Complain about a product or service

Wal-Mart Vision Center

Debbie of Woodland, ME June 10, 2009

Took my prescription to Walmart Vision Center intending on getting a less expensive pair of glasses than the last ones I purchased from my optometrist office. Selected a fairly cheap frame (under 80). With 50 for lenses that darken in sunlight the total for my progressive lens glasses was over 350. That's 100 more than I paid at the optometrist last pair I bought.

Within 2 months the lens were all scratched up. I'm not a careless child, I'm a partially disabled 55 year old woman. The scratches were annoying, so I stopped at the Walmart Vision Center when I was at the Presque Isle store and asked the saleslady (same one that waited on me the day I ordered and picked up the glasses) if the scratched lenses could be repaired.

After asking me a number of personal questions to find me in her computer she announced that my glasses were still under warranty. Then she picked the glasses up off the counter where she laid them, looked at them, looked at me and said the warranty won't cover this, these are scratched. It was like she had just made an amazing discovery. I knew they were scratched, that's what I told her. So I asked again, can they be repaired. She said no, not unless I wanted to buy new lenses.

Since the lenses cost about 275, of course I didn't want another pair of cheap lenses for a very expensive price. Buyer beware, their glasses are expensive, their service questionable, their quality poor. My next glasses will definitely be purchased from professionals that back their products and probably cost less than Walmart.

Glenda of Fairburn, GA June 20, 2009

I scheduled an appointment at Wal-Mart's vision center while shopping there for the following Saturday. I gave my insurance card to the person making the appointment who stated that the doctor accepted Coventry Insurance. On Saturday, June 13th my husband and I arrived on time to find out that they couldn't confirm our insurance. We reschedule for the following Saturday and were told that they would confirm the insurance prior to our arrival. After receiving a call confirming our appointment for Saturday, June 20th we arived on time and waited, just to be told the doctor did not accept our insurance. What a waste of time, gas, expectancy,and a feeling of no value. The person checking our insurance,acted as though they'd done nothing wrong.

This complaint is for poor service. If Wal-Mart and Kenneth Jones, O.D. cares about customer service he should be made aware of how his potential patients are treated prior to service. (Or in our case no service.)A lesson in "Empathy" would help them consider the customer by putting themselves in the other person's shoes. How would he feel to have wasted two Saturday mornings sitting in a vision center waiting to only find out they won't accept your insurance. They should have first confirmed and called us about the insurance so we could have found a provider who would have accepted it. That's called integrity. My distrust towards Wal-Mart has heightened again and I will no longer be a customer. I hope this complaint will allow you to intervene before someone else wastes their time waiting too.

Dorothy of Baton Rouge, LA June 19, 2009

Two years ago I also went to Wal Mart optical for glasses. After 5 months the arm on the glasses broke off and after going through the trial of they were going to order me new parts, etc. they finally told me 3 weeks later that they no longer carried the frame and I would have to buy new frames and if they didn't have frames the same size as my lens, I would have to buy new lens also and of course the warrenty was way over.

The people that I have met in the optical stores at Walmart are hardly ever pleasant unless you are buying something and sometimes not even then.

After all of this action I was plain mad and sent a very accurate email to the walmart complaint site. Within a week someone from the walmart I had gotten the glasses from called me and said I could come in and pick out a new frame and they would pay for the lens also. I don't know what the background was as to my getting a completely new pair of glasses, but the new glasses were much better than the old and the frames were much better quality.

So from my experience, don't even complain to the store, complain to the main office.

Robert of Lenoir City, TN May 18, 2009

I took a pair of eye glasses that clearly had a defective lens with a stress crack and requested replacement of the lens since the glasses were less than 6 months old. While two Walmart employees who had no approval authority on repairs or replacements, agreed this was a defective lens and should be replaced, Mr. Harry Rowe who had the approval authority refused to do anything. He hid behind Walmarts limited 60 day warranty. This is just one more example I have experienced at the LOW QUALITY of ALMOST ALL WALMART PRODUCTS yet by no means always the lowest price as they falsely advertise.

Donald of Morristown, TN May 9, 2009

My eyes were examined by Morristown Regional Eye Care 8/20/09 I then took the Rx to the above Wal-Mart and ordered glasses. The first time they were not cut right I have to strain to see the computer and end up using reading glasses from over the counter. The second pair were cut just the same can’t use the computer properly. Went back same lady says she cannot do anything about past the warranty’s I stopped going to this store in anger but now the more I think about it If you look at my previous glasses it is guiet apparent they are not cut properly. Why have I waited so long to complain? I don’t know but I tell you this I will never get or recommend this eye center to any one or any Wal-Mart optical location again. I'm not mad at Walmart just the Optical Department It is a constant battle with these glasses daily and receiving social security only, I cannot afford to replace them. They are cut according to the Rx but no thought with the cutting for me to see the computer properly if you would compare my old glasses with the new it is obvious

Donald of Morristown, TN May 9, 2009

My eyes were examined by Morristown Regional Eye Care 8/20/09 I then took the Rx to the above Wal-Mart and ordered glasses. The first time they were not cut right I have to strain to see the computer and end up using reading glasses from over the counter. The second pair were cut just the same can’t use the computer properly. Went back same lady says she cannot do anything about past the warranty’s I stopped going to this store in anger but now the more I think about it If you look at my previous glasses it is guiet apparent they are not cut properly. Why have I waited so long to complain? I don’t know but I tell you this I will never get or recommend this eye center to any one or any Wal-Mart optical location again. I'm not mad at Walmart just the Optical Department It is a constant battle with these glasses daily and receiving social security only, I cannot afford to replace them. They are cut according to the Rx but no thought with the cutting for me to see the computer properly if you would compare my old glasses with the new it is obvious

Kelly of Hamburg, PA April 29, 2009

I had an eye exam for contacts on Tuesday April 21st 2009. When placing my order the lady that was taking care of me was to busy watching the customers in the retail department and when I called Wednesday April 29 2009 to see if they came in I was told they were not ordered so Iasked if they would just give me my prescription so I could order them on line and I was told NO that they would just place the order today To me that was poor customer service and now in 4 days I will be out of contacts. physicaly I cant see without my contacts .

Lisa of Newton, NJ April 22, 2009

I purchased eyeglasses on 11/07/08, paid in full. I have worn them and they broke a few weeks ago. I brought them back to the store and was told that should not have happened due to the metal they were made from, Titaium Steel. I received a message that the frames were no longer available. Then told when I arrived at the store that the warranty was only good for 60 days and that I would have to buy another pair of glasses. I feel that the glasses should have lasted longer than 5 1/2 months. If the glasses had not broken, I would not have to put out any more money. I have not ever had a pair of glasses only last a few months. The manager, a woman, was very rude and only offered a 10% discount which was increased to 20% as I was ready to leave. I will not shop there again

I will have to buy another pair of glasses. The pair that broke were 348.00 total. Not sure how much the new ones will cost

Angelia of Homer, MI April 22, 2009

I scheduled an appointment on the 23rd of March 2009, to have my eyes checked and to get new glasses. Today is now the 22nd of April 2009, and I still have not received my glasses. I have called the vision center three times and stopped in once to find out where my glasses were. When I called, they kept me on hold while they did the follow up-glad I don't have to pay extra for long distance calling. Why didn't the vision center follow up once they were made aware of situation? This is poor customer service and I will not be returning to this vision center. I also will let everyone I know about the terrible experience this has been.

Cynthia of Yuma, AZ April 16, 2009

I went in for a contact lense exam or fitting on 02/27/09, The whole purpose for this visit was to get prescription color contact lenses. By the end of my exam Dr.Samo finally convinced me to get clear contacts instead of color lenses because they turned out to be a better buy. I ended up paying a total of 324.39, this included a contact lense exam, and 2 boxes of clear contact lenses ( I have estigmatism so it can get pretty pricey). I was advised that due to the fact that these were especially made lenses it could take up from 7 to 10 business days to get these in.

After two weeks, I get a call from one of the associates to notify me that my lenses were in for which I asked if it would be okay for my husband to pick them up since I had been getting off late from work and they were closed by the time I would get there to which she replied there shouldn't be a problem with that. I ended up getting off early from work so I decided to pick them up myself. By then it had already been a 3-4days. When I get to the Vision Center, I am helped by the manager at this location. She doubted that somebody had called to notify me of my order arriving when they were still waiting on a trial pair that they needed to see on me before they released my lenses for which I had already paid for.

By this time I asked about changing my order to color contacts, because that's what I wanted in the first place for which they were a lot more expensive. For which Dr.Samo replies by saying that it would be an additional 30.00 fee because the eye exam was based on clear lenses and not color, uh-how could that be if I had told him since the beginning I wanted color lenses? Plus, when you are checking out and placing your order they ask you again what you want to get, he was not making sense at all. So I asked him, if i was obligated to purchase my lenses there in order to get my prescription? He answered, no. But, he would not release my prescription until he'd seen me in a trial pair, the problem was there was no trial pair for the color ones only the clear ones. So if I am not obligated to buy them here, why cant you give me my prescription for which I fully paid for. His response wss that he could not release my prescription until he seen me in my trials...there were no trials in the color lenses i needed..so isn't that making me purchase one pair of color lenses (400)so he can see me in them so he can release my prescription?

So I am being obligated to purchase my lenses there! After a long and exausting discussion I told him I would try on the clear trials (the ones they were waiting on) because I desperately needed lenses right away, they said they'd call me when they'd get them in. Almost two weeks passed by the time they called me notifying me of the trials arriving. I go in on Sunday April 5th, an associate, J. Delgado,(really polite) tells me that Dr.Samo needed to be there to see me in my trials, and then have me come back in week for a follow-up..I was trying not to get upset,.Why would he need to see me in them? I understand about the week follow up, but why would he have to be there to give me my trials?

I left and came back during the week, Thursday to be exact. Turns out he's only there Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! I finally gave up and I asked the associate that was there at the moment to give me my money back! She gave me a refund for the contact lenses but not my exam. I paid for a service, in this case a contact lense exam, but I didn't get my prescription. All I got was a prescription for glasses!! I never went in for glasses! In that case I could've walked in and paid for an eye exam which is 20.oo less than a contact lense exam. I am looking for a full refund for not receiving the services I paid for. It's been 7 weeks and I am with no lenses, nor prescription to buy them elsewhere, and 85.00 short and not to mentioned the frustation I feel at this time. I have never gone through so much difficulty to get my prescription, but this will be the last time I ever go to a Walmart Vision Center ever! The people there are misleading customers and giving out the wrong information. I was told this Dr. has had several complaints already and he's only been there not so long. I can imagine a lot more coming.

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