Receptionist
#2 : *typing audibly* “Okay… Hm, that’s weird.”
Me: “What’s wrong?”
Receptionist
#2 : “I don’t have you in my system.”
Me: “That is weird; I thought all my information transferred over fine.”
Receptionist
#2 : “Transferred? Which doctor did you see?”
Me: “[Optometrist].”
Receptionist
#2 : “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that doctor.”
Me: “But you guys just bought his company?”
Receptionist
#2 : “Oh… Oh! Oh, you mean in [Town]?”
Me: “Yeah, that’s the one.”
Receptionist
#2 : “You called the [City] location; we can’t order you contacts, but the [Town] location where you’re registered as a patient can.”
([City] is a large city about 60 miles away; [Town] is a small town that is about a five-minute drive from my apartment.)
Me: “That’s what I did; I called [Town], then I was put on hold when I asked to order contacts..”
Receptionist
#2 : “Ah, I understand. Our home office is in [City], so all hold calls eventually transfer back to us after a certain amount of time.”
Me: “That’s… strange. Could you please transfer me back?”
Receptionist
#2 : “Of course. Hold on just a minute, please.”
(I am placed on hold again, again for around twenty minutes. Finally, a third receptionist picks up.)
Receptionist
#3 : “Thank you for calling [Chain Optometrist].”
Me: “Hi. this is [My Name]. I was a patient of [Optometrist]. I called earlier to order more contacts.”
Receptionist
#3 : “Of course. Let me look up your prescription. Oh… You haven’t seen the optometrist yet.”
Me: *sighs* “No, but I just saw my old optometrist about eight months ago.”
Receptionist
#3 : “Well, we can’t order you more contacts until you see the optometrist.”
Me: “Yes, I was told this by the first person I spoke to. She put me on hold to ask the optometrist.”
Receptionist
#3 : *snorts* “Don’t know why she would do that. She should know we won’t give you any without an exam by our doctor.”
(I have worked customer service for almost ten years, and as such, I don’t want to cause a scene but I am frustrated and this particular receptionist, being so curt with me after the other two were trying to be helpful, irritates me. At this point, including the hold time, I have been on the phone for almost an hour now for what should have been a three-minute call.)
Me: *forcing my voice to be as even as I can* “I’m sorry, let me stop you there. I apologize if I come off as frustrated, but it’s because I am. I have been transferred three times and been on the phone for nearly an hour, and you are the third person I have spoken to. I literally need maybe one full box of contact lenses to get me through four months, as my insurance won’t cover another exam so soon and I can’t afford your exam rate without insurance. Is there really no way for me to get just one box of contacts without seeing your optometrist?”