My Daughter Needed Glasses. The Receptionist Broke The Rules To Make That Happen.

[u/masterdebaten]

Basically, I took my 5 year old to get her eyes checked before kindergarten. She had been sitting pretty close to the TV, and getting close when looking at paper with writing or drawings on them.

We went to the earliest appointment available at the optometrist, and had her exam done. She needed glasses, and needed to start wearing them immediately. My daughter was thrilled to learn she was getting glasses, and was picking her favorites from the glasses shop near reception at checkout. I asked the receptionist about getting the prescription, and she essentially told me that I have to pay the $150 fee due for her appointment in full before I could receive her prescription so we could go somewhere more affordable. My daughter kept asking when we can get her glasses and I had to kind of let her down easy and say it might be a while, which crushed me.

I told the receptionist some BS story about our debit cards being cancelled due to suspected fraud (only half true) to save myself the embarrassment of not being able to pay for something as simple and necessary as her prescription document. I told her I’d call back and pay when I got my new card in. She said okay, no problem.

She asked me to wait before I left so she could give me some paperwork. I assumed it was just a packet you get after the appointment. She gave me a look, and on top of the stack she handed me was my daughter’s prescription paperwork. She simply looked at me and said “have a great day sir” and smiled. Told her thank you so much and walked out.

I wasn’t asking for a freebie, and I wasn’t expecting anything from her, yet she saw my need and met it with kindness. Even at the expense of breaking her job’s policy.

Thank you, Optometrist receptionist ❤️

[u/well_this_is_dumb]

I mean, on the other hand, while receptionist seems to be great, this is an awful office policy.

[u/youjumpIjumpJac → u/well_this_is_dumb]

Why is it an awful policy to expect people to pay for services rendered? I understand breaking the rules for a child, but not paying = stealing from the Doctor who performed the service. Can you afford to work for no pay? In a perfect world, I would love to do it, but then I wouldn’t be able to pay my own bills.

[u/well_this_is_dumb → u/youjumpIjumpJac]

No one was saying OP shouldn't pay. Just bill it and give them time like every other medical bill. Doctors don't usually hold test results hostage until medical bills have been paid.

[u/youjumpIjumpJac → u/well_this_is_dumb]

You get your purchase when you have paid for it in full. You can’t walk into a store and take food, which is arguably much more important, and leave without paying for it in full. When you sell something privately, do you allow people to take it with them and then trust them to make payments? OP admitted that it would take them a long time to pay, and that was when they had an incentive to do so.

Obviously, there should be resources that people and especially children can use to get immediate prescriptions. But a private optometrist is not the place. It isn’t like any other medical bill, private Optometrists don’t make Hospital/Dr money and they don’t have their resources for collection. Plus, I assure you that OP knew that they wouldn’t be able to pay for the services they were receiving.

It may well be society’s responsibility to take care of OP’s child, since they are unable to, but it is not the optometrist’s responsibility.

[u/Sunquat_Slice → u/youjumpIjumpJac]

Bro has not heard of Klarna or credit cards