Sears Optical

Paid Sears over $ 1000 for my family glasses and contacts. I experienced very rude customer service. Employee Luvac was rude, condescending, and inappropriate.
The MD is very personal when she is examining her patients then extremely detached when present in the general optical area.
Customer service is paramount to success. When are companies going to realize this?

On November 19, 2015 I went to THIS Sears Optical (Pamela Marzec, OD.) to get contact lenses and glasses. Following is my experience:
PROS:
* Dr. Marzec found that my contact lenses were too strong and a lower power made my vision beautiful and after over 10 years of using reading glasses, found I don’t even need them. Contacts were over correcting. I am GRATEFUL to her for this! Great job on that!
* Staff is very cheerful and nice.
CONS:
* They use the cheapest, poorest quality materials (hi-​index lenses, for example, are 1.67, which is VERY cheap and poor quality).
* Obviously use a poor quality lab to process glasses as they can’t cut lenses properly.
* Cost of glasses extremely high and they do not take Care Credit (almost everyone else does… from your Vet to your Dentist to your Optician).
* Glasses took two weeks to come in and when they did, lenses were incorrectly cut.
* Glasses were too strong.
* Glasses had to be sent back and after two more weeks came back cut incorrectly AGAIN (they cannot get the cut of the lens correct to fit the frame to save their lives… they keep cutting for a PLASTIC frame, NOT a wire frame).
* Single vision contact lenses, which most of us know, are OFF THE SHELF, took even longer to come in than the glasses (buy instead from 1−800-CONTACTS or even Walgreens. FAR less expensive and you’ll have them along with solution and cases in scant days).
* They don’t provide even a starter cleaning kit for the glasses (told me to use dishwashing liquid and paper towels).
* They don’t even provide a lens container or saline starter for contact lenses. They charge for EVERY LITTLE THING! Never encountered that before in my life and I’m in my 50’s.
To expound on the glasses. A hi-​index lens for a person with a strong prescription will be MUCH thinnner than they were say, 40 years ago. The VERY POOREST and CHEAPEST hi-​index product is 1.67 (which they use) and the best is 1.90 (which is very expensive and rarely used). The standard THESE DAYS by even the chain discount stores is 1.72.
When the lenses are cut for a WIRE FRAME, they should «stick out» a bit both in the front of the frame and the back and both the front and back be «rolled & polished» (beveled). That’s normal. They DID NOT DO MINE THAT WAY. They are IMPROPERLY DONE.
They cannot get mine properly done yet insist they ARE. They are not (I Unilocal still had a photo posting option). My lenses are RECESSED and the wire frames STICK OUT THE FRONT leaving a VERY THICK lens sticking out in BACK (toward my eyes).
My advice: STAY AWAY! There is one good thing which I will mention at end but most important as of today, January 3, 2016, I have had my glasses redone TWICE and their lab not only takes FOREVER to process glasses but they can’t properly cut high index lenses.
BEWARE also that they don’t allow you to put half down prior to ordering, which takes FOREVER to get the glasses and LONGER to get contact lenses (which are «off the shelf» to start with). Go to 1−800-Contacts instead.
DON’T PAY ANYONE 100% upfront. You’ll NEVER GET SATISFACTION!!! EVER! You’ll have to end up going somewhere else to get your glasses made and pay them and then take the ones that are wrong back to Sears. It’s a nightmare unless you have a LOT OF MONEY, which I don’t.
JENNIFER is a staff member that knows precisely what I’m talking about and uses exactly the same verbage but I think her hands are tied on getting anything done properly and that falls on Dr. Marzec.
Actually, the staff is very nice. I don’t hold anything against them. It is not their fault that this location is run so poorly and OBVIOUSLY purely for OUT OF LINE profit (Schaumburg has so many optical stores that it’s quite a competitive market… this store doesn’t seem to notice that. I went to 5 other stores in just a few days and ALL agreed that the lenses were improper and cheaply done).
Hopefully Dr. Marzec will have the good sense to take this posting as an awareness and improve her location (though I’ve a feeling that Sears doesn’t keep the same optometrists there very long).

I have to say this is not what I was hoping for. I had called them prior to my appointment to see of they accepted my insurances and was told it wouldn’t be a problem. The construction they had going on in the store itself made it hard to find anything including their optical center. After walking to the far corners of every floor, I finally found it. They again called my insurance when I first got there to ensure the insurance hadn’t changed in the 2 days since I last called.
My exam was fine, however I told them I needed contacts for sure and possibly a very inexpensive pair of glasses since my average time for wearing them is about 3 hours a week. Instead of allowing me to pick out the glasses that would barely ever be worn out of the house, they insisted on a very expensive pair. After I gave up on battling them about the glasses, they then told me I would need to pay for them myself and work out reimbursement with my insurance carrier. Since they had confirmed coverage, I didn’t think it would be a problem. My appointment was 4 months ago and still haven’t seen a check. While this is an issue with my insurance company, I would not be waiting for half as much had I been allowed to get the glasses I wanted instead of the pair the women I plan to never see again insisted on. 3 hours later, my appointment was over. I was the only customer in there the entire time, I have no idea why it took so long. My eyes were dilated and not checked for over an hour.
By the time my glasses actually came in, I was so done with this whole store that I didn’t even bother with having them fixed. I could easily get these fixed at lunch one day since I work within walking distance, however I can barely bring myself to walk in. I worry that this problem would turn into a 2 hour visit and another bill from my insurance.

I hadn’t been here since 2006 since my vision insurance changed a few times. I had a good experience then, and an even better one now! I had the pleasure of talking to Jim on the phone to make sure my insurance was accepted. I’ve purchased two pairs of cool, funky glasses (photos will be posted soon) and a year’s supply of contacts and I couldn’t be happier. Jim was extremely helpful and patient and did so much to help me and ensure I was getting the best coverage from my vision insurance! He even sat patiently and helped me pick out the most flattering glasses from the 30 pairs (literally) that I had tried on. Dr. Chen, the optometrist, is really nice and straightforward too. I’m so glad she is still at this location, as she was my doctor in 2006 as well. Even if you have to make the drive out from the city, it is so worth it to get a great selection of affordable and comfortable glasses as well as such awesome service.