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The Optical Consumer Complaints Service has released it's annual report on the high and lows of optical retailers over the past 12 months and where local eye care specialists are doing well and the sectors that are under-performing. It seems the biggest bugbear the high street consumer has is over opticians' customer service and after care.
The OCCS is an independent service open to the public which consumers can use to highlight issues with opticians where things have gone wrong. The service usually looks to refer complaints directly back to the optician or store in question as a first port of call, however when an amicable resolution cannot be found or a response of any kind is not forthcoming, the independent body steps in to try and help when an optical practice receives a complaint from the public.
The report which covers incidents up to March 2011, highlights that other complaints covered areas such as prescriptions, lenses and frame issues which were also raised. It is also worth noting that the actual volume of complaints regarding companies in the eye care industry was actually down in comparison to figures from the previous two years. The customer service concerns seem to centre around what the public believes to be a directive of commerce over care, with sales being a priority instead of professional eye care recommendations. With opticians being a health care service, the OCCS are particularly eager to highlight this public concern as the direct result can be that of patients and not consumers, receiving poor advice over their eye health when a more profitable route is available to the optical store or staff members. This in turn has lead to a perceived reduction in attention to the patients eye care needs, something that they believe must be remedied.
Woman With Headset Talking by Vera Kratochvil (Image)