Dr C Optometry, Los Angeles CA

I forgot to pack my daily contact lenses while traveling, and Dr C Optometry office totally saved me! They were quick, super nice, and helpful when I called to see if they carry the lenses I need. Thankfully they did, and they even gave me the pairs for free! So glad I found them. Thank you to Patricia who talked to me on the phone and the staff member (she was wearing a headset and glasses; I didn't get her name) that I met at the office!

I was in a bind. I need eyeglasses in order to work, and one of the hinge joints on a Hugo Boss eyeglass frame I was wearing had failed; the arm wouldn't stay in place with tape; and I had a limited window of time in which, and limited funds with which, to get them repaired.

I searched online for the highest ranked optometrist in my immediate area. After speaking to four or five receptionists; I took photos of the broken hinge joint and the detached arm; and sent it to them so they could show it to an optician, and ask they could repair it. An optician at the first place I called, Optix, responded quickly, telling me that it could be soldered back in place, but that most opticians aren't set up to do that kind of work, and referred me to jewelry repair shop in the areas. He was genuinely helpful.

Calling the jewelry repair shop, I was told the technician who did that sort of work was on vacation and to call them back in 2-3 hours to see if the manager had any suggestions. I simply didn't have that kind of time. (The people I spoke to at the other shops either weren't very helpful, didn't get back to me, or got back to me hours later to simply say that, no, they couldn't help me.)

Searching online again, I stumbled across a listing Dr. C Optometry, which was only a couple of blocks away. The receptionist referred me to a friendly, elderly and very helpful optician named Howard Levinson. I sent him the photos and explained my situation, and he immediately made two suggestions: he could take the lenses out of the broken frame and put them in a new, low cost frame. Or he could send them out to be soldered. Both options would cost approx. $70. Sending them out could take up to five days and I couldn't wait that long. I told Howard I'd be there soon, and walked to their location to see what frames they had on offer.

Howard was as affable and earnest, as he sounded on the phone. True to his word, Howard took the lenses out of my broken frame and swiftly compared it to the frames they had in stock, and brought me a couple of workable options. The 'cheap seat' frames would do in a pinch, but struck me as flimsy, so I asked for the next step up, and Howard quickly found three frames we could work with. The whole process didn't take more than an hour, and I spent a little more than I had hoped, but left with a sturdier, more reliable RayBan frame, that actually fit better (chalk that up to Howard's craftsmanship) than the frame that had broken.

The point of this long post is that we live in an era where many are feeling the pinch of a difficult economy and, in an effort to save money, patronize online opticians. And it's true, you sometimes get a wider choice of frames and save money on frames that way; but I'm sorry to say that whenever I've gone that option, I've ended up with scratch guard coatings that fails too quickly, frames that don't fit properly, or are made with hardware that many local opticians cannot repair in a timely fashion, if they have the right hardware at all. And the customer service is often anonymous and distant.

The optician I spoke with at Optix (sadly I never caught his name) and Howard Levinson at Dr. C Optometry almost felt like throwbacks to an era when merchants prioritized customer service. They were genuinely concerned with, and took pride in, being helpful. Five stars to both men. Howard's customer service, and proper fitting of the frame on my wide head, was definitely worth the extra money I spent on getting a frame and fitting at Dr. C's Optometry, over what I might have saved online.