Kalmus Optical

I love dr singer and his staff. They are professional and non-​pushy. Very knowledgeable. They even showed my husband how to get a groupon coupon for new glasses! I have been going there for over ten years, and I feel there is no on
Ue better. Tops in their field!

Kalmus Optical has been my go-​to place for contacts and eyeglasses since the early 2000’s. They’re a really wonderful store with a great selection and service, and Dr. Singer is an excellent optometrist. I read some of the comments here that suggest that they’re not cheap, and that’s true, they’re not cheap, but what you get for that premium is a relationship. They take care to get to know their customers, and that comes with all of the little benefits of working with a small store that remembers who you are. They’ve gone above and beyond for me countless times, from shipping contact lenses on short notice to far corners of the world when I was traveling to rapidly fixing my glasses when I’ve broken them to checking in on my vision and making sure my prescription is updated. This is a gem of a locally owned store that knows its customers in a city that’s beginning to look like a strip mall.

In my opinion, Kalmus is a big rip off. I just had cataract surgery and needed new bifocals for use when I am on the computer. They said their cheapest glasses were $ 159 and the lenses would be $ 280. They said that I had to have polycarbonate lenses and tint on the lenses. I literally went across the street, to another eyeglass store. Bottom line the lenses were $ 88., using my own frames. Because of the surgery, and the change in my prescription, I did not need the polycarbonate lenses and since the glasses were to be used indoors, there was no need for an anti– glare coating. I saved almost $ 200.

After making a dozen phone calls in search of the cheapest place to get an eye exam for contact lenses, I defeatedly headed over to Cohen Optical on 86^th which had quoted me $ 90, the lowest I could find. But on my way over, I passed independent-​looking Kalmus Optical and figured it would only take a few seconds to ask how much they charged. The woman behind the counter said $ 89 and that the optician was available to do the exam right then. The one dollar difference wasn’t huge compared to what Cohen Optical was charging, but other independent opticians I had called in the Upper East Side and East Harlem were asking well over $ 100.
Dr Singer, the optician, was very kind and extremely thorough. When I said I was too embarrassed to say how long I had been wearing my current pair of monthly contacts (3 months), Dr. Singer warmly and reassuringly said, «Don’t be embarrassed.» He quickly put me at ease and checked my eyes. After the exam, I had a prescription and a temporary pair of contacts to tide me over until I receive my order of lenses.
Highly recommended. Competent, affordable, and kind.

(NOTE: I did not buy here, due to terrible customer service!) Today I visited this shop to use an Amazon Locals voucher I purchased in August for $ 249 toward eye exam & prescription eyeglasses at Kalmus Optical. The voucher cost me $ 30. I bought this groupon because I had not had my vision checked for several years, and I don’t have vision insurance, so this seemed like a great deal, especially in the event where I would need to buy glasses (which I wasn’t at all sure I would need). I told the man I was there for my 3pm appointment (I was right on time). He and the woman behind the counter were both helping other customers, and he said nothing more to me. So I patiently waited about 15 minutes, because the two customers seemed like they were serious buyers and I wasn’t in a huge hurry. Still I would have appreciated an acknowledgement that I waiting, if not an apology, but whatever – at least they were actually busy while ignoring me.
When he finally got to me, the man informed me that unless I was DEFINITELY going to buy prescription eyeglasses TODAY, he would not honor the voucher. However, nowhere on the voucher did it say that you could not use it toward only the eye exam in the event that they exam revealed that you had no need for prescription eyeglasses. (And, frankly, it would never occur to me to even ask about this – I merely happened to mention casually that I had no idea how my vision was, but I felt it was time to check it. After all, why would I expect any reasonable business person require me to purchase eyeglasses I had no need for? That would be ridiculous!) By the way, I even offered to pay the difference between the cost of the eye exam and the $ 30 I had already paid for the voucher (which sounds pretty fair to me), but the merchant completely blew me off. I assume that this wasn’t an adequate solution to him because it was Amazon that received my $ 30, not Kalmus, but that is between them, it should not be the customer’s problem or concern. Their partnership is supposed to make the whole experience seamless and more convenient/​accessible for the customer, not to create an unpleasant hassle!
The bottom line re. Kalmus Optical: both the people working there completely refused responsibility for the fact that their restrictions for using their voucher were not accurately or clearly represented on the voucher. I found this to be very unprofessional. At the very least, they should have given me a $ 30 credit on the eye exam. In that case, had I ended up needing glasses I would have bought them there, and this could be a five-​star review for them. But their greediness over $ 30 for something that is their mistake (perhaps they should proof the voucher better before Amazon publishes it!) cost them a potential customer and has led to a lengthy, detailed 1-​star review. Maybe they will learn a lesson.
If you would like to know about how Amazon Local handled my complaint, feel free to read on…
This was unacceptable treatment, so I sat down in the chair inside their shop and dialed Amazon Local and explained the very unpleasant situation I was having with their merchant, Kalmus Optical, and their unwillingness to budge. She seemed at first totally unwilling to accept any responsibility whatsoever for the fact that I had paid Amazon Local $ 30, only to have my voucher denied. Yes, it was Kalmus Optical’s unethical bait-​and-​switch treatment I was complaining about, but it is Amazon with whom I have been a long-​standing customer, and it is Amazon that accepted my money, for which I received nothing in return. It was very unprofessional for her to tell me – the paying customer who did nothing wrong – that it was Kalmus Optical’s fault and she could not do anything for me because it was beyond their 30-​day refund policy. After more arguing/​complaining, finally she said she could send the issue to Amazon’s Merchant Relations department (or something, can’t remember exactly the name), but it would take several days to process my complaint and my voucher was going to expire in 5 days, so that would be a problem, she said. She seemed to be insinuating that this was my fault because this incident didn’t occur within Amazon’s 30-​day refund policy period, since I had waited until a few days before it expired to redeem it (fully within my rights as the customer!).
I did not get Amazon to refund my $ 30 until I told the representative that if this went unresolved, I would not shop at Amazon ever again, and that it did not help me at all for her to blame me for not using it right away, then blame the merchant for dishonoring it, and then have the merchant blame Amazon (which they did, by the way, saying that they asked Amazon to put the restriction in the fine print, and Amazon didn’t).
That was a lot of fighting for a $ 30 refund, but it’s the principle! In the future, I will research each merchant more carefully and perhaps call them myself to get the REAL «fine print».

I moved to NYC within the last year and hoped to find a good Optometrist. The last one I had in San Francisco was fantastic and I figured that NYC being NYC, must have top notch everything.
I read reviews on Unilocal and found this charming little mom and pop ran shop with 5 star ratings and decided to give it a shot. What could go wrong right?
What ensued was an experience totally different than what the other two Unilocalers described. The lady behind the counter was standoffish and while the Optometrist took his time, he did nothing more than what every other Optometrist I’ve had did.
Also, I went in for contacts and I know the routine since I’ve been wearing them for 10 years. I should not be required to do a contact fitting unless I am new to wearing contacts or if I am switching brands (which I was not). He mentioned that I must do a contact fitting and must be charged for it. I contested but he said that’s regulations. So, me being new-​ish to NY figured that maybe it’s a requirement in NY. Went home, looked online for such a law and found none.
Granted, the $ 15 copay that I have to pay for the contact fitting isn’t THAT much in the grand scheme of things (insurance covered most of it) but it’s the principle of being blatantly lied to. I understand that they are a mom and pop shop and maybe they just want to make more money. I get that. I’ll even forgive the not giving an extra pair of contacts as a sample (every other Optometrist I’ve had given a free pair), not getting sample solutions, not even getting my own container to put my contacts in while he examined my eyes (the container was a communal container that he just has lying in the examination room). He also didn’t schedule a follow up as he should’ve if he was truly conducting a contact fitting. So, he basically charged me for the contact fitting despite my protests and did absolutely NOTHING that even resembled a contact fitting.
While I might have considered going back/​recommend others just to support the mom and pop situation, this blatant lie makes me never want to frequent this place again.

I’m a software architect, and my eyes are very important to me. So, I checked out several places before deciding on this place. And I’m sure glad I did. The cost of the exam (both glasses and contacts) was very reasonable, and Dr. Singer was very thorough with my eye exam. You definitely get the sense that he cares about your eyes. Besides being one of the best optometrists I’ve ever had, he’s humorous and really puts you at ease during the exam. This isn’t a chain which is a good thing because you’ll get the personal attention and professionalism that those big chains lack.
Regarding their selection of frames, I checked out some of their frames while I was there earlier and like another reviewer said, they do have some cool frames. I noticed one pair which looked like it was cut out from granite. I forgot to ask for the price, so I may just have to go back to check it out again.

I had been shopping for glasses at many neighborhood places, and the estimates were coming it at 800‑1000 for high index and graduated bifocals. I had always had bad luck at the chains. I was getting ready to get a costco card and try there when I passed this place.
The woman behind the counter was very friendly and helpful. I spent about 15 minutes looking at frames. their price came in at about $ 450 plus tax.
Then the optometrist came out and we talked a bit and I went in for my exam. A real old-​school exam, not some 20 year old Chinese kid out of a Phoenix College online degree program who gives you a ten second exam like my last disastrous pair at Cohen’s Fashion Optical down the block.
With the giant lens machine, full testing for astigmatism and up and down adjustment, the puffing machine for glaucoma, lots of light shining tests, etc. It took about 20 minutes, and then I put this big thing on my head and walked outside to make sure all was well with the prescription I was getting.
I needed them in a week because of an upcoming family party and I didn’t want to look like Ray Charles in my old extra pair of prescription sunglasses. The counter woman expedited it and it came in ON CHRISTMAS EVE, less than a week, which is better than normal from previous experience!
I’ll be back when these wear out, which shouldn’t be for a long time.