BLUF: Go somewhere--ANYWHERE else.
PRO's:
The optometrist and optometric tech w whom I worked were personable, efficient, and attempted to give me the best options for my budget.
CON's:
1. Expect "Bait & Switch" to be standard tactic here. Coupons, etc. are somehow not applicable to whatever you need.
2. Store is NOT easy to get to. Unless you are coming straight down southbound 436, you will have to go past the store, turn onto a sidestreet, then make a U-turn and turn L onto 436 southbound. In my overall experience, not worth it.
3. FRAME SELECTION IS VERY LIMITED, especially in the price range most vision plans cover.
4. THEY USE A DIFFERENT () ALLOWED PRICE SCHEDULE than I printed off UHC Vision site this morning. The Spectravision fee table they were prepared to charge me was $30+ higher on all the "upgrades" than UHC's.
5. The store Manager and apparent optician for the store, (who will remain un-named) is arbitrary, inflexible, unbearably arrogant, and has zero interpersonal and sales closure skills. Or maybe he just doesn't like educated, articulate middle-aged Anglo males (or maybe his is an anti-Veteran issue). Or maybe he feels that his store cannot compete w online eyeglass sources, and is so threatened by them, that he will not share w me a standard measurement--clearly anticompetitive, arbitrary and capricious behavior in his part. Despite all the goodwill that his tech and other staff had built over the last 90 minutes of my visit to his store, he squandered that within 30 seconds, and killed a $450 deal, and ANY future business w 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore, from me or mine. [20/20 Owner or Regional Mgr--take note!]. If he can be such a jerk over a simple measurement that he had to do anyway, how would he handle defects, warranty issues, etc. From many of the reviews where that was an issue--VERY BADLY!
BOTTOM LINE: STAY AWAY FROM THIS JOINT.
This was about my only option, given the EXTREMELY restrictive network of United HealthCare Vision plan. So I drove all the way crosstown just to get a new glasses Rx, and the least costly glasses I could that would meet my needs. I am a disabled Vet, not working currently d/t a flare in my disabling condition, so finances are very tight right now, and I told them that, and if possible, get a a backup pair within budget, using their coupns if necessary. We went all the way through the process. Of course, none of their coupons or special promotions were valid w insurance. I decided my best--indeed, only-- option was to get one pair using the insurance, because even the self-pay rate for their "BOGO Special" was more than twice the ins. cost for one pair. Like another reviewer, I requested the ID (interpupillary distance, also called "IPD"), so that, when finances permit, I might get a backup pair from UHC's online vendor, or other source. The store manager, who happened to be the optician on duty, REFUSED to give me this measurement, variously citing:
1. "Store Policy" (of course, no such written policy document was presented);
2. He would be liable if any internet-obtained glasses had the wrong IPD (nonsense; the orig vendor would be);
3. "I's not a part of the prescription, so I can't give it to you"
4. "It's PROPRIETARY"! (These are MY eyes, and the technique is NOT a trade secret, nor rocket science--all of which also clearly exceeded his intellectual capacity as much as did basic Customer Service and human decency).
5. Finally, he tried to defend his refusal on the basis of how much schooling he had. If he wanted to have an educational or academic D-measuring contest, he clearly was the under dog, w my 15 yrs postsecondary education, 5 of those post-doctorate.
Finally, I put it to him in plain English (another obvious challenge for him): "Are you going to lose a sale, rather than provide me with a standard measurement that you are going to do anyway?"
He was.
I walked. read more