Cohen’s Fashion Optical

Had an appointment but still had to wait 30 min and left without being seen, even though they had called me twice before to confirm the «appointment». Unacceptable

My apologies it was the other FiDi Cohen at 33 Maiden Lane. I’m happy to report customer service is looking into the matter.

Diana was really friendly and helped me pick out awesome frames. I had a store credit from a return I made earlier that day.
Here’s a checklist of what Louis did wrong:
1. He bashed the original location and stated they ripped me off (Even if I share his sentiment it’s NOT professional and makes Cohen’s overall look really bad to hear this from some working at a Cohen’s!)
2. He ranted (IN FRONT OF ME) that he would NOT honor my VSP discount because he «wouldn’t get paid enough». (Why would a customer need to hear this? And why is this my responsibility)
3. I had to use my cell and call VSP to get them to assure him he’d get paid. (Isn’t the insurance side of things be Cohens responsibility to verify?) He wanted to hear this for himself and actually took my cell from my hand (HE DIDN’T ASK HE TOOK) to talk to VSP.
4. After getting the confirmation he needed finally (thanks to my due diligence not Cohen’s) he let us know I could get my glasses at the discounted price in a very unfriendly tone. It seemed like I was a burden (I’m sure my money isn’t a burden though). Diana advised by the end of the day I could pick them up. I’m ecstatic until Louis (AGAIN SAYING THIS IN FRONT OF ME) says no she wont get them today, there’s not enough time and I’m leaving. Why would this be discussed in front of a customer?! He goes on to say dryly that I should get them Monday afternoon. Who knows when I will actually get my glasses.
This experience has raised so many red flags. I will never purchase from Cohen’s again
*update
I received a call from Wendy (Cohens corporate) and a private message from Jenna M.
Wendy gave me a very sincere apology.
I picked up my glasses and Diana as well as another gentleman greeted me and made sure I felt welcomed and that my glasses were perfect. They were patient and provided amazing customer service. I even purchased a second pair of Ray Bans. Diana is great at what she does and is great with working with people. Louis was not present and hopefully isn’t ever present around customers in the future without some sort of training and/​or coaching.

In over 14 years of wearing glasses and in owning over 20 pairs, my experience with this store, staff, and manager has been by far my worst consumer experience of my life. With anything. After spending $ 400 on a new pair of glasses (frames and lenses) and waiting four days (after they told me the pair would be ready the next day) they got my prescription wrong. I returned the next day with a copy of my prescription from LensCrafters and one day later… also wrong. I return a third time and they get it wrong AGAIN. The glasses make me feel sick and dizzy, and the manager just shrugs and makes some absurd metaphor about the difference between brown and black shoes. What? They refuse to refund my money, and they swear it’s all in my head, but the lenses they made make me feel like I’m looking through a fishbowl. My eyes strain, my depth perception is off, and I feel nauseous. Never in my life of wearing glasses have I ever had an issue with «adjusting» to a new pair, getting a prescription wrong, feeling queasy etc. The craftsmanship is flat out poor, the staff and management plainly don’t have an ounce of integrity, and I feel genuinely robbed of near half of $ 1000. I wish I had read the Unilocal reviews this place had before choosing this store out of convenience (it’s right by my wife’s place of work). Convenience! Ha! 7 days, 3 tries, and $ 400 down the drain and I’m worse off where I started. DO NOT GO HERE. DO NOT GO TO THEIR NEW LOCATION. I’ve been a fairly frequent customer of the Cohen’s chain but that will never be the case again, unless I somehow get my money back from this unprofessional pack of downright thieves. Doubtful. They don’t seem to care a bit about customer satisfaction, since they’ve allowed this place to remain open after all the negative complaints.

Chanel and Diana were great! I was helped within 2 minutes of walking in! I’m hope everyone finds them at their new location.

I have had two terrible experiences at this shop. Don’t go to Cohen Optical ever!
Experience 1: I went to this shop to get new eye glasses and $ 600 later, I had a hip pair of frames that continuously slid down my nose and lenses that my eye doctor described as «the most poorly prepared lenses that I have ever seen». I have bad vision and therefore, thick glasses. However, instead of rounding down the edges they just left them as is– protruding about ¼ of an inch. The lenses are so oddly done that you can’t fold down the handles of the frames. Cohen told me that this is because my eyes are so bad, but it is the first time in 32 years that I have ever owned a pair of glasses that did not fold properly. Poor craftsmanship all around.
Experience 2: I had vowed to NEVER return, but because my glasses will not fit in a standard case, the frame handles broke one day when I was carrying them. I took them back to the store and asked if I could put my lenses (bad as they are) in a new pair of the same frames to save money. The woman at the counter said «I dunno, maybe.» I decided to press on… I asked her how long it would take and she said that she didn’t know and would call me when they came in. I asked how much it would cost and immediately she finally had an answer! It was about $ 300. I should have gone elsewhere but I ordered them. Even though they «didn’t know» if it would work, they of course, demanded that I pay up front. I did, waited a week and heard nothing — every day wearing broken glasses that hurt my nose and ear. Finally, at the end of week two, on a Friday, I get a message that says they are ready and that I can pick them up anytime before 6. I left my office at 5, got there at 5:15 and I was told that she couldn’t put the lenses in because she might break them. She asked that I leave the glasses there until Monday. I took the new frames and left in a huff but on reflection, if anyone was going to break these frames, I wanted it to be this store — so that I could demand a full refund. I waited again until Monday, went in and was told that I needed to wait 20 minutes. Then, I received my new frames with my old lenses. I asked for the old frames back and was asked why I wanted them (they are mine). Then I was given a case that the new glasses didn’t fit in because of the poorly done lenses. To their credit, when I demanded a new case, they gave it to me. I expected to have replacement frames in a week with two trips to the store. It took two weeks, three trips and 2 phone calls. I should have never purchased glasses at this store. Don’t go to Cohen Optical!!!

The service is terrible. I had an eye exam for my contact. During the first visit, they told me that they didn’t have the contracts the doctor prescribed, so I would have to go back a few days later for the trial. I went back a few days to pick up the trial contacts, and they told me I had to go back again after a week of wearing those contacts, and they would give me the prescription next time. I went back yesterday, and apparently they wanted me to wear the trial so the doctor could check wether they fit or not. However, they never told me, so I had to go back AGAIN!!! I went there today with the trial contacts, and finally got a hand-​written prescription, which doesn’t specify which is for what eye, and the brand of the contract is not clear, so I will have to call them again tmw to find out!!!

Almost immediately after I put in my review I was contacted by cohens corporate management via Unilocal and they were keen on looking into the issue and I promised to get them the details.

Please for the love of god don’t come here! This is the first and the last time I’m coming here! I told her specifically to not wipe my glasses with a tissue paper because it will scratch. She wouldn’t listen to be despite me asking and begging her not to AND STOP (repetitively) to wipe my glasses with a tissue paper. This is one of the most upsetting experiences in my life.
Fine, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and let”s say you’re right. Wiping the glasses with tissue paper wouldn’t scratch the glass. But hell, I bought the glasses, it’s mine. Let me do whatever I want with it, if I don’t want it to be wiped down with tissue paper, don’t do it when I begged you not to.
If there was a negative star system, this place would get a minus 500 stars.

I walked in, asked if they could adjust my glasses (that I didn’t buy here) and the sales clerk was sooo nice. She adjusted them for free, and even took them a couple of times to make sure they were straight. It took about 2 minutes. Very nice!

I’ve been coming here for my contacts for years simply out of habit. It’s completely out of my way but I think what really keeps me coming is the fact that they always hook me up with a free pair of weekly contacts while I wait for my order to arrive (they don’t have my prescription on stock). And I always get a call to let me know when I can pick it up.

I’m very disappointed in the service I received here and I wish I could get a refund but so far I haven’t had any luck.
I went in to get a prescription for eyeglasses, my first time ever. The eye exam seemed to go fine enough but when I went to get my frames filled iwth prescription lenses, that’s when I ran into issues.
First, the doctor wrote a prescription for both distance and reading. I had told the doctor, during my exam, that my distance seemed to suffer as some things that were far away were starting to look blurry and that i used the computer a lot at work. he said i’d have to wear glasses only when i use the computer and then when i drive at night. when i went to get my lenses, the lady told me i needed to get progressive lenses since i had both prescriptions. i told her that i didn’t have a problem with things that were close and that i only had trouble seeing things far away. she said to get the progressives and that i could use them when on the computer.
instead of being able to get the free lenses my insurance covers, i had to order progressives. that’s $ 95 on top of the $ 40 anti-​glare they told me to get because of the computer. fine, whatever, you say i ‘NEED’ it so i’ll pay for it.
they never call me to tell me that my lenses are ready. after 4 business days (even though they told me they’d be ready in 2) i called to ask if they had a status update. what, update? they tell me it’s been waiting for me in the store. i don’t get angry but just proceed to the store to get it over with.
i tried on the progressives and they’re HORRIBLE. they make me extremely dizzy and my eyesight doesn’t feel any better with the glasses on. i’m not sure why this was recommended for me to wear when i drive at night, since i’m probably run into a pole. i tell the, this will not work for me. the ladies at the counter insist i’m not ‘concentrating’ enough, which is why my vision isn’t clear, and that i’ll get used to them. i tell them this isn’t something i will get used to and request that they remove these and give me just distance. they say i cannot have a refund, even though the distance lenses would be covered under my insurance, BUT they will give me a free pair of reading glasses. i do NOT need reading glasses!
i come the next day to pick up my distance glasses. i try them on, step 4 feet away from a plaque behind the counter, and try to read the lettering. the lady asks me what i’m doing and i tell her i’m trying to see if the prescription is correct because so far there’s no difference between when i have the glasses on and when i take them off. she asks me what i’m reading. i tell her i’m reading the plaque behind her head. her response? «why’re you trying to read that? you can’t see that when you’re driving in the dark’. LADY! i would still like to freaking read since that’s the whole reason i got glasses in the first place. i tell her the prescription doesn’t seem to be right and that my vision isn’t clear. she starts getting frustrated with me and tellling me it’s because i’ve never had glasses before.
at this point, i’m just annoyed and don’t want to deal with these people. they can’t get a single thing right and i know they just want to take my money and run with it. i won’t be getting a refund, i won’t ever EVER EVER be coming back here again.

Wow. Rarely in my New York patron experience have I encountered a staff so abrupt and downright rude. The optometrist who runs the joint, Dr. Solat, is very nice and extremely well-​versed in his profession, but the ladies who work the counter – it’s like going to McDonald’s IN BUSHWICK.

This place is horrible. I brought my daughter’s three-​month old glasses to have the nose pads replaced in a rush so that she would have them for school. It was not the place that we bought the glasses. The tech gouged the lens and created a big scratch right by the nose pad. When I confronted her with the damage, she said it was already there. That was a complete lie. The scratch was on the INSIDE of the lens, right by the nose pad — a very unlikely place to have a scratch. If the scratch was on the outer surface of lens, I might have believed her.
I was even charged for the repair ($ 3) that most places would have done for free.
When I called back to talk to the owner/​manager, I was given a real hassle. The lens was expensive (i.e., Crizal-​anti fog/​anti glare/​stratch resistant). Even though the damage was noticeable to me, it did not obstruct my daughter’s vision. I did not return since the owner/​manager was not at all helpful and reluctant to take responsibility. I doubted that hey would be able to replace the lens with the same level of quality as I purchased it. It was not worth my time.
This place does not take responsibility for the errors it makes. Do not take your expensive glasses here!

Avoid this place at all costs! The doctor managed to give me a completely inaccurate prescription and I ended up paying out of pocket to go where they are actually competent. Don’t even get me started on the ladies who happily talk about you in Spanish while they are ‘helping’ you…
It should also be noted that it took an entire week for them to put lenses into frames that I brought in (only to find out they were an incorrect prescription). In the end I paid out of pocket for all the services my insurance covered at Cohen’s to have them done elsewhere. It was much less time consuming to pay than to fight with the staff who will treat you like a child.
Please, save yourself the hassle.
**Update
After posting this review I was contacted by a Cohen’s Customer Service Rep. She then never returned my email and they again fell flat. REALLY, REALLY don’t waste your time.