It isn’t often that I am a “witness” to a glaring example of consumer fraud, but thanks to “Frank” and his grandmother, “Thelma,” I was “virtually” standing next to her, listening to an optical salesperson violate several of their state’s important consumer protection laws.
As what I heard is not limited to this very large company — whose eyewear ads on television, the internet and in print are everywhere — I am not naming them.
In a world of coincidences, a week earlier I spoke with its general counsel, who immediately ordered a refund to “Arnold,” a man who was sold two pairs of glasses instead of being immediately sent to an ophthalmologist because of a potential retinal detachment discovered by their in-house optometrist.
That’s right. Arnold gets an eye exam, a potential detached retina is found, which is considered as a medical emergency, and the O.D.’s recommendation? “Buy a pair of eyeglasses!” More on this craziness in a moment.
App installed in granny’s cell phone permitting remote recorder activation
“We installed an app in Thelma’s cell phone that allows us to activate the voice recorder remotely. We did this because she has trouble saying ‘no.’” (They live in a state that does not require permission of all parties to record conversations.)
“Thelma accidentally sat on her glasses, damaging the frame, but had a spare pair. She saw a television commercial from this eyewear store offering frames for well under…
