Aqua Vision Center

I was deceptively overcharged for the only pair of corrective glasses made for me by the optometrist, who was the nearest to my home, of those on my insurance list. Also, the more expensive progressive lenses she recommended to me (I did not know anything about corrective lenses nor progressive lenses) would have been unsuitable and dangerous to use for the kind of work I do. I must have good peripheral vision, and progressive lenses do not provide that.

The following is a copy of the letter sent to my credit card company, to no avail. A copy of this was sent to the State of Maryland Office of the Attorney General, consumer protection division. Recently, after the mediator at that office received a letter with several lies from this optometrist, I received a letter from that mediator, saying that after having read the doctor's letter, she was closing the case.

Because Dr. Mezu keeps lying to everyone, and has not given me a receipt for the verbal price she quoted me for the glasses I got from her, I have had $318.10 stolen from my credit card account, and much trouble, and numerous unnecessary trips to her office

I strongly urge people who need corrective lenses, to stay away from Dr. Mesu.

The Letter:

I am submitting the following information in support of my dispute with Aqua Vision Center and Dr. Kelechi R. Mezu, because Dr. Mezu overcharged me for the product I purchased from her.

In addition, I would like it to be noted, that though Dr. Mezu charged me $35.00 for a warranty,

I have not been given any documents from Dr. Mezu about the warranty’s coverage nor length of time. Therefore, Dr. Mezu should either give me a warranty policy document, or credit back to my account the $35.00 charge.

On December 8, 2006, I went to Aqua Vision Center in Pikesville, Maryland run by

Dr. Kelechi R. Mezu, because I needed glasses for distance vision.

I needed those glasses to be done before December 17, 2006, because that was the day when my

Department Of Transportation Medical Certification would expire. Dr. Mezu said that they will try, "...because they are very busy."

Dr. Mezu examined and took pictures of my eyes and then sat by the computer and asked me to choose my frames which were in the display cabinets in her office. She did not give me any brochure or disclose any information about not having to have those glasses made by her, nor any changes in the order, any cancellation policy, nor any policies regarding any services.

There is no any information on display in her office regarding order changes or cancellations.

When she finished working on the computer she asked me what kind of glasses did I want.

I did not know. This was the first time in my life I needed corrective glasses. I asked Dr. Mezu if she had any samples that I could try. She said, "No." Then I asked if she had any suggestions. Of course she did. She asked me again what kind of work I do. After I told her that I was a truck driver, loading and delivering new cars, she told me that the three focal, so called progressive lenses, would be the best. Further on she suggested that all the treatments, including lenses that darken when outside, should be applied to the lenses. The total price for those glasses came to $711.10.

That afternoon I talked to my friend who told me that those progressive lense glasses are good if you work on a computer where you look directly at the screen. But I am not working on the computer. I am driving one of those trucks that carry 10 or more cars and I do not even sit on the driver’s seat when I am loading or unloading cars. I do not look straight into the windshield when I do this. My head is outside the vehicle looking back when backing or forward when driving forward. When loading or unloading I have to see what is going on in front, behind and beside me. At the same time I have to see the distance of the front and rear wheels from the edge of the loading skids and ramps. All this I have to see without directly looking at those items. This is very tricky, but this is how it is.

That afternoon, when my wife and I were talking about these glasses, she was very concerned. She understands the type of work I do, and thought those type of lenses would be a problem.

Because I was also concerned about the ability to perform my job safely and not causing any damages by wearing those type of glasses, I decided to change the order.

My wife often speaks on the phone for me, because I have a heavy accent, so she called

Dr. Mezu that Friday evening to let her know these concerns, and that she and I would come to her office the next day to change the order.

We went Saturday afternoon, December 9, 2006 to change the order in person. Dr. Mezu was not in the office and the lady that was in the office told us that she could not change the order or stop the progression of my order because she would be fired.

Because the next day was Sunday, when Aqua Vision Center is closed, I went again Monday, December 11, 2006, and I spoke to Dr. Mezu. She was not happy about it and she told me that the glasses were already done, which I did not believe, because that was only December 11, 2006, and the date set by Dr. Mezu for the glasses to be done was December the 14, "...because they were very busy." Even then she did not mention anything about their cancellation policy or any policy in regard to changing an order.

She asked me, "What did I want?" I told her that I do not want three focal progressive lenses, and just before I finished talking, she told me to sit on the chair in the corner of the room because she was going to make a telephone call.

So I did sit on the chair and waited about 10 minutes until she called me back to her desk and again I told her that I do not want three focal progressive lenses, and I do not want reading lenses in my glasses. She got mad and again stopped me from finishing my sentence and said that she just finished talking with the lab and changed my order. Then she turned on her computer and started typing something. When she finished typing and turned her head toward me I started telling her again what type of glasses I wanted. No three focal lenses; just plain lenses for distance vision only, without reading lenses in them and without the treatment which makes the lenses become lighter or darker. She became furious and told me that this was the third time I was changing my order.

How can a person change an order three times in half an hour in one day? –unless he is interrupted all the time before he finishes saying what he has to say?

When I saw her being so outrageous, telling me that I changed the order three times I was about to cancel my order completely, but Dr. Mezu stopped me and told me that she was going to write on the paper my order which would then be signed by me, herself and a witness (her assistant at that time; see page #11 on top). Also at that time she did not disclose any information about

no refund, no cancellation or no money back policy.

I asked Dr. Mezu what would be the price for the glasses. She was very reluctant in telling me the price. She talked about everything but the price. Finally she told me that she would have to calculate that, and that she did not have time right now, but she assured me that it would be less, much less.

I asked Dr. Mezu, "When will the glasses be ready?" She told me, "Thursday, December 14."

Monday, December 11, 2006, I called a CITI Bank customer representative and told the representative that I may have a problem with Aqua Vision Center.

On December 14, before I went to pick up my glasses, I called Aqua Vision Center to make sure my glasses were done and that I was not going there for nothing. I was told that my glasses were not ready,... "the delivery man did not come"...and that I could not pick them up.

So, I learned that when it is convenient for Dr. Mezu and I don’t want them, they’re done.

And when I do want them, they’re not done.

Because December 15 was the last day I could be tested before I would be unable to drive, I told

Dr. Mezu that I was cancelling my order completely and I would go somewhere else, like Lens Crafters, where the glasses would be ready in 2 hours. The only reason I did not go there in the first place was because they did not accept my insurance.

When Dr. Mezu heard that I wanted to go somewhere else to get the glasses she told me to come to her office and that she would have to find some lenses which would fit me temporarily, so I could pass the vision test, and that tomorrow maybe my glasses would be there .

Dr. Mezu was lying, telling me that the delivery man did not deliver my glasses. The temporary unfinished glasses were my glasses. I know that because the next day when I went there

Dr. Mezu removed the lenses from the temporary glasses, and put them into the machine for treatment. About an hour later, she put the same lenses back into my frames.

I saw this with my own eyes.

When the glasses were ready I asked Dr. Mezu, "What is the price for the glasses?"

Again she was reluctant to talk about it, and again she told me that she has to calculate it.

I waited about half an hour and when I saw that she was doing everything but calculating I left the glasses and went home.

The next day Saturday, December 16, 2006, I went there and asked her for the price of the glasses. Again she talked about everything but the price. Finally I told her that either she is going to tell me the price or I am leaving the glasses. At this point she sat by the computer and calculated the new price. She came up with the price of $393.00, which is shown on page #12.

I asked her to print a new invoice for my glasses, because I wanted an invoice that showed the final price of $393. She told me that she could not print a new invoice.

I asked if she needed my credit card so she could credit back $318.10 to my account. The $318.18 is the difference between $711.10 and $393.00. She told me that she did not need my card because they have my credit card number and everything would be done automatically.

Now I know that pages 11 and 12 do not even look like an agreement or an invoice, but I am a truck driver who does not know anything about invoices. I do not know if she could not change the invoice because she really could not, or because she did not want to.

Those pages show how badly Dr. Mezu is conducting her business and shows what tools she uses to mislead and confuse her customers.

And once again she did not say anything about their no refund, no cancellation or no money back policy or order change policies, and not at any time did she make me think I would pay the same price for glasses of lesser value. Had she disclosed this information to me I would certainly not have changed the order. Instead, I would have ordered another pair of glasses, and I would have had two pairs of glasses.

On January 16, 2007, I talked to Dr. Mezu and I asked her why she charged me $711.10 for my glasses, since on December 15, 2006, the day I picked up my glasses, she told me that the price was $393.00. The answer was, "Your glasses, Mr. Kwasiborski, cost even more than $711.10, because you changed the order six times."

She also told me that the original order glasses (with progressive lenses) were in her office for one month and after that they were sent back to the lab. This is something that she did not disclose to my insurance provider agent when I asked the insurance company for help a couple of weeks earlier, at which point it had not yet been a month since I picked up the glasses.

Dr. Mezu’s lies have no borders; she probably doesn’t know what truth is.

The glasses I received from Dr. Mezu are not progressive lenses; they are for distance only.

They are not tinted and they do not get darker when I go outside.

They are a lesser value, in the amount of $318.10, than the glasses I authorized charges for on December 8, 2006.

Comment On This

I apologise for the lies written about Aqua Vision. I was just upset b/c I paid for a glasses and my wife disagreed with me when I returned. The issues i raised were addressed by both my insurance and the clinic. and I now do have my glasses and I apologise for anyone whom my comments have hurt and the clinic also..