Be on guard for UPSELLING! (aka Is Dr. Tran fun and friendly, or fast-talking?)
I've relayed my experience w/ Dr. Maggie Tran to several friends over the past month or so, and realized that what I need to do is share it online to help other consumers.
I completely understand why Dr. Tran has 5-star reviews; she's personable, energetic, efficient, etc... I have been going to her since she replaced the previous Doc, and I'm satisfied, in large part because i like the online scheduling system. BUT, I realized that one really has to be "on guard" and careful when dealing with Dr. Tran and so I feel compelled to share with others.
My most recent example: I went for my annual exam, which I generally resent anyway because I am coerced into going since they won't "approve" my contact lens order unless I go and pay them at least once every 365 days. But that's industry-wide and a separate matter.
Back to my visit to Dr. Tran...I wear glasses that are bi-focal or tri-focal, I forget which, but the point is that I need help with distance and with reading. For decades I have avoided getting bi-focal contact lenses and instead wear standard contact lenses and then just put on reading glasses as needed. So I went to Dr. Tran to get a quick eye exam and pay ransom on my contact lens order but she kept trying to sell me on bi-focal contacts. I kept declining and deflecting. She seemed to accept this but then, as my exam was wrapping up, she once again pitched the bi-focal lenses and added that even her father had found them to be "life changing" (or something like this...) and she asked, once again, if I wanted to try them. Ugh. No. But it was sort of like when the boy scouts come by to sell you bags of mulch and the last thing you want is mulch but you feel a bit maternal and say "Okay, okay, whatever, I'll buy some mulch...". After all, she had pitched these lenses to me 3 times during our short meeting...and what was the harm? I'll try on the samples, make Maggie feel like she succeeded, and i can still get my normal lenses afterwards. But then, when I checked out, the fee struck me as a bit high so I asked the extraordinarily nice and professional woman who manages the office (I forget her name...) if the fee would have been the same if i had not agreed to try on the bi-focal contact lenses and she explained that trying the bifocal lenses had increased the fee by $30. From a money perspective, fine, I paid the $30. From an ethical perspective, I felt scammed. Dr. Tran was selling her heart out, not accepting "no" as an answer, just like they teach you in sales seminars! I relented because I felt kind of bad for her, failing in her efforts to sell me, only to find out why it was so important to her....$30. So buyer beware, and watch out for upselling!!!! read more
