America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses

I go in for a simple contact/​glasses yearly exam and then order my contacts online. So far so good — I have had two yearly exams now. The doctor is really nice and clearly knows what he is doing. When the online contact place calls to verify my prescription it is done so quickly by the staff here so that my contacts ship out immediately. The attendants at the desk are professional.

I was quite surprised by my experience here. I wasn’t expecting it to be much based on the reviews, but it must have been a good day because not only did I receive excellent service, but I also left with 2 pairs of glasses.
I was greeted by a friendly attendant who helped me through the entire process. I wasn’t in need of an exam, I was in need of a new pair of glasses. At the time they had a great special which allowed me to get 2 pairs at an excellent price. The attendant ended up picking out two stylish frames for me and processed everything so I could pick them up the very next day. For that, I’m a fan of this location.

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. They need new management.
My first America’s Best appointment was at the Laurel location back in 2009. I should’ve just stuck with that location from that point forward.
My next appointment was at this Silver Spring location. Weird staff. A manager had so much white makeup on, he looked like a mime. Whatever. Good service that time.
The second time I went to the Silver Spring location, I just wanted to get new contacts (since I was still in their Eyecare Club). The lady at the front, was in an awful mood. I was waiting outside for them to open, and its as if the lady, Clarisse (if I’m not mistaken), was already upset that she had customers waiting to come in.
Hello? This is a business and you are going to deal with customers whether you like it or not. I decided not to even go in anymore. That’s how messed up her attitude was. She forced a PAYING customer to leave.
This morning… November 15, 2014 I went again to renew my Eye care Club, get an eye exam, and get new contacts. Clarisse didn’t even let me finish when she asked me what I came in for. She cut me off half way, WIH AN ATTITUDE, told me they were backed up and to wait in the waiting room in the back.
Okayyyyyyyyyy. Not this again, but whatever. 5 minutes later she calls me over and has another associate help me. Clarisse told the associate, sweet girl, that I was only there to renew my plan. I told the girl that’s not all I was there for. She told Clarisse, Clarisse got an attitude with me, A CUSTOMER… IN FRONT OF OTHER CUSTOMERS, and claimed that I was only there for the Eyecare Club.
I couldn’t believe this lady. I got her info (unless they gave me false information). I called Laurel and made an appointment ON THE SPOT.
I told Clarisse headquarters is definitely going to hear about this.
I am a business owner myself. My top priority is great customer service, because that’s what keeps the customers coming back. I just couldn’t believe how this lady could work in retail and have the shittiest attitude ever. I did my best not to break character. But this lady was so miserable, who knows what the hell she was going through.
I vow to never visit this location again.
Worst America’s Best location ever.

We went in today for my ten-year-old’s first eye exam, since she is having trouble seeing the board at school. Service was excellent, from the initial help we received from Michelle, to the eye exam with Dr. Gold (who made my daughter feel very comfortable and who was very pleasant and informative), and finishing with the store manager, Josh, from whom we ordered the glasses.
I admit that I was uncertain about whether to go here given previous reviews, but I am very happy with our experience today; I appreciate that my daughter’s introduction to handling a life of poor eyesight was easy and enjoyable. The selection of children’s glasses at the lowest price point was also totally sufficient, which was great.
The only reason the rating is four rather than five stars is because we had to wait a bit, but nothing unreasonable.

The staff can be very rude. One in particular, Clarissa, has a high temper. Even when she is trying to speak politely, it comes off in the rudest manner. She made a mistake in reading my prescription and couldn’t even own up to it. She based the mistake off a trial pair of lenses which was given to me a YEAR ago, NOT a prescription. I had to find out the mistake through MULTIPLE staff. Not only did she complain ABOUT me to my face, she simply passed me down to another employee and did not even apologize for her own mistake. It is unacceptable for her to be nagging me about how I was being rude when I was only rude because she could not handle her job properly. This will be the last time I ever stop by America’s Best and spend $ 400+ on contacts.

Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced.
I came here for the first time to get my eye exam. Scheduling my appointment online was very easy. When I arrived in the store, it was moderately busy. The doctor was very knowledgeable and very friendly. The assistant, James was incredibly rude and arrogant. He adopted an exasperated and condescending tone and began speaking slowly as if speaking to someone who was of limited intelligence. Why was he so hostile to customers? All he cared about was getting your money and getting you out the door ASAP.
And for contact lenses, you can certainly get better prices elsewhere, but it is nice that you can get your contacts onsite if needed. The store has a great selection in eyewear.
You don’t need to make an appointment, they run by mess schedule.

4.5 stars because there is no parking and be cautious when parking on the street because they will tow! So obey the signs!
I’ve been here twice (2012 and this year 2013) because I have their «eye club» which is fantastic by the way and this location is closer to work and home.
I came here to get my eye exam for contacts and glasses. I scheduled my appointment online and it was very easy — the icing on the cake was when I realized I need to reschedule my exam earlier than the original date. I went online and saw the 3pm slot opened (mind you it was already 1pm ish) so I scheduled the exam of that day. Still amazed by the ease of rescheduling, I called the store just to make sure my 3pm appointment is confirmed… and it is! Now that’s convenient!
The doctor is nice and straightforward, he provided me a pair of contacts that should last me until I get my supplies.
The ladies who work at the front are extremely nice especially one particular individual (Thiara) who helped me find the perfect frame that matches what I had in my photo. I did a eyeglass in-​home try on with
and fell inlove with this frame but it had a $ 150 price tag on it. I’m frugal so I took a photo of it and Thiara found the budget-​friendly match! So with the eyeglasses and 30 day supply of contacts all came down to $ 280 which is a bargain!
I received my new eyeglasses and contacts in less than a week.

This is the ultimate bait and switch! They advertise the two-​for-​one special for single vision lenses. What they don’t tell you is that single vision over a certain prescription does not qualify. (In other words, if you’re more than 12 years old getting your first pair of glasses don’t expect to qualify for the deal!) Because NO limitations or qualifications were advertised, this was very upsetting. (And there was no fine print either!!). The staff seemed unapologetic about the misleading advertising. I see no reason be a returning customer.

I shopped for frames only. They do seem to have better pricing than the other 3 local places I have been, but it felt like shopping in Wal-​Mart. There were several sales ladies, but none offered help. They had a lot of frames, but professional styles were limited. Many frames were either super basic or WAY too busy/​cutesie. Their most fashion-​forward frames were equivalent to mid-​level fashion, at best, other places I went. Not impressed.

I have been here a few times over the past couple of years, because I have their «Eye Club» plan which is $ 100 for 3 eye exams. In short, the doctors are great, but the eye products and waiting room staff are mediocre.
The doctors: they’ve always come across as polite, straightforward, and honest. They’ve tended to be conservative in their eye care recommendations, like NOT sending me to expensive specialists or NOT trying to sell me reading glasses I don’t need. This has happened to me at other businesses, but not at America’s Best. The down side is, you can’t schedule your exam with a particular doctor. America’s Best seems more focused on selling eye products and less on building patient-​doctor relationships. That’s unfortunate because the quality of doctor care is actually the top thing they have going for them. Luckily, you can schedule exams as a walk-​in, and exams are easy to book online too.
See the docs, but don’t buy your products here. The glasses are poor quality. You can ask the doctor to give you your prescription and shop elsewhere. I bought a pair here only about a year and a half ago. The coating is totally chipped, and the frames are flaking. I have worn glasses since I was 8 and have never seen anything like it. As with most eyeglass stores, the frames may not cost very much, but lenses are EXTRA and cost a lot of money, and there is usually an upsell on different kinds of coating. Be prepared to spend $ 250+ for your «$ 70» glasses, especially if you have a stronger prescription.
For those who want to wear contacts, getting trials here is a pain. They don’t keep many in stock, so you have to wait a week to get your trial pair. It took me weeks before I finally ended up with a brand of contacts that I could tolerate. I’d have to keep going back to the store, getting a new recommendation, waiting a week, trying them for a week, repeat. You should also know that you *have* to get your contacts checked within 2 weeks, otherwise your prescription «expires» and you’ll have to go through the eye exam all over again.
The receptionists and technicians seem overwhelmed and stressed out every time I come in here. Sometimes they are tolerable, other times they are just plain rude. Assistance in picking out frames is non-​existent. On a couple of occasions the staff have made snide «joking» remarks to me, such as, «If you would hurry up picking out your glasses, I could take my lunch break.»

They advertise 2 complete pairs for $ 69 with a free eye exam — this is my experience.
After the eye exam I was ushered to the contacts station where a woman who identified herself as the contact lens manager searched for my prescription. Some 25 minutes later she returned and stated she would have to special order my prescription.
I was then ushered over the the frames to pick out my «2 complete pairs». As I was browsing an employee approached me and verbalized the bill: $ 69 for the eye exam plus $ 40 for the contacts exam. «I thought the eye exam was free?» «Oh you’re going to do the pick two? Well, the contacts exam isn’t free» (At no point during the eye exam was I told that I was also getting a contacts exam and that it would be an additional charge.)
The employee then asked me if I had insurance. She seemed surprised when I said that I did. As I showed her my insurance card she stated that they didn’t accept my health insurance (Tricare, the military-​issued health insurance given to every active duty military member plus their dependents, some 2 million people). I was legitimately surprised that my insurance wasn’t accepted and had I not already had the eye exam would have left and shopped elsewhere. None the less I asked her if they offered military discounts. «Yes, we offer a 10% military discount».
After crunching the numbers she rang me up for $ 241.90. Nice $ 69 two complete pairs, huh? I asked her how much I’d gotten off with the military discount. «$ 3». Huh? «Shouldn’t I have gotten $ 24 off if it was 10%?» She then turned to another employee and asked «Do we give military discounts?» That employee stated no and the woman reneged on her offer.
At this point I asked to speak to the manager. The woman identified herself as the manager. Seriously. «If you’re the manager how are you going to offer me a discount and then take it away?» «Sorry, I’m new here.» $ 241.90 later I walked out of there… pissed. Will never go back.
PS – just as an example of how amateur their shop is all of their business cards state their location as «Silver Springs» MD. Classy.

This is my third trip to this particular America’s Best, so I am surprised I hadn’t rated it before.
Appointments: It is easy to make an appointment using their online system. I broke my glasses on Wednesday and was able to get the first appointment on Thursday morning through their website.
Doctor: Every time I have gone in for an exam, I have had someone different. And we aren’t talking like waiting a year or two we are talking maybe every six months? It feels like a revolving door up there.
Frames& Lenses: Lots of options and reasonably priced especially for designer frames.
Service: I think they may be understaffed. The assistants are often rushed because there is a long line of folks who need help.

The optomotrist who helped us was fantastic. Melissa, the woman we had to deal with for the frames, was unprofessional and down right rude. We went to America’s Best for inexpensive lens and frames — which is what we got. However, base on the sales rep’s attitude, we won’t be reccomending them to others.

I’m leaving the country in a few weeks. I realized this weekend that (1) I have one pair of two-​week contact lenses left before I go, and (2) my prescription expired in May.
As I have no interest in stumbling around the rain forests of Costa Rica half-​blind, I decided to schedule an eye exam. You can find out which time slots are open and set up your appointment online, which is pretty cool. I chose 3:00, thinking that would plenty of time for me to renew my license at the MVA (my days off are seldom fun). Well, a half hour trip stretched to two hours and I was forced to call and re-​schedule. They had another slot open at 5:15. Excellent!
Metered street parking… eh. Not a fan, but at least there were several openings. Luckily I put in an hour and 40 minutes’ worth of quarters, because I was waiting in the lobby for a whiiiiiile. They gave me a bunch of routine tests, had me wait a little longer, and then the doctor was in.
The lady who assessed my vision was fantastic. She was very personable, asked questions, and wanted to keep my prescription as conservative as possible. I’m part of the America’s Best Eyecare Club, which means I get trial pairs of contacts for free in order to evaluate them. Unfortunately, they were out of the magnitude needed for my left eye, so I have to come back in a few days to pick the pair up. Then I have to wait a week to come back for a reassessment.
Fingers crossed I can get my new batch in before I’m peering nearsightedly into the mouth of a volcano…

This place office staff is nice, BUT too much turnover with doctors and today the doctor at the place was a complete jerk name Dr. Shaun H. Rawana. I had five visits with four different doctors trying to get contacts, Dr. Shaun H. Rawana, he is completely unprofessional and insensitive. I had a followup with him, he said my whole prescription was wrong. Where he said he doesn’t care to treat me because I am a follow up, and he has «fresh patients». Yes I was like, well what am I, I am a patient who have made FIVE visits, but the jerk did not even want to re-​examine my chart, though he claims my prescription was wrong. He actually said he became a doctor for Money! This guy had no integrity and I think he was reading the chart wrong, other three doctors all followed that chart. He does not care about the fact that your time is valuable as well and the fact I was one of the first patients in the office and waited hour for this whole thing, didn’t matter.