Stanton Optical — Local services in Wilmington

This eyeglasses retailer has the worst customer service and quality of products I have ever experienced. First of all, they outsource their labor to save money. All the appointments are remote, not with certified optometrists but with techs. You can not ask the optometrist overseeing these prescriptions questions. The techs will not know the answer to your questions, so you can't ask them either. All the customer service matters are overseen by the in-store brand ambassador Julie. I have a high prescription, I must have it correct because I wear them all day every day. In short, I requested to have my prescription redone two separate times. I didn't settle for a product I wasn't happy with and this enraged Julie. Each time I had a complaint she couldn't help but give me a snarky remark. This didn't bother me at the time. I hoped I would have a good product and that would make dealing with Julie worth it in the end. After having my glasses remade the second time I came in to pick them up and was told by Julie that I only had lenses waiting there for me. She insisted that I had taken the frames with me. I would have remembered having to keep said frames safe in my possession for the two weeks I had been waiting for them to come in. I had been wearing my two-year-old glasses for those two weeks waiting for my new pair to be completed. I was told by Julie the first time she sent off my glasses to be remade that my prescription was too high to just have the lenses sent to the store to be installed. She informed me that I must send the frames back in as well so they may assemble them at their lab. I assumed the same was to be done the second time and left the glasses with Julie to be shipped off. I reminded Julie of this, but she refused to listen. I even asked if they had cameras they could check to confirm what I was communicating. Julie then went as far as to insinuate I stole my frames or was trying to pull one over on them and get an extra frame(the same style!). I was thrown into a full-blown panic attack. I would never steal anything let alone a product I HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED FOR $300!Julie put the new lenses into a display frame that was the exact frame I had purchased. She told me "The store is taking the loss on these. This is it after this. You get no more assistance. I have no reason to hold on to someone's frames." As if I ever accused her of anything during our conversation. She was the only one who took it to that level. I had always assumed the frames were sent back to Stanton Optical's lab. This was when Julie's co-worker started laughing at the situation. I was mortified these women could be so cruel. Not only that but if you Julie truly believed I had stolen something why would she give me another pair of said products? If it were me as a brand ambassador and someone was trying to rip off my brand I wouldn't let them. I would stand by my accusation. She never truly believed me to be a thief. It's so disgusting she tried to make me out to be something I am not. I am completely blown away that Stanton Optical allows their employees to go about business this way. I started to drive home after this but I turned back. I went back to the store and returned the product. Glasses are not worth being insulted and mocked. While waiting in the store for the email confirmation of my return, Julie told me "Do not come back to the store." I thought that comment was pathetic and hilarious. I would never go back to that establishment for any reason and Julie knows this. It was just another attempt to belittle and get a reaction out of a customer, which I think she gets enjoyment from. I observed her interacting with other customers, and it was evident that her approach was similar to how she treated me. Although Julie is labeled as a brand ambassador, her behavior resembles that of a bully. I can't believe Stanton Optical gives this woman any type of power. I am not only never going back, but I am also actively urging others...

I hate to leave a bad review but this is honestly getting a bit absurd.

Timeline:

May 6, 2025 I booked an online appointment to get the free eye exam with 2 free pairs of glasses.

May 7, 2025 I came in the store picked out my glasses and got my eye exam. I didn’t mind the eye check up being online or done through zoom honestly but my problem was the doctor got my prescription wrong and didn’t bother fixing it for me when I clearly said that its giving me a headache cause my left eye is much more blurry than my right. She said it will be fine. I know it won’t be fine cause I’ve been wearing glasses for years now.

I told one of the people working if I could get my prescription edited after the exam cause it was wrong and they said “How do you know that?”. I told them I know what my glasses prescription are just through the lens. They said I can’t I have to wait for it. I ended up paying for the wrong prescription lenses and just got the wrong prescription exam results so basically nothing I needed was done but I still had to pay $79.

May 9, 2025 I found my actual prescription from my most recent previous glasses and I was right about it being wrong. I made a call and Will was able to re-do my glasses after I emailed him my prescription Rx which I know is 100% accurate cause I ordered another pair through Zenni using it and the prescription was exactly what I needed.

2 weeks later We were moving to a new state so I was glad I was able to get my glasses as promised after 2 weeks later as promised. Unfortunately while they were my glasses they shipped me the wrong pair of glasses with the wrong non-updated prescription. We had to leave the exact same day so I couldn’t return it and regardless it wasn’t usable cause I wouldn’t have been able to drive anyway using it cause of how off the Rx was. It genuinely felt like I was cross eyed.

A few days later I receive a call that they were sending me another pair of glasses and wanted to get my address. I gave them my new address in hopes that they caught their mistake and are actually making it right and I didn’t mind waiting cause I bought a cheaper pair online with the new Rx which was the same one I personally emailed to them as well.

June 25, 2025 I was wondering why my glasses weren’t here yet so I called them at 12:00 in the afternoon to ask how it was going and when was I going to receive it. I gave them my number + order details and they told me over the phone that the new glasses order they put up was never put out and they were sorry. I didn’t make up much of a fuss cause I really don’t need it ASAP but I hate feeling that I spent money on something that never actually came.

I called some time last month to ask for a refund cause everything was wrong but I was also unable to do that cause they said that they can refund my $79 but I’d have to pay $100 for the eye exam.

I attached all my...

I should’ve read the reviews before I went because my experience was awful. It is not clearly outlined when booking an appointment that it is not a doctor and not an in person exam; you see a virtual technician on a screen, who allegedly gives the specs to a Doctor who writes your prescription without seeing you. The technician on the screen sounded to be in a call center as I could hear others talking in the background, keyboard clacking, and he muted to talk to people off screen. the name of the MD on the rx pulls up for a MD in Georgia according to the NC medical board and is not the young guy in a lab coat who was on the screen. Like other reviewers, my prescription was wrong. The prescription that I was given was different than the RX I’ve had for the last three years, going from a -4.25 to a -3.50 according to Stanton. (I should’ve thought more about this but I didn’t and just assumed my eyes changed.) I was not offered any feedback from the MD - you get your rx when the sales associate comes out and hands you a paper while offering to sell you contacts or glasses. I was out of lenses and desperate so I placed an order for a year supply and was told they didn’t have a trial pair- since I’ve worn lenses for 16 years and never had an issue I said that was fine and completed the transaction- big mistake. I picked them up a week later and when I began to wear them realized something was wrong. I had eye strain and could not see up close (which is unusual for me), but I thought maybe I needed to adjust to the new strength so I wore them as told on the check out paperwork until finally three weeks in when I was having daily eye fatigue and headaches leading to work disruptions. I contacted corporate who told me I Needed to talk to the store. The manager at the store called me and told me I needed to come in to handle it. When I came in, he told me that i could not have a refund because i opened the box. (How would I know that RX was wrong if I did not open the box since I was not given a trial pair ?) After my insistence that the rx was wrong he said I could have a second opinion and offered an exam there. Not sure why this couldn’t have been discussed over the phone before I drove in… I declined to have a another tech posing as doctor and went to MyEyeDr for an outside opinion instead who diagnosed that I was still a -4.25, aka the same rx I had last year before seeing the “doctor” at Stanton. Three weeks and another trip in person this is finally resolved, but not without headaches - literally and figuratively.

The showroom seems to have WAY more options than others locally for glasses, but do your research and do not get the eye exam here. The store manager did make things right eventually and I’m grateful, but corporate was no help and did not respond to my requests, telling me it would be escalated to a manager and then never...