Cohen’s Fashion Optical

After three straight years of purchasing $ 700 plus glasses I went into Cohen Optical to see how much it would cost to get a cracked lens repaired. The counter woman quoted me $ 299 to replace the lenses. She wouldn’t budge on this ridiculous price. I took my lens info and went to Odyssey Optical on 31 Street (which I have never been at before) and without hesitation they quoted me $ 180 and had my glasses ready in 2 days! How in the world does Cohen Optical expect to keep a customer who spends over $ 700 a year on new eyewear with such rip off customer service? I’ll never go back to this location or any other Cohen Optical location… see ya’! Terrible counter service as well… the woman couldn’t be more unpleasant. How do rude rip off places like this stay in business?

Terrible customer service after being a client for a few years and referring over a dozen folks there. I spent over $ 700 on Dior glasses (frame, lens, etc) and after 5 months still have not received the case for them. This was my first time getting glasses here since I have been wearing contacts for years and I had extra FSA money that I had to use or lose. The short version is that I stopped in the store 5 times and called 5 – 7 times to inquire about the case but was given a different story everytime. I did not receive a single return call from any visit. I finally was able to get the manager Lucy on the phone and explained the situation and was promised that the damaged case that is in store would be set aside and I would be provided an alternative option or a $ 50 store credit. When I went in sun 3/​27, only the damaged case was available and no one seemed to know about the alternatives. I submitted a customer service ticket to their corporate office and left a vm since I am not receiving an honest response nor any actual follow through by the store. If I don’t receive a reply for the corporate office then I will file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. it’s disappointing given all they needed to do was be thorough on their follow up.

First time at this location on Monday ¹²⁄₁₄. Staff were really helpful, especially as I had difficulty moving around on crutches. The doctor was really personable, friendly, and engaging. She made the exam more pleasant, and I enjoyed chatting with her
The woman at front was very patient and helpful, took her time with me to choose the right pair of glasses, bringing options to me so I would not have to hobble around the counters. They were ready in an hour, and I am very happy with my selection.
The only suggestion I have is that the furniture in the waiting room and exam room, is extremely old and needs to be upgraded. Cloth chairs were worn and dirty, almost didn’t want to sit on them, and the desk the doctor was using seemed ancient. It doesn’t match the rest of the store which is clean and modern. Should be worth spending a little money to at least get new seats for customers comfort and hygiene.
Aside from that, I had a great experience and definitely recommend this location!

Spent $ 850 on new eyeglasses this past Saturday with my union discount. Went to follow up on my order yesterday. They informed me that they are still waiting for my lens to be shipped. My old glasses split in half on Thanksgiving. They said there is nothing they can do so I guess I need to survive on my broken glasses until whenever they get my lens in stock. I was sorely disappointed after spending $ 850, which I was later told was overpriced that they would not at least offer to expedite my order being that my current glasses are broken. Cohen’s got my money so I guess they absolutely do not care about me. Next time, I’ll need to shop around and disregard my Union plan. It’s not worth it.

The eye doctor was great! Thank you Dr. Smith you deserve 5 stars.
If you end up picking a set of frames that you like they immediately up sell you to another pair at double the price. I selected a $ 200 frame and was directed to a $ 400 set. Add to that $ 250 for bi-​focal lens and you are looking at $ 650. I backed out of the $ 400 frames and the girl behind the counter looked at me like as if I was a cheap boyfriend only buying a one karat diamond ring for my girlfriend.
Later on that evening I backed out of the whole deal and they kept $ 50 for the examination. That was fair. I bought a pair the next day for $ 190 and that was with the eye exam. These corporate giants are corporate giants because most people think that more expensive is better.
What would make a pair of glass frames $ 400 when they are made in China with slave labor and bought in bulk by the shipping container.
I’m writing this with my new pair of bifocals from a mom & pop shop.
WoW! I have learned my lesson yet again. Support Local.
Thank you again Dr. Smith.

I can’t say enough about the eye doctor. She was was very professional and pleasant. Hooked me up with a pair of contacts for astigmatism. I never saw more clearly. Staff was helpful. Great experience!!!

Gotta love the end of the year when I had a sh*t ton of money in my flex account and since I don’t wear glasses/​contacts anymore I figured I would help the lady out with a new pair of glasses and maybe some sunglasses for myself.
I called ahead and was told that we could just walk in since the lady got her prescription from an earlier visit. The woman behind the counter walked her through a couple frames and pointed me towards the sunglasses they had. My lady found a set she liked and while she was deciding on a pair of shades for herself an older gentleman walked in.
I guess he was a regular (can eyeglass shops have regulars?) because he seemed to know the woman helping us and asked a litany of questions-​a lot of which were actually the same question; seriously how many times does someone need to ask when someone is working this week and from when to when the optometrist is in. She handled it pretty deftly, well, far better than I would have and he went away satisfied. She then laid out the options available and filled out the paperwork and we were in and out in about 20 minutes.
I have to say, that so far, I was pretty satisfied with the whole experience.

I will not be returning to this store ever again. I recently ordered contacts from them and they came in 2 weeks after they were supposed to. When they did finally come in, I was going away for the weekend for a bachelorette party and leaving straight from work the next day. I left work early so I could get their on time to pick them up. I got to the store at 6:53 and the store was supposed to close at 7. They had already locked the doors and the 2 girls in the store would not open the door for me! I basically pleaded with them through the glass and they just rolled their eyes and shook their head no. When I pointed to the time on my phone they just shrugged their shoulders. How rude and insulting, not to mention such an inconvenience that I was unable to have contacts for my weekend away. Additionally, they are way overpriced.

Terrible customer service, some of the ladies that work there are extremely nasty and rude. AVOID!

Review is for contacts only. Reviews are poor and, having never worn contacts, was a bit nervous about coming here. Printed out the coupon on their site and got an exam + trial lens box for $ 75 — best price and I have shopped around. Exam and service were nothing to write home about but I got what I needed quickly and cheaply so I would reccommend it. I took a look at the glasses section and, even with the deals floating around, they are over-​priced.

I had a very poor experience here. Their frames are WAY overpriced. You’re paying 300 dollars for no-​name plastic frames made in China. I bought them on a knee jerk decision because they put me thru such crap over my insurance. I went one evening and they said they could not take my insurance and that it had to be called in the next day. I left a copy and did not receive a phone call. I called back two days later and asked them to call it in. They did and called me the next day to confirm it was accepted. I get there on Saturday and they tell me they can’t take my insurance because they have to call it in. I informed them that it was called in; they had no name, no note, nothing in the system eventhough I left a copy of my insurance with them. I had to argue them down in order to be seen. So after all the emotional expenditure I was invested and should have been prepared to walk away after she blurted out that bogus price for very average frames. With insurance, I paid $ 420 for basic frames and a light prescription; which was poorly done. My nearsightedness is worse with the glasses on. This was the worst optical experience of my life. I never write reviews but this was bad. Upset I ignored the reviews. The extra star is only because the doc had good ‘bedside’ manner.

Extremely disrespectful and dismissive staff. They really live up to the horrible reputation they have created for themselves. Thank god for Unilocal otherwise the owners would never know how nasty their employees are. Some of the 5 star reviews are rather suspect if you actually read them, some being from out of town. Look if you have to go for insurance reasons, go but just know they will do anything in their power not to take your insurance.

I would like to note that after reading my review, Cohen’s customer service reached out to us to follow up on the poor experience we had. While we won’t be shopping at this location because our experience, the contact was appreciated.
Thank you Jenna for caring about your company’s image and your customers’ well being.

Total rip off no matter if you have insurance.

I had a groupon deal that gives you a free eye exam and $ 200 off your frame.
I walked in and the heavy set gentlemen greeted me. He sat me down in their waiting room for my eye exam. I like their doctor she was really nice and professional.
Overall I am happy with the service.
But not with the pricing… i thought all their products WAY OVER PRICED.
I had a $ 200 off and with that discount… I paid $ 600.
The lenses were more expensive than the frame.
Holy chippers… if I had know the prices were that steep and ridiculous I would have NOT purchased the groupon and come here.
Their service was great… but I am not coming back here. Paid $ 600 with a $ 200 off deal? that is ridiculous and crazy.
Plus their selection of glasses werent that great… most of them looked out dated and very cheap.

Recent dealings w/​the Cohen’s Fashion Optical on Steinway St in Queens have left me w/​a nasty taste in my mouth. The customer svc rep @ corporate was pleasant and helpful. Unfortunately, the supervisor of the franchise location refuses wrongdoing in charging me for 8 boxes @ $ 40/​bx, when I was only given 4 boxes. He now says that the contacts cost $ 80/​bx. I walk away from this experience w/​the sense that they are simply manipulating the numbers to add up to the $ 320 I was charged for the contacts. The cust svc rep even asked them how they can charge $ 80/​bx when other locations & websites charge $ 33-​$ 50. Never setting foot in there again

the place Beautiful, modern, Doctor was amazing and so sweet (she knows what she is doing), Mr John was very professional and helpful. The staff in the Place were fantastic and very friendly.
Really it was Extremely pleasant Eye exam visit, would highly recommend.

Would like to state that I ordered my glasses Monday morning and I was called Yesterday that my glasses were ready. All other times I’ve had my glasses done, it would take nearly two weeks for them to be ready. I’m really impressed with the overall service of this place. Finally feels good to see things in focus again :{D

OHHHHH HO HO! This will be fun to review.
So, last year I went to an eye doctor out in Colorado while on vacation who ended up completely botching my prescription for both contacts and glasses. He essentially switched left and right eye info and whatever, it was a mess.
When I got back to New York, I called 1800contacts to inform them there was a problem with my lenses and they set me up with an appointment at Cohen’s to fix the problem. In I went and had both my contacts and glasses prescriptions updated. After the exam (with a doc who was pretty good, and is *not* included in this review), I paid my dues and asked for my prescription. The heavier-​set man at the front desk denied me my own copy. I asked what if I wanted to get glasses somewhere else and he told me I could buy frames elsewhere and bring them back to them for the lenses. Because I had gone through 1800Contacts, they could not release my prescription to me. I thought this was strange, but left with the intention of figuring that one out. (Turns out it is TOTALLY illegal. They *MUST* give you a copy of your prescription).
Anyway, I was able to return my incorrect lenses to 1800Contacts and get new ones, so I assumed everything was hunky-​dory. Fast forward a few months to today when I need to reorder lenses. I get in touch with 1800Contacts who inform me they do not have a copy of my prescription. So they call Cohen’s who inform them I NEVER HAD A CONTACT LENS EXAM. Even though the whole reason I went was to fix the incorrect lens prescription, and it was freaking SET UP BY 1800CONTACTS!!! I explain all this to 1800, who elevated the issue. They called Cohen’s back and basically grilled them until *SURPRISE* they coughed up my prescription.
This is an extremely illegal practice. Be advised, do NOT leave this place without a physical copy of your prescription, regardless of what garbage they try to feed you. They just want you to spend way too much on their products. Forget it! I will absolutely never return here.

This place is a joke. Overpriced contacts, cheap frames that don’t fit, and service that’s just not friendly. Plus they make you feel like a huge nuisance when you walk in. Professionalism, people, geez!