Warby Parker Pasadena — Local services in Pasadena

A very poor experience…

Before my review… some context…. I rarely write reviews and very rarely return an item to a store for a refund or other form of rectification. I usually don’t have time, accept the loss and move on.

I purchased a pair of glasses a few years ago. Within a few months in the lenses started to degrade to the point I had two technicolor blotches in front of my pupils. I was quite busy and living overseas so didn’t have a chance to take them back until just over a year.

When I did, the Warby Parker representative blamed my poor care of the glasses as the source of the problem. Having owned glasses for a few decades and not being a toddler I understand how to clean glasses as to not damage them (e.g. paper towels, sand paper, hydrochloric acid, etc. were avoided ). None of the other pairs I had owned had similar problems over the years.

At that time of my attempted return of the glasses, I had exceeded the 1 year warranty period. I should have probably held firm and insisted it seemed more like a defect with the coating, coating process or general lenses rather than just “wear and tear”. As I was past the warranty date, I accepted to pay the full fee to replace the lenses and have the glasses shipped back to me.

At the time of that transaction, the representative explained to me that… if I have a similar problem… I should just be sure to come back before 1 year to have them repaired for free.

The glasses with the replacement lenses did hold up much better. This reaffirmed my belief that the first set of lenses were defective but…no need to dwell on the past. I did however notice some deterioration and scratches. At 11 months, I brought the glasses back to Warby Parker expecting to have them replaced with no questions asked and no fee as I was within the promised warranty period ( I don’t know why but I had the false hope that Warby Parker had a similar attitude to customers as Nordstroms).

The representative explained to me that the 1 year warranty applied only to the original date of purchase. Setting aside the obvious point that a brand new set of replacement lenses should perform equally as well as lenses purchased originally with the frames, I explained that the prior Warby Parker representative advised me I would have 1 year since the time I paid for the replacement lenses for the warranty as described above.

I asked to speak to a manager. The representative explained he was a trainee but will check with the manager. The manager listened to the trainee and then the trainee came back to explain as a “one time exception” they would provide me a $50 credit for the replace. Great… I thought… as I may have to pay a nominal fee for shipping but my glasses would be repaired without cost.

Not so… The $50 credit would be applied to a $95 replacement fee so I would still have pay $45 for replacement lenses. He explained something about how the representative who made the original promise was no longer with the company.

Like 99% of humans, I didn’t have time… and now don’t have the inclination… to delve into the fine print to compare verbal promises versus written contractual obligations. Given the above and the fact the manager couldn’t be bothered to engage with an unhappy customer, I...

I'm giving Warby 4.5 stars and will round up for now. I'll update my review if/when I buy a second pair of glasses.

First off, the service was excellent during both of my visits. I went to several other stores before Warby, and Warby's selection was so great that I found two pairs I really liked -- whereas in other stores with brand names, I couldn't even find one. Their technology is really great in that they quickly capture your prescription and upload it to their system -- instead of you having to make a copy, etc.

I like how they give you a tray to hold all the pairs you're considering, and then they show you all options on a tablet before finalizing your order. I got transitions with the ultra high-index lenses--basically "the works" as far as lenses go

When I got my glasses in the mail, it took some time to get used to them, but I noticed the left lens was blurry and the dizziness didn't fully go away. I found that Warby has a no-hassle 30-day exchange/return policy, which is great! I had just purchased glasses from another store that didn't have this policy, and it was a hassle to get a refund from them. So knowing that I could return my glasses if necessary was a huge plus!

With that in mind, I decided to set up an eye exam with Dr. Christine Nguyen-Tran instead of my regular doctor. I did this so she could hopefully figure out what's going on with my glasses, and hopefully any exchange would be seamless and coordinated.

I made the right decision because Dr. Nguyen-Tran was extremely thorough and the exam she did had more fine-tuning than any other exam I've ever done before! In the end, she concluded that my prescription was the exact same that my regular doctor had come up with, except the axis was slightly different. She said the blurry left lens could be due to a few possible factors: 1) The focal point of the lens might be off 2) The ultra high-index lens could be causing it 3) My glasses may be too wide for my face.

She suggested checking the focal point first. One of the other Warby people checked and indeed the focal point was off on both lenses because they never checked it when I first bought my glasses.

They said they would order me new lenses with the new prescription and if there were still issues, we could troubleshoot further.

No need, as I just got my updated glasses yesterday and they're working out great! No dizziness and my vision is clear!

I took off a half star because they should have checked the focal point of the lenses when I first bought my glasses -- and they acknowledged whoever helped me just forgot.

Unfortunately I had to make an extra trip to Warby and spent $85 on the eye exam just to get virtually the same prescription I already had.

A bit of an inconvenience, but it was comforting to know that the optometrist and store were on the same page with the troubleshooting.

In the end, I'm really happy with my glasses and am considering going back for the other pair I liked.

Overall, a great experience and good to know I've found another great optometrist in case I ever need a second set of eyes...

I was long overdue for an eye exam, so I decided to search for a location covered by my vision insurance. After finding Warby Parker through my insurance provider's website and reading positive reviews on online, I chose to visit their nearby store. Upon arrival, I was greeted and checked in for my scheduled eye exam. While waiting I was surprised by the lack of assistance from the initial staff member; however after a few minutes of browsing, Emma assisted me by providing a tray and showing me various frames.. The optometrist assistant conducted my initial assessment and was friendly and sincere, followed by a quick and efficient eye exam by Dr. Nguyen-Tran. I ended up selecting frames for myself and my son, as we both needed glasses. During the process, I had inquiries about pricing due to my insurance coverage, which was eventually resolved. Nevertheless, I was disheartened when a staff member assumed I used a state based insurance plan…….i don’t. Why assume I’m on a low income plan? This incident highlighted the importance of cultural sensitivity training for the employees, helping them recognize and address unconscious biases. While these situations can occur, it is crucial for staff members to be mindful of their perceptions and avoid making...