Happy Labour Weekend!

It seems ironic, doesn't it, that the holiday celebrating the 40 hour week is one of the busiest weekends of the year. We have many people booking in, whereas Labour Weekend Saturday is often very quiet - patients are away or expect us to be closed so it's hard to encourage bookings, and I hope we don't come in to answerphone messages on the Tuesday from patients who forget the day is a public holiday. It does add a day to getting spectacles made up, but most people understand this. And it goes back to the old "you will need to wear your spare pair for a day longer"...if you don't have a spare, how will you manage when the labs shut down over Christmas/New Year? The weather doesn't look like it will be the best, but hopefully I can get out in the garden at some point. And spend time with my family - that's what a day off is about!

Well, I have finished my four half-weeks in New Plymouth, and it seems I missed the better weather here when I was there, and there to-day. Never mind, the practices are both warm and dry, and the patients warm and friendly. Business is tough for most people at present as it is for most consumers. So Visique Kapiti continues to offer value for money solutions for eye care - we're not the cheapest but we guarantee our products as we use suppliers who have a good track record with both product and service. Everyone can have an off day, but we don't like dealing with companies that blame the patient if the frame breaks when it should be a warranty claim. We tell patients how to look after their contact lenses or glasses when they first get them (but don't teach our grandmothers to suck eggs when they have had glasses for as long as some of us have been on this planet) and reinforce this if a frame is brought back frequently for TLC. And we can tell if something has been abused. If it should be a warranty claim, we will back you up with our suppliers - that's our place (and an obligation under the CGA). But warranties do involve care - if your car isn't serviced as per the schedule, the warranty might be invalidated. Frames and lenses don't always come with a guarantee card, but if they are looked after well, the guarantee that we offer (we keep your records) won't be necessary. And cleaning lenses dry, and by rubbing on your shirt, is never a good idea, never been recommended, and even if "I've always done it", it still means they scratch. And that's handling, not guarantee.