Ultralase in Ireland to Close?

Undercover secret agent

Hi all

I have had a nightmare with this lot, I got surgery with Ultralase Ireland awhile back, ended up in hospital with the most severe infection you could get, I was actually blind for afew days and in the most pain I've ever suffered in my entire life. I've a letter from Ultralase to reimburse me for the surgery however now that Ultralase Ireland are gone I'm finding it very hard to get anyone to listen. I've rang Optimax and have sent registered letters however I'm been told they are really "busy" right now so someone will call me back. It is criminal what they are doing to us............I will keep you posted on how this one turns out, I'm not letting this one go...........

Heebie

I've just received a call from Optimax today, and I have an appointment to get my long-overdue follow-up surgery done in February.
So, at least is again appears things are going in a positive direction.
We'll just see if on 1st February if they ring & tell me my appointment is cancelled again, or if I show up at the office & it's packed up and gone like happened last May!

brenm82

I received a phonecall from optimax today am getting my follow up surgery in Belfast the end of February. They said that due to the liquidation they are not covering travelling and hotel expenses but at least they are covering the cost of the retreatment. Fingers crossed it goes ahead!

ebowdia

My wife had the initial surgery in Cork in 2012 and also has to back for corrective surgery. After a couple of cancellation by Ultralase/Optimax she too got a call the other day for the followup surgery at the end of Feb. As the previous poster mentioned they are now not covering travel/accommodation.

Heebie

I received the forms in the mail today for my surgery scheduled for next month.. so another step forward!

itsme89

hey guys what number did ye ring about this.. i need re treatment in one of my eyes but havnt been able to get in contact with anyone??
Thanks

itsme89

hey guys what number did ye ring about this.. i need re treatment in one of my eyes but havnt been able to get in contact with anyone??
Thanks

Heebie

I have this number for the contact centre in the UK:
+0044 8000 9620 70

UK general number for Optimax: +44 845 223 2616

Belfast clinic: +44 28 9051 7500

itsme89 wrote: »

hey guys what number did ye ring about this.. i need re treatment in one of my eyes but havnt been able to get in contact with anyone??
Thanks

TurkiyeKelebek

Hi, I just got a letter today requesting I pay the rest of the money owed to UltraLase. Getting legal advice tonight. Has everyone who was due for re-treatment got it done?

Heebie

My appointment is the 25th (and I know at least one other has an appointment the same day)
I did get a call from them to verify the appointment. I'll let you know if I get there and get told it's not happening.

TurkiyeKelebek wrote: »

Hi, I just got a letter today requesting I pay the rest of the money owed to UltraLase. Getting legal advice tonight. Has everyone who was due for re-treatment got it done?

Heebie

I received a confirmation of my re-treatment appointment by post today, should be going forward next Tuesday according to this!
Keep your fingers crossed everyone!

stardoll81

Hi guys I was paying by direct debit which hasn't been taken since last July and I received a letter today from a company called BDO who are the receivers for ultralase Ireland stating that I owe a certain amount....am I still obliged to pay this amount??

TurkiyeKelebek

stardoll81 wrote: »

Hi guys I was paying by direct debit which hasn't been taken since last July and I received a letter today from a company called BDO who are the receivers for ultralase Ireland stating that I owe a certain amount....am I still obliged to pay this amount??

I got that same letter last week and I received legal advice this evening. The lawyer reckons we mightnt have to pay it but to organise a face to face with bdo to argue that we arent receiving all we were promised. Im going to call bdo tomorrow and arrange a meeting. Maybe you should do the same?

stardoll81

TurkiyeKelebek wrote: »

I got that same letter last week and I received legal advice this evening. The lawyer reckons we mightnt have to pay it but to organise a face to face with bdo to argue that we arent receiving all we were promised. Im going to call bdo tomorrow and arrange a meeting. Maybe you should do the same?

Thanks again for this, I called BDO and they basically said I was liable for the full amount, have spoken to a solicitor and he advised that may not be the case given that Ultralase were offering a lifetime guarantee....now to try and find the finance agreement I signed to look at the T&C's , here's hoping it's not lost in the house move!! :eek:

TurkiyeKelebek

stardoll81 wrote: »

Thanks again for this, I called BDO and they basically said I was liable for the full amount, have spoken to a solicitor and he advised that may not be the case given that Ultralase were offering a lifetime guarantee....now to try and find the finance agreement I signed to look at the T&C's , here's hoping it's not lost in the house move!! :eek:

Oh no, hopefully you'll find it! I've to email them stating why I'm unhappy so they can seek legal advice before meeting me. I think they could be hoping we'll just pay without questioning it! I'll let you know how I get on

Heebie

I have all my paperwork, if it was signed during the same era, it should be alike, although my DD's are still being taken, so perhaps it's a different finance company. (unless you stopped the DD's yourself.)

stardoll81 wrote: »

Thanks again for this, I called BDO and they basically said I was liable for the full amount, have spoken to a solicitor and he advised that may not be the case given that Ultralase were offering a lifetime guarantee....now to try and find the finance agreement I signed to look at the T&C's , here's hoping it's not lost in the house move!! :eek:

stardoll81

Heebie wrote: »

I have all my paperwork, if it was signed during the same era, it should be alike, although my DD's are still being taken, so perhaps it's a different finance company. (unless you stopped the DD's yourself.)

Thanks, I signed my agreement in March 2011, was yours around the same time?

muirean

Hi, I am a similar case to yours, i underwent treatment 18th March 2013 in Waterford. I received a similar letter from BDO to pay a sum of money to Quality Health Care Ltd. I spoke to a lady from BDO today who said I was offered a 20% discount as was also in the letter for paying the amount due in an up front payment before Feb 28th. Otherwise i'd have to pay the full sum of money to them at a later date or face legal proceedings. This sounds to me like scare mongering tactics.
I havnt got legal advise about it yet, i am about to pen an email to them first and tomorrow speak to a more senior member of the firm to see if I can broker a deal since I am forfeiting my life time after care service. I am willing to pay my debt, id settle with a 50% discount on the principle sum. The way I see it, if the can offer a 20% discount on the amount why not offer 50%? The company did breach their contract to us after all. We are not going to have to pay the difference by forking out to get alternative treatment elsewhere.

stardoll81

All documentation found including worthless lifetime guarantee certificate so will let everyone know how i get on!

Heebie

Mine was November 2012, so probably some changes between when yours was signed and when mine was.

stardoll81 wrote: »

Thanks, I signed my agreement in March 2011, was yours around the same time?

Heebie

I have a newly lasered eye as a follow-up. I met two other people from the Republic, and the doctor that did my eye said he had already done follow-up surgeries on 5 other Ultralase patients before me when I was in yesterday.

So.. there is real, genuine follow-through going on.

I was also told that all of us should get letters fairly soon from Optimax about exactly what happened during all the hullaballoo.

I remember being told by Ultralse that ideally the flap should be lifted before 6 months of healing went by, but after 15 months, the Dr. I saw yesterday did not have any difficulty lifting the flap & performing the surgery. So far (a bit over 24-hours in) the result seems to be excellent. I still had a fairly pronounced astigmatism in my left eye, and it appears either to be gone, or to be so reduced that I can't see it due to the eye not quite focusing right yet. (It does take a little while to fully settle, as I'm sure anyone interested in this thread should already know.)

Looks amazing so far, though.

TurkiyeKelebek

Heebie wrote: »

I have a newly lasered eye as a follow-up. I met two other people from the Republic, and the doctor that did my eye said he had already done follow-up surgeries on 5 other Ultralase patients before me when I was in yesterday.

So.. there is real, genuine follow-through going on.

I was also told that all of us should get letters fairly soon from Optimax about exactly what happened during all the hullaballoo.

I remember being told by Ultralse that ideally the flap should be lifted before 6 months of healing went by, but after 15 months, the Dr. I saw yesterday did not have any difficulty lifting the flap & performing the surgery. So far (a bit over 24-hours in) the result seems to be excellent. I still had a fairly pronounced astigmatism in my left eye, and it appears either to be gone, or to be so reduced that I can't see it due to the eye not quite focusing right yet. (It does take a little while to fully settle, as I'm sure anyone interested in this thread should already know.)

Looks amazing so far, though.

Soooooo thrilled for you!! I'm having awful trouble with bdo, apparently my lifetime guarantee is null and void and they're refusing to meet with me even though I was advised legally that, if I request it, they MUST meet with me.

Heebie

What's BDO?

I probably should have mentioned that my lifetime care guarantee from Ultralase is considered null and void, and they're taking care of Ultralase patients as a "goodwill gesture"

I was also told that I should still be able to go back if my OTHER eye still needs adjustment, but that once my eyes are both "good enough" I will be "discharged" and that will be that.

They have actually changed the language in the literature they hand out at their office between my consult in September and now. The one in September said that there was a lifetime care guarantee, and now it says that care if guaranteed until you are discharged. I have a feeling that this linguistic change might have something to do with things they found out after they bought Ultralase & liquidated it.

TurkiyeKelebek wrote: »

Soooooo thrilled for you!! I'm having awful trouble with bdo, apparently my lifetime guarantee is null and void and they're refusing to meet with me even though I was advised legally that, if I request it, they MUST meet with me.

TurkiyeKelebek

Heebie wrote: »

What's BDO?

I probably should have mentioned that my lifetime care guarantee from Ultralase is considered null and void, and they're taking care of Ultralase patients as a "goodwill gesture"

I was also told that I should still be able to go back if my OTHER eye still needs adjustment, but that once my eyes are both "good enough" I will be "discharged" and that will be that.

They have actually changed the language in the literature they hand out at their office between my consult in September and now. The one in September said that there was a lifetime care guarantee, and now it says that care if guaranteed until you are discharged. I have a feeling that this linguistic change might have something to do with things they found out after they bought Ultralase & liquidated it.

Ahhh that makes sense. They are the receivership looking after ultralase's finances. Not very pleasant or helpful.

Heebie

I got my letter from Ultralase yesterday. I'd imagine I'm not the only one.

brenm82

I got my retreatment done last Tuesday. After the initial eye exam the surgeon said he was hoping to retreat with Lasix which he did. I was told that once i am discharged following this procedure I am no longer covered by ultralase and that as this my second retreatment I won't be covered if I need any further treatment. Hopefully I won't need any other treatments!!!!!!!

Heebie

I wonder if you're one of the folks I bumped into while I was there. I know there were at least 8 of us from the ROI there on Tuesday last, and I met three in person.
I was there from about 1pm to 3:30pm

Did you have 1 re-treatment on each eye, or one eye re-treated twice?

I've had one eye re-treated, and so far it seems good, although a little blurry& unstable still, the astigmatism appears to be pretty much gone.

brenm82 wrote: »

I got my retreatment done last Tuesday. After the initial eye exam the surgeon said he was hoping to retreat with Lasix which he did. I was told that once i am discharged following this procedure I am no longer covered by ultralase and that as this my second retreatment I won't be covered if I need any further treatment. Hopefully I won't need any other treatments!!!!!!!

brenm82

I was there early in the morning I was the second one in to get treated they said there was over 10 of us being treated on Tuesday!! I got both eyes retreated they detoriated quick enough after the first time so I'm hoping that this time it will work especially when they said they won't cover a third one treatment. My sight is good so far so fingers crossed :-)

mutley18

I have only just heard about all this tonight! Was it not on the news at the time?!

Anyway I had LASIK in June 2011 with Ultralase in Belfast, I live in Donegal so it was the closest option. Am I up shít creek without a paddle now regarding retreatment? This is all incredibly disappointing. €4000 down the drain.

TurkiyeKelebek

mutley18 wrote: »

I have only just heard about all this tonight! Was it not on the news at the time?!

Anyway I had LASIK in June 2011 with Ultralase in Belfast, I live in Donegal so it was the closest option. Am I up shít creek without a paddle now regarding retreatment? This is all incredibly disappointing. €4000 down the drain.

No, no one knew anything about them closing. Yep we all are, it's disgraceful!!