Sterling Optical

If it were an option, I would give sterling optical NEGATIVE stars. The receptionist at the front desk needs to learn how to work a clock, considering I called in well in advance to let her know I would be coming in close to closing time (that I was coming from an event) and I apologized for coming in closing time. So I come in running in a dress and heels through the Ithaca snow, and she apparently decided it was perfectly acceptable to close and leave before 9:00PM. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LEAVE EARLY WHEN A CUSTOMER CALLED IN ADVANCE?! Especially when the neighboring employees were kind enough to let me know she had left minutes prior. So needless to say, I will NEVER be back to Sterling Optical, even if they were the last eye glass company on earth, considering I am at home WITHOUT my glasses and will brave the Ithaca roads blind as a bat tomorrow morning to get my money back.

Read before you go in for an exam!
I came here for a regular contact exam, and the technician on the phone told me $ 40. I go in, and then she tells me it’s $ 82, which is annoyingly double the price. But whatever, she can’t really control my insurance, but it is annoying that she messed up. She was old and wearing a white coat, and VERY unprofessional and rude. The entire time the front desk was unorganized and I overheard them talking about my insurance and copays in a loud voice where all the people waiting could hear which was incredibly unprofessional.
As I was doing the pre eye exam with the little machines, she says to me «put your phone away». I asked if it interfered with the machines, and she said «no it interfered with her work». SO rude. When do you ever tell a patient to put their phone away? I was looking up insurance stuff, there was no sound, AND she was trying to fix the machine so it’s not like it was the middle of my exam.
I had the intention of telling the doctor immediately (Dr. Jemetez?), but he turned out to be SO nice and we had a great conversation and he dealt with my exam very well. He then even waived my copay, and I didn’t pay a thing. That’s why this has 4 stars. So, go for an eye exam, but be warned that the front desk SUCKS. At least the doctor is amazing.

If I could give no stars I would. If you ever need a refund for a faulty product this is not the place for you. I have been waiting over a month and a half for the refund, and I continuously request calls for a follow-​up and have never received a return call.

This place is so convenient and I’ve always had great service. Their hours are great (open late and also on Sat), the doctor is very efficient but very willing to listen to your questions, gives you pros and cons without pushing anything on you. They don’t try to push you into buying expensive frames like most places do. The front office staff is not the best, unorganized and slow, which keeps me from giving them 5 stars. But Dr. Kempkes makes up for it.

There are many independent optometrists in the area, and I’m confident any of them would be better than Sterling. I also was refused a copy of my full prescription. When I pressed, the store manager eventually wrote down the details and threw it on the counter in front of me as he walked away. My initial contact order was incorrect, and the reorder took four weeks because I was never called. When I did call, the contacts were at the store instead of shipped to the address I specified (and paid for). Four weeks and several phone calls after my second stop at the location, I finally received my contacts.
Your business is clearly not appreciated here. If you want to see better, go to a real optometrist, not a franchise of a corporation.

I went to Sterling Optical to get a prescription for my glasses. The prescription left off the pupillary distance measurement, so I can’t buy glasses with this prescription! The store manager refused to give me the information. The chain only measures this when you buy glasses from them, and even if you do, they don’t even give you the measurement! They are robbing the customer of his right to a full prescription because they don’t want you to buy glasses online. This is a ripoff and Sterling should think twice about its business practices.
Note that they refused to give me the pupillary distance measurement even though I bought $ 300 glasses from them. I wanted the PD measurement so I could buy spare or future glasses online.