ComplaintsforSpecsavers Canada Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  27/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of transaction: 03/23/2024 The amount of money you paid: $99 eye exam + $199 prescribed sunglasses.On March 23, 2024, I had an eye exam appointment at Specsavers with *********** OD at ************************************************************. Upon my arrival a sales associate said I had to pay $99 upfront for my eye exam. Thereafter, I would need to submit my claim through Sunlife. After my initial eye exam, the optometrist advised me that a sales associate would assist me further. I decided to purchase a pair of prescribed sunglasses for $199, after this visit I then submitted 2 claims 1x $99 and another 1x $199. This morning 03/26/2024 I discovered that this location put through a claim without my consent for a total of $599. When I contacted Sunlife they had confirmed it was Specsavers who submitted the $599 claim. I never authorized this and was unsettled at the thought that an organization without my knowledge simply submitted a false insurance claim without my authorization. When I called the location, the first representative refused to tell me where this charge came from and said, it could have been for the glasses. When I asked for "head office" she referred me to the website. I filled out a form online. After being put on hold I was finally connected with a manager who told me she was having tech issues with her system however, that she would contact the associate who helped me, ****** who she confirmed submitted the $599 claim.The manager called me back at 1:30 p.m. 03/26/2024 and said after her discussion with ****** the sales associate had put through the claim accidentally and said it was a typo as he was nervous!? I reported the incident to Sunlife, who have proof and confirmation that Specsavers submitted the claim of $599. Had I not called into Sunlife to report and have them flag and remove this, the insurance company could have said I was misusing my insurance. A simple apology or that a sales associate was nervous is no excuse. This organization needs to be investigated. Putting through a claim without my consent is unacceptable. This was unauthorized and I fear that my personal information may have been compromised as they NEVER advised me, they would be going in and doing this submitting anything. As per Sunlife instructions I have submitted a complain to BBB to investigate this matter. The manager simply saying that this was due to an agent feeling nervous is unacceptable excuse. I fear that other people may have fallen victim to this type of scam or unethical practice without knowledge. For this reason, along with my personal information being compromised is why I am writing this formal complaint. Whether or not the business has tried to resplve the problem: I contacted the store 03/26/2024 to advise of the matter and after confirming it was done by the sales associate ****** they simply said it was a training moment. I got a response from their website who have forwarded my complaint to the store for further investigation. I have receipts of my original purchases and none of the paperwork has an amount of $599.

  Business response

  02/04/2024

  Hi *******, Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us last week, and for allowing us the opportunity to resolve this issue and clear up any miscommunications. We look forward to offering further support if you have any other inquiries. Thank you!

  Customer response

  02/04/2024

  
  Complaint: 21491741
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Never got a response back as promised for Monday. Will be going forward and posting a review to alert consumers to be more cautious.
  Thank you 
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************
  

  Business response

  06/04/2024

  Hi *******, 
  Thank you for raising this concern with us and for taking the time to speak with us this past week. We are sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with your first store experience. As you are aware, since receiving your complaint, we investigated this matter. We understand that a pre-authorization was put through to confirm your insurance benefits and that no transaction was actually processed through your insurance company as you were going to submit your claim yourself.  Last week, we learned that your insurer does not cover sunglasses under your vision plan and you were therefore seeking a reimbursement, which we have now completed. We believe that this resolves the situation and we thank you for your feedback. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩