Village Optical

Went here to get new lenses on my own frames. Trying to shop local and all that…
Selection was fair. Price was a wee bit high. But what irked most was how long it actually took to get my glasses. I’ve been purchasing glasses for 25+ years. Most shops will tell you a week to 10 days, then deliver in 3 – 5 days. I suspect it’s a way to manage customer expectation. Set the bar at a given point, then surpass that expectation to produce satisfied customers.
At Village Optical Paoli, they tell you it’ll take a week to 10 days, then proceed to deliver in 2 weeks+, all the while shifting blame on the delay to the «lab» where they send their eyeglass orders out to. Where exactly is this lab of theirs? in Belarus?
Bottom line, if you don’t like waiting for glasses, this isn’t the place for you. There are plenty of other shops with in-​house lens labs. And even those without in-​house labs will get you your glasses within a week, less than half the time it takes Village Optical Paoli.
My guess is they are slow about shipping out customer frames to the lab – waiting until a bulk number of customer orders come in before sending out orders to the lab – and/​or send out orders to a distant out-​of-​state lab instead of to a more local alternative. But admittedly, these are just conjectures.
The truth is, I really don’t know why they’re slow, just that they are. Yikes!

I have been going to Village Optical for almost 15 years.
They provide great customer service with everything from vision exams, first time contact wearer appointments, personal attention and recommendations when selecting new frames, and more.
Lose a screw or nose pad on your frames? No problem! They are always so pleasant and helpful even when you show up on a whim with a glasses «emergency». I have also witnessed this being true for people who show up that haven’t even purchased their glasses from V.O.
Lastly, and for many who might be reading this, most importantly, Dr. Boston is one of the main reasons why I have been a loyal patient/​customer for so many years. He takes his time during your appointment to explain everything and answer any questions you may have. He is also so sweet with kids who are getting glasses or contacts for the first time!
…To the first reviewer of V.O. Please do an internet search for «Contact Lens Fitting Fee». It’s unfortunate that you had a negative experience at V.O. However, contact lenses are medical devices that require a completely separate prescription from your glasses prescription that specifies the power of the lenses, the size of the lens, and the type and brand of lens. For many people, their contact Rx actually varies slightly from their glasses Rx (i.e. they are not interchangeable). This requires additional time and evaluation by the optometrist above and beyond a routine eye exam.
Being in the healthcare field I have to address your other concern about your insurance. Ultimately it the patient’s responsibility to know what their medical insurance covers and does not cover. To expect a provider to know the ins and outs of literally hundreds of plans is really asking a little much, don’t you think? Also, I find it highly unlikely that your insurance did not cover «a specific contact lens». It’s much more likely that they just didn’t cover contacts, which again is your responsibility to be informed about…

good selection, very good customer servie.

I went here for my annual eye appointment a little over a year ago because it was one of the few eye doctors in the area where my vision insurance was accepted. The doctor I saw (whose name I no longer remember) was ok, nothing spectacular but not terrible, either. My issues with this place arose at checkout. I was told I had to pay a $ 60 «contact fitting fee.» Uhhh, what?! Never in 10 years of wearing contacts have I had to pay this. I thought maybe it was due to the new insurance I had, so I reluctantly paid up.
A week later I got a call that my contacts had arrived. When I got there I was told I had to pay $ 120 because the contacts the doctor had prescribed «weren’t part of my insurance plan.» When I asked why they would even think about prescribing something that isn’t part of the plan, the doctor on duty that day (who was different) explained that the doctor I saw was new and didn’t know any better. Wait, wait, wait… how is that MY fault?! After much arguing, I was told that since the contacts had already been ordered that I would need to pay the full amount, but that since the contacts were a new line there was a rebate of $ 50. Fine.
I put in for the rebate only TWO MONTHS LATER to find out that Village Optical gave me the WRONG information to send in! Thankfully the manufacturer was understanding and I did eventually get the rebate, but that doesn’t even sort of make up for the $ 130 I’m out because Village Optical 1) charged for something they never should have charged and 2) failed to inform a customer that their insurance didn’t cover a specific contact lens.
Absolutely unacceptable «customer service» (and yes, I did use the quote correctly because in no way does customer service exist at this place!)