Vision House Harvard Square

Vision House seems to be different now. They have a great selection of interesting frame styles beyond just the run of the mill chain styles. Supposedly, they can do lenses on site quickly. I passed, because the price was 25% higher than at my regular shop — Rossetti Optique in Medford. If speed is more important than price, it may be a good choice to get lenses done here.

No, they haven’t closed. Total crooks. I brought in my smashed iPhone 6 and they said they could fix it in an hour. I asked whether it would end the warranty and they said, «No.» Lies, all lies. They couldn’t fix it. And when I brought the phone in to Apple, they said that the guy who took it apart didn’t put all the parts back in. End of my warranty. Believe me, it was worse than it sounds.

I was checking the review before buying the Groupon deal they have right now. Not sure why they are giving out deals when the place may have been closed. I’m horrified reading all the negative reviews and how bad the owner and the sales people there treats the customer. Definitely not buying the Groupon Deal and never going there. The One star is for treating so many ppl so Bad.

This place deserves to close and have everyone that worked there unable to find a job. A bunch of crooks!
Bought my mother a GroupOn deal for Christmas that was eye exam and $ 200 toward frames deal. We went out for a mother, daughter day in the city and ventured over to Harvard Square to pick up some glasses. My mother was brought upstairs for the eye exam and I hung around down in the shop with the employees. Both employees didn’t seem to want to be there or were professional in any way. No prices were anywhere on the glasses and nothing was designer that I could see. My mother came down from the exam and we proceeded to pick out frames. After she choose them, the owner started to work on the lenses and give me a final price. It came out to $ 300. This was including the 200 toward the whole thing… WHATTT… He then looked at me and said well it’s the lenses, etc etc. I almost walked out but my mother looked so shocked and she really like the glasses she choose so I decided to move forward with the purchase. I was so angry as I gave my card to these crooks I couldn’t even look them in the eye as I picked up the glasses an hour later. As I left the store, I looked back and said good luck staying in business. As it turns out, they are now closed. WELL DESERVED.

Went there as the advertised having Paul Smith. They said they don’t any more. Very good frames and big variety. But guys working there did not make it easy to take anything. One was on the phone, the other one was in his computer. Nobody cared, nobody bothered… you have to be very determine to make these guys communicate to you, to say nothing of helping you find what you want

You can tell a lot about a business not by how they treat their paying customers, but how they treat their potential customers. I stopped in here to get a quick adjustment on my glasses that were sitting crooked on my face. I didn’t buy the frames here, but Vision House was convenient and not out of my way. There wasn’t a single other customer in the place. The guy sitting lazily behind the counter asked if I had gotten the glasses there, and when I said no, he said «We don’t really do adjustments.» How difficult would it have been to quickly adjust my glasses for me? This is a service that most optical shops will happily perform regardless of whether or not you bought the glasses from them. If I had had a positive experience there, maybe I would have considered getting glasses from them in the future. But I most assuredly will never give them my business, and I would advise anyone else to do the same.

Don’t bother taking your iPhone to Ace iPhone Repair, «inside Vision House Opticians» in Harvard square. After visiting their website, and booking an appointment ahead of time, and receiving a confirmation in the mail to «come on down», I was informed that «the guy is not in», after spending $ 30 for cab fare because I «had a confirmed appointment»…
Definitely a zero star experience (even one star is too generous).

I went to this place because back in the 90’s they had hip glasses and could make glasses within hour and a coupon on-​line. I go to this place anxious to find a new pair. As a high prescription wearer since I was a child I know what I can wear for frames. I was not greeted by anyone the guy was working with someone. When he did ask for help I expressed that I was looking for glasses for myself. He didn’t ask if I had a prescription and automatically showed me the frames on wall behind counter for men. The frames were ugly and unfit for my face or rx. I say no those aren’t rt for my rx. He then proceeds to say with attitude well let me know I said no thank you not with that attitude. There cases were unorganized and unattractive.

Bought an expensive pair of glasses with a titanium frame at Vision House in Harvard Square. A few months later, under normal use, the frame broke. I brought the glasses back in feeling sure they would take care of me. They offered no help at all. The said there was no warranty and I would be responsible for the full repair costs.
Avoid. There are other eyeglass stores that stand behind what they sell.

There are places that are overpriced because they offer good service and have a higher cost structure. Then are there are others that are overpriced because they want to rip you off. The Vision House is definitely the latter.
I found the exact same set of eyeglasses at Custom Eyes in Central Square for $ 130 less. The sales guys are rude, overconfident, presume to know what you want and they’ll pressure you into making the purchase. When I told them that I want to compare how much the same glasses would cost elsewhere, they snatched the frames from my hand — they were uncomfortable with the idea of somebody comparing prices between stores.
The only reason this place is in business, in my opinion, is because of its prime location, and because of some trusting customers that go there and make a purchase without doing due diligence.
Avoid this place and save yourself some money and peace of mind.

dude gave me a super hard time when i called to ask for my eyeglass perscription to order contacts online
whats up w that

I bought my glasses from this place about a year ago. Originally I wasn’t going to leave a review because all the 1 – 2 star review reflected my experience pretty well. My insiration for writing the review now is I just having my eyes checked by the optomitrist I’ve been going to for a few years now.
When I bought my frames and lenses from Vision House, I mentioned I didn’t have my prescription on me at the time. He said, that was fine, that they could get the prescription from my current frames/​lenses.
Fast forward a year, I go back to my regular eye care guy because I’m having regular headaches and feeling tired. I had guesses that maybe it had to do with my lenses. Found out 2 things: 1) the prescription was definitely off. Yes, my eyes had changed over the year a bit but it wasn’t even correct from my last prescription. It was just off … 2) Vision House made my lenses without seeing the actual prescription. They used some handheld measuring devise. My long time eye guy says that is actually illegal.
Again, I agree with the other low scoring reviews (ie — feels like a used car dealer — shady with no prices on the frames — very pushy) but I had to add my 2 cents finding out that they might have broken the law when they made my glasses.
Haven’t been there in a year+ but don’t plan to go back either way.

Glad I checked Unilocal before I made my appointment. The reviews only confirm what I suspected after calling a couple times.
I called to ask some simple questions and find out appointment availability and the people were beyond rude, trying to get me off the line, barely listening to me, ignoring my questions, and telling me to call back (which I did, twice, only to have the same treatment). WTF? Do you want me to come in or not?
I did finally speak to the doctor directly, who was friendly enough. I would suggest he peace the f – k out of this business and go somewhere else, god knows I won’t be going in after my phone interactions and reading these reviews.

The last pair of eyeglasses I ordered was through a website. Cheap, efficient and no pressure. Prior to that it was random shops wherever I could find them, I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 5.
I briefly checked out this place the other night, it was an interesting experience. I felt pressured and I felt like I was maybe I was a nuisance to the people behind the counter. The glasses were expensive, which wasn’t really a problem, but the feeling I was getting was.
I noted the name of the brand I tried on to look up later, and while doing so searched for reviews of Vision House. There are two primary categories: 1) The really horrible reviews, which seem to be disturbingly common. 2) The really sweet reviews, strewn about the internet, on every single review site possible. The best part is they all say essentially the same thing, or have puppet account names like «DOCTOR55555.» Oh, you’re an eye surgeon? I’d like to assume you could spell «surgeon» the right way if that were a true statement.
You can make your own determination, but I didn’t get many good vibes from this place. The last place that treated me like an inconvenience before I bought something was a major jeweler. Yeah, I’m wearing a T-​shirt and jeans, walking around with a messenger bag with buttons, not the best appearance. I guess I’ll go plunk down my $ 5k for a Rolex somewhere where they treat me like a human.
If the negative reviews are correct (and I have every reason to believe they are) will this place ever change? Probably not. 35+ years being in the same location combined with an ever flowing stream of Harvard students and tourists will ensure it’s home for quite some time.

I am very flexible and easy going, so when i say this is the worst place for customer service, it must be bad.
When I came into the store, I told them i needed to find new glasses and determine the price so I could have the right amount of money set aside in my flex spending account. Therefore I was not going to be purchasing them that day, but would come back in 7 weeks to purchase the glasses. The owner told me he could give me a receipt with a different date on it if i would purchase the glasses that same day. I told him that I was not willing to do that. I was also just beginning my search for glasses and so wanted to make an informed decision by looking at a few different places. When the owner heard this, he said me, «you should go somewhere else to buy your glasses and not waist my time».
That is unreal! What sales person tells a potential customer to go somewhere else to make their purchase? And just to be clear, there were no other customers in the store so its not like i was taking up their time with other people. I was truly appalled. I left and walked up the street to a store called See and the manager there was the NICEST and most HELPFUL sales person ever. I found 3 great frames and i will purchase all 3 of them in the coming month!
Even if the owner at this place had not been so rude, I probably wouldn’t have purchased anything anyway as I did not see anything I liked.

Yesterday I went into Vision House without checking Unilocal first. I asked, «how much for an eye exam?» The saleslady looked over her shoulder, and someone called out «$ 99.» I said «sign me up,» and was led upstairs to visit Dr. Kostos. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, willing to explain things, and gave me a thorough examination and prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses.
I went downstairs, and the saleslady said «Your total is $ 369.»
«How did you get that price?» I asked, astonished.
«The doctor just called down and told me,» she said. The look in her eyes said she knew something was wrong. «It includes a year’s supply of contacts,» she said.
I signed the credit card receipt, looking at the dire «no refunds or exchanges» and felt a sinking sense. $ 269 extra is a lot of money, even if it did include four boxes of contacts.
I went home and checked the prices of the contacts on 1−800− CONTACTS. The doctor had prescribed an expensive type that he said were the best, Oasys. They were $ 40 /​box. 1−800-CONTACTS said that eight boxes, not four, constituted a year’s supply.
I called Dr. Kostos to complain about the price discrepancy. He explained that the cost of an eyeglass exam is $ 99, but the cost of a contact lens exam is $ 169. How was I to know? I’d asked a clear question and gotten the clear answer, «$ 99.» I told the doctor that the people downstairs should have said «$ 99 for glasses, $ 169 for contacts.»
I slept on it, and decided this kind of bait-​and-​switch tactic is morally wrong and probably also illegal. But I wanted to give them a chance to make it right. I calculated the total with a $ 99 appointment and the maximum cost per box on 1−800-CONTACTS. I deserved $ 100 back.
I went to the store today and explained my problem, to a person who turned out to be the brother of yesterday’s «$ 99» man. He said, «the cost of a contact lens exam is $ 169.» I said, «how was I to know?» He said, «you should have known. An eye exam is one thing, a contact lens exam is another thing. I’ve been in this business for forty years and no one’s complained.» I said, «I talked to the doctor yesterday about this issue.» He said, «you can go upstairs and talk to the doctor.»
I went up to see Dr. Kostos, who again was very sweet and arranged for a $ 70 refund with the guy downstairs. He said I couldn’t return the contacts because the salesperson had scribbled «L» and «R» on the boxes before selling them to me.
In summary, the brothers downstairs need to get out of the customer service business pronto. You can help by not visiting their store. In addition to being mean, they nickel-​and-​dimed me in a lot of ways for such a short interaction: (1) bait and switch on price (2) telling me a year’s supply is four boxes when it’s eight (3) giving me a $ 70 refund instead of the proper full $ 100 (I shouldn’t have been forced to buy contacts at a marked-​up price from such rude people, when the goods were non-​returnable because of their own markings) and (4) in the end, giving me a $ 69 refund instead of $ 70 that equals $ 169-​$ 99 and that Dr. Kostos told me I would get! Why not just apologize, hand back $ 100 and thereby avoid a terrible (but deserved) review?

It is important to question how much for each and every frame you try. Every frame has a sticker price from hell. Then you should question how much for the lens, and labor if any. Most of the frames are imported. You’d be better off going elsewhere to get glasses and perhaps get better customer service. If you’re looking to dump a lot of cash for same quality frames you can get elsewhere, this is the place to be.

The doctor here, Dr. K., is fantastic. Very calm, personable, and interested in chatting, not just getting you out of his office. Also, he didn’t try to upsell me — instead he said I should some lenses and come back in a week to see how they felt.
The retail part is another story. The clerk seems pretty bored.

Wow, awkward. I went here looking for a new pair of specs and tried a few pairs on. They were a little expensive, no big whoop. The frames they offered were very stylish and Euro, perfect for area Philosophy professors and German Ladies. But the guy working there was watching me like a freakin hawk! News flash, fella, I’m not going to steal a pair of frames that don’t have my prescription in them. Maybe this guy was done wrong by frame thieves in the past, but don’t subject me to your baggage! This place could be pretty good but made me feel like I did something wrong and should leave.

Just needed a very VERY small repair part for my glasses (that I’d been GIVEN from many other opticians in the past), but b/​c my glasses are german (& not cheap) & not available everywhere, I ended up calling these guys b/​c they are very uncomfortable w/​out this part.
Long story short, they charged me $ 32 for the part (he told me up front & was shocked, but really needed the part, so reluctantly I partook in the purchase). Seriously, it couldn’t have taken 10 seconds to replace these (so easy I have done it!) & the guy left a nice thumbprint on my lens to boot.
Clearly I don’t plan on going back to these guys & warn you not to do the same. I don’t often feel ripped off or taken advantage of, but I feel particularly violated in both arenas after going here. I’d actually thought about buying some new frames from here, but plan on taking my business elsewhere.
***Update 7/​23***
I see the proprietor replied in a smarmy fashion. I bought the same repair parts elsewhere for $ 5. Thanks for the unprofessional response to your initial price gouging. Keep up the wonderful work @ 2.5 stars.
***Update 7/​27***
On top of poor service & price gouging, the owner has the nerve to write me a nasty personal note, here goes:
«sorry you had to spend 5 dollars. cheapskate»
It’s very interesting that three of the five star reviews are from orange heads w/​only one review. Thanks for the self reviews Vision House!
Here’s some advice, if a customer isn’t happy w/​your service perhaps you should take a look @ your service & try to improve? Btw, I got the same part on newbury for $ 2 & bought a new set of frames. I’m willing to pay a lot for something I wear 24/​7, but to get ripped off & called a cheapskate by the owner is unacceptable.
Here’s to your place turning into a Sunglasses Hut & perhaps you’ll finally turn a profit & have some mildly satisfied customers.
***Update 7/​31***
Yale T. whatever happened to the customer always being right/​having some satisfaction? My glasses weren’t services, they needed a silicone $ 2 part that I could pop in ~5 seconds w/​no tools. I hope you know the same review is going on Angie’s List where I’ve been a paying member for 5 years. Keep up the wonderful work VH. With your «business sense», you won’t last through the year.