Choosing to buy from a frum business and disappointed…

amother

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 11:15 am

I needed an eye exam for contact lenses. My insurance doesn’t cover much. One place told me the fee for the exam and it was pretty small. I called another place which turns out was frum and the guy said very clearly we will work with you, we know your insurance doesn’t cover much. I get there and his price for contact lens exam is a lot more than the other place. He still would not lower the fee much even when I bought lenses, but I needed them asap and I felt bad just walking out. I bought lenses and made the down payment and I asked for a copy of the prescription. He won’t release it to me till I pick the lenses up. It’s been two weeks and he didn’t call to say they’re ready and it should have taken one week. I feel really disappointed because we had a whole conversation that my insurance isn’t so good and then he charged me extra next to other places who often waive the fee completely. I’m in a place financially where the extra 100 matters. I’m frustrated I chose this place bc it’s frum and they know I’m frum and totally weren’t honest on the phone.

amother

Valerian

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 11:21 am

I'm sorry OP, I get that the $100 matters. At the end of the day I think the doctor cannot legally hold your prescription hostage. If you know which brand and the prescription you can order from 800 contacts and they'll confirm it with the doctor's office.

you had the right to say I'm only buying the exam and 1 pair, not anything else, but because you went through with it you shouldn't be annoyed at them that you agreed to the purchase. Ideally you should have gotten clarity on what the initial cost was before sitting in the chair.

Given that they didn't call you to let you know it's ready - you should call them up and ask when it's going to be ready, and if the lenses you received are ripped or damaged you can ask if they have another sample you can pick up.

amother

Plum ↓

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 11:21 am

Cancel The order and go to Costco

I don’t shop frum businesses or stores. . On my budget shipping is not chesed. Chesed is chesed, tzedakah is tzedakah bit if I need a good deal (always) service and returns I need stores with more buying power than Plonit Almonit

BH I do chesed and give as much tzedakah as I can. More than most in my situation. Shopping is business

amother

Pansy

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 11:46 am

amother Plum wrote:

I think there's halacha to buy Jewish first?

amother

Poppy ↓

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:07 pm

amother Pansy wrote:

I think there's halacha to buy Jewish first?

Isn’t there also a halacha not to take advantage of people? What about lying to them (genevat da’at)?

Isn’t there all sorts of leniencies to not take a financial loss-like selling chametz before pesach, buying in sale during sfirah…..

Honestly, I too was going to direct you to Costco. Got contacts there this week. $175 including exam/fitting/lessons/trial pairs….

amother

Daffodil ↓

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:27 pm

Op did you not clarify in advance how much you will need to pay? If you go in not having agreed on a price then I'm sorry to say this is on you. You had an option to go to the cheaper place but chose not to.

amother

↑ Daffodil

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:28 pm

amother Poppy wrote:

It seems like op had a cheaper option but chose the more expensive one for convenience & hoped to get a discount. Who said they were dishonest?

amother

↑ Poppy ↓

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:30 pm

amother Daffodil wrote:

the guy may have been a hacker macher and been all: don’t worry, I’ll work with you, we can make a sliding scale, I’ll take care of you….. you believe he will do right by you and you are the yuck for trying to nail down a price.

amother

↑ Poppy

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:32 pm

amother Daffodil wrote:

It seems like op had a cheaper option but chose the more expensive one for convenience & hoped to get a discount. Who said they were dishonest?

She explicitly stated that she was going to go to the other one but went to this one because he was frum and said he would work with her.

amother

Linen

Sun, Jun 16 2024, 2:40 pm

amother Pansy wrote:

I think there's halacha to buy Jewish first?

Only if the Jewish merchant isn't charging you more than 1/6 (16.67% more) of what the non-Jew is charging.

So if the non-Jew charged $200 for the exam and the Jew charged $300, he is charging her 50% more than the non-Jew and she has zero obligation to shop at him first.