Blink Optical

Update: I’ve had these glasses for a year now, all the while I’ve been out of the country. Never really happy with them – didn’t seem as if I was seeing clearly at any distance. So today, back in the US, I went to another optician to get a pair of prescription sunglasses. She checked the two pairs from Blink to see what the quality of the progressive lenses were that I’d been using. In the course of doing so, she noted that A) despite being told by Brian at Blink that the pair I’d ordered had the widest field of vision and despite having paid for that, the glasses are NOT made with the best Zeiss lens, as promised. And B) they are STILL not properly made. The point that should be centered on my pupils (They place they mark the dot on the lenses when you’re looking straight ahead) is a good 3 cm above where it should be. It’s no wonder I can’t see properly unless i raise my head way up or tilt the glasses! UNBELIEVABLE. $ 1000 for glasses that are wrong, TWICE!

I NEVER write negative reviews. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. However, my experience at the Blink store was surreal.
I wanted to try out some eyeglasses and shop around, I thought that Blink is a good place to start with. Well not really. The lady at the store who refused to give me her name was very rude and aggressive with me. All what I said to her was (I dont think you have a big collection of that brand.) she replied aggressively by saying: GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! BUY THEM ON GOOGLE (like I need her permission and she just discovered cold fusion) wow google? I haven’t heard of such a thing. LOL
I wanted to get acquainted with how it feels like to wear glasses and what form suits me. I was willing to buy something I liked. Bottom line. She just flared up on me and kicked me out of the store. I am surprised that the owner allows his employees to treat customers in such a way. I wish who the owner is because they need to know how rude his employees are.

I’m 36 years old, have shopped in many fine stores in my life, and have never been treated so poorly as at Blink. My experience there started this past weekend when I stopped in to try on frames. I explained to a friendly sales associate named Brian that I was looking for glasses, but was going to wait two weeks to buy them so I could use my 2015 flex plan account. He was very helpful, and I picked out frames I really liked. I asked what other colors they came in, and Brian said he’d email me the model so I could look online.
After not receiving an e-​mail for several days, I stopped back into the store. Brian was there, asked me to write down my e-​mail, and then disappeared into the back. Out of nowhere I was upbraided by an older Indian woman (perhaps the owner). She told me I was a fool to shop around for glasses and implied there was something elicit about looking for a better deal online. The funny thing is I wasn’t planning to look for a deal online; I really just wanted to see what other colors the frames came in. I tried to explain that, but she kept arguing with me.
She said I shouldn’t look at the price because a $ 1,000 pair of glasses is only a penny a day over five years. I couldn’t let her math error slip, and she was incredulous when I pointed out it was more like 50 cents a day. She asked me if I had looked at other stores. When I told her I was planning to check out Georgetown Optical up the street (since it carries other brands), she mocked me and then made some inexplicable comparison to buying a car. I only buy glasses every few years, so of course I’m going to look at a few stores. I don’t know how she can believe there’s something wrong with looking around before forking over $ 1,000 for glasses.
This just happened an hour ago, and I’m still reeling from the experience. I’m also a little bummed because I really did love the frames I picked out, but there’s no way I’m giving my business to Blink after the way I was treated.

The words rude, pretentious, insulting and disrespectful do not begin to cover the experience I had here. The P street location is near my office and I needed my glasses adjusted, so I decided to stop in and find out what they could do for me. The person that helped adjust my glasses was clearly focused on sales, but overall fine and the adjustments they made to my glasses were adequate.
However, another sales associate took it upon themselves to inform me (for the sake of my well being, of course) that my lenses and frames were utterly inferior and (just my luck) they could fit me in one of their superior frames to replace my horrible awful glasses (from Cynthia Rowley), relieving me of my suffering that I was until then unaware of. I’ve worn glasses since I was 8 years old and can tell when my lenses/​frames aren’t up to par, and I’ve been just peachy with my current pair. Horrible, horrible customer service and incredibly poor common sense on how to treat a customer. Easily made it to my top 5 list of worst customer experiences, ever.
Even if their frames and lenses are the best money can buy, their customer service is bar none the worst money can buy. The onslaught of pressure to buy their products and concurrent shaming of my current eyewear was beyond astonishing. The whole experience left me thinking that I will NEVER come here again and I regret even stopping in. I don’t know of anyone who enjoys being talked down to and treated like an imbecile, but if you’re that someone by all means go here for you next set of eye glasses. Otherwise, steer clear.

Rude, pretentious and unhelpful.

I went into this place to get my glasses tightened. I didn’t have any idea about what kind of glasses they sold or if it was acceptable to go in and ask for a tightening but I went in anyway because I was passing by. I asked for them to tighten my Chanel sunglasses because they were loose and they lectured me about how I shouldn’t invest in a «brand name» such as this. They said they weren’t handmade and that I should be careful making a decision to buy them. I am a fan of Chanel glasses and no matter what brand make or model it shouldn’t make a difference. I felt very uncomfortable asking them to tighten my glasses because I knew that anywhere else wouldn’t be a problem. Next time I will just buy a glasses kit to do it myself.

Went to P Street location yesterday requesting reattachment of earpiece (screw fell out and didn’t have a proper screwdriver). No one was in the store but woman said «I’m going to give you the card of a repair shop since I can’t do it due to liability issues.» Really, use a screwdriver to reattach screw in earpiece and frame — voila — 30 seconds.
The frames were Oliver Peoples and they did not sell them so basically she said screw you. I will spread the word on this horrible, ridiculous service.

According to the National Eye Institute, 225 million Americans wear corrective lenses, and roughly 64% of those folks prefer to wear glasses. That is one of the greatest majorities in our diverse country.
In reading this review, I would assume that you are not looking for a throwaway pair of frames, or something that’s churned out by luxottica. You are seeking something unique, different, in the vein of a personal character statement. Blink certainly has that in spades.
Blink’s optical frame selection is superb and they certainly do carry unique brands such as Bevel and Claire Goldsmith. I was nearly sold on a pair of Claire Goldsmith frames by the super helpful optician at Blink’s 18^th street store. I wanted to fully consider my options at several other independent opticians, so I stated that I would stop by the P street store at a later date after making stops by a few other places.
However, after two visits to the P street store and being attended to by two different salesmen there, I quickly changed my mind about my purchase. The P street sales staff are aggressive and very sales oriented, to the point where every statement made to me had to be taken with a grain of salt.
I can appreciate a good, knowledgeable salesperson who is helpful in making the best decision for me and gets a good sale in the process. I cannot say the same for someone who is simply trying to move inventory, as every pair of frames I purchase is an investment and an extension of my personality, not just a pair that prevents me from walking into a street sign in the city.
If you are looking for a pair of great, unique frames, I would highly recommend you stop by Blink as one of your options in the city, but I would recommend the 18^th street store instead. Don’t get pressured by the intense sales tactics at the P street store, and make the best decision for you, not for someone else’s check.

I love Blink! The staff are amazingly attentive, patient, and honest communicators. The manager, Brian, totally rocks! I am a picky client, and he’s has worked with me for a few months now to find the right pair of glasses. I had a tentative appointment with him today, but ran an hour late due to Metro delays. He stayed well past his is“quitting time” to meet up and work with me. How awesome is that! This is after a long time of working together. I called periodically on my way in, and expected that he’d leave knowing that I’ll be by again soon. What is also doubley awesome is that he and his staff were so pleasant!!! No grudges, just pure heart. I am baffled by the reviews that mention the staff being rude. I have been there over 20 times in the last six months, and have only seen kindness, eye contact, and smiles offered to clients (even selective ones like me :). Do yourself a favor and visit this store, you’ll be wowed by the excellent selection and kind customer service. Come with an open mind and kind heart, and it surely will be returned to you manifold.
Update: July 2013: I have since gone to another boutique and found the staff there unable to select frames that would work best. I like the new frames, but love the ones fitted elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong… Blink’s customer care is stellar and noteworthy, but I think the staff are unable to help clients select frames that best accentuate their looks. Just my personal experience that ended up costing me quite a bit of dinero. Give them a try though, you just may have what you are looking for. Their frames are indeed one-​of-​a-​kinds.

I am happy to say that I have had good experiences at Blink. While I have experienced the cold service that others have mentioned, I went in almost a year ago, was helped by a sweet and knowledgeable woman, and bought glasses that I love (super unique, made in Paris, very light, and perfect for my face). The glasses were by far the most expensive I have ever bought, so I bought the one-​year warranty just in case.
For some reason, the lenses got extremely scratched (tiny scratches that are only visible if you look for them but that bothered me nonetheless). I have been meaning to get back to Blink before the warranty runs out, and I finally called and made it in today. I spoke with Brain, the manager, who was extremely sweet and helpful. He told me that although they do not normally replace scratched lenses with the warranty, they would do it once for me because they want their clients to be happy with their product. So, here’s an example of very good customer service and a good product — if you wear glasses every day, consider making a worthwhile investment at Blink!

I love this place. Fantastic frames with a staff that remembers you, impressive given that you don’t typically visit an eyeglass store very often. This is an upscale sales experience where the sales staff serves as your fashion consultants, so keep that in mind. You also kind of have to «manage» the sales staff. What they want to do is offer you a selection of frames they think is good for you. That’s great, because they give great suggestions. However, *first* you should look around, then tell the sales staff what frames you want to look at, and then ask them to offer some suggestions in addition.
The appeal of Blink is that they offer high end frames that you can’t find anywhere else. That said, if you CAN find their frames someplace else… well, you should probably buy them from that other place because they will be cheaper there. And that’s really the problem: Blink has the best frames in DC. But all you have to do is find another city where the opticians carry the same brands, and you will get a better deal. I have a hard time following through with buying anything from here because I’m usually savvy enough to find what I’m looking for elsewhere at a better price. It’s one thing to charge the MSRP on your products because you’re offering a premium experience rather than serving as a discount outlet. However, at Blink their frames are consistently sold at ABOVE MSRP, and that is something I cannot abide by if I can find an alternative.

I gotta say, I lived in the neighborhood for years, have bad eyes, and was desperate to give this store a chance. But time and time again, I’d walk into the store and be ignored, and/​or be received in an arrogant, hostile fashion. Like others who have reviewed this store, it amazes me that this store allows it’s bitchy staff to continually drive away prospective customers.

I have to say, I’m a little mystified by the reviews knocking the customer service here. I initially came because of how close it was to my apartment, but will keep coming back because of the attentive, friendly, professional customer service I have received. Dr. Flocos is both very knowledgeable and very nice, and goes out of his way to ensure that your questions are answered and you are given the best possible eyewear and pricing. The gentleman who waited on me in the main office, Brian, is the epitome of politeness. Not only have my experiences here all been very pleasant, but my contacts came a day early — Blink has my business as long as I’m in DC!

Cool frames and good location… but the attitude was more that of a snobby Mercedes Benz dealership in the 80’s…also the prices are ridiculous. Again I think they have a great selection of frames but I left with a bad taste in my mouth.

If you want discount frames and cheap lenses, go to Four Eyes, dudes. If you want instead a great pair of glasses and great service, then go to Blink. Been a customer for several years, first at their downtown store, and more recently P Street.
I would highly recommend, Blink.

Frames — expensive
Lenses — expensive
Compliments on my frames — frequent
Will I go back? — probably not — lenses still don’t feel right. Would rather have two or three pairs that work well than one pair that is only OK at different distances.

These people seem to think they are selling $ 1000 bottles of wine or rare Etruscan antiquities, not glasses. Think of the most annoying, attitude-​filled art gallery you ever visited, multiply by 10, and you have this place’s combination of snottiness and ridiculous prices. Hello morons, just because you are across from Whole Foods does not mean you will find many people both rich and gullible enough to spend $ 1000+ to listen to you fawn over their impeccable taste in selecting no-​name designer frames that nobody will notice and $ 500 Carl Zeiss lenses to put in them (the only kind they carry). Maybe that’s why nobody was in the store– they all leave as quickly as I did!
Hopefully these folks will move out soon and let somebody without the attitude use the space.

No thank you…
Maybe it’s just my taste, but I thought the selection of frames here was pretty tacky and aweful. On top of that, when I asked if they had any more Oliver Peoples, the guy gave me some long winded, utterly pretentious answer about how they were mainstream and that Blink only carried «really fabulous, unique, one-​of-​a-​kinda, hard-​to-​find, fashionable, cutting edge, blah blah blah frames.»
He then proceeded to make me try on multiple frames, none of which I liked. I repeatedly told him I wanted acetate frames, and he kept grabbing metal frames! Every time I put one on, he would gush over the frames and tell me that they were absolutely PERFECT. It’s just not believable.
Go to Insight or Georgetown Optitians if actually want «really fabulous, unique, one-​of-​a-​kinda, hard-​to-​find, fashionable, cutting edge, blah blah blah frames.»

I’d have to agree with the other reviews that mention the bad attitude from the folks in this store. I was tempted to give these folks 2 stars because I actually do like the frames I got there, but everything else about my glasses-​buying-​experience at this place was pretty miserable.
At the end of the day, I wouldn’t go back, wouldn’t recommend this place to a friend, and I would likely have new lenses done elsewhere. These people have the most expensive glasses in town, and and they don’t back up the price with good customer service.
I walked into Blink on a whim and really liked a set of frames that I tried on. So I got them. I was given a whole song-​and-​dance about how all other opticians are crap and only Blink sells good glasses. That’s fine, but I’ve been wearing glasses for about 20 years, and I’ve never had a bad experience with an optician, so I was skeptical. These guys are really full of themselves.
So I got the glasses, paid $ 1,000 for them and was happy with my new purchase. Within 2 months, the lenses were all scratched up. Lots of little scratches… to the point where I had trouble seeing out of the lenses. So I took them back and was told that there was no warranty on high-​end lenses. I had purchased Zeiss lenses, and they gave me a lecture to take better care of the glasses next time. Uh huh.
Since they charged $ 500 for the lenses that lasted me two months, I decided to get the lenses replaced elsewhere. Since I did that, they’ve been fine… and these lenses come with scratch guard and the usual 1 year warranty… and were less than half the price.
My other beef with this place is that when I went to have the glasses looked at, the woman at the counter… who was exceedingly snobby about how great she was… told me that the glasses didn’t fit right on my head and said she wanted to adjust them. I told her not to do this, and when I wasn’t looking she did it anyway. This made the glasses very uncomfortable, and she wasn’t able to get them adjusted back to the original shape. After two days of headaches, I had to come back and work with Brian to get the glasses fitting again.
If this were a bargain store, I could put up with the attitude, poor service, and lack of warranties. But it’s not. Save yourself some grief and avoid this place.

RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, RUDE!
I have never experienced such terrible customer service in my life, ever. The second I walked in the – excuse my French – prick who works there gave me pure snotty, attitude. I asked to try on a pair of sunglasses, and right away he told me those won’t look good on me. I wanted to try them anyways. I put them on and thought they were okay. I asked to try on another pair, and he responded those kind are not good for someone like me (WTF does that mean?), and my coloring is off for them. I told him I was a customer and he responded that he’s a professional. I should have responded by a professional what, a-​hole? He ended up prancing off, wiggling his ass and giving me the hand! I found the manager and he was not much better. He said, «we are the best eyeglass store in the nation, so we know everything.» Um, okay… I didn’t know Zagat rated glasses places.
Don’t waste your money or time here. I was actually in here about a year ago with a friend, and we walked out after they ignored and then snubbed her.
I hope their rent goes up and they move out of the neighborhood.