Sears Optical

I’ve been going to Sears Optical for almost seven years, and it’s finally time to cut the cord. There have just been too many mistakes, some bigger than others. For example, a few years back the glasses I ordered took well over a month to arrive, and when I got them home and saw them in different lighting, I realised there was a big thumbprint IN the lenses themselves, probably as a result of the technician grabbing them before the coating dried, and after arguing with the receptionist until she finally admitted there was no way I could have done it myself, she ordered me new lenses… which also took over a month to arrive.
The biggest problem, however, happened last year. I’d had my new glasses from Sears for about a year and was concerned that my eyes seemed to be getting worse so soon. I decided to get another exam elsewhere, and was stunned to learn that the prescription I had been given was NOT the same prescription on my lenses… Sears had given me glasses using an old prescription from three years ago, NOT the brand new one I had just paid for. When I went in, I again had to argue with the staff, and the woman I spoke to initially kept trying to brush it off as «just a small difference» even though, as the optician himself had told me, a single digit off makes an ENORMOUS difference when you’re already dealing with a heavy, complex prescription. (It was actually more like a few digits on each eye… no wonder I had so much difficulty reading things further away and kept getting headaches.) I paid nearly $ 700.00 for my glasses (no, there were no expensive designer frames involved, they had been polarized, had anti-​glare added, and were transitions), so I don’t think getting what I paid for is so unreasonable.
Eventually they agreed to replace the pair they had given me with the pair I had actually paid for, and for a while I was happy. Just last week, however, I went in to get the lenses replaced under warranty as they’d gotten scratched. They called me yesterday to tell me my new ones had arrived, and I was surprised to see that the new lenses they fitted me with had a very large and easily visible scratch in the bottom left-​hand corner of the left lense, almost a gouge or small fracture it was so thick. I noticed it immediately as soon as they were given to me to try on at the register. They are ordering me yet another pair, but when these come in, that will have to be the end of my dealings with them. I can’t believe that such a big obvious flaw got through both whatever quality inspections they do at the lab, and the staff at the store who received them.
Though 75% of the staff I’ve dealt with over the years (the staff seems to change frequently as the doctors move in and out) have been extremely nice, friendly, and helpful people (if a tad heavy on the upsell) I don’t feel confident continuing to go to Sears for my glasses because it’s clear there is a remarkable lack of quality control in wherever they order their lenses from, and what seems like a reluctance at times from some members of the staff to own up to or remedy mistakes. When you’re paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars, you would hope for a bit more attention to detail. I’m not looking to have my butt kissed as a customer. I’m just looking to get the quality they make me pay for, and frankly I would rather pay a little more somewhere else for fewer headaches in the long run.

It’s difficult to provide a single rating for the entire experience, so hopefully this will help. The Dr. (Jeremy Ernstes who is an independent business) was great. I felt very comfortable that I received an excellent examination and that the prescription for corrective lens’s was right on. The staff person that helped me select a pair of frames was personable and helpful (last name Louis). The glasses were ready for me to pick up within the specified time… so far so good. When I went to pick up my glasses the Manager (John Pastore) who I remembered seeing there when ordering the glasses was the only person present. I remembered him because he was visibly unhappy with the other employees because there were frames on display that they no longer carried. It struck me as unprofessional to demonstrate the «attitude» in from of a room full of customers. Anyway… he checked the fit of the glasses and then that was it. He didn’t provide me with any receipt and most importantly he kept my original prescription. I had to ask for it and the response was «oh you want a copy?» like that was unusual. I then ask what my measurements were for the distance between my eyes. He refused to tell me and said that was company policy. What became apparent was that he was intentionally keeping all of my personal data from me so I would have to come back there should I want to get another pair of glasses.
I can say that the year before I went to a Target Optical and when I left they provided me with a nice folder with everything (receipt, prescription, etc.) nicely put together.