OPSM

Complaints

Absolutely appalled by the service and blatant disregard for customer rights at OPSM Northcote Plaza. My mother-in-law, an 82 year old pensioner, who suffers from Parkinson's and diabetes went in for a routine eye test on Saturday 22nd June 2024 with my wife. After the test, the sales assistant sold her two pairs of glasses. The quoted price was exceptionally high and she was understandably concerned about the hefty price tag. My mother in law being old school and as the store was local, had her eye entire history including her eye diabetes scans, viewed them in the same light as she would her family doctor who has a patient's entire medical history. As a result she hesitantly put down a 50% cash deposit, approximately $230. Upon driving home in conversation my wife advised her mother of her other options. The quoted price was outrageous for a senior on a fixed income. My wife called the store within a couple of hours to cancel the order. Shockingly, "Kelly," the store representative, refused a refund, insisting on a store credit only. This policy was never mentioned during the sale! My wife rightfully disputed that such a crucial detail should have been disclosed upfront and that they had only attended the store less than a couple of hours ago. Upon my wife saying that Kelly advised "in this case it's best we process a refund". Keep in mind that this was a Saturday afternoon and the order would not have been actioned within a couple of hours of it being placed. My wife was cordial and polite on the phone the entire time. Finally, Kelly "assured" my wife that the order would be cancelled but went on to say that they had a policy of not refunding in cash even though this was the method of payment, instead they would process the refund on a debit card the following Saturday. Friday 28th June 2024 8:04 am, precisely 6 days after our last correspondence my wife received a text message advising that my mother in law's glasses were ready for collection! Here's where things get even worse. This completely contradicted the supposed cancellation. My wife called again, understandably frustrated. Requested to speak to "Kelly" but was advised she wasn't working on that day. She spoke to "Sishwetta" (unsure of the spelling) who checked the system and said there were no notes in the system regarding this matter and that she would get someone else to return my wife's call as she didn't normally work at this store. Approximately 1 hour later "Catchell" called. She advised that she needed to call a manager and promised to call back with a response by the end of the day. This call never eventuated. Finally, on the Saturday of the promised refund we arrived at the store for it to be processed. Imagine our complete disbelief when Kelly, seemingly unfazed by the previous conversation, continued to push the store credit narrative. When questioned about the uncancelled order, she advised that once the order is placed it cannot be cancelled even within 2 hours of placing it. When questioned about there being no notes on the matter in their system she advised that she had left a "physical note" in the stores back room" and not a formal cancellation in the system. By this point we began to feel that this was all deliberate. They proceeded to make the glasses, ignored our cancellation within a two hour window as a means to force an elderly pensioner to proceed with the purchase on the basis that they performed a service and provided a product. When questioned about not receiving the promised call the previous day, my wife was advised that the colleague was unwell. When questioned why we were advised that a refund would be processed only to now be advised it would not, Kelly's response was that she felt pressured over the phone and that at the time wasn't aware of the non refund policy until she spoke to her manager?? When questioned about the non communication of the refund policy (keep in mind Kelly advised that until she spoke to her manager she wasn't aware of the non refund policy of the store) Kelly pointed to a QR scan code on the side of the counter and said it's there for customers to scan. There was no signage identifying the QR code or what it represented. My mother-in-law is an elderly person and has no mobile phone, not to mention this was not brought to her or my wifes attention on the day. Perhaps Kelly as an employee of OPSM Northcote Plaza should take some of her own advice and familiarise herself with the refund policies of the store she represents so that she can inform customers accurately prior to purchasing. To date we have yet to receive a call from a manager, despite having requested this a couple of times. The promise of a refund that didn't eventuated was unacceptably misleading. As a customer we were misled and lied to. In addition the assurance of the cancellation within 2 hours of a prescription being placed by the store representative an employee of OPSM Northcote was also a blatant lie. This is beyond unprofessional - it's disrespectful, dismissive extremely dishonest. We will be taking this egregious experience to Consumer Affairs.

I bought new glasses and within a week I lost a lense due to a screw coming out. It is clearly a manufacturer fault as these are not my first glasses. I take care of my glasses. My experience is when I rang, they had no interest in taking any responsibility or rectify the issue. They blatantly blamed me and told me I'd have to buy a new lense. This was all over the phone and they were not even interested in me coming in to discuss the matter. I will never go through this company again.