When I was a kid growing up, all I wished for were braces. Somehow the tooth fairy liked me a little too much bc I got straight teeth (for the most part) and eyeglass instead (as a kid I thought: sad panda face) lol. Well, avoiding glasses is never a good thing but I was able to until I transitioned into high school when I finally really needed them. It was then I realized how good glasses are! I no longer had to sit at the very front of class!
My second story is that I'm half Chinese. And what does that mean? Well, Chinese people including myself, like to be frugal in everything they buy, to find a good deal at an affordable price. Even though my Korean dad did tell me that sometimes one just has to pay a premium for the good stuff, just be sure to choose wisely, my Chinese mom's side reminds me that money is still money! Yeeks to internal struggle! :P
So what do these two things have to do with this place?
Now comes the hard part.
1) When I have to buy something that I really need to use, say for instance, to see sporting events like UH (University of Hawaii) football baseball and volleyball games, church services, weddings, movies, and for seeing meeting and class presentations, working on the computer, being in the sun, and driving anywhere, then I'd want it to be an affordable solution.
2) Having to rely on some long-term solution fix is all fine and dandy but real caveat is I'll need a pair of that great invention for literally every. single. situation. sufficient for all of the different activities I do throughout the day every day!
Eeks
Why "eeks!"?
Historically it is a known fact that glasses can be quite expensive but I don't want to have to shell out $300-500 for every single pair!
How many glasses would I need? Pulling out my trusty fingers, that would be:
(Pointer finger - 1) 1 pair sunglass
(Middle finger - 2) 1 reading
(Ring finger - 3) 1 distance (difficult to watch football live at the field thru the bifocals :P)
(Pinky finger - 4) 1 bifocal (to see car controls whilst driving)
(Thumb - 5) 1 computer.
That's...5 pairs!
5 pairs at $300 or even $500 brings about the scary thought of having to pay $1,500 to $2,500 total. Yikes!!!
Okay so 3) Even though I do have "good" insurance (not 100%) coverage, the coverage would be for ONE pair. So...question would be: Which 1 shall I choose?!
Better question is: Does it really need to cost that much?!
Well, if you come here and need as many glasses as I do? YEP, it will :( Yowza + Ouch = Yowch !
(See why I wanted braces?!)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE - All kidding and self-teasing aside (just givin' you my truest, most honest feelings), when you are in need of assistance for your glasses, you will get great service. The people here are nice enough to help you out with whatever you need. They are efficient and will take your order by helping you find the right pair of frames that best matches your face shape, skin coloring, and eyeball adjustments. However, while they can also help you file your eye glass and lenses insurance reimbursement forms, what they cannot help you with are price adjustments.
This is why customer service without affordable price is difficult to weigh. If you have a product with great service but product is complicated (breaks a lot) or too high cost, great customer service probably can't..give you what you need.
AS FOR THE 2 PAIRS I PURCHASED HERE: Both are Ray Bans and bifocals. One I absolutely love; the other I absolutely hate. Love - frames are matte black, extremely sturdy and solid, and despite initial challenges with the stiff vertical nose pad wires and my Asian nose, David adjusted them to sit on my bridge quite well. Hate - The antireflective coating is peeling off at top of the lenses; the enamel is flaking off the frame front; and the fit is awkward and somehow the most uncomfortable frames I've ever owned. (Ugh, they torment me daily.)
LOCATED at Kahala Mall across Consolidated Theaters and Kuru Kuru on the Whole Foods side of the mall.
CHECK-IN PROCESS when you first get there is at the desk at front. Tell them what you need when they ask - there may be a wait - and they will take you when they are free.
THEY STOCK TONS of frames (and even carry contacts) but carry a limited number of brands. At first glance, their frame styles are similar with a lot of black but are actually different shades shapes & even eye sizes (the measurement for head width). Women's and kid's frames are along the left-side wall; men's frames are on the right wall.
WHAT ABOUT.. As for the other 3 pairs of eye glasses that I also need, I replaced lenses in 1 current frame and made 2 additional purchases at Costco Optical, and although they were not dirt cheap, they were significantly more competitively and affordably priced. read more