America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses

This past Thursday afternoon, I stopped by this location of America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses (near the Farragut North metro in Washington D.C.) after finding out on this past Wednesday (April 27^th) that both pairs of the glasses I picked out the previous Wednesday (April 20^th) were ready. I eagerly came in on Thursday to pick them up because it had been since 2014 since I last had eyeglasses (I would rather not explain why because I know that it was my own doing for why this was so). Anyhow, fortunately for me, the same cordial employee who helped me with my budget concerns the previous week in helping me to select glasses for my prescription and budget was also there to hand me my two pairs of glasses. I had picked out and received a pair of red eyeglasses and a pair of black eyeglasses. Both sets of eyeglasses fit me perfectly and it was great to be able to easily see certain images from afar more easily. Additionally, I’m glad that the employee took the time to confirm with me that the place that I’m thinking about living long-​term also has an America’s Best. This is important to me because I’m happy with both the glasses and the impeccable customer service I received especially with the fact that I paid for the two pairs of glasses out of pocket. I admit that I personally paid $ 109.95 for both my eye exam and my basic prescription for two eyeglasses because the employee courteously worked with my budget out of compassionate concern of my need to obtain glasses as soon as possible with the option for me to upgrade later on. However, what I now know is to set aside at least around 150 dollars for more options and eyeglass choices. Still, I consider America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses to be a bargain for the short timeframe I waited to receive the glasses and for the price I paid to get two pairs. I obviously plan to return to an America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses location in the future even if I was to relocate.

Had a great experience — went in at 11:20am on a Tuesday, was done with my exam and out the door before noon. Very friendly staff, unbeatable prices (I signed up for the Eyecare Club — one-​time payment of $ 99 for three years of eye exams/​appointments). I’ll likely buy my contacts and glasses elsewhere (personal preference), but I’m impressed with America’s Best’s staff and exams and I’ll definitely be using them for all future eyecare needs!

Like other reviewers I was very skeptical about it but in the end I had a great experience.
I went here to get contacts for the first time. Service was excellent. The staff was very polite and friendly. Dr Branch, the optometrist, was very nice as well. And punctual.
No hidden costs. I paid $ 79 for the contact lens exam and fitting (plus the follow up to get the prescription).
I really enjoyed my experience and I’ll come back.

Was sent away for being a few minutes late. Very limited appointments available. Do not call the corporate number they can’t do anything other than sometimes book an appointment.

I am not a very easy guy to please, but I must say that the service I received at America’s Best was just excellent! They richly deserve the five stars and the detailed review. The short story however, is that everybody I encountered there, that is, the receptionist, the sales associate, the technician and the doctor were very nice, professional and on top of their game.
To be frank, I wasn’t expecting much, due to the less than stellar Unilocal reviews. However, my lenses prescription (which I got at another state) expired, and I needed to schedule a routine lenses exam at around Dupont area, and to do it quickly. My insurance does not cover this type of exam, so I had the «privilege» to shop around a bit, and to check where I can get an exam for the most reasonable price. After calling quite a few of the places at the area (which were not at all transparent about their pricing online), and getting quotes ranging from $ 135 – 350 I decided to go for America’s Best with their online advertised $ 79 exam. Just to be on the safe side, I made sure over the phone that this is, indeed all the amount I’ll have to pay for the exam and there will not be hidden costs (like a mandatory eye exam that costs extra, mentioned by some other places). I was still a bit apprehensive, because of the Unilocal reviews, but I figured that since all I need is a simple prescription, I’ll give this place a try.
I was very pleasantly surprised. I came there on Saturday morning, about 15 minutes before the appointment time and filled out the standard (and not onerous) paperwork. There were a few people there but I proceeded to the preliminary exam by the technician on time. The technician was very nice and efficient. At some point she did offer to conduct an extra test, at the additional cost of $ 15. However, when I asked, she explained that test’s nature, and when I declined that was the end of it. There was not a hint of the passive-​aggressive attitude I have encountered at other places in the past.
The eye doctor was absolutely terrific. Relatively young, very professional, with a confident and pleasant demeanor. His instructions during the exam were very clear and he was very patient and helpful when I had a hard time to decide with which of the lenses I see better. By that point of the examination, all the initial mistrust I had for the place has dissipated and I felt comfortable enough to ask the doctor several questions about changing my lenses brand and a Lasik surgery (something I have been considering for a while). It appeared that he was really happy to help, and not only answer my questions but to provide additional information that might be relevant to my decisions.
And all of this, cost me, as advertised, the $ 79. Absolutely worth it. In fact, I was so happy with the service, that I actually decided to pay additional $ 20 and join their customers club (which gets me another two years of exams). Definitely coming back there next year!

I have to admit that I was very skeptical to visit this location as the reviews were dismal. I will have to say that perhaps they’ve seen or have been made aware of the concerns of previous customers because I was promptly greeted when I arrived and I observed the same token towards other people coming through the door. The lady that helped me today, Deborah was very pleasant and her demeanor was great. It was there for about an hour and this was my first visit. It didn’t take long to go through the preliminary paperwork and then to be called from to the back. Dr. Smith was very nice as well as he completed my eye exam. The cost for everything, frames and the exam, was decent and I figured going in that I would have to pay a little something as I have one eye stronger than the other. I think I spent maybe a few dollars less at My Eye Dr but I did have vision insurance though, but I definitely paid double at Lens Crafters with insurance. I am worried about having to visit too often for adjustment and repairs, but again, the glasses are cheap so I guess when you pay less you get less. Depending on how things go when it’s time to get my glasses, I’ll know whether I’ll be a repeat customer.

Horrible customer service. Horrible reception. 1 star for being cheap in terms or frames, however everything breaks quickly. Companies just do no get it that you cannot go cheap on customer service, especially if the quality of your items is sub-​par.

I came back here after someone reached out to me from Americas Best. Americans best made them call and apologize. When they called me to apologize they told me they can’t apologize to me they have to apologize to a parent or guardian… What? Ok… When the women then called back she told us that they will give us a discount off of my eye exam if I came back. I called back to make an appointment they said they had no available appointments for 2 weeks. That was a lie because I went online and made an appointment for the next day. Once we got there everything was ok, but when it came time to check out and we asked about the discount the women said no only for frames (another excuse to make more money). When I went over to talk to her about her lying she completely ignored me as I was trying to talk to her the whole time. Extremely rude. I reached out to Americas best about this an no reply how nice.

Went there on Friday for my contacts prescription and the experience was EXCELLENT! :D
Friendly and helpful employees and I was in and out.
Oh and just FYI don’t buy the actual contacts at the store, they are very overpriced. They told me $ 100 per box but I got them online for half the price. (They gotta make money somehow I guess. Not upset because its not the only company who overprices stuff)

this location is the best and greatest customer service. i will make this my #1 location. fernando helped me with my glasses also made me smile he gave me a accurate understanding of my insurance on my glasses. when i was taking my eye exam dr. wasylovski takes his time to make sure you purchase the correct eyeglasses. most eye doctors go fast but he takes his time and make sure you get what you need. ms. deborah clark has the most beautiful spirit she was very nice and funny. brittany helped me pick out my glasses as i was very unsure of which glasses i wanted. hey if you ever need great service and great eyeglasses and lenses come here there are the best. i will forever go to this location. they accept most insurance and they are very professional and organized.

I have been coming here for over 10 years. I stopped because the customer service was horrible and the wait time with appointments was ridiculous. However, I came back today and it was totally different. My lunchtime appointment had very little wait time and everyone was polite and friendly, especially Fernando. Fernando went the «extra mile» to educate me on my new contact lenses. I definitely will go back and I’m really happy the place has changed so much!

I had an appointment to get a new prescription for contacts. Everything went fine. They were even able to use my insurance (which I didn’t expect) and charge me a lower price for the exam. However, I chose to order my contacts online because they’re much cheaper. Your eye doctor is supposed to verify the prescription when you order online. My mistake: I ordered regular contacts instead of contacts for astigmatism. BUT they eye doctor did not even look to make sure my prescription was correct. So, I ended up wearing contacts with the wrong prescription which gave me a headache (literally and figuratively). I know it’s my ultimately my fault, but it makes me feel unsafe that I could order any prescription contacts and this eye doctor wouldn’t care.
Also, one of my contacts fell in my cat’s litter box (weird situation, I know) and I went to them to ask if I could get a trial lens or buy a new box of my prescription, anything to get a new contact. The person on the phone was not helpful at all even though this is my normal eye doctor. I ended up going to My Eye Dr. and they gave me a trial contact for free, even though I’ve never been there for an exam or anything.
Basically, this office seems to do the bare minimum and nothing more. If you want good customer service, this isn’t «America’s best» place.

Dont waste your time! Customer service is usually sketchy. I WAS a returning customer with very little to complain about. Every time I’ve gone before, I’ve waited about 10 minutes which is fine because the turnaround is pretty quick. Today I had a 1:40pm appt, and there were train issues happening all day so I left 40 mins early since I’m only 4 metro stops away. The receptionist and another employee were talking but as i walked to the front desk the other employee walked away. There was no one in the lobby, no other customers waiting to be serviced. I told the receptionist that I was the 1:40 appointment and looked at my watch, 1:44pm. She started typing, no eye contact or greeting, and shuffling papers around. She asked for my name and date of birth, which I gave to her. I then asked if I really needed another exam since I’d just had one in January and that I just wanted contacts. She kept typing and was silent for a few minutes. Then she said yes I would but she needed to go check if I could be seen since «the doctor doesnt schedule anyone after 1:40» to which I replied «I am the 1:40». She gets up and says «I have to see if you need to reschedule since you are 7 minutes late» and got up to go check in the back. She comes right back out and tells me that I have to reschedule and I told her that wouldn’t be necessary that I was not coming back. I call the customer service line and tell the rep what happened, she calls the store and speaks to the manager. The rep comes back and says the receptionist logged me in as arriving at 2:01pm and that the doctor was on lunch at the time of my «arrival» and asked if I wanted to reschedule for later today! Absolutely unacceptable! This place already has a very limited selection and now the receptionist is flat out lying. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else!

Worst customer service ever! I’d rather pay double at another store than give them money. Only cared about getting my money asap while I was trying to make a decision on how many contacts and frames to buy.
I am a customer and they see me as a check I paid for my exam and refuse to buy another thing from them.

Update: although they were super late, the service I got while I was there was Excellent.
Apparently an 8:30 open time really means a 9:15 opening time. I write this as I stand outside on this chilly morning, waiting on the street for my 9 AM appointment at 9:15… How unprofessional! Yuck. AMERICA’S WORST

My second time was my first time getting an eye exam at America’s Best, beware when you go into a room with eye exams, usaully the last 3^rd one the woman will trick you into paying and signing a form. She’ll first explain to you what each machine is for and once you get to the last one she will be like sign here and it will be 15. 1 Star for Cunning service.
Make sure you call America’s Best once your appointment is placed. Although they sent me a voicemail to confirm my appointment, apparently i «wasn’t» booked for that day.

I had an appointment for 12:30 during a heavy snowfall. Since there were no cabs to be found, I trekked all the way there and arrived at 12:41, 11 minutes late. The receptionist told me I’d have to reschedule, even though the store was empty. I spoke with a manager who told me the doctor was about to go on his lunch break, which made no sense as if I had been on time we would have been in the middle of my appointment. I would have happily waited a bit – I was late, after all – but I was told (very rudely) that I’d have to come back another day, even though the store was empty. This was my first appointment with them, and they lost my whole family’s business. Very foolish.

I would have liked to give them a better review than this, since my first visit was quite fast and efficient. Unfortunately, that was not the case when I came back after I wanted to resolve some issues with the glasses I have purchased.
On my initial visit, I wanted to buy a couple of pairs of glasses. I saw that they had some kind of offer and went with it. We asked one of the ladies, TONIKA, how much would my glasses cost (buy one, get a second pair for half off) if I had one pair with transition lenses and the second pair would be regular lenses. She told us that it would cost us a little less than $ 300 TOGETHER. So, I asked how much it would be if I ordered BOTH of my glasses with transition lenses. She told us that it would be about $ 50-​$ 60 more. I figured it would be cheaper to get them both as transitions since the difference was not that big. I ordered them and paid IN CASH and waited for my glasses to arrive a few days later.
I came to pick up my glasses and they seemed fine. I wore the first one and didn’t really notice the lenses changing since we haven’t had much luck with the sun this past week. I didn’t really think much of it, until I wore the second pair the next day and it started TRANSITIONING when there was BARELY any sun outside. I thought it peculiar and tried using the first pair again to see if there was any changes to the lenses. Surprise, surprise: NOTHING.
I was resolved to come back to the store to see what happened. Apparently, the attendant only ordered ONE pair to be transition lenses and the other one to be regular lenses. The peculiar thing was that the amount she told us for BOTH pairs to have transition lenses was written at the bottom of the receipt page. Yes, I should have looked at the receipt and talked to her before leaving the store on my initial visit, but TONIKA was nice and I thought that everything was fine with the order. That was my own fault. So, when I came back, I thought that I would have the same treatment from the staff. Brittany, told me to wait for a little bit and that someone should be with us in a little bit. The store manager, I’ve forgotten her name, spoke with us and pointed the obvious about the receipt. I told her that I would like to speak with TONIKA to help resolve the problem and have an understanding about the situation. I just wanted to know if she misunderstood me when I first requested the price check. However, the STORE MANAGER, just abruptly answers that TONIKA was not there today and that if I want both pairs to have transition lenses she would be glad to adjust it for an extra fee. (Mind you, she said all of this WHILE ROLLING HER EYES AT ME and had a condescending tone to her voice) Which just annoyed me, really, so I declined the offer and left.
I really did want to get this issue resolved today, however, that little attitude from their store manager just pissed me off. Who likes being treated that way?! So, I called and asked them when TONIKA would be in at the store. The person on the phone told me that she was no longer with the company. It sounded suspicious, so I thanked the lady and hung up. I figured if the person who helped me originally was not there any more, then I don’t think it’s worth it to just leave it at that. I decided to return BOTH glasses and just get a refund. Thankfully, Brittany was nice enough that the return was a lot amicable than my encounter with their Store Manager.
I wish that America’s Best will change their attitude towards customers, whether or not the customer plans on buying something from their store. I used to work at a store that dealt with different kinds of people as well. I know how tiring it is physically and emotionally, but, I don’t think it’s right that one should show their frustration towards the customer. It is VERY UNPROFESSIONAL.

I really wanted to give this place a great review, but the longer I was there the worse things seem to get. On a positive note, the place has availability and you can either book online or call in. It’s also right across the street from Farragut North Metro. The staff is friendly and was initially attentive.
Even though the location is well staffed nobody seems to clean or straighten up the waiting area. Even a couple of the demo glasses’ lens were dirty. The deals they have dont really seem like deals at all. The fine print does not do justice to how much extra you will pay for their glasses. I felt like I was being upsold on some service or told about an extra charge or service a moment before I was given it. This just turned me off to buying anything further. The worst part is I had to come back after an hour just to get my eyeglass rx which was my whole reason for the visit.
This place is only good if you need a valid rx for your glasses or contacts.

The staff was nice and they got me in and out with an exam and trial pair of contacts. Thanks America’s Best.