Complaint Review: Pearle Vision - Crystal Lake Illinois

My husband and I have been doing business with Pearle Vision Center in Crystal Lake, Illinois for over 5 years. Their address is__4777 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake Illinois.60014

The phone number for their business is 815-477-8500.

On November 2, 2005, our 18 year old daughter went in for her annual eye exam, and re-order of new contact lenses as well as replacement of her glasses which had been damaged in a car accident in the summer of 2005. Her eyes were checked by Carla Iafigliola, Dr. of Optometry. When our daughter went in to have new lenses placed in her damaged glasses and another set of disposable contact lenses, Pearle Vision Center said she needed another eye exam as well. When we bought her glasses a year ago, we bought a two year contract that insured her glasses against any kind of damage or breakage, at no cost. Dr. Iafigliola tested her eyes,and based on her opinion, she said her left eye was just a "little bit weaker" and needed "stronger lens strength than the right". So, at that point, we agreed to have her all of her lenses upgraded according to the doctor's prescription. Then Pearle Vision charged a whopping _$115.00 for the eye exam, as opposed to only $60.00 a year earlier. Nothing different was done, no special eye wear, or drops, or anything. We complained. They said, "this is what we charge now." (I might add, that we also have Blue Cross, Blue Shield vision care.)In addition, they stated that they would have to charge us full price for another new set of glasses, because "her prescription has changed, and it says in the insurance contract that if her prescription changes, we don't have to honor the contract." Now here is the rub.

For one week, our daughter wore the new prescription via contact lenses, and her left eye was always consistently blurry. They were never correct. We went back two more times, complaining that the new prescription was not right. The final coup de gras was on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005. After a week of headaches and blurred vision in her left eye, our daughter returned with me to Pearle Vision, and put on her old pair of glasses, which they had all along. Her left eye correction was immediate, and she saw out of it just fine! IT WOULD SEEM THAT HER VISION HAD NOT CHANGED.

I demanded they return to us the $162.00 charge on our credit card for the new glasses she "supposedly" needed, and was told that they "don't do refunds." My husband called and told them we wanted our credit card charge to be reversed, and they told him that "we cannot give you the money back, but we can give you an in store credit."

When our daughter went to their store yesterday, Nov. 12 for one of four trips to their store to get resolution to her vision dilemmna, they told her that the lenses for her new $162.00 glasses, "were not started yet, because we have to re-check your eyes before we grind the lenses." Then on Nov. 13, when I went to the store and demanded that they return the $162.00, the manager, named Lana, stated that "we cannot return your money because the glasses are half done, we have already half completed them." Well, how could that be if our daughter needed re-checking BEFORE THE LENSES WERE COMPLETED?

Our contention is that in order to force higher payments on us, a false prescription which our daughter did not need was issued, thus giving them monetary gain. They also told us the new glasses would not be covered under the old glasses insurance contract, and that we would have to buy a new one of those as well!

We demand our money be returned in full, and that a letter of complaint from you be issued to this business from the above events.

When people will go so far as to meddle with eye health in this fashion, it constitutes malpractice. Our daughter drives a car, and needs her eye wear in order to drive safely and perform all her other daily tasks safely. Please put a stop to this price gouging and fraud, before someone loses their vision, or has an accident because this place would put money over safety and honesty.

Thank you,

D. and l.

lake in the hills, Illinois
U.S.A.