Dear Patient Relations Team,
I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the conduct of Caroline, the General Manager of your Windham, New Hampshire office.
I have been a loyal customer of this location since your company took it over, and before that with MVC. My family and I have primarily supported the Windham store as we live in town, and over the years we have entrusted this office with a significant amount of business. Unfortunately, the experience I had today with Caroline was unacceptable and needs to be addressed at the corporate level.
Earlier today, I visited the Windham office to return an unopened package containing two boxes of contact lenses along with a trial pair. Caroline was assisting another customer when I arrived, and I waited patiently until she called me to her desk across the entire office without getting out of her chair. When I explained that I needed to return the lenses and the reason why they were unused, she told me that the order had been placed through Ben at the Hampton location "and this was NOT her box" and that she was not willing to process the return because she did not want it reflected on her profit and loss statement. The look on her face told it all because you could tell she was just looking to cause a problem and make my life more difficult.
I told her I believed returns could be processed at any store, but she refused to accept this return. I left the office and contacted Ben, the new General Manager of the Hampton location. Ben informed me that her refusal was against company policy and that she could have easily coordinated the return with him over the phone if she "didn't want to take the hit to her stores P/L."
What concerns me most is that Caroline was aware of the correct policy and chose not to follow it. She admitted this when I called her back. If this a game or a business? Her actions felt punitive and directed at me as a customer, which is extremely disappointing given the long-standing relationship my family and I have with your organization. When I called her back to relay what Ben had said and to inform her that I would be reporting the incident, she suddenly offered to accept the return. At that point, the damage was already done.
This is not the first time I have observed issues at the Windham office. Under Caroline's management, the environment often feels unprofessional. Staff members are casually dressed, food is visible on counters or being eaten from drawers, and the overall atmosphere lacks the professionalism and care I expect. In contrast, Ben consistently goes above and beyond to create a positive client experience. His leadership is a tremendous asset to your organization.
I respectfully request that this matter be reviewed at the corporate level. Caroline's conduct today was inappropriate, contrary to company policy, and damaging to customer trust. read more
