Overly Entitled Client Demands Optician Drive to a Restaurant to Fix His Broken Maui Jims … and More Head-Shaking Customer Tales

DO YOU EVER puzzle over just what your clients are thinking? Or maybe they’re not thinking at all.

We’ve rounded up seven tales of eyecare customers who, by all indications, must not have been thinking straight.

• I had a customer call me after closing time and tell me his lens fell out of his Maui Jims. He said, “My wife and I are at dinner and we just ordered. Could you drive here and fix my glasses for me? I have a golf game tomorrow.” The restaurant was only about 10 minutes from my shop but unfortunately my father was in the hospital at the time and I had to go see him. The customer wasn’t really happy about it but he eventually came in before I left so I could fix his glasses. — JULIE U., JUPITER, FL
• I had a customer from one of our satellite locations call me to report on an employee that was “real nasty to me.” In between colorful descriptions of “that dragon lady,” it became evident that the employee had politely insisted the customer pay the balance overdue on her previous five routine visits before she scheduled her next appointment. — JEN H., SANDPOINT, ID
• While checking in a patient I asked her to wash her hands. She asked why. I politely told her it was part of procedure and to please put on her mask. She said what was my doctor afraid of? A little dirt? She continued to escalate and I asked if she would feel more comfortable rescheduling? She thought for a moment and then said, yes! grabbed her purse and then yelled from the front door “I will go somewhere I do not have to wash my hands and wear a mask.” I looked at our receptionist and politely said, “Dismiss patient.” — SHERRY M., LAKE MARY, FL
• We had a woman who was paranoid about coming to the store. We made sure we had disinfected the store before she came in. Had hand sanitizer on every surface. She was aware we had to clean every frame she touched. She then kept saying “I know you have to clean all these, but I have to try them on.” She proceeded to try on 50 frames! She returned the next day. Being warned, I watched her try on the three she had favored. She decided to keep trying on frames saying “I know you have to clean them, but I have to try them on.” When she got to the fifth frame, I told her, “You touch it, you own it.” The look on her face was priceless. — DOROTHY R., MILFORD, CT 
• When I was a young tech, I was working up a patient going through chief complaints. The patient stated he had redness, swelling, itching. He then stood up and started to undo his pants while saying, “Here, I’ll show you!” — KEVIN C., GLENVIEW, IL
• I’ll never forget the day a woman came in to the store to buy glasses. After trying on different pairs, she starts pulling out seven different wigs, all different styles and colors. She said whatever glasses she decided on had to work with all of her wigs. We spent the entire afternoon giggling and laughing. The wigs were on me and anybody else who came in that afternoon. She was one crazy lady who to this day still wears wigs whenever she comes in. The best part is that I told her wigs were like shoes and so are glasses. One just cannot work in every situation. — BARBI T., COLUMBUS, OH
• I once had a patient come into the exam room tightly clutching a shopping bag. She would not let the bag out of her sight, and held it close by her side as I examined her. She went out to optical to pick out glasses and did the same thing, holding the bag tightly. We were all curious as to what was in the bag. We soon found out! As she left our store, she opened the bag and took out a 10-foot live Burmese python and put it around her neck! — DR. JOSEPH S., NEW KENSINGTON, PA

This feature was produced with content from INVISION’s Brain Squad.