Warby Parker Fourth St. — Local services in Berkeley

If you need contact lenses: Go somewhere else. Any other place. Just not Warby Parker on 4th street Berkeley. Unless you like to deal with floor staff that doesn’t communicate with the optometrist and give you the wrong instructions leading to 5 different shop visits to get your prescription, incessant automatic emails telling you that something is wrong (which you already know) but not leading to actually solving the issue,, email help-desk humans (?) who do not read the thread and ask you the same questions, plus having to pay up front for the contact lenses (they do not accept most insurances) and then having to deal with the process of getting reimbursed. Seriously this has been the worst experience I have had in a business…ever! This is what happened: I had a great visit with the optometrist (first shop visit) but because I had run out of contact lenses before getting there, she ordered sample contact lenses. I was supposed to wear them for a couple of days and then come back, she would check and if all was well, she would finalize the prescription and order my annual supply. A couple of days later I got the message that my samples were ready, and went to pick them up (second visit). But when I came back a few days later to the shop (third visit) the floor staff didn’t know why I was there. In fact the floor manager told me that it was not necessary for the doctor to see me, that I should just place the order. So I did. But then the automatic emails telling me something was missing (my actual contact lens prescription) started. At the same time I got a voicemail that my contacts were ready. I went back to the shop (4th time) and, again, the floor staff seemed not to know what I was talking about: what they were giving me was more sample contact lenses, not the actual annual supply. I continue to receive the automatic emails, I respond to them but it takes 4 emails to get someone to actually give me a plan of action: I need to come back to the shop (5th time) so that the doctor checks the fit of the contact lenses (As I had told them the first time). And they have spoken to the floor staff to clarify the procedure. Ok. I will do this visit next week. I still don’t know if I will have my annual supply. I still need to do more computer work to get reimbursed for these. Look, I went to Warby Parker 4th St. (Berkeley, CA) because I thought the process would be smooth and easy but this has been anything but....

Buyer beware! I didn't realize the 4th St location didn't do eye exams. I wanted to get a new prescription and glasses before my FSA $ expired at the end of 2021. I still browsed and tried on different frames and found a nice pair to buy. They said I can return later with a prescription and they'd fill it then. Well, life, work, and COVID made it difficult to get back there until March 2023. The frames were still boxed, brand new, and I had a new prescription. I figured fulfilling this order would be easy to accomplish at the same place I purchased frames. When I showed a female employee my frames and prescription, she told me it's no longer their policy to fill prescriptions unless you buy frames at the same time. She said I would have to buy a new pair of frames. Seriously?!? She did lookup my account and saw my previous purchase, so it's not like I was trying to scam them. She still said they can't fill old frames even though Warby Parker still sells this exact style frame. I couldn't believe she was trying to get me to buy another pair! I didn't feel like talking to the store manager as I was on my lunch break. And I didn't feel that they should have my business. My prescription is expensive as I use progressives and transitions, anti reflective, blulight blocking, ultra thin, etc. totaling around $400-450. I just told the Warby Parker employee I'll find another optometrist to fill the frames. I could have gone to LensCrafters or a few different places but I ended up going to UC Eye Center near my work. It was no problem for them. I'd much rather pay them than Warby Parker after they turned me away due to their "new policy." It's crazy how expensive my lenses would have been without insurance- $870. But it was $425 with my VSP coverage and used my FSA to pay the out-of-pocket balance. I'm glad I went elsewhere. I'm sure not all Warby Parker stores are this bad. I had purchased a pair of sunglasses at the Warby Parker in Las Vegas Summerlin Town Center in 2022 with my prescription and they turned out very nice. I'm just not a fan anymore after being rudely turned away at the 4th...

They don't do eye exams on site. Walnut Creek is the closest. They don't tell you that until you are about to check out. They have an IPhone app that only works on phones made in the last three years and requires a laptop. They have the nerve to ask you if you have a friend with an IPhone you can borrow; the company could provide them with what they need to do this on site; they all use IPads. Android is 87% of the global market. This is not a fun process during Covid, then finding out when it's over that you need to then go to walnut creek in a week when you can get an appointment risking infection AGAIN because they weren't up front about the services they offer, it's a deplorable practice by this company and it shows they really don't care about their customers; they will lie to you and make you risk your health again so this location can make a sale. This is the last pair of glasses I get from them.

To be clear: this is a critique of Warby Parker's corporate governance, not the employees at this location; they were generally sympathetic to my perspective on the issues I present here. The people that work there were friendly and we're doing the best they could in a difficult situation, it is a shame they are left out to dry by the higher-ups at the company because of their lack of investment in equipment for locations or for android app development. I'm sure they are intentionally told not to bring up prescriptions, because if they told you you would have to drive to Walnut Creek if you didn't have an IPhone when you arrived, you'd just go to a place where getting prescription glasses doesn't...