Keeping an eye on your word...

On March 23, my wife ordered new lenses at Iowa Eye Care for my daughter's glasses. What was so unfortunate about the date was that if we had made it to Iowa Eye Care two days earlier, the lenses would have been under warranty. Bummer. But K needed new lenses, so we were willing to pay.

But when LeAnn and K went in to pick up the new lenses, they were cut wrong. So they had to be re-ordered, and K had to wait a week to finally get her updated lenses. When LeAnn and K were picking up the corrected lenses, LeAnn was told that she didn't have to pay anything. LeAnn was surprised by this, so she made sure, asking again. And the gal was clear - no payment was necessary.

"What a blessing!" we thought. At least until this past week.

K's left temple fell off this last week, so we needed to get it replaced. This meant another trip to Iowa Eye Care on 1st Ave. They ordered the part and told us the cost was going to be $27.

When K and I got home, there was a phone message from Iowa Eye Care telling us that we owed them $80 for the lenses from last March. They hadn't billed us. They hadn't called us in the Spring saying we owed. They waited until we had a need, and then say "oh, and by the way, you never paid." I felt like we were being accused of being negligent. So when we got this news, LeAnn and I were quite surprised because they had been very clear last March - we don't owe anything for the lenses.

There's more to this story I could share (especially from Iowa Eye Care's side), but this is getting long enough. Suffice it to say, LeAnn and I paid the $80, but I was so bothered by this issue. Why was I so internally worked up over paying $80 for eyeglass lenses?

As I thought through the issue, I realized it had nothing to do with the lenses. What bothered me so much was to be told one thing, then 5 months later have the other party go completely against everything they just said. Yes, it was a mistake - but why can't they keep their word?

I have to do this all the time as a parent and pastor. I will say one thing to my kids ("sure, you can have a piece of candy"), and then later realize it may not have been the best thing ("what? they've already had 4 pieces of candy today?"). So what do I do? Do I correct the mistake, but look inconsistent? Or do I suffer the mistake personally so that I am a man of integrity (but exhort myself to be more careful with what I say next time)?

After this incident, LeAnn and I have decided that we will take our eyeglass business elsewhere. If a company can't stand by the word of their employees and is so willing to fight for $80, then when I have to spend $300 on new lenses and frames this year, someone else will receive that, not Iowa Eye Care. It would probably soften this incident if Iowa Eye Care had treated us differently, but that's not the point of this blog. The point for me is I am resolved to once again be a word-keeper through the power of the Holy Spirit.