C & J Optical Fashions

Don’t go here if you are having an awesome day! The middle aged girl with an attitude problem will bring you down! She’s always rude, and the poor owner has to over-​compensate for her hideousness.

Great selection and wonderful to work with! Speedy service and helpful! The only place I’ll purchase my glasses and sunglasses from.

ONLY REASON I AM GIVING THIS 1 STAR IS BECAUSE I HAVE TO IN ORDER TO WRITE A REVIEW! First off the last at the desk with the bad makeup on is the daughter of the man making the glasses. She would interrupt me a lot. I think she is rude because she feels she can be since she is the daughter of the owner. Plus my lenses are not made right. They stick out of the frame. I explained to her that I did not want them she said «oh it doesn’t work that way Hun» she is rude. I will NOT be going back!

Not sure how this place got anything more than an two-​star rating. I am now wondering if C&J paid these reviewers to give it five-​star rating. The truth is these five-​star ratings do not reflect the reality of this store.
They sell cheap (low quality) materials and unreliable products. The owner is a nice guy but he doesn’t seem to believe in quality products. The receptionist/​salesperson (the owner daughter?) is a bit strange, a little abrasive and rude. She doesn’t care about the customers but only about their money. The customers she seems to care about (or at least being nice to) are generally white folks. Yes, racism is detected here. This is where you could find small town mentality exists. My friend got her prescription glasses filled here but they did it wrong then blame it on the OD. So my friend got kicked back and forth between her OD and this outfit for awhile before she decided to go elsewhere that could provide a more competent service.

Merced is my hometown and it is so nice to come back to visit and be able to shop local. Laura even explained to me that my insurance covers sunglasses for preventative protection! Wonderful! So today I’m getting a new pair of sunnies! It’s quiet in here and they make everyone feel like a VIP!

I have been a customer of C&J optical for over 10 years. I am not in the habit of writing reviews for anyone, good or bad.
After reading the negative review from Matt S., I felt obliged to write this review, as it came as a huge surprise to me that anyone would have found this business to be less than stellar.
Both of the 2 people that work in the shop have helped me on numerous occasions, and I have purchased at least 15 pairs of glasses from them over the years, not only for me, but also for several of my children. The service has been excellent, even going back to the very first occasion I had to buy glasses from them. I was referred to them by a fellow physician, my Ophthalmologist, who gave the optician there a glowing recommendation as «the best in the area.»
I have never received any rude or curt responses from Laura, the «sales lady» mentioned by Matt S. in his review. In fact, I try to seek her out when looking for a pair of glasses either for myself or for one of my children. She has a unique ability to narrow down the choices very quickly to match the desires and the tastes of the customer, and to match the style of frame to the physical features of the face to wear it. She starts with 2 – 3 simple questions and a quick analysis of the customer’s features, e.g., cheek structure, eye color, hair color, clothing style, etc., and in a few minutes the choice is down to 2 or 3 final options, all of which seem near perfect. I am sure that all of my children would agree that she has been not only extremely helpful, but also very kind and friendly, and even «very beautiful.»
I believe that the experience Matt S. described may have been attributable to the fact that he didn’t specifically ask for help. There are some places I’ve been where I have been asked so many times, «can I help you?» that I wish they would leave me alone. There are some where even when I want help, I can’t find it. Customer service for any company has to choose where they want to place themselves between those two opposite ends of the spectrum between harrassing vs. ignoring the customer. My observation has been that C&J Optical respects the desire of most customers to first browse around and take in all the amazing variety of choices available, then to assist expertly when asked for assistance.
As for the implication that the eyeglasses could not be returned, or that there was little or no warranty available, I believe that the warranties are nothing less than the industry standard, and for regular customers, they are better. The last pair of prescription Oakley sunglasses I ordered, for example, arrived at the store 2 days after I placed the order. When they gave me the standard courtesy call to inform me of the arrival of the glasses, I was informed by the optician that when he did his own quality check, he found that one of the lenses had the wrong correction, and he had sent it back to Oakley to have them correct their mistake.
Both as a customer and as a physician, I would rate C&J Optical as absolutely the best place in the Merced County area to buy glasses… without a doubt!

I am not in the habit of leaving poor reviews– believing that I can always lean toward the positive. Unfortunately, the only positive that I found at C&J Optical was that they have a small children’s play area.
I dealt with the same sales lady twice. The first time was when I purchased a pair of sunglasses for my wife, the second was when I attempted to return them (By the way– apparently, there is no return policy. The policy is not stated on the receipt, nor is it posted anywhere in the store –that I could see with reasonable effort– and the policy was not explained when purchasing).
I found the customer service to be bristly and down right cold at other points. For example, when the sales lady was asked about a particular brand, she motioned toward a section of the store and said, «they’re over there,» giving the impression that I needed to search on my own and that she would not be helping. Or, when asked about guarantees, replacement parts, etc., she said very curtly, «manufacturers have warranties,» period.
Business marketing statistics state that it takes eleven positive comments to dissuade one negative comment. I am literally in the business of helping good businesses succeed. I would like to see good businesses succeed, especially in this town, but poor customer service at a style-​driven eyeglasses boutique won’t bode well for long.
I am a supporter of local business whenever possible (hence why I purchased from C&J’s in the first place), but after the couple of sour experiences there, I would have gladly and preferably taken my business to a national chain had I been able to return the glasses.
I hope to see positive reviews for C&J’s– until then, I will not be returning, though I welcome feedback from the owner.