I hate to do this, but I need to stand on business…read more
I wish I could give them 0 stars for the level of half-assed service that this location has operated under.
So, for context, this was the first location that I prescribed to after getting another vision insurance plan, and following a positive relationship with the College Park store, I thought this was going to be much the same since my previous prescription was already in the system.
However, when I got to the Greenbelt store for an exam, the first experience I had with Dr. Monica Cross was horrible. I told her during that exam that Acuvue contacts were uncomfortable, and that I would prefer soft gel contacts like BioTrue, because they fit more comfortably. Not only did she literally say, "I don't know what that is," but she recommended that I use daily contacts, which makes no f*cking sense because I've been using monthly contacts since my early-to-mid-20s with no issues.
Instead of hearing me out and giving me that brand, this MF gave me the Acuvue trial pair and didn't tell me (she only told me it was a monthly pair). Mind you, I used my insurance to pay for the trial, which means you automatically have to pay for the contacts as well. The front-desk attendant didn't even tell me that those were the contacts, and then rushed me through the payment process to get me out of there.
When I returned to retrieve my contacts, it was Acuvue, the same brand I told her not to give me. I was already dealing with the trials being uncomfortable, and I couldn't say anything because I would've had to wait another month to see Dr. Cross and argue with her again about it.
What made matters worse is that the two months I've had with this weak-ass prescription and these uncomfortable-ass contacts have been one of the worst experiences I've had in at least a decade. My eyes would turn red under bright lights; they would dry up fast, and accidentally falling asleep in my contacts (which occasionally happens due to my crazy work schedule) would immediately cause severe eye pain.
I tried calling in last month about the issues; that's when I found out that not only would I not be able to see her for another month, but all of my vision insurance was used up on those contacts I didn't want in the first place.
Just this Saturday (Labor Day Weekend 2026), I called the store to let them know about my issues after an extremely painful movie experience the night before. When I talked to the front desk attendant, I told her about my infection and asked if I could get the drops my College Park doctor gave me 3 years ago (which should be in the system, but the last trial erased my information from that store). The attendant acted like she saw the system and asked me about BioTrue, which was not the drops.
When I arrived at the store to ask if it was the right one (because I wasn't paying for shit unless it was confirmed), Dr. Cross came out and gave me an improvised assessment, only to recommend yet another brand that I had to buy somewhere else, with only directions not to wear glasses (no shit, Sherlock) and "Call her on Monday.....wait...Tuesday" to let her know if it improved.
And guess what? It's Tuesday (September 8th), and she's not even working today. When I called in to try to get my message relayed to Dr. Cross, I was put on hold for a while and was never called back.
This store is terrible, and the fact that they (in some way) have me tied to them until my insurance renews is unacceptable.
So, if it's going to hurt my wallet, I'll make it hurt all of us
Moving forward, every negative experience will result in me updating these reviews with a 1-star rating, and I'm going to tell everyone exactly why.
Maybe reading your fuckups can improve the store's service, since listening is clearly not their strength here.
Patients should not have to deal with severe eye pain and consistently inaccurate diagnoses because "you said what you said."
I'll forward my services to another location when I get the chance to do another trial.
