I scheduled an 8:30 AM appointment for my 7-year-old son through Brentwood Eyecare's own online…read morescheduling system on Saturday. The system offered 8:30 or 9:00. I specifically chose 8:30 because he is in school, which starts at 8:20, and I wanted him to miss as little class as possible.
At 8:20 AM -- only 10 minutes before our appointment -- I received a text from an unidentified number saying, "good morning we received your appointment please come @ 9am." They didn't even identify themselves, so I had to ask who was texting me before they told me it was Brentwood Eyecare.
At 8:21 I explicitly responded, "Our appt is at 8:30. It's for a child in school. We are already on our way. We will be there at 8:30."
They replied that they had no doctor until 9:00. When I questioned why their system offered an 8:30 appointment, they responded, "not sure why our system let you make an appointment im so sorry." I told them that since their system scheduled an 8:30 patient, I felt contacting the doctor rather than changing a patient's appointment 10 minutes beforehand would be the appropriate solution.
We arrived around 8:25. I was already uncomfortable with how this was being handled, so I sat in the parking lot calling other optometry offices hoping someone could see my son that morning. No one could. Around 8:35, we went inside to wait and look at frames.
At 8:36 -- 15 minutes AFTER I explicitly told them we were coming -- they texted, "Would you like us to change this appointment to 9:00 or reschedule. We need to give the doctor notice."
I called because I genuinely did not understand what additional "notice" they needed when I had already said in writing that we were coming. The employee was immediately argumentative and insisted I had not told them whether we were coming, despite the text stating exactly that.
As I entered the office, I ended the call and addressed the situation in person. My son and I then went to look at frames while we waited. The employee I had spoken with began making comments about the situation to her coworker from across the office, saying she would now text the doctor since I was there while continuing to complain that I had not given notice. I told her that if she had something to say while I was standing right there, she could speak directly to me, and again pointed out that I had given notice in writing.
Both employees then began talking over me. I raised my voice trying to get a word in and was told I was being "hostile" and that "it's Monday morning."
Being Monday morning does not excuse poor customer service. Their own system offered and confirmed an appointment when apparently no doctor was available. Their employee had already acknowledged IN WRITING that she didn't know why their system allowed it.
Eventually, I was told they would not see my son and could reschedule him. I made it clear I would not be returning after the way the situation had been handled.
What happened as we left is what I find completely unacceptable.
The employee stood up and sarcastically said DIRECTLY TO MY 7-YEAR-OLD, "I'm soooo sorry, child's name, we can't help you today because of your mom's behavior."
Whatever disagreement you have with a parent stays between the adults. You do not involve a 7-year-old or blame his mother TO HIM for why he isn't receiving care. He was there because he was having difficulty seeing and his glasses were broken. He had done absolutely nothing wrong.
For transparency, after she directed that comment at my child, I became extremely angry, used profanity, and slammed the door when I left. I could have handled my exit better and I take responsibility for that. However, that occurred at the END of the interaction, after their scheduling error, arguing, discussing me across the office, repeatedly claiming I hadn't given notice despite written proof, and finally involving my child.
Afterward, I read other reviews and unfortunately my experience with the front desk does not appear isolated. Multiple reviews describe similar issues with receptionist attitude, rude/dismissive interactions, and poor customer service. This appears to be a recurring issue rather than simply someone having a bad Monday morning.
Thankfully, Oakley Optometry on Laurel was able to get my son in that morning. The difference was night and day. Everyone there was professional, accommodating, kind, and incredibly sweet to him. It's farther from us, but 100% worth the drive.
I absolutely would not recommend Brentwood Eyecare. A scheduling mistake can happen. How you treat people while resolving it -- and especially how you treat a 7-year-old child -- is a choice.
