Ossip Optometry – Downtown

Very bad customer service, took 4 months to finally get my glasses. I do not recommend this place to anyone

Terrible place. Go elsewhere! I was conned into a service I wasn’t even told about, and isn’t covered by insurance. They screwed up the pricing on what I owe after insurance and they lied about when my glasses would be in. Terrible customer service on top of all of that.

We moved out of state and requested our prescription information. They said they sent it… and never did. On top of their weak selection for eyewear, they have so-​so service.

I went to Ossip downtown because I needed my annual eye exam and it’s close to my job. My insurance covers one eye exam per year.
Ossip will charge you for services you do not ask for. While they seem extremely friendly, they do not explain that they digital eye exam IS AS OPTION. I did not ask for it nor was I told that there was a charge associated with it that my insurance didn’t cover. I was also charged for a contact lens fitting that I did not ask for, but was given as if it was a standard procedure.
Ossip should be more forthcoming with their services and make sure that the patient is aware that they have options to avoid being charged to services that were not requested.
Never again Ossip…

I am very surprised that this location only has a 2 star review?!
I have never had an eye exam before and decided that now that I am 34… I mean 27 that I should start using the vision insurance and free eye exam that I get each year. I decided to go to the downtown location because of the fact that I work downtown. Also if I ended up liking Dr. Julie Weibert then I want to continue to see her regardless of where I live.
When I walked in I was checked in quickly but there was an issue with my insurance. Basically my medical and vision are rolled into 1 and they were having issues verifying it. But the gal at the desk was very professional and diligent to get it all taken care of before I was done with my exam.
I was taken back by a guy who was friendly and explained all the different tests that they do to check for eye stuff. He was just all around a great guy and even found the dumb things I had to say funny.
When all the flashy lights were done being shinned into my eyes I waited for just a few minutes for Dr. Weibert to come in. When she arrived she was great. I just loved the energy she had as well as her personality. You could tell that she really had a passion for eye care and wanted to make this as comfortable as possible. She asked a lot of questions to really get to know me and why I was there. As well as any issues that I may have been experiencing. When it was all said and done she explained everything to me very well and even showed me all the results of my exam. It was neat… and gross all at the same time.
I had this horrible image in my head of how an eye exam would be and it was all the opposite of what I was expecting. It was overall a great experience and now I have an eye doctor for as long as she practices. I would strongly recommend her to anyone either new or repeat.

Collin was very friendly very comfortable and confident with his procedures during my examination tests. Dr. Weibert was friendly, warm, and very informative when it came to reviewing my exams and explaining different types of reading glasses lenses.

I originally chose Ossip because I work downtown and it was convenient. I just needed some new reading glasses as mine were a bit worn out.
As several other reviewers have said, Ossip seems to merely function as a place to spend a lot of your money. As soon a I got there, the guy behind the front desk attempted to upsell me on some diagnostic tests that my insurance did not cover. I initially refused, but after the assistant who was administering the initial exams again tried to upsell me — giving me pamphlets and telling me how beneficial the extra exams were, I fell for it. There’s an extra $ 55.
After going through all the tests and finally sitting down with the Dr. herself, I actually felt decent about my visit. It seemed really thorough and I felt like I got a good look over. Sure there was some confusion during the whole «is this better, or is this better, or is this better…» part and it seemed like the Dr. was rushing through it. However, I trusted that she was a professional and knew what she was doing.
After the exam, they then sit you down with an optician (code word for salesman) who tried to sell me grossly over-​priced frames. When I mentioned that my insurance only covered about $ 150 for frames, he told me that they really only have one or two frames in the whole store at that price (both were really bad). So, I informed them that I’d have to get my frames elsewhere and asked for a copy of my prescription. To my surprise, I was given 2 different prescriptions without any explanation as to what they were for (Rx A and B). When I asked which one I should use to order new readers, I was told to use Rx A.
So, I order new glasses using Rx A. When they arrived, I couldn’t see anything at all out of them. I take them to Ossip to have them evaluated and they told me that I should be using Rx B instead. So, I returned my new glasses to where I bought them and ordered more using Rx B. Again, when those arrived, I couldn see anything out of them. So, I took THOSE to Ossip to be evaluated, too. At this point, the salesman gave me a even different Rx and told me that it would be the right one. What? At no point was I told that they could re-​examine me. I figured they would just charge me the exam fees again, anyway.
So, I decided to wash my hands of them altogether. I returned the glasses a second time and just took some time off of work to visit another optometrist (whom I had been to before). Lo and behold, the second opinion tells me that my Rx has not changed in the past 3 years and that there was no way I needed bifocals (which Ossip insists I do).
To top it all off, when I called Ossip to inform them (I guess you could say «complain») of what had transpired, I was informed that their Dr. was «awesome» and «had been doing this for 40 years», so there was no way she could have been wrong. It must be me that’s wrong, instead.
I won’t ever be going back to Ossip and I would actively encourage others to save their money and go somewhere else instead. The convenience of having an optometrist close to work was not at all worth the hassle of actually dealing with the people at Ossip.

After last year’s eye appointment, I decided to come back to Ossip for my annual eye exam. I’ve decided that Ossip deserves a 5-​star review because of the awesomeness of Dr Julie Weibert. That’s right. I had such a great experience both times because of her that she’s made me a patient for life.
If you think about it, who really likes going to the eye doctor to begin with? They have all kinds of machines that confuse the crap out of you, and then there’s the glaucoma test that blows a puff of air into your eye like a torture machine. Then there’s the exam itself, where I feel like I’m being judged when asked if #1 or #2 is better. Is this a test? They both look the same! What if I answer wrong?
Dr Weibert is one of the most down to earth doctors that I’ve met. As soon as she walks into the room, you know you’re going to be okay. She has a great demeanor and I find myself enjoying our conversation while she’s going through my chart. It also helps that we live in the same neighborhood (the first time I met her, she came in and said «hi neighbor. I live just down the road from you.») Seriously. she’s amazing, and one of those people who you could see yourself grabbing a glass of wine with one evening on Mass Ave.
I need appointments as late as possible, and thankfully they have appointments after 5, but they’re hard to get. If you need one of these, be patient as you’ll probably have a week of several weeks. Unlike others who have reviewed Ossip, I haven’t experienced much of a wait at all for my appointment.
I will admit that they seem to be more expensive that other places I’ve been in the past, but the machines they use to detect problems within your eye are far more advanced than other places I’ve been, so I’m okay paying more if the exam is more comprehensive. I feel like I get a good value here for what I pay.

Their prices are way too high and their service is terrible. I waited in the waiting room for 20 minutes, just to go to another room and wait another 15 minutes. I ended up spending around $ 600 for contact lense fitting, eye exam and the contacts themselves. I don’t even feel like they got the right prescription either because when I close one eye, it is very blurry in the other eye. Go somewhere, ANYWHERE else.

Ossip is my go to. I have been going to them for 15+ years. They carry the latest and greatest. I tend to go for the either the classics or the way out funky fall off the edge fashion frames.
The big win for me has been my Oakley sport frames with the reader. Love them! I only need a reader when über tired from a long day of cycling and I need to read the map. Ossip worked with me to get the right placement of the reader in the sport frame. Win Win!

I was really disappointed by the service at Ossip Downtown. I expected it to be expensive because of the downtown location, but I assumed by insurance would be able to make the price manageable. Even though my insurance payed 100% for the exam, they added on a contact lens fitting fee for $ 114 that wasn’t covered. The exam itself was $ 177. So if you are out of network or have no vision plan and paying cash, expect to shell out somewhere around $ 300.
Their prices are completely inflated!
Just for comparison, a walmart total vision exam is only $ 79. (this includes the contact lens fitting fee).
Additionally, I had to wait alone, unable to see (because they had me remove my contacts) for 30 minutes.
I will never go back and I recommend you shop around for better pricing. If you want expensive frames, bring your prescription from another, cheaper office to this location and get your glasses. Also, their contact pricing were severely inflated ($ 350 for a year of contacts that were $ 220 on 1−800-Contacts).
Don’t get sucked in people! Learn from my mistake :(

Gossip has wonderful one of a kind eyeglass frames. Oliver Peoples, Salt, Mondo,. Customer service stinks. They apparently are not accustomed to walk-​ins to browse at frames. Stopped in to look. NO ONE offered a hello or may I help you. Their front desk people stay at the desk. I was there 20 minutes to look, found two great frames, but no offer of help. I love Oliver peoples frames but will have to buy them out of town. Gossip has the exclusive on them. I just don’t understand how a business can operate with such an unwelcoming attitude.

I have been going to Ossip for several years. While expensive, I love the selection of glasses. Recently I had a terrible experience. I arrived for to find the doctor was out and someone forgot to call me to reschedule. We rescheduled. At the end of my exam I told the doctor I was interested in contacts as well as glasses. She told me it’s an extra $ 174 for the contact evaluation which consisted of her explaining monovision vs. standard. It seemed like a pricy conversation, but was assured they would work to make sure we found something that would work great and the monovision would help with reading and distance. Since one of the lens was not in stock they would call me in a couple of days.
Two weeks later I called them. Their records showed the lenses had been dispensed so I explained the story and was told they would call in a couple of days when they came in.
A week later I called again. A very nice person answered the phone and so I told her the story who decided to hand me over to the manager. For whatever reason the manager told me she had no record of me calling the week before (perhaps I could show her my phone records) and claimed to be unsure of what I wanted her to do. After she repeatedly said «I’m not saying I don’t believe you» (she could probably just ask the technician to verify I’m being honest), I asked if there was someone in the corporate offices I should call. I was told they would only refer me back to her.
They did call me back the next day to say they had the lenses in and I could come and get them. I arrived and picked up two lenses in an envelope. There was no information about the lens, no directions on how long to wear them or even if they are usable for a month, week, etc. the lenses are uncomfortable and I still can’t read up close, so I’m not sure the monovision thing was a good move.
I feel taken advantage of and am disappointed in their service and their doctor. I no longer trust them to do anything except unload my wallet. Mostly I’m sad that they have lovely frames that I will now have to go out of town to get.

Having experienced headaches the last month I was ready to do anything to fix my eyes.
I called today to get an appt and they were able to fit me in right away. I have to admit I hate going to any doctor. The doctor was great and had a nice personal tough approach. I would highly recommend Ossip to my friends.
3 weeks later, I can see without headaches. The cost of that is priceless.

One of the worse optometry visits I’ve had. Went here because I lived close by but would have been better off driving elsewhere. The younger, female optometrist was rude and took forever to actually start the exam. That being said, the office visit charges were significantly more than other offices. The contact exam fees ran more than double other offices I have been to and that was for the same exam. The only thing that was nice and that I was fine paying extra for out of pocket was for their retinal imaging machine. It allowed the doctor to look at and diagnose my retinal health without having to be dilated. Well worth the $ 45. After finishing the exam I attempted to pick out a new pair of glasses. Their two opticians were like night and day. The one, a heavy-​set blonde, was very knowledgeable about the glasses and did a great job of selecting ones that looked good on me. The other one, a tall, dweeby kid with glasses, seemed to not have a sense of style at all. No matter what I told him, he always came back with a frame that looked hideous on me. After selecting a frame that the bigger girl picked out, I attempted to order them but the dweeby kid kept trying to stick me with options I didn’t like. He seemed to have a very thick skull. He couldn’t comprehend that I wanted normal frame arms and not the gable ones. He just kept pushing the gable ones on me. Oddly, they were the same price so he wasn’t getting extra commission. He must just be mildly retarded. After talking with the office manager and getting the options I actually wanted, I was happy to have a set of frames that I liked. Although, it did take three attempts before I received a pair of glasses in which the lenses weren’t all scratched up. I would go here again merely to look through their frame selection as it’s better than most. However, their prices are very high compared to other offices on exam fees, as well as, frame and contact prices.

I first heard of Ossip at the super bowl where I met on optometrist whom I told my insurance and she assured me that their services where covered. I had an eye emergency in February and they took care of me and 3 months later after being told in the office my visit was covered 100% I received a bill for $ 93? They said it was a convenience charge? I paid reluctantly.
Today I had scheduled my annual eye exam for contacts and when the appointment was made, I was told my insurance would cover it. I show up, they gather my information. I go through a series of 6 test I have never encountered! Then I’m asked afterwards if I would like a contact fitting for an additional $ 150!!! I was not given my contact rx but received an eyeglass rx (which I don’t need) and was still charged $ 45. Worst optical service I’ve ever encountered! I would rather go to joe blow at the grocery story and have him write my script on a sticky note! I’ll never go back. (Update 8−27−13: they still continue scheduled me without my ok)

I don’t care for this place. The optometrists are great, but I feel like it’s basically a glasses/​contacts factory. The last time I was there, I was asked no less than three times if I wanted to buy glasses or contacts during my visit. Hi, it says RIGHT THERE IN MY CHART that I have lasik. So no, I do not want your horribly overpriced glasses. Nor do I need contacts.
They also run late. Every. Single. Time. Anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes late. To the point I had to stop going over my lunch hour because appointments were taking 90 minutes.
So why do I keep coming back? They are open late during the week and less than three blocks from my office, so I don’t have to use sick time, and it is only a once per year inconvenience. If a wonderful optometrist opens up downtown that is open after 5:00, sorry Ossip, I am out of there.
My thought for this place that would improve service so much:
1. Stop asking about glasses or contact. I’m sure people that can’t see don’t just forget until you ask if they want them. If they need glasses, they will tell you.
2. Most of your appointments are walking from downtown and leaving about 5 minutes before their appointments start. If you are running more than 10 minutes behind, call your patients and tell them that so they are not stuck in lobby hell listening to everyone doing the hard sell for glasses.

Can confirm with the other reviews that its definitely an expensive visit — even with very good vision insurance they tell you up front several of the diagnostic tests and other things (like a contact assessment)? will not be covered by your insurance. It’s a little tough going in and knowing you’re going to be paying more than what you expected just for a check up.
The staff and doctor experiences were very good though, and they certainly do their best to explain why they have the prices they do with top of the line equipment. I guess it’s easy to take for granted when your eyes are healthy but it felt a little more than what was necessary.
I never order contacts from my eye doctor regardless — Sam’s Club or online you can always find much cheaper prices. Usually the company will match it, but I don’t bother taking the extra step.

Unlike the other two reviews, I’ve had a really good experience with Ossip to date.
I switched to Ossip just recently. My insurance no longer covered my current eye doctor and this place is close to home and work, so I thought I’d give it a try.
They have online scheduling, YES!
You pay one flat contact fitting fee that covers any follow-​ups, YES!
Easy to access location downtown, YES!
Prices. Are. High. Even with insurance. EEK!
That being said, I only ordered contacts (no glasses) and I have stellar insurance. My bill was higher than it’s ever been for any eye exam I’ve ever had — even with my old bare bones insurance. Some of these «mandatory» fees I questioned, but I was fine with the services provided for those «mandatory» fees.
I’m giving it a high rating for convenience, the friendly staff, and my overall good experience. But they could certainly stand to lower some prices, yikes.

Expensive!!! In a lifetime of eye appointments I have never felt so ripped off. Even though I have pretty good insurance Ossip finds creative ways to add on additional expenses and «mandatory» fees and procedures. I walked right out and called a different eye doctor three blocks away.
What is «mandatory» at Ossip is optional at the other doctor (and far less expensive). In addition, contact fitting fees are set (where Ossip charges $ 100+) and also significantly less expensive. Instead of $ 300+ plus insurance at Ossip, the same is available nearby for $ 100.
Shop around. Ossip will be more expensive with the same level of service and products.