International Optical

This review is not about the actual service.
I purchased a $ 300 gift certificate for my friend 3 years ago that he hadn’t had a chance to redeem. In meanwhile he lost it. His fault. agree.
I went in with my friend to retrieve the certificate and use it. We were not allowed to do so because the certificate was expired one year after the purchase. It did say on the certificate in a very small print on the bottom. However MA STATE LAW says: gift certificates must be good for at least 7 YEARS (as of June 2003). I brought this to the owner’s attention and she still refused to honor the certificate. She did offer 50% off any purchase. We obviously refused the offer.

I am adding this note at the beginning of the older review. The owner was very helpful, apologized for the incompetence and rudeness of his staff and he did the following things: 1. He gave me a free eye exam after I told him I worry about getting new lenses if they would be wrong again. 2. He is re-​doing my lenses for free AND 3. he is giving me a new frame, also free as I disliked the old one as well. So this is the service I was used to.
However, I am keeping my rating at 4 stars because it is unacceptable to have staff who can’t speak English well enough to be able to help English speaking clients and also given the terrible service I was given in his absence. If I were a new client I would have never returned to this place given the awful service I received.
In their defense I should add that the doctor made a small correction in the prescription and even on the axis. I had this new-​new prescription made at Costco and they are still too strong, I can wear them but only for short periods of time.
The glasses from International Optical are not ready yet. They should be done soon — using the prescription done by the owner, which would be the third trial in getting it done correctly. Hopefully it’s a charm!
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What a massive disappointment this place has become!
We had used this shop for probably 18 years. We never had problems with them; they gave us good discounts and were always very easy to deal with. Everything changed for the worst with my last visit two weeks ago, in the middle of January 2014. The owner is a great guy and very competent but his staff working right now in there is below the worst level of customer service I have ever experienced.
Also, the machine that reads the axis for cylindrical lenses (astigmatism) has probably not been calibrated and is giving seriously wrong readings. The prescription in my glasses said 160 degrees for one eye. They made that lens at 5 (five) degrees, I can’t see with the glasses. I told the owner I could not see well when I picked them up and he suggested I give them a try then come back to get the lenses replaced for free if I can’t get used to them.
There is nothing to get used to, they are wrong, I can’t see. I went back to the eye doctor. They checked the newly made glasses and discovered the axis was 5 degrees. I then went to Costco and asked them to check the new glasses. Their result: 7.58 degrees.
This is not a precise «science» and a few degrees off is perfectly fine for the eyes. A difference from 160 degrees to 5 degrees is a huge difference and the eyes can’t compensate for that.
The worst part is that the machine reading those axes that they have in the store reads 160 degrees. Yet two different machines at the doctor’s office and at Costco read values totally different and very close to each other (5 and 7.58.)
I can’t see with the glasses. So let’s see — two different machines in different places read almost the same value of the axes, I can’t see with the glasses. Guess who’s wrong?
And even if say I and two other machines are all wrong, I am the client therefore I am always right. The girls working there should know this basic business mantra.
The owner is away and all they told me is that he will not be back until Monday. One girl in the store can’t speak English so we could not understand each other. Another one with better English had the nerve to call me home and leave a long message telling me they checked the glasses and they are perfect.
I called her back and guess what she did? She put me on hold. So I hung up and will wait for Monday when the owner comes back to at least try sort this out with him and also inform him about how his staff is treating his clients. If I can sort it out great if not it doesn’t matter because one way or another they lost three loyal customers who spent a lot of money there over the last 18 years and would have kept going there if this had never happened.
The attitude of the staff is horrible, most of them can’t speak English, none of them understands the concepts of a good capitalist business model and all I can do is cry over my $ 660 pair of useless progressive glasses.
You’d think that for that much money I would get some decent service. You can be the judge of this business reading what I experienced there. I will write a follow up on Monday after I hopefully will be able to get in touch with the own

What a discovery close to my home! It’s a long story, but I have to tell you: after an eye injury and several months of treatments, and I was finally able to see my eye doctor on a Wednesday, just three days before my scheduled vacation out of state. As suspected, I needed a new prescription, and because I became sensitive to light, I decided that I needed transitions lenses. On Thursday, I called several eyewear stores in Somerville/​Cambridge area, asking them if they could get me a new pair of transitions lenses by Friday, as I was leaving for my vacation on Saturday. The answer was no all the time, but then, one big eyewear chain in Somerville responded positively. When I went to see them, it turned out that they could only turn around a pair of grey lenses in a day, and I needed brown ones to fit my existing frame. Also, the price they quoted me was ridiculously high. Then I kept calling other random stores, using Unilocal,and no one was able to help me until I called International Optics. Edson, the store owner, was not only able to produce brown transitions lenses by the following day, he also quoted me a very, very reasonable price! I was sold over the phone, and since it turned out that I live in the neighborhood, I was in the store in 15 minutes. Edson took the measurements, took a look at my prescription, and voila — the next day I had my lenses on and I was able to enjoy my vacation. It was a random discovery, thanks to Unilocal,but boy, am I happy with the service — that’s the way to go, and thank you Edson!!!

I like the service here. They offered to order some frames in different colors that they didn’t have in stock so I could have a broader selection. They clearly care about customer satisfaction. It’s a straight-​forward, no frills kind of place. I think prices are a bit steep, as they are at most stores (as opposed to online retailers which seem to be discounted) so I think I will probably just get my rx and go online for contacts in the future, even though I would love to support a local establishment. They do have extended hours some nights and Portuguese-​speaking doctors and receptionists… maybe also Spanish? Parking can be tough in Union Square depending on the time of day, but there are meters right in front and some permit spots.

For the past two years i change like 4 doctors. and it’s not that i’m picky but i don’t feel comfortable when i visit them. some of them was in rush or not really was paying attention what i was saying. But when my friend recomend this place i went couse i broke my glases. And i really like them. The staff and the Doctor are VERY friendly, warm! And it’s very clean and nice design place. They have a big choice of very good stuff! Doctor check my vision on like 10 different mashines. They look very professional. They help me to choose the frame and when i buy contucts they give me lot’s of free stuff. It’s not that i’m looking for free stuff but such small things make u feel good! And in the end they give me like 10% discount! I love this guys and finally i find the best eye doctor for me!

International Optical blends into the mish-​mash commercial strip leading into Union Square, but the inside feels polished and professional. Prices seem fair and the staff is warm and friendly (especially in comparison to the larger optical shops attached to clinics). They were even gracious enough to provide me a PD (pupilary distance) measurement for free, something my eye doctor would *not* do. Next time I’m up for prescription renewal, I’ll be coming here.