Eyes that see......the saga of the eye glasses

WARNING:
This is a rather lengthy post.
It is a good story, but long.
You may want to skip it if you do not have a few minutes
to invest in the reading of this tale of woe and angst.

I got new glasses...and contacts. And spent a pretty little fortune on them too. I felt guilty about this for a few days. The whole time trying to talk myself out of the guilt. We don't have a lot of money right now. Who does, right? I finally, successfully, told myself that this was not a frivolous shopping spree. This was a necessity. I NEED to be able to see. Glasses help this. (in my case anyway) And it has been at least 5 years since I got my last eye exam & glasses. Since then one pair has broken and the other pair has gotten so scratched I always think they are dirty and try to clean it off only to realize- once again- it is the scratches.

So Ammon told me it was time to quit putting it off and go get new glasses. So we went down to the mall last Wednesday and walked in to the glasses store. (name withheld) They had an appointment available at 2:30. We walked around until then and then went back. After all was said and done they told me my glasses would be in in 10-14 days. BUMMER- they had to special order the lenses because of the coating I wanted on them. Oh well. I have a follow-up appointment the following week, for my contacts, maybe they will be done early and I can pick them up then.

On Saturday I get a phone call for one pair of glasses, on Monday a call for the other pair. Wednesday (2 days ago) I go in for my follow-up appointment. They don't even have me on the schedule!!! They were, however, kind enough to get me in anyway. It took like 5 minutes. And they were totally stressing about it. And the doctor would have been doing nothing during that time! Weird! After that I go to the other desk to pick up my glasses. I have to wait like 20 minutes just to do that. No big deal, but then the glasses need to be adjusted. The girl gets the first pair done alright, but has a dandy of a time with the second pair. It took her at least 30 minutes, and by that time I was done. I told her they were fine and we left. I had some very important people coming over to my house for haircuts and I HAD to be home by 2. After we got home I got to looking at them. 'Cause I never feel like I can sit and examine things thoroughly in front of the people. Come to find out the frames are all warped. The lenses don't even fit inside the frame. There are places that the lenses stick over the edge of the frame. Which is understandable if the lenses are SUPER DUPER thick, but mine aren't. And again I must emphasize- the frames are SUPER warped! Like wavy. My sister saw them- and Ammon- they will attest to how wrong they were. I have witnesses! Now, I have worn glasses for like more than half my life, and I KNOW this is not normal.

Ok well, we'll take them back and have them fixed. Only we don't want to go all the way to Mesa again. And then I remember seeing a new store (same one as the one at the mall) in Casa Grande! YAY! Let's shave at least an hour & a half off just the driving time alone! So yesterday we go to CG and they look at my glasses and take them back to the lab. When they bring them out they look great again. NORMAL. The way they were supposed to look in the first place. I was told that the lens still stuck out over the edge of the frame in one spot, but that was normal. OK- I took his word for it. I put them on. They looked good. He adjusted the arms for me. They felt ok. Not perfect, but good enough that I could live with it. So I put them in the case, dropped them in the purse, and headed off to shop. On the way home I took them out to look at them. (again with the not being able to fully examine things in front of the sales people) The lenses are a little loose. Maybe I should take them back...nah, it'll be ok. I put them on to see how I like the fit again, still ok and still way better than the day before when the girl from the other store tried to adjust them. So I wear them for the rest of the evening. They don't bother me at all. But still there is a little nagging in the back of my head about the lenses being loose. After dinner is done I took them off to clean them. (I fried with oil & felt they had a little residue on them) As I was cleaning them, the way I have ALWAYS cleaned all of the glasses I have EVER owned- the lens pops out right into my hand. And it was not the one that was REALLY loose, it was the one that was a little loose! NOT NORMAL!!!!

We headed back to the glasses store, in CG, again this morning. I deal with another sales person. I tell her THE WHOLE HISTORY...all the way from 2 days ago. She takes them back to the lab. The final verdict.....They will have to remake the whole pair. Lenses and all! Bummer for them! That is a bit of money they have to eat right there.

I just have to say- I am the kind of person that usually just says it's not that big of a deal, and lets it go. Because it is too much of a hassle to have to worry about all the things that come along with complaining. But I had this little conversation with myself this morning...... I said (and yes- i was talking out loud to myself) "I normally wouldn't even bring it up, saying it's not a big deal and it doesn't really matter. But it is a big deal and it does matter. No.... really, it's not a big deal. But it does matter to me. This time it does matter to me." So yes I had this little convo with myself while doing my hair. And what I realized is this- really- if you think about it- not a big deal. Most stuff isn't. But it is something that matters to me. And I want it to be right. It mostly matters because I just spent a bit of money on this...I paid for a service....and I want it to be to my satisfaction. If it was a little nugget that I only paid a couple bucks for, well you get what you pay for- I would make it work. But not this. I want it to be the way I want it. I think that is only right. I am not being rude, or demanding, or uptight about it. I just want the situation fixed to my satisfaction. After all we are talking about my eyes here. And I would like the glasses that, more likely than not, I am going to be wearing for the NEXT 5 years, to fit and make me happy when I wear them.

So the new pair should be in by the 17th.
I'll let you know how they turn out!