01 Oct 2018 16:06 #69
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Hi, I have the same problem with everyone else had a free consultation at Newcastle St Nicholas on September 26th had to pay £500 to prebook the Surgery date for 26th October at 12-45 but could not get the time off work so rang the number that must be the main office in Scotland and cancelled my surgery to be told they would sort it and the refund department would be in contact with me today Monday but still awaiting the phone call at 5pm and my request for email confirmation that my surgery cancellation and refund is being processed are being ignored. How long should i wait before i take things further and get my deposit funded fast
____________________ admin: As OE monitor OERML forum, it's likely you will be contacted when they read your post, but just in case, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Refund problems 07 Jun 2018 17:35 #70
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I requested a refund from OPTICAL EXPRESS on Friday 25th May for my £500 deposit. I only paid this because I was told it was compulsory if I wanted to book a pre op consultation with the surgeon - BY PHONE
 - also I had to book a definite date for surgery at the same time to receive the surgeon's call!This seemed really bad practice for a surgical procedure and worried me, but when I asked for a face to face consultation I was told there were no appointments available before the date of my surgery. Subsequently I discovered it takes 28 WORKING DAYS to refund payment, which I was NOT made aware of during telephone conversation & taking my bank details.  I pointed out in every call I had not decided to definitely go ahead with surgery & they said speak to surgeon first then I could cancel within 48hrs & get refund if I wasn't happy. I spoke to surgeon DR DAVID TEENAN and even told him I wasn't sure about going ahead because I had been messed around by OE with lots of admin mistakes had been made & I had just discovered that morning I hadn't been given all the documents I was supposed to have been given on my 1st visit for eye tests etc & had been so stressed & reduced to tears by so called customer care advisor that very morning when I tried to cancel everything but was persuaded to wait till I spoke to him,  I told him the admin & customer service from OPTICAL EXPRESS was appalling & he said quote "tell me about it”! I also told him I hadn't been aware I should have been given a pre op letter for my doctor to sign which was required to confirm my health before operation & as my surgery date was so close & it being a bank holiday weekend I doubted if I would get my doctors signature in time for the surgery. DR DAVID TEENAN said not to worry quote "if you turn up without it on the day I will STILL DO THE SURGERY", My husband and I were horrified about his statement so less than an hour after speaking to DR TEENAN I phoned to cancel. Luckily I recorded the calls I made and received. OE agreed I was within cooling off period but said they couldn't organise refund right then as it was a cancellation dept that deals with it & that dept would contact me within 48hrs. Alarm bells started to ring so I asked for my cancellation request to be noted on my file for that day so it would happen from that date & as quickly as possible as was told ridiculously it took 28 WORKING days FIRST I HAD HEARD! I pointed out I was going away for weekend to Scottish Highlands so possibly wouldn't get calls or emails & felt they were dragging it out & when I got back that weekend sure enough 1hr before their 48 hrs were up I noticed they had tried to call. So I called the next day & eventually managed to speak to someone from cancellation team who said I was definitely due refund but they STILL tried to talk me out of cancelling, but I insisted. They agreed to cancel but said they couldn't sanction it so I would now have to wait again to be contacted by someone who could. I asked them to send me an email confirming the discussion & dates & what was to happen next, but I haven't heard anything as yet 13 days later. I cancelled on the 25th May & my 28 working days would take me to approx 2nd of July but now I have found out about their track record on refunds I have the feeling like others I am going to have a fight on my hands to get it back and why should I have to wait for MY MONEY? Is this even legal to keep it that length of time, especially as there was no refund times given or anything ever signed by me. I am prepared to fight & do whatever it takes to get my deposit back asap & will be sharing my experience with this disgusting company on social media. Thank goodness I found this website & so relieved I didn't let this lot loose on my eyes.  ______________________ admin: This needs to be reported to the GMC and GOC. Please contact me for details This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |