Master Eye Associates BAIT and SWITCH! Round Rock, Texas

I am very sorry that you did not have a perfect experience at our Round Rock office.  Your report is very upsetting because our staff and doctors put their heart and best efforts into providing the finest patient care possible.  We have a 99+% rate of “extremely or very satisfied patients” that is documented by thousands of surveys.  That is an almost unheard of satisfaction rate and it is because we are diligent about every aspect of patient service.  We survey 95% of all of our patients and stress a culture of treating every patient as the most important person in the world.  A sign (which you read) sits on top of our front counter written by me personally stating that if there is ever a problem not resolved by our onsite management to call me personally and I will solve the problem.  We maintain the highest ethical standards within our offices and are one of the very few eye doctor groups that choose

not to sell products so we can provide the most ethical service standards to our patients.  Please reference the highest ethical standards in eye care  http://www.mastereyeassociates.com/eye-care-optometrist-ethics/

In response to your complaint – Quoting a price for contact lenses is like trying to quote a price for the cost of a new car.  It is impossible because there are hundreds of options, brands and types.  That is

why we quote the price of the group of lenses that are prescribed and used by about 70% of patients and let the patient know it is an estimate and the fee could increase if the doctor prescribes something different or if there are ocular complications or other medical issues. 

If you would have asked our employee the cost of an exam for multifocal contacts you would have been told the cost for multifocals.  I am very sorry that there was a miscommunication and our staff did not know you wanted spherical single vision instead of multifocal contacts.  There is no way for our staff to know the needs, desires or medical situation for any patient without a comprehensive exam by our doctors and a thorough discussion with each patient of their options.  Then the doctor would proceed with a diagnostic evaluation for the chosen contacts.  Only after completion of that evaluation can we really know what type or brand of contacts a patient will be prescribed.

We are the largest optometry practice in the greater Austin area and one of the largest in Texas.  We have been in business over 20 years and operate very busy successful practices.  We have never and would never do anything like “bait and switch”.  

Based on eyewitness reports I am happy that our staff handled the issue with you very courteously and professionally and apologized multiple times along the way.  As you know our staff person simply said she was sorry and we would be happy to prescribe single vision spherical lenses instead of the multifocals. You chose to give up clear vision at near with the multifocals and preferred contacts for distance vision only and to use reading glasses along with the contacts for near vision.  That was accomplished quickly and you were on your way and charged the fee you were quoted. Once again, I am sorry for the miscommunication.  Please call me if there is anything else we can do to make you happy with the final outcome.

It is a privilege to care for you and we are grateful for your business.

Dr. J. R. Lacey

Chief Executive Officer

Therapeutic Optometrist

Optometric Glaucoma Specialist

It's interesting that you compare your business to that of buying a car since according to Roy Morgan Research , "Car Salesmen were once again the lowest ranked profession for honesty and ethics...(http://goo.gl/8XcQk). You summed up exactly how I felt with this situation. I have never been treated this way by an optometrist before.

You can and will say anything to make me look like the bad guy, but my hope is that future customers will come into your clinic with their eyes wide open to your tactics. I have never felt the need to resort to posting my dissatisfaction on ripoff report before this. This posting is purely due to lack of caring for a customer.

I am the manager of a doctor's office.  I agree 100% with the Doc who posted the rebuttal.  It has NOTHING to do with ethics of practice and everything to do with patients simply NOT UNDERSTANDING that when you go to an optometrist you are SEEING A DOCTOR OF MEDICINE.

A DOCTOR.  You think your opinion trumps theirs?  I'd love to see your degree.  Really.  Show me your doctorate then we will chat.  

Do you go to a surgeon and say "I need a price quote NOW or I'm not getting the surgery done."  No.

Do you go to PCP and demand exact prices?  You shouldn't.  

Do you go to the ER and explain that unless they give you an EXACT price quote, you'll leave?

Aren't your eyes important to you?  Isn't your vision valuable to you?  The health of your eyes doesn't matter?  

It sounds to me like they fixed the situation by giving you spherical contacts and only charged you for the spherical evaluation, INSTEAD of charging you for the multifocal evaluation that the doctor had ALREADY GIVEN YOU, he did ANOTHER evaluation to satisfy you.

Of course she took away the multifocal trials.  Are you kidding?  Talk about wanting something for nothing.  You don't want to be charged for the multifocal fitting, but by golly you'll take the trials!  No.  I'm glad an optical office is finally sticking up for itself.  Patients think they can push our doctors around and I get so sick of seeing it.  You want something for nothing and this office wasn't playing your game.  Kudos to them.