Spex- Roscoe Village

As someone who has been a customer of the big optometry chains for years, I was overwhelmed with the level of customer service & attention I was given by Ric & Tricia. Ric listened to what I was looking for in frames, and spent a considerable amount of time with me as I tried on pair after pair. He was very knowledgeable and more importantly, honest with me as to what worked on my face and what didn’t. He was also just fun! There was also ZERO pressure to purchase. Ric encouraged me to take some selfies, show my friends & family, and if I didn’t love anything I tried on at their location, other Spex locations carried different styles I could check out. Did I pay more than what I might have at Lens Crafters or Pearle? yes, absolutely. But, the way I ‘see it’ (yes, pun intended), if you wear glasses everyday like I do, it’s an investment. You should love them. I’d absolutely recommend this Spex!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a review but I thought it was important to write this one to warn others of the extra $ 50 charge that no insurance providers currently cover when getting an eye exam at this location. My husband was in need of new glasses and Spex takes our insurance. When he got to the store for his exam the gentleman who helped him with paperwork asked him for his insurance card (our insurance provider does not require or issue cards). After a bit of a debate the clerk told him he found him and that it would be ok «this time.» After the eye exam my husband was presented with his prescription but no additional info about the health his eyes. And a bill for $ 75. Our co-​pay is $ 25, not $ 75. Not knowing better he paid the $ 75 and left.
When I returned to inquire on the bill the following day the gentleman who helped me got noticeably defensive when I asked why it was $ 75 and not $ 25. He showed me one sentence on the pamphlet my husband received AFTER his exam stating that Spex does more advanced screenings that ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES DO NOT COVER and that the cost for that was $ 50. Two questions here: since all my husband got was his prescription what were these special tests? And if you know it’s going to cost someone $ 50 more than they are expecting wouldn’t you inform them in the future?
Needless to say, I am very disappointed with this store and we took our business elsewhere to purchase his glasses.

I’m really surprised at some of the lower-​star reviews; I had a great experience. As long as you are a curious shopper and you ask about everything, you will not be «tricked» into paying «more» — whatever that means.
I went in looking for a less-​expensive frame than my current Tom Fords, esp. knowing that my high Rx and desire for non-​glare lenses was going to cost me. Ric was enormously helpful, explaining how certain frames were going to eventually cause pain/​pressure in certain areas, and giving me pretty honest opinions about frames that worked or didn’t work on my face. My husband played tiebreaker, and I ended up with a great new pair of glasses.
I also got contact lenses, and Ric did all the math for me to determine whether having my insurance pay for the glasses or the contacts would result in less out of pocket for me. He showed me every single charge and talked through each one, so that I could make decisions about whether or not to keep the charge.
My eye exam was great, easy, thorough, and high-​tech. The doctor was personable and listened to all my concerns. My glasses and contacts were ready in a week. All in all a great experience and I look forward to seeing everyone at Spex next year.

They are the nicest people and have a great selection of both adult and kid frames! They also do repairs while you wait.

Service is great, staff is definitely helpful, but watch out for hidden fees.
I originally came in, scheduled an eye appointment, looked at glasses + contacts, and was quoted ~$ 275 after insurance. When I came in for my appointment a week later, the bill had been tallied up to over $ 650 after insurance (and I have GREAT v-​insurance). They added a bunch of line items without asking and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more deliberately tricky fee structure. After slashing a bunch of unnecessary line items, we got the after insurance rate down to ~$ 500.
They do have a great selection & great staff, so if you can afford it, I’d recommend them. Here are a few tips:
1) They are going to try to max out your benefit & have you pay the overage. Just be aware of their recommendations.
2) Ask for all prices «all-​in,» after EVERYTHING. They’re going to tack on an extra $ 100-​$ 150 at the end (after insurance) with unnecessary features.
3) Get your prescription printed out and order contacts from 1800contacts before your 1 year appointment.
4) Opt out of the «wellness exam» if you’ve had one in the last 2 – 3 years. They still legally have to examine your eye health to issue a prescription. Opting out will save you $ 50 off your visit.
Again, great staff, great doctors, great selection. But, you’re gonna pay for it.

I cheated on Eye Spy. (Spex takes my insurance, and I needed to use the eyeglasses discount benefit in a timely manner)
The eye doctor was thorough and friendly and I felt like my health and vision were in good hands. Jeremy & Courtney helped me find awesome frames, working for seriously an hour to find the difference between good, great, and AWESOME.
It’s not cheap, even with insurance. Like, the numbers they quote will make you start laughing. But my philosophy is that glasses are something that I wear every single day on my face, I need them to see, and I need them to be fly.
They don’t carry some of my favorite lines, and if I had to buy ridiculously expensive frames without insurance again I’d probably go back into the arms of my loyal glasses pushers of 10+ years to get access to Anne et Valentin and Carolina Abrams. But Courtney and Jeremy know their work and went above and beyond to make me happy.

A+ experience buying glasses here recently. The selection is well edited, and the service is informed and very helpful.

Abbi was super helpful and nice.
I’ve lived in the neighborhood for about 2 years and I’m moving out of town in a few days and I slept on getting glasses that aren’t all bent to hell for the drive.
I came in on Monday and had glasses (frames and lenses) on Wednesday evening. They just killed it on the turnaround because I’m headed out of town. I just didn’t expect that. Lightning.
They also helped me find frames that I like a lot and were super helpful during the process.
–Expensive… but quick, high quality, friendly and my glasses fit great /​look dapper. Its unrealistic to expect that to be cheap. You just have to drink enough free coffee while you’re in there to make up the difference from going to the folks at Target.
They also took my vision discount plan that I get free with my dental discount plan (didn’t expect that) and knocked about ¹⁄₃^rd off my bill.
Nailed it.

Well, corporate got involved after my Unilocal!review and connected me with Peggy, the regional manager. Peggy was very apologetic and made sure my glasses were completed that day and shipped out for Saturday delivery. Peggy was a great help and would absolutely receive 5 stars. I am averaging the 1 star from my initial experience with the 5 stars from management and giving them a 3 star rating. I do think they take the customer experience seriously and I just happened to have some bad luck.

I am so incredibly happy that this place is right in my neighborhood.
To start out, it’s a funky little store with bright green walls lined with amazing glasses. You want glasses that weigh less than a sticky note? They have them. You want glasses that will make you look like Harry Potter? Done. You want glasses big enough to cover your entire face so you can hide last night’s bar fight? You’re in luck. They had a huge variety.
Their staff was wonderful. I got in and out so quickly and they were so nice from start to finish. They helped me understand my health insurance as well as what each test was doing as they attached a giant piece of machinery to my head.
Dr. Roitstein is an absolute doll. While I was waiting a guy walked in just to get warm for a second and she offered him hot chocolate. I basically have a giant girl crush on her because she’s so nice. She was so professional, constantly letting me know what the test was doing as she did it, what she was looking for, and what the results meant. She spent a really long time walking me through all my scans and explaining what each of them meant while answering all my questions.
Really highly recommend these wonderful ladies.

The spex service I received was unbelievable. The staff was incredibly friendly & accommodating! Dr. Carla Ursetta was very sweet, knowledgeable & accommodating. I am so, so glad I came here when I needed emergency treatment. I highly recommend visiting Chicagoland spex stores, and also very much recommend Dr. Ursetta!

I’ve been here multiple times over the past 2 years. The optometrist and the staff are extremely friendly. You wouldn’t believe how patient they were as I sat and tried to put in contacts for the first time, it took me almost 20 minutes, but they kept patiently and kindly offering tips and encouraging advice.
About the prices, it’s the consumer’s responsibility to research what their insurance will cover, and ask the appropriate questions before making an appointment. Everybody’s insurance varies widely, you have to do your homework yourself and not get mad at them for the sticker shock if you fail to know what’s not covered by your plan.
I haven’t bought frames here yet, I’m in love with my 6-​year old frames. The optometrist told me that replacing the lenses in these old frames does put the frames at risk of breakage because the plastic is so old, and after seeing that my eyesight has worsened only slightly, she recommended that replacing my lenses wasn’t worth putting by beloved frames at risk at this point. She did not push me to get new lenses or frames at all, I really really appreciate that honesty and professionalism.

THE GOOD: Dr. Carla is a solid optometrist– explains everything clearly, friendly, professional.
THE BAD: Including all of my ‘enhanced’ vision plan discounts (I went here because it was in-​network, convenient loc), I still paid $ 700 for just 2 pairs of lenses (to be put into my old frames)– NO new frames were purchased. C’mon now– $ 700 for just lenses?!
THE UGLY: Slick homegirl (u know who u r) ringing me up tells me «You can get your lenses replaced if you scratch them within a year for only $ 15.» I respond, «Cool.» The only thing she forgot to tell me is that it costs $ 30 for each pair to receive that guarantee… ‘Oops.’ (I found that out on my own on their website after already being charged the extra $ 60.) In fairness, when I picked up my glasses, I asked them to remove that charge from my bill and they did. But her trying to sneak charges onto an already substantial bill, lost me as a customer.
TO SUM UP: I give my respects to Dr. Carla– the prescription was accurate and the lenses were well made. But I don’t get x-​ray vision or magical powers w them, so what’s up with the through-​the-​roof prices? I can’t imagine paying full price or actually buying frames along with my new lenses. And tell slick, cute optician girl that honesty and ethics go a long way with customers.

Following up on my experience with this store. After my checkup and quotes for glasses, I waited for a while to make the decision. When i was ready, I went into the store to talk about my concerns and options. I needed to either stay the same, which was not working that well or make a large change and go to what were once called bifocals, which I have been avoiding. But I spend so much time on the computer and reading documents for work that I need to address it. And I got older (shudder).
They have a great policy if the glasses do not meet your satisfaction, so that helped me make the decision, but I do not like to return things and waste time in the first place. After a thorough and exhausting review of the plusses and minuses, (bless you ladies) I got the glasses with three levels of correction. There is a level just for the computer. Damn am I happy. I was working with old info dodging the «bifocals» which are nothing like the old solutions, and I just wasted time.
I now have my new glasses and am thrilled; All the ways I cheated before to deal with my poor vision are things of the past. I catch myself taking my glasses off or moving them… how foolish. Now I can look at the computer and see very well. I can be with people and see everyone well, then look down at a document and not miss a beat. My day to day life has improved with my new vision. These glasses are great, and the service and guidance was very valuable. If you really need help with your vision and options, go see Carrie, Rachel and Carla.

The service here is great. The atmosphere is welcoming, the doctor is friendly, and I got a lot of great feedback and suggestions when I was picking out my frames.
However, insurance (even good insurance) won’t get you very far here. The frames are very expensive and the insurance will not cover if you get any add-​ons to your eye exam. If you are on a budget and you think that your advanced vision plan will get you low prices here, unfortunately, that would be untrue.

I wish there was a zero stars option for this place. I agree with the other negative review — they push the sales HARD. It is so annoying. And they are very rude. Even though I had an appointment, they paid no attention to me and it took about 15 minutes to get someone to open the cases so I could try them on. They had multiple people helping another lady. I sure hope she spent a bunch of money because they will never see a dime from me. I spent $ 600 on my last pair of frames, but apparently I don’t look like I would or something because every single other person that walked in got service. Don’t waste your time or money, you can get glasses anywhere. I recommend d/​vision optical — always great service and products. I’ll be switching back.

I am looking to get a pair of glasses using my insurance before end of the year. I found Spex from my insurance website along with couple other stores and decided to venture the different stores for the right pair of frame. Spex in Roscoe Village was the first store I went to because it is close to where I live.
We walked in as a couple walked out. We were greeted by both customer service personnel, one male and one female. Of course they asked us what we were looking for and I told them I would like to look at the frames before getting an eye exam. They asked me if there is a particular style I was looking for and I told them I am not sure and will let them know if I needed help. Usually, that would save me from being bombarded by the sales. However, it did not stop the sales at Spex… They kept showing me frames… which is okay since I know they are just trying to help. When I see the frames that they brought to my attention, I already know I would not like the style without trying them on. The male sales agent insisted that I should try it on, so I did. I looked in the mirror and hated it. Took it off and he was like ‘Let me see’ I put it back on and of course he complimented that it looked good. He did this multiple times. I got super annoyed… I cannot believe how aggressive these people are. The guy kept telling me… ‘These are my favorite!’, ‘I like these two.’, ‘I think this is good for you.’ Doesn’t he realize that I AM the person who will wear the glasses?!
I would never recommend this location unless you want someone very pushy, force you to try on frames that you do not like and tells you THEY like the frames not you.

Great service. Everyone was helpful! Dr. Carla was informative and efficient.

Andy and his team were exceptionally helpful in guiding me towards a fantastic pair of glasses. I also walked away with daily wear contacts, which was particularly impressive given my high prescription! They use cutting edge technology to scan peoples’ eyes for disease and screen out potential problems, all of which was easy and extremely informative. I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for excellent service and wonderful products.

I went to Spex to be fitted for glasses and contact lenses. When I made my appointment on the phone, Andy took all of my information, including my insurance. One of the other optometry places I called said that they were booked for weeks, and didn’t even offer to make an appointment for me at all. At my appointment at Spex, I was greeted warmly by Andy and Stan. Andy had pulled all of my paperwork and gone over what my insurance did and did not cover. Stan skillfully completed my pre-​exam and Lindsay Luker, O. D completed the rest of my exam. Dr Luker was very professional and super nice. After my exam, Andy spent 40 minutes helping me try on different frames until we had it down to 2 sets. He priced everything out for me with my insurance, and was never pushy about selling me on a feature I didn’t want (ie, scratch resistant coating ect). We found just the right frames. I will certainly return here for glasses and contacts.