I have been a customer of Spex for around 5 years. I began working with them in Wicker Park and then at the Lake View location. I have always had an easy and good experience. So when I moved to the West Loop, I thought it would be easy to stick with the same eye company. Man I was wrong! It was a terrible decision.
First this summer I ordered prescription sun glasses from them. The prior year I ordered new lenses for my glasses and I wanted the same prescription for my sun glasses. The gentleman seemed annoyed I wouldn't do an exam, but I didn't need one as my prescription was current. The glasses came in and the left lens was off, it was .5 off my prescription. The same guy, I believe Jonathan was his name, would not do anything about it. He told me that it is only .5 off and that was what was on file for my prescription. So it was not his fault. I don't know how I could have ordered new lenses for my eye glasses and then use that same order for my sun glasses and they would be different. But when you visit Spex in the West Loop that is not there fault. So I am now stuck with sun glasses that give me a head ache when I wear them.
So now I decide to go back and give them one more shot. I walked in for a simple contact exam that should be covered by my insurance. When I walk in and explain what I want, three people, at the same time, try to explain to me what my insurance will cover, all giving out random numbers. There was no organization. No chart showing what they charge and what my insurance covers. I was just a little overwhelmed at this point. Now completely confused by all the costs they are telling me, I think I have never paid more then $10 co-pay and a small fee for the contact fitting. So I go in the room with the Doctor and about to begin the exam. The doctor was really nice and we were just about to start chatting. Then Jonathan comes walking in, and begins to talk down to me about what my insurance covers. I allow him to finish, as he talks condescending to me. He is speaking a million miles a minute and throwing out a list of charges. So as an accountant I am adding them all up in my head. So I say to him, so you are telling me to get a contact eye exam today you are going to charge me almost $200. I tell him I have never paid that much for a contact eye exam and I have been coming here for years. He begins to badger me with how wrong and that I have always paid this much for a contact exam.
I let him badger me for about 5 minutes about how wrong I am. At that point I decided that this is not a place that I would want to give my business too. I felt completely uncomfortable in the establishment. It was as if he was trying to bully me into paying more then I should have to pay. At this point I decided to walk out. I told them that this is not a place I feel comfortable with and I will be finding a new place to bring my business too. At that point Jonathan turned into a charmer trying to win back my business. He even had the courage to ask me if there was anything that they could do to win my business back. I told them no. I was completely embarrassed by this point and left the business location.
I have never had issues with Spex until I started going to the West Loop location, but if I was you I would not go. When I first went to the establishment this summer for sun glasses, Jonathan told me they were having problems getting business in the area. I was really confused as there are so many apartment complexes and residential areas, that I would have expected there business would be doing great. But after going to this location now twice I have figured out why they are not doing well.
After five years as a customer of Spex, I will no longer be using there services. read more