Cohen’s Fashion Optical

BUYER BEWARE.
Seriously folks it does not get any worse than this. The bottom of the barrel.
I went into this store a couple of months ago to get an eye exam and contacts. They are a member of my company’s vision plan. I call and confirm that they are in fact members and they will accept my plan. I explained to them I want an exam, and a prescription to order my lenses online. they tell me to come on down.
After a less than thorough eye «exam» reading numbers off a wall after putting on a pair of over night lenses. I got my prescription. The doctor did not examine my eyes at all. It was equivalent to a visit to the DMV.
Long story short, I was charged $ 100 by the office when there should have been no out of pocket expense. At the time of this transaction, the woman in the store told me that I have to file a claim with my vision plan.
Fast forward, I speak to the customer service of my plan, and they state Cohen’s should not have charged me. They advised me to go to the store and ask the woman (Maria or Marie) to get on the phone with them.
Once she got on the phone (with a major puss on her face) she back peddled and tried making excuses to legitimize this fee. First it was an independent fee that this office charges. Then it was I had specialty lenses (they claimed plain vanilla soft lenses are specialty lenses because they are disposable, when the plan clearly states what specialty lenses are toric lenses, gas permeable lenses etc.)
During this phone call with my vision provider, I learn that this office put in a claim for contact lenses as well. I never purchased contact lenses from them. They never gave me contact lenses. This was a double whammy as if helping themselves to $ 100 was not enough. My provider was able to reverse this from them, which enabled me to use my benefit with 1 – 800 CONTACTS
So after a month or two of back and forth with Cohen’s customer service number, who were very helpful, I received a check for the $ 100 and an apology. Thank you Ms. Snow for fixing this horrific experience.
Looking at these reviews, it is obvious that my assessment of this location and the horrific service from Maria does not serve as an outlier. This location must be an embarrassment to the Cohen name.

These people are twits. DO NOT GO HERE! I came here for an eye exam and when I asked the doctor why she didn’t test my eyes like every doctors has since I was 8 years old she said that they don’t offer a full eye exam, only the prescription. But they advertise as if they do offer it. When I received my glasses these twits put the wrong prescription on them. When I went back to get them corrected they had ‘lost’ both my glasses and contact prescription. I now have to go in for a third time for my prescription. I can wait to get this over with.

Zero stars if i could. These «opticians» are commission-​hungry sales clerks with very little optical knowledge. Was told I was getting a 30% Medicare discount and was charged $ 775 which included frames that were online for $ 120. Karen, «the Manager» is an arrogant, ignorant hustler. When I told her the frames were online, she said, «then you should have gotten them online.» Customer service? Lenses are ¼″ thick, heavy and badly cut. I specified wanting thin, light lenses. Returned them to be remade for an additional $ 200. Got back the SAME thick heavy lenses. Overheard Karen gossiping about a coworker who she «did not like, when it’s mine, it’s mine» No doubt she was referring to a commission. Management skills? Professionalism? Any question you ask is an imposition — like they have something better to do, and ignored several requests for thin lenses and complaints about their weight. Sales clerk was dismissive and disinterested after she got her commission. Shame on them for continuously ripping people off, especially senior citizens. Wish I had read the Unilocal reviews before I went. I told Karen about them and she said «It’s not about reviews.» That reply perfectly sums up their customer service. DO NOT GO HERE.

Extortionate prices for gullible walk-​ins and slow, slow service for the simplest of orders. Ugh.

Zero stars if I could. This review is long overdue. Went here for a new contact prescription. They put a lot of pressure on me to order the contacts through them after the eye exam instead of another provider. This place is conveniently close to work, so I placed an order. But, I should’ve done my research beforehand, because their lenses are exorbitantly overpriced. What’s more, the guy placing my order said he «looked up my insurance» and claimed I wasn’t covered for XX amount. He overcharged me, so I had to call the insurance company on my own and get the matter cleared up. Upon returning and outlining the terms of my insurance and how I was overcharged, they offered me more contact lenses instead of a cash reimbursement. Fortunately, they ended up giving me the difference back even though the bottom of the receipt says in tiny letters, «NO REFUDS (sic).» Buyer beware. I’ve never seen an eyeglass shop that doesn’t offer refunds if you’re not happy. They don’t tell you this beforehand.
All that aside, what really ticked me off about this place was how rude the guy at the counter was! When I came back for a follow-​up appointment and was in the exam room, I overheard the guy talking disparagingly about other people. Even WORST, he started talking about politics and black people and threw the N-​word around. I was in shock and completely disgusted. Highly unprofessional, shady sales tactics, and the physical location is far shabbier than other Cohen’s that I’ve been to. Definitely won’t be returning. They don’t deserve my money.
Buyer beware. Do your research. Listen to the other reviews.

the terrible professional experience:
— unfriendly non-​smiling attitude of the clerk/​owner
— the «specialist» rushed through the eye test in 7min.
— after the «eye exam» the «helping» associate told me that the lenses are not covered by my insurance and i have to pay $ 300 for them. meanwhile, i know that my insurance covers all the eye-​related expenses.
— i left without taking the «best deal» they can give me
after i went to SUNY Eye Center and had 1 hour thorough exam of my eyes health, realized that the prescription that Cohen’s prescribed is off and incorrect, got new lenses. all with a warm smile and completely covered by insurance.
the unfriendly sheisty attitude of the owners and staff at Cohen’s proved to me that they are more interested in making a buck than providing a needed care. Vision is a very important sense — Cohen’s do not understand that, unfortunately.

DO NOT GET EYE EXAMINED HERE.
I wish I had paid heed to the other reviews. I went for eye exam because it was close to my house. The eye prescriptions were wrong.
They will only do an exam again if you buy glasses from them. And their glasses are 5x of what you get elsewhere and pretty outdated too.
Complete loss of $ 80 had to get examined elsewhere again, and there was a clear difference in the numbers!

Somehow they had my review removed. Cohen’s charged my wife’s insurance TWICE. got PAID TWICE. for services not rendered. IN ADDITION TO CHARGING US AS WELL. Now refusing for almost a year to give us our refund. CHECK YOUR INSURANCE CLAIMS… and statements for fraudulent billing.

Quick, easy and overall great experience! My boss needed some new glasses in a pinch, so he went here as it’s close to the office. Had a wonderful experience! He said Karen, the store manager, was friendly, helpful and very patient in helping him decide what frames and lenses to purchase. All I know is he came back to the office a happy man, and a happy boss makes for happy staff!

BE CAREFUL !!! BE CAREFUL !!! Don’t buy GROUPON for this people !!! Really bad service the owner show me they only care about the money as soon they knew I had a GROUPON they charge me almost $ 900 for everything !!! I alway use Groupon never had problem !!! I feel I got robbed !!!

Just ordered contacts for my brother that is working overseas to send them to him in a rush and was charged $ 129 for a box, since I didn’t know what kind of contacts he wore I just went ahead and ordered them from where he goes for his exams. I just received them and they are anywhere from $ 29.95 to $ 49.95 in multiple places I feel ripped off, I called and I can’t even return them. All I can get is a store credit, what I’m gonna use it for?

Had a groupon deal ($ 32 for eye exam and $ 300 towards frames and lenses). Expected to pay around $ 100 – 200 out of pocket for a really nice pair of designer glasses. The store and it’s glasses looked run down, out of date and frankly, the price tag did not justify the frames, especially since they were definitely not from the latest season.
So I asked the associate to calculate the price. $ 500. And that INCLUDES the $ 300 credit. No way is any pair of glasses, especially one with an older season design, worth $ 800. I did the math, and the lenses itself would cost $ 350-​$ 400. Complete ripoff! Totally trying to up sell me with different «add on’s» to the lenses; so I kindly asked for my prescription and declined to buy the frames. She went to her manager who gave me the rudest glare and refused to give me my prescription. She said that the only way I could get my prescription is if I bought the frames. I answered that the groupon deal specified I could use it for just the eye exam, and again she refused. After a bit of arguing using simple logic, she finally gave me my prescription on a separate piece of paper.
Needless to say, I laughed all the way to Warby Parker where I got frames and lenses for $ 95 minus the attitude and fluorescent lights. Also, might I add, the «add on’s» Cohen’s tried to sell me were free at Warby Parker.
And that is why business like this are failing. Advice to the company overall: change your strategy or you’ll be gone faster than Blockbuster.

********PLEASE, MY FELLOW VISION-​IMPAIRED BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!!********
Please do not give patronage to this establishment if you can help it! All of the negative reviews below are true! If I could give NO STARS, I would!!! I have NEVER written a negative review before but after what I experienced this past weekend at this horrible little excuse for a business, I felt compelled to ensure that no one will ever go through that kind of debasement again. You would think that because this place covers as a doctor’s office, they would at the very least pretend to have the patient’s best interest at heart, NOT THE CASE.
The associates working at this «business» (I am applying this term loosely because they are obviously running some kind of corporate scam) are nothing more than commission-​hungry, money-​grubbing CHARLATANS!
I purchased a $ 32 Groupon for an eye exam and a $ 300 credit towards lenses and frames (silly me, thinking this would be such a DEAL, believe me you get what you pay for). I read and re-​read the fine print on this deal just to be sure that I wasn’t getting ripped off. I made an appointment online, which was easy enough, however not an indication of what would later ensue. I arrived on the day of the appointment and was immediately greeted by an associate who looked like a wanna-​be Fabio with long black hair slicked back, giving his entire silhouette a greasy, candy-​coated sheen. He informed us that the «way the deal worked» was that we would get 1 free eye exam, with the purchase of frames and lenses that included a $ 300 credit. I didn’t want to create a scene, but this simply isn’t what I paid for. My boyfriend told me not to argue with him, so we went through with the exam. Oh, did I mention that when we arrived there was already a disgruntled customer arguing with another associate over what seemed to be a legitimate complaint?
The doctor who attended us was actually a gem. He was patient, kind, helpful, and attentive. He even gave us a referral to see a specialist because the eye pressure machine was out of order. That should have been my first clue to the shadiness of this business, how can a respectable manager allow the office to operate without the proper equipment needed by the doctor to evaluate his patients!!! Moving forward, he writes us up for the referral and gives us the prescription for the glasses as we move to the gallery from the examination room.
The greasy, previously mentioned associate right off the bat shows us $ 600 frames. We are two modestly-​dressed, twenty-​something young adults; does it look like we can afford to have $ 600 frames? Definitely not. What does he care? He’s not trying to save us money or provide us with any level of honest customer service, he’s obviously just trying to get paid. We try on another 20 frames and we decide that we’re not going to pay what is obviously going to be top dollar for something we don’t like. Once he heard that we would be taking our business elsewhere, he explodes and says that we need to purchase frames today or we would have to be responsible for the full cost of the eye exam, $ 60. But wait? Didn’t we pay $ 32 for the exam? So now you’re arguing with me for about 20 bucks? NOWHERE ON THE GROUPON DOES IT SAY YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE FRAMES FROM THEM! Please don’t be fooled!
I calmly informed him to please redeem our Groupon so that they can at least get paid for the eye exam, and he said NO! I couldn’t believe how we were being treated! After I decided this entire experience was ridiculous, I asked him «if Groupon knew what kind of operation you all are running here, would they be pleased?» and he said «Groupon WOULD NOT CARE!» So I called Groupon, and guess what, THEY DO. Groupon immediately issued me a refund and the Groupon representative that I spoke to placed an official complaint against the business and she also highly recommended that I go to Unilocal as recourse.
What really upset me about this entire exchange was that he said he was going to «get the doctor in trouble» for giving me my prescription? The doctor should be the real authority in a place like that, after all, he is the only licensed professional! I truly regret that this interaction affected the doctor at all because his was the only positive role in that entire situation.
Finally, we decide we are going to leave because there is nothing more to be said or done. We have our prescription, we have our referral, therefore, it is time to go. But not before Mr. Fabio RIPS UP THE GROUPON VOUCHER IN MY BOYFRIEND’S FACE. That was truly the icing on this whole fantastically disgusting experience.
I know and understand that this review is lengthy but please let my experience be a lesson to you all. Avoid this place at all costs!!! Take your hard-​earned money to any other respectable establishment!!!
Thanks for your time guys! Again, sorry this is so long but I couldn’t keep this horrible encounter to myself. Happy Unilocaling!

This is the worst experience I have ever had with an optomotrist. First I had a groupon they did not accept and I had to pay $ 110 out of pocket. Then my scheduled appointment was an hour late. During that time I had to listen to the guy there talk about how SICK he was. Then their equipment was broken so she just had me read off the wall… which was BACKWARDS. Then she basically just asked what my prescription was and wrote it.
Then when I sent my prescription in to 1800contacts they told me they contacted the store and they told them my prescription was expired and it’s been 2 weeks with them trying to get ahold of the store again when I told them over and over I just got the prescription 2 weeks ago. NEVER GO TO THIS STORE. I have never written a Unilocal review before but this is ridiculous.

I did read the reviews below but I most say I don’t agree I had great service here
It was fast and easy
They were really nice and helpful.
I got an exam glasses and contacts, they gave me a good discount
I forgot the name of the guy that helped me but thank you, I always get complements on my glasses I love them

The staff here is extremely rude and unhelpful. I called to receive assistance with an issue and the rep just wouldn’t help me! His answer was «no» to everything! He wouldn’t offer any solutions and wouldn’t connect me to someone who could. I asked for the manager and he said I can’t speak to the manager! Just plain unhelpful and not trained on any sort of customer service skills.
This place is also extremely overpriced. I went there with a Groupon (for free exam and $ 300 off glasses) and the price still came up to be ridiculously high even after the discount!
I don’t know about other Cohen’s stores, but this one is NOT worth your time and money!!! STAY AWAY!!!

!!!STAY AWAY!!!
These people are a bunch of thieves! EVERYTHING negative you see below is true!
I have never in my life seen such a corruptive corporation.
Wont bore you too much with my long story, but i have insurance, have always paid $ 35 for my co pay (this includes EVERYTHING) well according to Cohen’s, my insurance doesn’t cover everything and charge me $ 345!!!
I was at war with them for over a month! And i mean WAR!. Called them, stopped by a few times, all to be given the run around in regards to the manager being there, not being there. His name. work days, hours Etc. Every time i called, its like they all knew who i was and what i was calling for. All gave some bullsh*t excuse and reasons as to why i cant speak to this Matt Mark Mike guy. YES all those names were told to me by them. .
I called their stupid 516−465−6975 only to get a voicemail. Oh and don’t fall for that Jenna M. Leaving replies on the reviews… Called the number and some lady answered who clearly did not work at Cohens.
THANKFULLY, i looked into Unilocal and saw which Cohen had the best reviews and called in hopes to get a manager on the phone who could help in any way. And Hallelujah!!! I was so lucky to get a regional manager Teresa answer. i explained my story and she had another regional manager Wendy, contact me who was very helpful in the situation and actually had to go to corporate to get my money back.
After a month and change, i finally received a check in the mail yesterday for the remainder of $ 310 even with the help of a Sr. Manager it was still hard to get my money back. Incredible!
I am still speechless as to how a company this size can get away with these type of things.
My advise, DO NOT just pay what you do not owe! Try what i did and hopefully a different manager can help.
And Screw You Cohen on Madison and everyone who works at that location! I declare diarrhea on you all. Lol.

I walk into Cohens on 50 E 42^nd St and immediately get the cold shoulder. These people acted as if I was a burden without me even be inside the store longer than 30 seconds.
I stood for about 2 minutes looking at frames without any kind of acknowledgment. Finally a young woman started to help me. Although she was rude, didn’t want to check to see if a pair I saw online was discontinued or not and gave me prices in a condescending tone I was able to find a pair.
Everything that happened left a bad impression for me. Call me indecisive but I decided to check out yet another Cohens.
I went to Cohen’s on Park Pl. Diana was really friendly and helped me pick out awesome frames. I explained what happened at the other Cohen’s and let her know I’d be back after I returned the glasses (From 50 E 42^nd St) and got my money back.
I returned the glasses back to 50 E 42^nd St and yet again I wasn’t greeted and the sales people kept interrupting me to talk among themselves. To my surprise I was told they do not provide refunds only store credit, no exceptions. Fine. Just get me out of this place.
* update
I received a call from Wendy (Cohens corporate) and a private message from Jenna M. Wendy gave me a very sincere apology.
She told me she would be visiting the store in the near future. Hopefully she can retrain or provide the staff there with coaching tips. Regardless I’ll never step foot in that particular location however I’d be willing to TRY my luck with a different Cohens

I went because my previous glasses broke (ones i purchased at Cohens!) I had not dropped them or anything one morning as I opened them to wear them the right part simply became undone (no loose screws or anything it just broke as if the metal was cheap and it had simply unstuck) The glasses are 2 years old BUT the pair was 800 dollars, I expected more. I still have older glasses in the attic that I purchased at least 10 years ago and they are still intact and where definitely no where near the price you pay at Cohens.
The pro is the optometrist there, he is very approachable and helpful. I had an eye exam for both glasses and contact lens. ($ 170) Since the doctor was so helpful I will probably end up ordering my contacts from here because he gave me a trail pair for a brand he felt I would like and turns out he was totally right!
Will I buy glasses again? No, the fact that my name brand over $ 800 pair simply became undone is clearly a sign I should look elsewhere.

Not shocked by the 1 and a half star rating. I was just a walk-​in. My experience roughly lasted about two and a half minutes, because of the customer service I received. (Funny that their banner outside was catered to walk-​ins. what a joke.)
Long story short, I was there to buy a new pair of sunglasses. I was the only customer in the shop — the two women at the counter were blathering amongst themselves. No greeting, eye contact, or any kind of acknowledgment. And keep in mind, this is a small shop. I’m standing directly in front of them, plainly peering into the display case of sunglasses behind the counter.
So I had to engage one of them, and this lady seemed like she couldn’t be bothered by me. I’d understand the attitude if she were a teenager working in retail (we’ve all been there), but she was no kid. I can’t think of any excuses for the subpar service.