Spex- Andersonville

I needed new glasses as it had been a while since my list check up (5 years) and throw in the fact i come from a country where this is all covered by the NHS. So i was a little apprehensive. All of the staff who I worked with were fantastic! Friendly and knowledgeable.
Each staff member I was with took time to ensure I understood everything that was happening and were fun to chat to. I forgot the name of the first lady who helped me with my initial eye checks (dark curly hair, glasses) but she was hilarious and even cleaned my glasses for me!
Once my eye exam was done Leslie was great at helping me pick out glasses. She took the time to walk around and help me find a frame that suited me. She was honest and ensured I stayed on the right path suggesting things I might not have thought of it while listening to what I was ultimately looking for. In the end i picked out a great pair of L.A. Eyeworks. She even took the time to explain to me what was covered by my insurance and what I had to pay.
Overall, fantastic store, great selection and even better staff. Can’t wait to pick up my glasses when they are ready!

First of all I want to start by saying the staff at SPEX is great and very friendly. My feedback is from a span of extremes from my experience over six weeks.
PLUS SIDE
–Friendly staff
–Later hours
–Open concept space to check out glasses
–Great selection of frames
–Online access to records
NEGATIVE SIDE
–Expensive
–Dr’s seem to have less experience than a traditional optometry office
–Heavy reliance on technology and systems as a replacement for healthcare practices vs a compliment to them
–Seems too focused on staying with vendor lines/​services vs prescribing the best option for the patient the first time
MY EXPERIENCE
I tried SPEX because they were in the neighborhood, took my insurance and were accepting new patients. Feedback I had received seemed positive so I thought I would try them out. After scheduling an appointment I received an email to fill out my patient and insurance detail prior to my visit. This is a positive to me as my time in the waiting room was minimal since they had my records already on file for the visit.
During my initial visit I was encouraged to get additional tests not covered by my insurance. Due to my eye history I opted in for these tests. The eye exam itself was rather normal, except for the constant use of the computer during my visit. I feel like I was just answering questions vs having a conversation with the Dr.
I had my pupils dilated and while I waited for the dilation to process Leslie took me around to show me various frames and helped me with my final selection. I appreciated her honest feedback for the frames that were flattering and the ones that were not.
I was sent home with trial daily lenses. I have typically been a monthly lens wearer. I developed some issues with the lenses and scheduled a follow up appointment. I found the Dr (different than the original one) was reluctant to listen to me, even going as far as saying it was me and not the lenses. When she finally looked at my eyes she said my contacts were «too small» for me and that was why I was having issues. The Dr prescribed a different brand of daily lenses to try out and I was sent home.
I experienced issues with this brand as well and called and expressed my concern. I went back to the Dr again and she sent me home with yet another daily lens. Finally we had a good match after 3 contact tries!
Overall I feel like SPEX operates more like a great retail business vs a healthcare provider. The office staff is great, friendly and knowledgeable but my experience with the exams and the time with the Drs can greatly improve. I would recommend getting your optometry care elsewhere and visiting SPEX for their great selections and service.

I was immediately greeted by the staff when I entered who were warm and welcoming. I got my pretesting done and then into the room for my exam. The Dr. was nice and knowledgeable. After my exam I wanted to look for new glasses where I was lucky enough to be assisted by Laura. She listened to what I was looking for and brought me so many options. Laura helped decide which frames looked best on me. Even though it was close to closing time, I never felt rushed by her. I will definitely be going back!

F***ing a***les charged us for an unnecessary test that isn’t covered by insurance and then used up our benefit for glasses or contacts for a contact fitting!!! Now my husband can’t get contacts or glasses and they never said a thing to him about it!!! I’m soooo mad at these people! I plan on going there tomorrow to see if I can just pay out of pocket for his fitting so he can get his glasses, but I’m guessing they’ll give me a hard time because they are money grubbing scammers. NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE!!! They are soooo shady and put in that we bought contacts when we didn’t, so now we can’t get glasses at another place because it says we’ve already used our benefit. I mean that’s insurance fraud isn’t it??? In fact, I’m calling the instance company on Monday and letting them know what this company is doing!
Oh update– just checked my insurance and it says that the retinal eye exam is covered (they charged us) and that we received an eye exam and contacts! We never ordered contacts!!! Insurance fraud and scam! Do not trust this place!

I was dreading the whole process of picking out new glasses but Lesley was absolutely amazing. She told me what looked good and what didn’t and assured me that I would get used to my progressive lenses quickly (which I did)! She also made sure that I was completely happy and that my glasses fit perfectly. The rest of the staff was great as well and I was given a very thorough eye examination but I have to say that Lesley’s great personality and outstanding customer service were the highlight of my visit!

If I could give zero stars, I would.
Almost-​comically rude floor manager. Hapless receptionist. Absurd, inflated charges. I’d much rather take my business to Visionary down the street, even if they’re out-​of-​network for me, because as it turns out… what I would have ended up paying out-​of-​pocket for a measly contact lens fitting at Spex, where I’m supposedly covered, isn’t too far off what I’ll be paying Visionary for an ENTIRE comprehensive exam including lens fitting, much of which I’ll later recover when I submit it to my insurance company. And the wonderful staff at Visionary has at least the basic decency not to talk about customers within earshot, as though they’re not sitting right there. (and they don’t look and act like they’re constantly smelling a turd)

Last year I purchased a pair of eyeglasses from Spex just before I moved out of town. Today they broke — and rather than go looking for a new pair, I just wanted to replace the part since they are my favorite pair of glasses I’ve ever had. No place in my new town would help me replace the part. So I called Spex and within 5 minutes a new part was ordered and going to be shipped to me. Fantastic service. My only regret is that there isn’t a Spex around me because no other place has ever come close.

I am very happy with Spex! Everyone is kind & helpful. Dr. Gina Piper is the best eye doctor I have ever had. They helped me with figuring out my insurance coverage & getting discounts on contacts. They fixed my old glasses & didn’t pressure me to buy new ones.

Went to the Spex on Broadway earlier and didn’t have a great experience b/​c the staff pretty much ignored me the whole time I was there. At this location, Leslie was amazing~! Came in on a weekend to scope out glasses and Leslie was super friendly, nice, and conversational. She wasn’t pushy and gave the right amount of attention. She was pretty much picked out frames for me that ended up being the ones I went with. I really appreciate her sense of style.
Came back during the middle of the week and had an eye exam. Doctor was very friendly and explained things well. The process was pleasant and one of the more relaxed eye exams that I could remember. I also haven’t had one in 2 years so to me the exam technology they were using seemed new and offered a better experience during the process.
After the exam, I ordered the frames from Leslie (who remembered me from my last visit over the weekend) and got a copy of my prescription. I ended up ordering a pair of sunglasses and regular eye glasses. Later that day I changed my mind on the sunglasses and called in to cancel the order. Leslie was very professional and accommodating when it came to canceling the prescription sunglasses. My glass came in the following week (ordered them Wednesday and it came in on following Thursday) and Leslie did my fitting and was awesome as always.
Out of all the Spex I would recommend this location b/​c of the customer service.

For the price that this store charges, you would expect quality service. Their customer service is poor and they don’t have an idea for service recovery. I would not support this store for my next pair of eyeglasses.

I purchased two pairs of glasses at the 50 East Chicago location. I visited the store a few times and each time was greeted with open arms. Everyone was very accommodating from the minute I walked in the door including the optometrist. The selection was great and I’m very pleased with my new spectacles; they are well made and beautiful. I highly recommend this location and look forward to visiting them again… and I’m a picky shopper.

Had a great experience at Spex with staff member Mark. I came in late one evening with broken glasses. He took great care and time in fixing them and sending me on my way. No charge for any service, and even a nice carrying case! Highly recommended. Thanks Mark!

Went here for stylish frames because they always looked great in their windows. Had already been to my optometrists office at For Eyes and See in Lincoln Park but I learned See isn’t on my eye care plan. The long and short is I got pressured into giving the salesman (optician is his secondary job) a lot of my personal info so he could check my insurance The upshot: Spex was $ 100-​$ 450 more for glasses I liked much less than the ones at for eyes and see. Maybe other Spex stores have a better selection.

One week after my «1 year prescription expiry» and they wouldn’t give me my info while I was traveling so I could purchase a pair of temp contacts. Rude rubbish.

I had a full exam last summer. At the time, I really liked the optometrist. She was very kind and helpful. She explained the entire exam. The staff seemed preoccupied with themselves and barely noticed me. However, this really didn’t bother me, as I didn’t need their assistance.
Since I really liked the doctor last year, I called to schedule another exam. I told the staff person on the phone that I am pregnant and as a result only wanted the basic exam and that I did not want to have my eyes dilated. He told me that I had no choice in the type of exam that I have and that I would have to get permission from the doctor to not have my eyes dilated. I asked to speak to the doctor and he told me that she was unavailable. This would all just be slightly annoying, except that he spoke to me in an incredibly condescending and rude tone. When I got off of the phone call I felt bullied and belittled.
I called another optometrist office in the area who assured me that I would not have to do anything I am not comfortable with, including having my eyes dilated. They were kind and reassuring. I will not be going back to Spex.

Dreadful customer service. The woman who works there is so rude!

I had been going to Lenscrafters for years before I decided to try the Spex in my neighborhood. I had an excellent experience with them. The eye exam was very thorough and included technology I hadn’t seen in an eye exam in the past. When I had a question about my family history of macular degeneration, the optometrist showed me detailed scans of my eye to show me my eye was in good health. I also want to specifically mention my experience with Jeremy, who helped me pick out frames. He was very skilled at finding frames he thought would best fit the shape of my head/​face, and gave excellent insight and advice in this area. I liked all of the frames he selected and he patiently helped me narrow down the choices and make a final selection. I really appreciated this individual level of attention and care. I highly recommend this place!

I’ll start my review by saying that I am predisposed to liking Spex; I’ve gone to their suburban Grayslake location for years, since before it moved to its current location and before it even was a Spex. I’ve never had a bad experience with them.
The first time I went to the Andersonville location was a few months ago. My mom and I were in the neighborhood and stopped in to look at frames, since I was planning to get new glasses soon. The guy working at the time basically ignored us; maybe we didn’t look like we were going to buy anything?
I ordered a new pair of glasses a month ago, and had them sent to the Andersonville location since that’s close to where I’m living now, and I didn’t think the lack of customer service I’d experienced there before would be a problem if I was just going to pick up my new glasses. I had been told it would be 3 – 4 weeks for the glasses to come in. When the 4 week mark passed and I hadn’t heard anything, I called to ask if they knew when my glasses would be in, and was told that they were in and I had been called and told so. I had not gotten that phone call, and had no idea that my glasses had arrived. When I went to pick them up, I asked the woman who helped me if she knew when my glasses had come in, as I was wondering how long they’d been sitting there without me knowing. She said she didn’t know, and made no effort to check. Would they have tried to call me again, if I hadn’t followed up myself, or would my glasses have sat at the store indefinitely? Who knows. She did a quick check to see if my new glasses fit, and that was that.
For a business that prides itself on really high quality glasses (which I appreciate, since my eyes are terrible), I’d expect their customer service to also be high quality. For all future exams and frames purchases, I’ll make the trek north to Grayslake to make sure it’s done right… and probably to get my new frames readjusted, too.

Eye exam went well. Doctor was very accommodating.
Can somebody explain how is it possible that I have to pay $ 150 after my insurance for new lenses without frames That already own when I get get new pair of glasses for $ 40 online?
Sales people are very pushy into pressuring you in making a decision. I am spending $ 300 can’t make a decision in 2 min.

They’re ok. I usually go to Lens Crafters or some other chain b/​c I primarily wear contacts so I don’t need a selection of designer frames. But this place is in my new neighborhood so I decided to check them out b/​c they’re close and within my vision plan network.
1. I don’t like the way they pitch their upgraded eye exam. It’s was described as an MRI for your eyes and detects potential issues years in advance of typical exams. It’s not covered by insurance, it tacks on an additional $ 50, and they present it as a «hey this is awesome and you should expect this additional charge» instead of «hey if you upgrade then this is what you get with these benefits». I want to actively opt-​in for electives and not have to actively opt-​out.
2. My eye exam didn’t start until 40 minutes after my appointment time.
3. The optometrist was nice enough and the exam was typical.
4. The place has a new business feel in the sense that things are a bit clunky. I didn’t get fit with new lenses, but it didn’t matter to me b/​c my prescription and brand stayed the same. But it’s kind of unusual for that to not happen when I still paid for a $ 89 contact fitting fee. At that point I was running late for my next appointment and chose not to pursue it.
5. They seemed to have a nice frame selection. Maybe eyeglasses are what they’re better with?
I got my eye exam and my contacts are being mailed. Goal accomplished. But I don’t think I’ll go back.