I looked again to EyeMed which I briefly (like for a couple of days) signed up with a year ago and again was turned off by the idea that the exam wasn't totally free like initially touted. If you read the fine print, there's a mandatory eye health secondary exam that's not covered (averages around $45...so they say). And the frames are only fully covered with higher monthly premium plans. The cheapest monthly premiums were now in the $12/mo. range.
VSP, which I used to get free in the past when employed, was even worse. It's obvious these so called insurance plans are nothing more than their dental plan counterparts...discount plans at best. And whether they actually provide worthwhile and sensible discounts is entirely depended on how you will use them. For my needs, barebones basic, they really don't make sense.
So then I thought, what about America's Best? They offer free eye exams (supposedly without the mandatory extra cost) for the cost of two pair of glasses for about $60. So I saw advertised. Don't know how old that ad was, and do you think companies like that old ads keep floating around...with old prices? 'Cause, yup, you know it, it sure wasn't sixty bucks anymore, more like $120. And lots of reddit posts warned there are plenty of upsells and conditions.
Hey Michael, what about that eye doctor in Lake Wales you saw last year as part of your health insurance offered "free" diabetic eye exam? $10 co-pay and he still billed me some $45 over what insurance paid him. Fucker is still harassing me about it too. And yeah, he said he'd throw in a vision exam but he never did so I'm SOL on that too.
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A few months back, I get a strange charge for twenty-one bucks and change on my brand-new Amazon credit card and it only indicates that its an "Amazon Payment." Now I already had issue with this card's online summary of transactions in that it's way too "summary" for me. It's no doubt designed to be more like an app than a web browser page. I guess also, since transactions are only for Amazon.com purchases (or Whole Foods if you have one near you, which, of course I don't, but I wouldn't shop there anyway, but that's neither here nor there...) they feel they can be super brief with their transaction descriptions. I couldn't remember any order matching this amount so I checked my Amazon order history and, nope, nothing matching it.
Called the card customer service. They were rude and dismissive, triggering me from the get go and making me almost cancel the fucking card altogether. Called Amazon customer service. They were nice as can be and helped me rake through both physical product delivery purchases and digital purchases I've made to see if it was mine. End result on both ends though was the same: no one could find it. Back to card customer service. This rep was a bit nicer and they helped me order a new card and process a fraud claim.
Fast forward to today, some three months later. The bank (Synchrony...yeah, I know!) says -- nope, no fraud. They say it was something I ordered and got delivered to me.
I'm not calling to complain. I'm not asking for "proof." (Of course there won't be any. They probably have fine print somewhere where it says "I" have the burden of providing them with proof..."guilty until proven innocent," in the eyes of Corporate Justice, don't you know.)
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Last month I get a notice taped to the side of either my mailbox or my door, not sure, they use both methods for delivering notices from the office here. Connie seems to hate to use email or texts. I guess she'd blame it on the number of residents who are full-on "luddites extraordinaire" who have neither computer or smartphone, which, I'd bet, do exist here.
The notice says they're having a meeting to discuss the recent lot rent increase.
I thought for a minute about attending but, well, I am a hermit after all. Turns out, a couple days after the meeting, I get another taped up notice. The meeting was deemed a negotiation between a "committee" of residents and the park management. As a result of the discourse, a reduction in the lot rent was agreed upon. Oh goodie, goodie! How much?
Ten bucks.
When I got my usual email copy of my monthly lot rent statement (emailed from the corporate office from me signing up for the service on their website, nothing to do with Connie, that's why it's electronic) it didn't automatically deduct the new (whopping) discount. No big whoop. They likely produced the statement well before the meeting, so of course it has the pre-adjusted amount, I'll just send my check in for the amount stated less ten bucks.
Meanwhile, I'm checking my security cam events yesterday, like I do every morning. I nearly spit-take my coffee. Another interloper! Right on my carport, brushing past my car and -- wait a minute -- did he come to my door? I look at the dude in the video again -- it's Mike, the maintenance / Connie's gopher guy. I check outside my door and, sure enough, there's a taped piece of paper near it. It's a printout saying I'm ten dollars short with my lot rent payment.
I get ahold of Connie and she insists that my math is wrong. She says I should not have deducted the ten from the full amount on the statement. Yes there was a $10 reduction as agreed but she says it was baked into the statement. I email attachments of statements both prior to the $37 increase and after and my math clearly holds that the statement did not reflect a reduction of $10.
It takes her a little while but she finally agrees. The only thing though, her agreement was only verbal. Her last email reply says I'm wrong, so the only thing "in writing" still is her saying I owe the wrong amount. Watch this issue come up again, mark my word. I made the age old mistake when dealing with a corporate rep -- I took them at their word and left it at that. I should have asked for it in writing. Oh brother, when will I learn.
EDIT: Now, a few days later. The new statement came in via email today. It still has the uncorrected lot rent amount AND still wants the $10 owed that Connie waived. I forwarded it to her, diplomatically blaming the "main office" for not yet correcting it and informing her I'll just submit my February check deducting $20 from the statement grand total (as she verbally said I should do). Stay tuned.