I have been a customer of Optical Express since 2002, buying both my glasses and contact lenses there. A year or so later, I set up a direct debit to pay for my monthly contact lenses, and this is where the problem started; On a number of occasions over the years, I had to call to ask where my lenses were as payment was taken, but no product showed up. The company did not have a proof of postage to show me, although I was reassured they kept them on file (?) and the Regent St branch where I was 'based' has now closed. The irregular and unreliable dispatches was the biggest reason as to why I decided to leave this company last year and switch to another contact lens provider.

I then recieved a letter claiming I owed Optical Express £32 (my monthly direct debit was set to around £14, so even 2 'missed' months did not add up to this sum). I corresponded with a representative, providing her with additional information over several months and asking her to explain this random breakdown of the direct debits they claimed to have. I kept getting the same reply each time that they had dispatched goods in good faith and that my outstanding payment of £32 was still standing. As a loyal customer, I feel I had provided Optical Express with a monthly payment 'in good faith' for goods which I actually did not recieve on a regular basis. My querie of an alternative solution in my first correspondence considering I had not recieved all the batches I had paid for, fell on deaf ears and was not even acknowledged in the following letters.

After having provided a print of my outgoings, dating back several years, which proved I did not owe any monies and writing a letter referring to this on the 2nd Dec 2010, where I also pointed out that I had not recieved a batch after my last payment, I heard nothing and assumed this matter was now settled.

Last week I recieved yet another letter now threatening to issue a CCC. I called the number provided and was met increadibly unprofessionally by a young girl who had no interest in listening to my concerns. At this point I felt that rather than harping on trying to prove my point, I might as well pay the £32, which is probably exactly what the company was hoping for. When she put me 'on hold' (or so she thought) to let the payment go through she laughed together with a collegue saying something along the lines of 'this final letter always does the trick' only to return to the phone still laughing. I have written emails and letters of complaints, but no reply. Not surprising as Optical express doesn't seem to be keen to keep their customers on their books.

I have worked in senior management in customer services for over 15 yrs now and at no point have me or my staff treated loyal customers in this appalling manner!