River Place Vision Center

Just moved into area and was intending on making this place my local optician. (I spend about $ 2,500−3,000 per year at opticians.) Walked into this place with a pair of Silhouette frames where the temple piece had broken. I waited for the woman at the front desk to get off the phone and then explained the situation to her. In a very officious/​surly tone she told me, «That is a discontinued model so we can’t get replacement parts.» I told her that it had not been discontinued that long and maybe if she could call the manufacturer/​supplier we could find out for sure. She then became slightly aggressive and told me what an expert she was and she knew they did not have the parts. She then told me my only alternative was to buy the newer model of the same frame which would cost $ 379 and it would take 10 days to get the current lenses changed over to the new frame. I again asked if there were no other alternatives and she told me in a very dismissive tone, «No», and turned to help someone else. So I drove1 mile down the street to Austin Vision Center (who also handle the same make frame) and walked in there. I was not even to the front desk when one of the women said to me, «Looks like you need a new temple piece, let me see the frames and get the style number so I can call and see how much it will cost.» She took the glasses; called the supplier; ordered the part and told me to stop in on Tuesday (3 business days away) and they would have it all done — cost $ 100. Out of curiosity I asked how much the newer model replacement frame would cost and was told $ 339. The whole conversation was friendly and the woman at River Place could take a lesson in customer relations from these people.
Bottom line — Austin Vision Center has a much nicer shop — with far more frames to choose from; it’s open more hours per week; they have lower prices for exactly the same item; faster processing times; better parking and MUCH more knowledgeable and MUCH, MUCH MORE helpful staff.
Guess who now will be getting my future business?

I think this place is WAY OVERPRICED & not very friendly nor helpful! The doctor was very nice & took the time to answer my questions but the front staff was just not pleasant. I Should have wrote this review months ago as I never wanted to return back after my first encounter with them, but I called again today & as my call was yet again unpleasant when the lady on the phone seemed bothered by the phone call, I decided to go ahead & push forward with this review. I have now found another optometrist who as soon as I called, asked for my insurance, ALL of my insurance as they informed me that my medical could possibly cover! I had the exact insurance when I was at River Place as well, but they never once offered to check that for me. Turns out my medical covered all of the exam except the contact portion. Exam & contacts all less than $ 200 at this new office. I paid almost $ 400 at River Place & I was told my vision insurance covered most of the contacts. Not to mention, I was having such difficulty with my contacts after a couple months of wear but when called, the lady said I could come in for an exam but there would be an out of pocket exam fee. So I suffered into the this year just to not pay the additional cost. Finally I recently went to this new Dr, expecting to pay 100% out of pocket, but hoping to find a more pleasant experience. When I showed this new Dr my boxed lenses, she said she couldn’t believe another optometrist would give me (someone with astigmatism) that brand of contacts as they do not allow proper oxygen to reach the eyes. I have been using a completely different brand that’s actually recommended for astigmatism for the last month & it’s amazing the difference that has made. Now that I have 2 unused boxes of contacts, I’ve been calling around & most offices are telling me this brand is really outdated & no one has used this brand in years & to try to sell back to original Dr. That was my call today, which was pointless as she said there’s no way she could help me & when asked to provide another solution her response was «nope, no one will buy those.» My long story made short… bad experience & I DO NOT SUGGEST THIS PRACTICE!!!

Just saw Dr. Smith’s post on getting rid of John, yay! But don’t know if it is too late for that…
We visited River Place Vision Center 3 times, first time to get our eye examination and purchase contact lenses, the other 2 times to go argue with John on fraudulent charges with our insurance provider. Honestly, I have to give it to John, he is the only person that managed to make my wife cry, make me want to kick a 300 lbs person’s behind, and make Blue Cross Blue Shield say «we give up!», all at once. Not sure how Dr. Smith did it, as I can see John lying his way out of anything. Mad props to you Dr. Smith!
I don’t understand all the 5-​star reviews, especially the ones that complimented on John. But hey, I guess we all live in Steiner and some of us are just doing our neighborly duty to help out friend’s business, right?
Dr. Smith is nice and professional, both my wife and I liked the service he provided. But I think he is too nice and really shoulda stepped in earlier and taken control of the situation with John, as I am sure we are not the only victims of his crimes (look at other 1 or 2 star reviews in filtered section).

Overall I was pleased with my experience. My contacts are perfect. Dr. Smith was very nice. While, his office staff wasn’t over the top with personality. I was very pleased with my general experience at River Place Vision. I will definitely be back!

Our family of four has been going here for several years and had nothing but great service from everyone. We love John and he has tweeked/​repaired my daughter’s glasses after accidents for us several times with a smile and for no charge. They’ve also reordered glass parts under our warranty twice with no problem. Dr. Smith is great with adults and kids and goes the extra mile. He’s even come in on Saturdays so that we can all have our appointments at the same time. It’s also nice that the office is close to home. I would disregard the negative review and give them a chance for yourself and decide. I think you’ll be pleased.

I noticed that there are two other reviews for this place but the spelling of the business is slightly different (River Place is two words not one). Thought I should review them under the name that was on my invoice and receipt so that anyone looking for a review on River Place Vision Center will be able to pull one up.
Ok, on to the review, I’m going to keep this short and sour. Do not waste your time. Your better off going to an eye doc at one of the big box stores. It will cost you less and you will not have to deal with stooges.

I would give a negative rating if I could. I have had nothing but problems at this place. I was sized incorrectly for a pair of glasses by a front desk woman (that was later fired), and when the glasses that I ordered did not fit, they did not do anything to help. We had to almost threaten to at least get a credit for another pair of glasses, and they didn’t even give us the majority of the cost of the glasses. Do not go to this place even if it is the ONLY place that your insurance company will allow (which I highly doubt). You would get better service and would be better off just paying out of pocket somewhere. AVOID AVOID AVOID. Oh, and AVOID.

I’ve been using Riverplace Vision Center for two, going on three years and I couldn’t be happier. I first started having vision problems Jan/​Feb 2009 and went to see them because their office is next to my corporate office.
In 2009 I wanted contacts but got frustrated because I just couldn’t get them in my eyes.
In 2010 I tried again and this time, determined I finally got them in and out with no problems. John was there in 2009 and in 2010 and extremely friendly and very patient with me when teaching me how to put my new contact lenses in.
The doctor is also very nice as well and answered any question (even the silly ones) professionally.
I’m not sure what kind of experience the other reviewer had and perhaps John was having a bad day or perhaps the she is hypersensitive or not too nice herself.