The Optical Shoppe

I went in two weeks ago to get new glasses. They had a buy one get on free sale going on. I spent probably an hour in there trying on different glasses. One of the ladies was very helpful and offered options, too bad I’m very picky with glasses. After picking out both sets I chose the lens and it was that easy. I gave them my prescription then paid. They called me 9 days later telling me they were ready for pick up. The prescriptions were accurate and they were helpful with the fitting. Thank you!

I took my recently purchased glasses in to see if the broken ear was covered under the warranty, and it turned out that they had made the lenses, but that I had reused the frames previously bought elsewhere. There was also a scratch that wouldn’t come out on one lens, and it turned out that actually WAS covered, so I picked out new, (sturdier hopefully) frames, and they will give me new lenses under the extended warranty. Very nice. Of note, the one or two year warranty costs extra, but may be well worth it as it seems to cover almost anything other than loss or theft. Be sure to ask about the warranty when you buy, in case they don’t offer it. Joni did my customer service visit, and it could not have been better! Very convenient to where I live too. Thank you Joni.

I’m not sure what to make of my experience. I felt like I was inconveniencing them to call and ask for an appointment. Lots of lingering uhmmm, hmmm well… Uhh… I did make an appointment though, and put it in my phone for 10am. The day prior to the appointment I got a reminder voicemail that my appointment was at 11. I thought, «shoot I must’ve entered it wrong». I called at 9:45 to confirm the 11 appointment. I was told no, it was at 10, but I could be a little late. Great! No, not great. I was expecting 11, and had childcare arrangements for that time. I just brought my daughter along, got there at 10:15. On the way the whole scenario replayed in my mind, awkward unfriendly booking of appointment, inaccurate voicemail, the associate hadn’t even apologized for the mistake! I went in and told her that I would have to reschedule this appointment elsewhere. She was very cold and seemed irritated with me. Never once was I met with a pleasant voice, a smile, or sympathy. Just felt odd to me.

Horrible customer service. Very rude front desk staff. Very pushy with up-​selling unnecessary features. Sale prices advertised in no way reflect what you will actually end up paying. Glasses never felt like they were correct prescription either.

The eye doctor was very nice, but he’s not their regular eye doctor. The rest of the experience was AWFUL. The lady who worked there was so intentionally rude and I have no idea why. I could go into details, but I will leave it at this: If you don’t feel like being verbally abused, talked down to, and made to feel totally stupid by being presented with intentionally vague information, you probably don’t want to go there. It didn’t take me long to figure out I wouldn’t be purchasing any eyeglasses from them. Ever. Wish I had read the Unilocal reviews first. It would have saved me from that creepy experience with that angry, mean woman (named Joni — the assistant manager — although I must say she is very competent when it comes to her eye rolls and pursed lips when people ask questions that she perceives as stupid).
And an update. She insisted my copay was $ 45 even though I was fairly certain it was $ 10. She ran my credit card for $ 45. My insurance company said it was $ 10 — that I was overcharged. The fun never ends with this place.

After a baby and returning to the gym, I wanted to stop wearing glasses all the time and move to contacts. I have sensitive eyes, so comfortable contacts have been tough for me to find. Dr. Chung worked cheerfully with me for a couple of months as I worked my way through many different types of trial lenses. Finally I found my fit! They take my insurance and I haven’t had any trouble with the front staff.

I had a great experience at the Optical Shoppe. I found Dr. Teresa Chung to be friendly and knowledgable. I had a better experience with her than my experience with Virginia Mason Vision. The staff was also very helpful as well. They got me in at the last minute just before the holiday season. They also worked well with my insurance. I didn’t pay a lot out of pocket. I’ll come back for my next exam.

Worst experience EVER! Just needed reading glass’s. They insisted on eye exam which was a joke. Not even necessary but I did for $ 120. Now I come back for glasses and the lenses are like magnifying glass’s and now I can’t read. So I put on old pair and eyes works like a charm. So now I’m on DEF CON 5 super deluxe pissed off. Now all of a sudden they say «we can have the doctor authorize your last prescription since it’s better». WTF are you kidding me you should have just done that when I asked the first time!
YOU GET THE MIDDLE FINGER!
Don’t ever go to this place!

Avoid this place, which is in Fred Meyer’s and called Vista Optical. Rude service, poor business practices, and the glasses I got are terrible.
I paid cash out of pocket for an eye exam and new glasses with progressive lenses — the whole thing cost me about $ 700 (this was about twice what I expected to pay, based on the «Sale» signs plastered all over the place).
The optometrist was nice enough, but her association with such a bad business makes me feel concerned about whether I got good care for my eyes. The people out front were rude and hostile to me, and the business itself seemed set up to be deceptive and to manipulate the consumer to spend as much as possible.
Something really weird happened, too — with one particular person, who I think is definitely in the wrong job. When I asked for my prescription, with my pupilary distance (something you need to know if you are going to purchase frames and lenses from anyone) — explaining that I was indeed going to purchase glasses from them and that I wanted it as a back up for the future — the woman I was talking to got very angry (I can still remember her suddenly red and teary eyes) and sternly lectured me. I wish that I had gone with my first instinct at that time to walk out and not give them my business.
She gave my prescription to me but only after I insisted. I’m not a paranoid person, but I remember thinking at the time that I have no way of knowing if the script she wrote is correct. Yes, it was THAT weird.
For the rest of that visit, I was kept waiting for periods of time while she answered the phone and even went and made a call to an insurance provider about another client (not me). At one point, I was just standing there waiting while she thumbed through a stack of papers. I was in there for about two miserable hours. I am not a jerk — I am a nice guy, especially to sales clerks since I worked retail myself for many years. I understand how tough the job can be. There was no reason to treat me so badly.
When I paid, she refused to show me an itemized list of what I was paying for and assured me (when I asked) that I was getting the promised AARP discount and «Sale» price. Really — this is one of those things where I look back and wonder why I put up with it.
When I got my new glasses (later than they said they’d be ready — a huge problem for me since I was leaving for a trip and really needed the new glasses when they said they’d deliver), they didn’t seem right. I like the frames but the lenses seem wrong. I thought that maybe I just needed to adjust to the new shape or something (I did have progressives before, and it took a few days before things looked right). Months later and these darned glasses have NEVER worked right — I have a lot of trouble seeing clearly with them. I am pretty sure that something was off — either accidentally or possibly on purpose, since the woman «helping» me seemed very angry with me. Perhaps she was so concerned with her anger at me that she reversed a number on the order form or something. Or maybe the prescription was wrong in the first place. I don’t know. Worst $ 700 bucks I ever spent.
One of the worst customer experiences of my life. I will never go back to this place.

This place is now called Vista Optical and it is absolutely awful. I would give it zero stars if that was an option.
I walked in to see about getting a pupilary measurement (the distance between my pupils) so i could order glasses. Instead of seeing me as a customer or potential patient and treating me in a welcoming manner the 50 year-​old Asian woman told me that unless i was scheduling an appointment or purchasing glasses, she couldn’t help me. Yes, because being told to go away unless i’m spending money makes me so much more interested in doing business with you. I should add that this was the middle of the afternoon and the place was empty; I did not go in there during a busy time.
My current optometrist’s front desk staff frustrates me because they are sometimes inept but they are always kind and professional. I would never consider switching over to Vista Optical after this rude treatment.
Stay away, you’ve been warned…

So far 1. An incorrect prescription for a pair of sunglasses. My vision was checked and I stupidly ordered the sunglasses again PLUS a pair of glasses. 2. When I picked those up they both felt wrong but I was told to give it time to adjust to them. I tried 3 times and still couldn’t see well at all. In desperation I took them to a different optician, who told me each pair did not match the prescription and also that each pair was different from the other!!!
I am going to pick the redone glasses up today after waiting for them for 2 weeks. I am not optimistic. In all a terrible experience. Zero stars!

Now called Vista Optical.
Eye examination was wonderful, but customer service at front of shop was questionable. Even as I was filling out my patient information, an employee was trying to upsell me on contact lenses (I was in for an eyeglasses examination). Later, I heard her trying to convince another customer of lenses that weren’t necessary and battering away their objections. She was also the same soul who only showed me frames from the most expensive sections. I get that it’s a business and they need to make money, but it felt like I’d stepped onto a used car lot! Really skeezy vibe.
There was another employee who gave me misleading information about my insurance (claimed I had coverage only for my eye examination, and nothing for hardware despite having a plan that gave me discounted rates for frames and lenses), and when I disputed that, offered to call my insurance company. Okay, great. But while she spoke with them she referenced me in a way that made me seem like an imbecile. Not cool.
Really displeased with how I was treated by these ladies. I ended up taking my prescription and running.

Heidi was so helpful in fitting my first ever pair of glasses, and teaching me about how to care for them. Excellent customer service.

Due to an insurance change I reluctantly went to Vista Optical in Fred Meyer for my glasses (I don’t think it’s still ‘The Optical Shoppe’). They didn’t have the high end designer frame selection that my former place had but honestly they had a decent selection with some interesting brands. The staff was friendly and helpful. One stayed a little late making sure my insurance was confirmed before leaving the other on her own. I really didn’t have any complaints — good, thoughtful, careful and friendly service overall. I would have no reservations about getting another pair of prescription glasses there in the future.

Mr. Wilbur (and the associated optical shop) gets a big fat 1 star and as soon as I figured out the most effective way of filing a licensing complaint, I will (which is why I refuse to use his professional title in this review). I’d give them a negative infinity of stars if I could.
I went in because I am on my last pair of glasses and the the place i normally go doesn’t have convenient hours for me. After the exam, I ordered a pair of glasses from Fred Meyer Optical. 1 week later, they came back, and they seemed wrong. After 1 day, I determined they were wrong because I was seeing ghosting. Before returning for a second appointment/​re-​exam, I had my previous records faxed to Mr. Wilbur. I asked Mr. Wilbur to reissue the prescription for the glasses I current wear as I was having to problems and I just needed new glasses. 1 week later, they came back. And one of the lens was completely wrong an neither match the prescription Mr. Wilbur wrote; Mr. Wilbur’s prescription also didn’t match my glasses I current have as I asked and he provided to objection to the re-​issue. While I got my money back for the glasses, I did not get a refund for my eye exam which I have zero confidence in; I will have to pay for another one and I am out both the time and money for Mr. Wilbur and the inept staff at the Optical Shoppe.
And, BTW, I have a fairly simple astigmatism with single vision lens. So I cannot understand, how in 20 years of wearing glasses, I needed to go back for a re-​exam and had glasses made not once but twice incorrectly. I won’t go to LensShafters either.
DO NOT GO TO FRED MEYER OPTICAL SHOPPE NOR MR. WILBUR.

truth be told i came here because my vision plan pays the most here than anywhere else. it wasn’t the absolute best experience i’ve ever had but it wasn’t as bad as the experiences other ppl have reviewed on here. dr. wilbur is great! he was very helpful and friendly. he told me when he was in optometry school in berkeley he was taught by my former boss dr. cuadros. brownie points!
i’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my new digs and ppl are shocked when i tell them i got them at fred meyer. the asian optician is hard to understand sometimes but isn’t too pushy or overly aggressive with upselling. i am looking around for better vision insurance but until then i’ll be back!

This place is truly awful. I should start by saying I’ve had no problem with the doctors themselves, but the staff is unbelievably inept. I had promised myself 2 years ago I’d never go back again but I ended up having to go back when I ran out of contacts and they were the only place I could get an appointment. I came in, saw the doctor, he asked the staff to order my contacts which I needed to have ordered by the end of the year before my insurance ran out, and I paid. No problems so far. When I came to pick them up, they said they had no record of me ever being there since 2007. Then I remembered this had happened before two years ago. The amount of time I’ve had to spend getting them to fix their error was not worth it. When they finally ordered contacts for me, they chose needlessly expensive ones when there was no particular reason to do so, and when I finally did receive them, I had to pay beyond my $ 200 yearly insurance coverage. I’ve also been in there when the staff is fighting with people on the phone. So, basically, not worth the hassle. Why the main doctor is working there is a mystery, he has a medical degree from Berkeley — he should just open his own practice.

My glasses are finally here. I don’t appreciate being lied to by the staff at this place. I’ve heard three different stories and I’m almost positive that the manager lied to me to try to make me happy.
This place is horrific.

I sat waiting with a magazine for my appointment a few feet away from the two clerks wearing their white lab coats. A lady in her late 50s wearing a faux-​fur coat walks into the area pushing her Fred Meyer shopping cart. «Do you have Fendi frames?» she exclaims. I keep reading. She asks again. «Do you have Fendi frames?» Right then she realizes that I, the guy in jeans and T-​shirt reading a magazine, is not an employee. She says nothing as she rolls her cart away never knowing if they carried Fendi frames.
My appointment went fine.

Just before Christmas, I had an eye exam here. The Optometrist, named Wilbur, was pleasant, knowledgeable, and very thorough. He addressed my right eye’s small ache and occasional blurriness issue. Turns out, I needed a couple of corrections in both eyes. That’s right, Glarsses. I say glarsses instead of glasses because the lenses are actually made of a special plastic instead of glass. this makes them lighter and less expensive. Now, I’ve always thought I had great distance vision but I could actually see during my exam what perfect vision would look like. A mere week and $ 120.00 later, I had stylish frames (includes magnetically attachable shades), the proper correction, and the distance vision of Spiderman. An overall beautiful experience.