A Visual Affair

Completely unprofessional. Have had two appointments here. The first time the front desk attendant was quite rude but didn’t think much of it. Second appointment was fine. But today, I came back for a third appointment that I booked and received verification. Came in and was told they never got it. Front desk staff was completely unhelpful nor interested in helping. Indeed, while talking to me, the front desk staff took a phone call and completely ignored me after initially taking my information, leaving me to stand at the desk completely confused. Decided to take my business elsewhere.

Dr. Zimmerman was great and so was the tech Xavier. I was in and out for my glasses appointment in about 30 minutes. They also do glasses in-house if you need the. Highly recommend.

Very professional staff. It’s easy to schedule or change appointments. Dr. Bindal is super knowledgeable and listens to his patients. He recommended a new contacts brand based on his patients’ reviews and experiences. When I sampled them, I could immediately tell a difference in the comfort level, so I’m glad he recommended them. His assistants also took the time to search for discounts and double checked my insurance coverage to make sure I was getting the best value. I highly recommend their services!

An overall good experience was ruined by untransparent pricing. I wanted an updated contact lens prescription, nothing about my prescription changed this visit. I already wear contacts, and since they were the exact same as the previous ones I’ve worn, there is no point in doing a fitting/evaluation. This evaluation is usually reserved for first time contact lens wearers, or at least changes in a prescription. This is policy of other eye doctors I have been to. The office charged me $159.00 for “fitting/evaluation”. To make matters worse. I explicitly asked about fees, and was told that my insurance covers $55 of the contact lens examination. When I asked about how much the whole exam cost, I was told they “don’t know yet”. After pushing I was told that I would be told the price when I was seen by the doctor. I was never once told the price or even a ballpark figure until it was time to pay. Providing and charging for a service without ever informing the parent of the charges is frankly unacceptable.

I have been coming here for 3yrs. I used to like this place. Unfortunately, I won't be back (except to pick up my contacts). Awful business practices. I know from the previous times I've had appts with them what is usually covered by my insurance. But it's the responsibility of the people who work there to inform the patient if something is not covered by insurance. It is their responsibility to let you know the cost of a service before rendering said service. I asked about getting contacts and no where in my conversation with the doctor did anyone tell me that would be a separate charge. When I had one of the exams before going into the room the guy said there would be a additional charge for the exam to take photos of my eyes. I agreed and knew I would be paying for that. But after seeing the doctor and her assisting me with contacts I was told I would be charged an additional $116. I was shocked. No where did anyone mention that asking about contacts would be additional. As a business it is your responsibility to be transparent with the customer/patient and inform them if some additional fees are required. You need to give them an option to say yes or no. I was never given that option. I would have waited. Now I have to find a new eye doctor that has better business practices.