Deborah Morrison
I’ve thought long and hard before writing this but really feel that something needs to be said. One of the ladies serving in Poole Boots Optical section is appallingly rude! She was rude when we came to visit in the summer (August 2021) to order glasses for my daughter complaining that it was a complicated prescription and that she really wasn’t qualified, nor had the time, to take care of us. At the time, I diffused the situation and empathised with her as I realise that my daughter’s prescription isn’t a simple one. The glasses that arrived didn’t meet the prescription requirements so replacement glasses needed to be prepared. We live overseas so could only collect them in December 2021.
When we came to collect the glasses, with prior agreement from the store manager as it was a Sunday, the same lady was serving and her behaviour was really unacceptable. There wasn’t a single other customer in the optical section and yet the lady haughtily advised us that “We don’t usually do collections on Sundays”. I politely replied that I had emailed the manager regarding our visit to which she replied “That may well be but we don’t do collections on Sundays”. From that moment onward, she refused to look at me or speak to me. It was an absolute disgrace and all this in front of my children who were horrified. My daughter’s glasses are a huge investment for us as a family particularly we don’t (quite correctly) benefit from NHS funding. It is a significant purchase for us and an event that we usually try to make fun. Having the prescription that my daughter does isn’t easy for a little girl. The error that was made in the summer on my daughter’s glasses was 100% Boots’ responsibility and as opposed to being received with perhaps an apology or at the very least someone who had the very basic amount of customer service we were met with someone who was rude and surly. There is absolutely no excuse for that most particularly as there wasn’t a single other customer in the store.
By contrast, leaving Boots we headed to Specsavers as I needed to order some glasses for myself. The difference in customer service is quite literally night and day. Staff greet you with a smile, they look in your eyes (rather than rolling theirs!) and actually speak to you as if you are a human being and not a simple inconvenience to them. The lady on the Poole Boots Optical team would do well to pass by Specsavers and see how it really should be done!
Needless to say, I doubt that we will ever order new glasses at Boots again.