Big City Optical West Loop

The fluorescent lights were quite bright. My glasses were fixed faster than expected, which was good. However, the price seemed a bit high for the straightforward repair. I suppose you pay for the convenience on a busy schedule.

I truly never write reviews but had to for this location. Long story short they lost my frames I was trying to replace the lenses on. After close to a dozen outreach attempts trying to get them back I was never once offered a refund and lost the money I paid here. Horrible customer service that made me give up trying to get any compensation. Not sure if other locations are like this too but stay away from this one at least.

This review is less about the location and more to do with the company’s policies and practices. I went to the West Loop location for the first time at the end of March for an annual exam, buying a year’s supply of daily Acuvue contacts. Upon reviewing my receipt after leaving, I saw that they charge about $14 per box more than MyEyeDr and 1-800 Contacts (Costco is a different story of course). I contacted them not even one hour after my appointment asking if I could cancel my order since I found them cheaper online. When I was told no due to it already processing, I asked if they would price match and the in-store associate verified with her manager that they would do this, I’d get roughly $200 back and the manager would contact me in a bit. Twenty minutes later, I get a call from the district manager, Lisa, who spent 9 minutes telling me they don’t do price-matching and that she would have to speak to the team because they shouldn’t have told me that. When I told her I would like my money back (just the price difference), she said they have to remain competitive and I would actually be getting a better deal than anywhere else once I got a $300 rebate from Acuvue, but outside of that there was nothing she could do (except order me extra pairs of contacts for travel???) A week later, I get my contacts, go to complete the rebate online and see that I’m only getting $100, not the $300 that Lisa claimed I would receive. Additionally, looking at my card statement versus my receipt, there was a $30 overcharge with no explanation on the receipt anywhere. I emailed Lisa, reminding her of the situation and asking her why there was a $200 difference between the rebate I got and the one she said I would get. I also asked why there was a difference in the charge and the receipt. When Lisa got back to me at the end of the week, she stated that the charge difference is a credit card processing fee that they have no control over - obviously this is not true; a business can decide to not pass that to their customers if they don’t want to. This fee and how much it was was not posted anywhere in the business, nor on the receipt. This is the second deceptive practice from them a the first being the back and forth about price matching. As it relates to the rebate difference, Lisa says that the $300 was only for new users to this product. A fact that she, the district manager, should know about and communicate to the customer in the first place. She said this on our call only to pacify me so I wouldn’t be upset. And here we have the third deception. At no point did Lisa actually apologize for the horrific communication and flat-out lies that I was told; she says their “no refund policy can be frustrating” but hopes that a pair of glasses “valued at $600” would make things right. Clearly not; I don’t need glasses or I would have bought those already. In this economy, it’s wild to think that Big City Optical and Lisa believe that any of this is okay. They do not care about the customer experience - they just want to make a profit. Save yourself time and money and an overall headache by going to literally any other eye care professional.

I had a pretty underwhelming experience at this office. The visit with the optometrist felt very rushed, with little to no personal interaction or effort to make me feel comfortable. It came across as more of a transactional, corporate environment where the optometrist’s goal is to move patients in and out as quickly as possible. If you’re looking for a provider who takes the time to connect with you and show genuine care, this may not be the right fit. However, if you just need a quick exam and don’t mind a more impersonal experience—especially one where there’s a noticeable push toward purchasing eyewear—then it could work for you. The only real highlight was the front desk staff, who were very friendly and welcoming.

When I lived in Chicago, I tried several optometry offices, and Big City Optical's West Loop location consistently stood out largely because of the staff, especially Michelle. I had VSP, and Michelle was incredibly knowledgeable about how to navigate and maximize my benefits. She always took the time to explain my options clearly and made sure I understood what was covered. I've also seen her training other team members, which gave me the confidence to know I was always in good hands even if she wasn't there. After leaving this office, I've had other experiences that simply paled in comparison. For example, one office told me VSP wouldn't approve my computer glasses, and they weren't willing to look further into it due to their frequent rejections from VSP. Based on my past experiences at Big City Optical, I knew this wasn't the case. At the last minute, I booked a cheap flight to Chicago to visit this location again, and once again, the experience was seamless and positive. On another occasion, when I had an issue with my glasses at another Big City Optical location, Michelle stepped in to help resolve it, even though she wasn't the one who was originally assisted me. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of. I'll always appreciate the care and professionalism I received here. Even though I'm no longer in Chicago, this location set a very high bar for customer service. Thank you for the service all those years.