Pearle Vision — Attraction in Broomfield

This was, honestly, the worst experience I've ever had at an optometrist. My entire family and I had appointments for eye exams. We arrived to our appointment on time. We ended up waiting for 30 minutes past the time of our first appointment because the eye doctor was not even there yet. While we waited we listened to the front desk staff say horrible things about another patient as well as discuss patient information in front of us. It's never a good sign or a good feeling when you go to seek care somewhere and hear the staff saying awful things about other patients or disclosing protected health information of other patients. It immediately makes me wonder how often they do this and if they would discuss my private health information in front of other patients. It immediately discredits them and completely destroys any confidence of care. After waiting 30 minutes (past our appointment time) we expressed to them that we had another appointment in the day that we would need to get to and were concerned that the tardiness of the provider would cause us to be late to our next appointments. One of the staff suggested we leave a review about the provider because she is "really bad and always late". So what does that tell me when the staff does not think the provider is good and then encourages patients to leave bad reviews? Once the doctor finally got there, there was no apology. She took all of us into a room and asked us if we wanted to know why she was late because it was a "funny story". Because we were now on a time crunch, we politely declined and said we did not want to know why she was late. She then proceeded to ignore our request and began to tell us why she was late, stating that her mom has dementia and shot her dad's dog awhile ago (not today), but that the dog was old and needed to die anyway. It was at that point we stopped her (because who wants to hear such an upsetting story like that??) and we advised her we were cancelling our appointments and left. There's nothing "funny" about a story of someone shooting a dog. The entire experience there was so wildly inappropriate and I'm truly just incredibly shocked by it all. The fact that the doctor was 30 minutes late was so incredibly disrespectful of our time, the staff badmouthing other patients in front of us is so unprofessional (not to mention a violation of protected health laws), and the provider referring to a story about a dog being shot as "funny" and proceeding with the upsetting story even after we told her we did not want to hear it. In what world does anyone think any of that behavior by any of those staff and provider is ok?

Edited in response to owner: I stand by my factual review. As a healthcare provider myself I pride myself on my integrity and have high standards for the care I receive and expect from others. The fact that the provider was 30 minutes late to our scheduled appointment was unprofessional and disrespectful of our time. The fact that one of your own staff suggested that I leave a review of the provider because she is “really bad and always late” clued me in that this is likely a chronic issue that should be addressed. The fact that your staff was discussing and bad mouthing other patients in front of us is not only unprofessional but concerning as to a lack of courtesy and respect for your patients and a red flag for potential HIPAA violations. And then when the provider brought our entire family back to a room and proceeded to tell us some story about her mom shooting a dog, even after we politely declined to hear the story, was just not ok. We were very patient with the entire ordeal but the bottom line is that it was really unacceptable and we have a right to quality care. I’m sorry that this upset you and led you to reply questioning what occurred. Your passive aggressive response only further illustrates unprofessionalism. I’ve shared this in hopes that you can take the feedback thoughtfully and improve your care, because I believe everyone should have that...

I went to Pearle Vision to renew my expired contact prescription. However, they refused to sell me contacts and give me my prescription despite paying for it, $149.

This is a blatant violation of FTC consumer protection regulations. By law, they are required to give patients their prescription for glasses and contacts after the examination.

I decided to dispute the charge with my bank and file a complaint with the state medical board as well as the FTC. Needless to say, I will never go back.

They attempted to sell me glasses after refusing to give me the contact prescription I paid for -- we walked out because of how aggressive the selling tactics were. They kept insisting that they had "luxury brands," and that I wouldn't find better glasses anywhere else. Then, I said I wanted cheap glasses to see what the tactic was for that. The saleswoman instantly flipped, saying "I have $100 glasses," as opposed to all luxury eyewear. The sales pitch was insane and deceptive. She kept talking about how I looked which made me very uncomfortable. Luckily, we got an emergency call and had to leave; but, I was glad I walked out without purchasing anything (other than the examination, which I'll be disputing).

I will take my business to an online retailer like Warby Parker and get my prescription from Dr. Olson at Costco.

They provided some information about how contacts can be dangerous for your eyes, which I was already aware of, but did so in a way that makes you feel like a child talking to a teacher. She asked me stupid questions like, "What does the blood carry that's important for the body?" I replied, "oxygen" in a confused way because she asked me such a stupid question. Then she told me I was "smart" for having some basic biological knowledge.

Again, refusing to give a contact prescription after examination is a violation of FTC guidelines. They didn't even give me my prescription for eyeglasses.

Don't overpay and waste your time with this business -- their practices resemble those of conmen.

Edit: They just called me without giving me any form of an apology, citing "miscommunication." The rep said he could e-mail me my prescription for eyeglasses and asked me to take down my Google review (lol). Misconduct occurred, not miscommunication.

To reiterate: I went in for a contact lens prescription, and didn't receive it. By law, they must give it to me following my examination. But, the sales woman said I was going to be given a prescription for glasses, exclusively, because I wore only contacts for a year. Before that, the doctor said I wouldn't have to change my entire routine, only supplement some days with glasses instead of contacts. Fine. But, I still need my contact prescription. It's a violation of FTC guidelines to not give it to me.

The doctor also mentioned how it'd be illegal for her to prescribe me contacts without purchasing glasses. This is untrue. In fact, the FTC contradicts this lie:

"The doctor can’t require you to pay an extra fee, buy eyeglasses or contact lenses, or sign a...

Zero stars (one star required for posting). I went to the Pearl Vision office in Broomfield for the first time at the beginning of July with my grown son. The optometrist was wonderful and knowledgeable. When it came time to choose frames and tally up the total, I asked the optician if I could get something like my current, colorful Fysh frames. She said she hasn’t dealt with that brand in many years and made several recommendations which were nothing like my current glasses. I made it clear that I really liked my current glasses and she continued to claim that the ones she was suggesting were close in shape. She never offered to order frames elsewhere and I finally settled on lenses after exhausting all choices. I should also mention that the optician only wore her mask over her mouth, never covering her nose. The total was high - $700 after my vision insurance kicked in – and the optician completely forgot to add in the exam cost until after she had totaled everything up and she had to create a new charge. Once I picked up my glasses and got them home, I realized that they were not flattering and I didn’t like the style at all. I called to schedule a return of the glasses and was told to visit the Northglenn office because they had a better frame selection. The first optician at Northglenn heard my complaint and brought me the EXACT SAME FRAME in another color. Then Esther, who introduced herself as a regional manager, started suggesting frames while talking about herself in the 3rd person, telling me about the types of frames she likes. Esther also did not offer to order frames from any place outside of their walls and stated (maybe to help me manage my expectations) that Pearle Vision is a conservative organization with regard to frame styles. She also did not wear her mask fully and we had to ask her to please - considering she works closely with the public - put her mask on properly. Once it was obvious that the only improvement available was going to be a frame slightly more similar in shape to my current glasses, we placed the order. Esther called in the specifics to the Broomfield office, reciting my credit card information in a loud voice that could be heard throughout the small Northglenn office. The epilogue to this experience is that, after two adjustments of the 2nd pair of glasses, I was able to wear them okay, but my optic migraines returned to the tune of 3 a day and I haven’t worn the glasses since. I can only chalk it up as a very...