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CB Glasses and Lenses Review of Iris Optometrists - Opticians
Iris Optometrists - Opticians

Iris Optometrists - Opticians review: Wrong Eye Exam Prescription at IRIS Company 8

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3:34 am EST
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I went to IRIS Optometrists in Market Mall - Calgary for an eye exam. After finishing I looked for a frame, but I couldn't find one I liked. When I was leaving, I asked for my prescription. However, to my surprise, the receptionist told me they normally don't give a prescription and if I wanted one I have to speak to the doctor (Dr. Draper). It was urprising because before making the payment ($120) no one mentioned anything about not being entitled to a prescription. Dr. Draper came out to see me and she asked me to sign a consent saying IRIS will not be responsible in case if anything was wrong with the glasses if they were done elsewhere! It was the first time for me to see that you do not get a prescription for an eye exem and I did not want to sign the consent. Dr. Draper explained then that signing does not mean she will not take responsibility of her eye exam and confirmed she will see me, if needed to recheck. I signed and left the store. I had my glasses done in another store according to her prescription, but I couldn't see and my vision was blurred. I went back to IRIS where I was told Dr. Draper moved to another location and they refused to rechek the prescription unless I pay an additional $50. The manager said it was mentioned in the consent I signed. Again, I was not told I had to pay additional money when I went for my exam!. I had a new eye exam, which was significantly different from the one Dr. Draper did and the store had to redo the lenses. I went back to IRIS store at the Market Mall to show the manager the new prescription, but she was rude and stated it was the company policy and I already signed the consent! I wrote a letter to IRIS Regional Manager and I enclosed copies of IRIS prescription and the new prescription. She never replied, but Dr. Draper called me and tried to convince me that she was right, she also offered to see me again, but I already had another exam done and I also did not want to tell her that I did not trust her anymore! In my letter to IRIS Regional Manager I asked for a refund because the eye exam was not correct, however Dr. Draper refused to refund me when she called.
Unofrtunately, it seems to me that consumers have no rights in Calgary, and business owners manage to get away with whaever they do! I have never seen before that you have to sign a consent to release the doctor and the company from any liability in order to get the prescription that you paid for!

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The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

8 comments
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Edna Turner
, US
Dec 14, 2021 11:11 am EST

I went to my local Beaconsfield Shopping Center (Qc) for a replacement plastic nose piece on my glasses which would have taken a couple of minutes.

As the shop was busy, I left the glasses with them for an hour and went shopping for food.

Upon my return, they had done absolutely nothing.

The owner of the franchise who comes from Arab lands had noticed that I was wearing a Star of David (a Jewish emblem). He shoved my glasses in my face and SCREAMING told me it would cost $5.00 and he didn’t know whether I would pay.

When I politely queried why he was shaking with rage as I had done absolutely nothing to provoke him, he told me screaming louder and louder that he wouldn’t repair my glasses and to “ GET THE HELL OUT OF HIS SHOP”

I quietly told him that in Canada it is illegal to refuse service and without a reason to anyone .
He went on shaking with rage and screaming at me to leave his shop and that he could do anything he wished as he was the owner.

One of his helpers, a woman told me to ignore him and that she would look after the glasses.

The owner grabbed the glasses and nearly smashing them on the counter went on screaming at me in front of the other customers to GET OUT OF HIS SHOP

I am a senior citizen, have lived in Beaconsfield for nearly 60 years, and was dressed very elegantly.

This was a very shocking case of obvious antiSemitism and cannot be tolerated either in Quebec or in Canada.

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Carey Vandenberg
, US
Oct 26, 2016 2:33 pm EDT

I had exactly the same experience in South Surrey BC.

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HonestCustomer123
Calgary, CA
Apr 11, 2015 6:40 pm EDT

I also experienced the worst customer service at IRIS in Market Mall. The treatment from the "manager" and the incompetent front desk "salespeople" was appalling. I was called to pick up my trial pair of contacts that were ordered because they did not have my prescription in stock. When I went to pick them up, all was fine and I left with the trial pair. I was then called and accused of leaving with a box of contacts, apparently a year supply and not paying for them. The fact that there is such mismanagement in their location and could even think that they would screw up and just give someone a year supply of contacts and allow them to walk out without paying is a joke. I went back with exactly what I received and it was just a trial pair. Instead of giving me an apology, they took the free pair of trials back. The free trials that I was supposed to have so that I could test out some contacts before making a purchase. I will never give them my business again. Definitely lost me as a customer, not to mention my family, friends and coworkers.

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anonymous284
Calgary, CA
Feb 08, 2013 9:57 am EST

I also went to IRIS at Market Mall and found the manager extremely rude. No manners, no thank you, no nothing. When we got down to the bottom of things, we were arguing about what time the glasses were sent to their office in Montreal, and how they were "One hour ahead of us in Calgary" when they were in fact two hours ahead. Seriously...be more professional, get another job or don't get one at all. I just found her name in my email - Kathryn Noden-McLellan, Co-Manager, Iris Market Mall. Co-Manager? Yeah, right.

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MarinaG
Calgary, CA
Jan 01, 2012 12:08 am EST

I just experienced the worst customer service ever from the Iris in Market Mall Calgary. When I asked for a copy of my prescription so I could purchase glasses at another store (my copy was in a different purse), I was told that because I was along for another copy there would be a $25 "administration fee" for them to print/write down what was on the computer screen directly in front of them! I have never had this experience with them before; my optimetrist has always given me a copy of my prescription if I wanted it! I already paid for it! Today Iris lost a 20+ years customer. Crooks!

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Keiki
Okotoks, CA
Nov 23, 2011 2:45 am EST

I'll never go to Iris again. Went to the one in Okotoks (Calgary suburb). Dr. Draper seemed good, but their business practices are terrible. I was going to purchase my eye glasses from them and sunglasses from someone else. They seemed cool with this cuz they don't carry the Oakley's I wanted, and they'd get their $ from me from the standard frame/lens. They told me they'd give me a copy of my Rx for the sunglasses with my receipt. The young front end girl had her brains in her boobs, and she was obviously being trained. They can't seem to keep staff here, except for optometrists and manager. Anyhow, I got my eye exam receipt from the inappropriate exposed boob girl, but apparently no Rx on the receipt. I didn't notice until several weeks later when looking for sunglasses Rx elsewhere. The non-Iris store had me sign release for Rx (standard practice), but Iris would not release. Iris said their records show I got the Rx (two in fact), and they'd now charge me $25 for another copy, and an extra $25 to fax it. I've never had this experience before. This is unheard of in medical practice (oh yeah, optometrists are not real doctors). Then, Iris told me it would take at least two days to get Rx ready cuz Dr. Draper would have to sign it. Iris is like a cult. Don't go there unless you intend to buy their products. As a health professional myself, I'm planning to complain to the College of Optometrists of Alberta about this unfair business practice. I believe I'll also have to sign off now as per the initial complaint (above) re no guarantee of prescription eyewear if not done by Iris. Great that the optometrist down the street at the other vendor has offered a "free" eye exam to compensate for this terrible experience, so I think I'll be getting both standard glasses and sunglasses from them. I'll also be telling all my friends and professional circle about my terrible experience at Okotoks Iris.

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Hedders
Calgary, CA
May 02, 2011 10:54 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I went to Iris at Chinook Centre for an eye exam. When I called and asked how much the exams were, I was surprised at the cost of $120.00, as compared to $80 - $100 elsewhere in the city. The only reason I chose to go there was because my old optometrist had retired and they were suppose to have a copy of my records. I do wear contacts as well as glasses and during my exam I expressed that I only wanted the eye exam and not a contact lens exam as the contact lens exam was at least another $50 on top of the $120.00. I buy my contacts at another location and the contact lens check is a no charge service. During the exam I asked about my old records and was not given an answer if Iris actually had them or not because he did not answer my question and said he did not have a copy of it? I also asked during my exam which contact solution I should be using as the Dr. told me I was using the wrong brand of solution for my type of contacts, and when I asked a simple question of what type of solution he would recommend he stated very rudely " Well my free opinion..." . I finished my exam and looked at some of the frames they had available but they were just too expensive. I purchased my glasses at another location, but found I could not see clearly, it was very blurry and made me nauseated. I called Iris and explained that I was having trouble with my glasses. I asked if there would be a charge for a re-check and I was told that if my prescription had not changed there would be a charge of $50 and if it had changed then there would be no charge. I was very upset that they would charge me for a re-check. I did not feel they cared about my concerns. So I went to another optometrist at another place, had my eyes re-examend and the prescription I had from Iris was completely wrong! The new Dr. checked my old prescription (from my old glasses) and it had not changed. The prescription I got from Iris was 3 times stronger in the left eye. I felt if I had gone back to Iris they would have told me the prescription had not changed just so they could say that they were right. I did call and express my frustration to the manager at Iris. She did not seem to care. She said she would look into it and call me back, but of course this was a week ago and no return call. I would not recommend anybody going to Iris. They obviously only care about money and not about their patients. I will never go there again.

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Shazzaam
Calgary, CA
Apr 15, 2011 12:19 am EDT

IRIS centers are a ripoff anyways. Take a look at the prices they have marked their frames at. At least 100 Dollars above compared to any other stores. Now you would think they have 100 dollars cash back options. At what cost? They already have marked up everything to begin with. Not only that, the 100 Dollar cash back is if you purchase another pair of Prescription Sunglasses or some limited old frames that are no more in vogue. Then you get 100 back. At least Lenscrafters do have decent sales time to time. Although their frames are also exorbitant to begin with but not as bad as IRIS.
They price everything very high and rip customers off on frames. They are considerably higher on lenses as well. Just go to Costco instead and you can exactly same Essilor lenses at least 50-80 Dollars cheaper. Costo price for Single Vision upto -4.0 on Essilor Transitions with all kind of coatings is 270 approx and on top 40 off time to time (right now sale is until april 17th 2011). Same prescriptions and same everything at IRIS is 390 CAD. And that is a solid ripoff. These idiots once quoted me on Zeiss Thin High Index Glass lenses for 590 CAD. Those same lenses another optometry shop in Vancouver did for 350.
There is no way such a huge difference between what Costco and some other solo shops would charge and what IRIS Should Charge. I can understand a difference of may be 30 Dollars give or take. But more than 100 is just plain looting by IRIS. And people are just so ignorant. They go at these places.
Just 5 days ago I went to see a special eyewear frame from a European Brand at IRIS Store in Calgary NW. IRIS Price is CAD 325.0 Dollars and no taxes. I called a store in Ontario, that same item, brand new was shipped to me in three days by ICS at my doorstep at CAD 132.0 Including shipping. No taxes on prescription eyewear. Why cheap ? Because that model is from last year and the discount is coming from its manufacturer. So the retailer in Ontario lost nothing. He just cleared his frames.
People if they are wise will probably never go to IRIS. They are the living example of how to ripoff people who do not know much. And I don't blame them either. Its the public which is stupid and lazy and does not do any research. If they would, they will probably boycott these thieves...

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