Cancelled my appointment a day before it was scheduled after Id been waiting WEEKS for a basic eye exam!! Unreliable and impossible to contact through the phone, dont bother coming here.Edit: After I showed up in person and explained how much of an emergency it was, they managed to reschedule my appointment, and while I still think its unfair for everyone else who lost their appointments too, the actual appointment was really fast and the young person helping me was incredibly nice and helpful. Two more stars for the amazing employee that helped me and Id give more if it wasnt for the phone and scheduling issues.

Confused and incompetent young man who goes by they will do nothing but waste your time. Cant figure out his own gender let alone do his job. Called ahead for contacts and had to wait 30mins while this fool helplessly and obviously ignorant of what he was looking for. Took his overworked and competent female co-worker less than a minute to locate my contacts. Calling ahead will do no good. Doctor, head lady, and other older individuals are the only ones capable of functioning as sentient beings. I cannot stress how the young man is as useful as a bucket without a bottom, gave the fool 3 chances. Stay home with mommy kid.

Wish there were more stars to give !!!!!!!!! Great service all-around! When we walked in, Lori, the manager, greeted, and check me and my Moms insurance. We both got exams from Dr. Jester. During witch he took his time, was very thorough, and gave excellent recommendations based on our conversations.after the exam me and my mom were unsure on witch frames to chose, Kevin, a licensed optician helped us deside based on how the frames worked and fit on our faces. As a young lady I was very pleased to see that the staff members treated me w/ respect, abd looked to me for answers to given questions rather than my mom.overall best optical experience ever at a location!!!!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊❣️❣️❣️🙂

Poor customer service!! Rude!!! Came in to purchase glasses I saw online you would think they would jump on with assisting me, assisting manager stated she was “making schedule” so she couldn’t get up to assist taking my services else where.

I had an eye exam a few months ago, virtual which I was not informed of until I entered the exam room, made me very uncomfortable. I have been trying to call ever since to get an appointment with a real person because I dont believe the prescription is correct. I am always left on hold, today for more than half an hour and still no answer.

Dont normally write a review, but if you want to speak with someone on the phone and order lenses - Id try someplace else.

I would’ve given this a 5 star rating but the phones are currently not working & online scheduling shows no open appointments so booking an appointment has to be done in person. Outside of technical difficulties, I experienced great customer service! I worked with Lauri, she had great interpersonal skills and worked around technical issues. Lauri worked with me start to finish, explaining the process of each test & answered all of my questions. The environment was safe & clean, meeting all COVID protocols. My family & I will definitely be returning & I highly recommend this place for eye care 🙂

OMG do NOT go here. Everybody’s really nice but they’re always too busy and it takes forever, and I mean forever, to get service. I’ve been there four times to pick up my glasses and just sit around waiting for 20 minutes each time finally I just walked out because I’m so busy I don’t have time to wait that long -it’s crazy. I think they don’t pay their employees anything because they’re always so short on people. It’s either that or they just have a really poor business model.

Ive been trying at least once a week for A YEAR to get in touch with these people.All I want is my prescription so I can order glasses and contacts online.

Ive been going here for years and this place and all the people are absolutely fantastic!!

I made an appointment back in January and the day before, an associate at visionworks called me to say my insurance didn’t cover a new pair of glasses until March and when I said I would just pay out of pocket, she kept pushing me to just reschedule in March when my insurance covered it so I ended up doing that.. well my rescheduled appointment was tomorrow and today I received a call from the same associate saying my insurance doesn’t cover until March 26th. Now why would she reschedule me on the 3rd knowing my insurance wouldn’t cover it??? Not to mention they never answer their phones. I’ve been put on hold for half an hour before hanging up before. They are very unprofessional and sloppy, would not recommend.

Sara at Empire treated me kindly and professionally although I was not aprevious client. A nearby store where I had purchased two pairs of glasses would not help me because it was a few days past their 30 day guarantee.I will shop at Empire from now on.

If you book on line all is good the doctor is good but if you got to call them for any reason forget trying to getting someone the front end doesn’t answer no matter what number you press heck if i had an eye emergency best to go to the hospital or your eye will fall out I have been trying for at least a hour maybe two to get ahold of someone about my glasses and no one picks up. They need someone that will not worry about a cigarette every five minutes and do their job. I would give the place a 5 star but this phone thing isn’t good for customers support.Like i said the doctor is friendly some of the staff is friendly but the one that mans the phone needs to do her job.

I was in a accident and my glasses were never recovered. I went in and after explaining that I didnt have any glasses they gave me my prescription. When I got out to th be car my friend couldnt believe that was all they would do. We both went back in. Within 30 seconds they went from only giving a prescription to telling me my insurance would cover new glasses. Now WHY didnt they tell me that the first time I went in there?

Customer service is terrible! You cannot get anyone to answer the phone, no matter what time, what day or what prompt you select. If I can ever finally get my mothers glasses picked up we will NEVER return there nor recommend them to anyone. I will be going to the store to address this in person, if I feel the store deserves a better rating I will edit this post but as of now I wouldnt even say they have earned 1 star.

I havent even been a patient there yet. I was thinking about going there but theu wont answer there dam phone .

Cannot call them to check on my order. Phones are routed to corporate and corporate does not answer. Went to store and staff is aware of this but doesn’t seem to care to get it fixed. Three weeks maybe to get glasses I ordered! Have no idea when my order is due. The doctor there is very good but the branch seems to be let down by corporate.

The worst customer service in Ithaca! They purposely put your phone calls on a loop so you will be waiting on hold for over an hour before it hangs up on you. This place isn’t worth even checking out. I’m taking my business to a more capable Optometrist with a better staff

I work for another eye care provider, and it is impossible to get a hold of the actual office. Their phone system puts you into an automated maze, and never lets you talk to a human. I have spent 2 days trying to get information on a mutual patient. Call gets sent to customer service call center where you are put on eternal hold. I hit 1 for eye emergency and was left on hold for over an hour before I hung up AGAIN. This is poor service at a whole new level.

Terrible phone customer service. Ive never had an issue interacting in person with this store, but it is impossible to get a hold of someone over the phone. I am trying to get a copy of my prescription and the phone recording menu directed to the FAQ section of their website. However the website says to call the store to get your prescription. This is especially terrible customer service considering we are in the middle of the pandemic and I dont want to go to the store to ask a simple question that could easily be addressed over the phone! Step it up Empire Visionworks!

Been calling all day to speak with someone, about emergency glasses

There is no way to get a hold of this office except for showing up at the office. Phone calls and emails are not answered.

I went there after having to schedule my appointment a month or so in advance. Never got a call for a confirmation (thankfully the did send an email). The whole process was pretty fast and simple. That is until I picked out my frames. The lady helping me noticed that they had most of my information wrong. Not my phone number and not even my own insurance. They told me if I didn’t figure it out I would pay out of pocket. Excuse me? It is not my job to help you figure out my insurance which I am telling you who I have. I left and called who I needed and told them my exact insurance. It’s now going on 2 weeks and I am still waiting for my glasses. I am shocked that they were like that when I was there. I’ve been going to that location for years now. I must also mention that the optometrist was awesome as usual.

If you would like to schedule an appt over the phone, forget about that. I was waiting for an hour, no one answered the phone. I tried several options, they do not answer no matter what number you press. Phone thing isn’t good for customers support.

The absolutely worst place! Went for an eye exam and contacts in ithaca ny. The exam was way off and the trial pair was not exact so I waited 4 weeks for the contacts thinking they would be better. I got them and not even close! Drove all the way back there after not being able to get ahold of anyone except customer service in California who said they couldnt help me. That was a 40min wait on hold to talk to them. Finally got back in there and the dr. Says wow we were way off...heres the right script and well order you a trail pair. It has now been another 4 weeks and no contacts and once again cant get ahold of anyone!!!!!

My daughter lost her glasses for the past 2 months weve been calling and no one anwsers. Your there refusing to answer the phone. All I need her prescription to order another pair through the answering service because apparently picking the phone up is not aloud.

Consistently bad experiences here. Staff are unprofessional and make the entire situation uncomfortable. Frames are expensive.On a positive, Kevin Jester, OD is knowledgable and friendly. The rest of the staff make this an awful place to be. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere!

Absolutely terrible quality frames - like you would find in a dollar store - with absurd prices ($199!). I am very disappointed that Cornell has decided to affiliate itself, via its vision plan, with this company. I had previously bought 5 pairs of glasses from Empire Vision at this location, before it was taken over by Visionworks. The difference in frame quality - and in in-store customer service - is night and day. Visionworks, based in San Antonio, TX, seems intent on maximizing its profits at the expense of its New York State customers.

I have been trying to call to speak with an associate for the last hour. They will not pick up the phone. I even chose the selection for eye emergencies to speak with the Dr, and still no one answered! Terrible customer service!

Agree with other reviewers. They do not answer the phone, so if you ever need anything from them, do not expect to be able to contact them about it.

I have had multiple experiences with this company in the last month between my kids and I. All the staff I have interacted with are extremely helpful, considerate and knowledgeable. The Optometrist is very friendly, soft spoken, and is ready and willing to explain anything you have questions about. I highly recommend this site for your vision needs and they are really good about getting you in on the same day as well getting everything straight with your insurance.

Hey so heres a start had to contact someone from another business 2 doors down to go there and have them call me because they never ever ever under any circumstance answer the phone ever!!! You could call all day long and you will never talk to anyone....that was the end for me after going there for years....

We go here for our son, he and us as parents are very comfortable here, especially when we get to work with such a smiling face as the young lady that is always happy to help us. Her name is Chelsea Brafman. Thank you Chelsea you make this place Awesome 😊😊

This place needs a lesson in customer service. They don’t even answer their phones!!! I have been on hold on two different selections for an HOUR! Totally unacceptable!

I am so pleased with the service I received, I got 2 pair of unlined progressive lenses for $89.00, I was told it may take 2 weeks to pick up my new glasses and it only took 8 days. There were so many nice frames to choose from, and they really took the time to make sure the fit was comfortable.

I have been trying to reach them by phone for weeks now. Not once has anyone answered. It is not like I can just hop in the car for just anything. As a business I would think they should answer their phones and if they are broken FIX THEM.

Im very disappointed with the policy of this organization. I called to get a refill of contacts and I was told that I would need a visit as I was 2 weeks overdue for my annual appointment.Unfortunately, this office does not send reminders and yet refuses to give even one set of contacts until I can get an appointment. I will not go back there, and will not recommend to anyone. Hope they revisit their very unnecessarily strict policy.

Went in to get an appointment. They couldn’t get us in for a month, which was ok but my daughter needed contacts to get her by until the appointment but they wouldn’t give her any!!! Drove to the next mall over and got an appointment at America’s Best within 45 minutes, and we walked out with a 6 month supply of contacts.

We recently became eligible for vision insurance through my husband’s former employer (he is now retired).I checked the Vision Care website for participating providers, and Empire Visionworks was listed. We visited the S Meadow location, and after checking in, the representative told us we would have to “call your insurer”. I did, only to discover that Empire Vision Works is NOT a participating provider. This was not a pleasant experience, as my husband is not in good health. I wasted an entire morning. Are certain Empie Visionworks participating in this insurance plan, and others not? You and the insurers need to make it clear on web site information. And, your personnel could be little more customer pro-active!

I’ve never been there but I’ve been waiting on the phone for them to answer and it’s been over 30 minutes

Helpful, friendly, and professional. We started going to Visionworks for our kids, and then I transferred my own eye care to them because of my positive experience. Glad they are in Ithaca!

They will not give me my contacts until I pay for being taught how to put on contacts; that I know how to put on. They can never schedule an appointment in a reasonable time frame for the fitting. It has been months.

Worked with me to fix a problem and all worked out!

Nice assortment of glasses. UPDATE: 10/10/2020 They never answer the phone, customer service is atrocious! I need a copy of my prescription and replacement glasses. I dont recommend this place especially for children.

Friendly employees, great optometrist.Had enjoyable experience.

They never documented my prescription so when it came time to order contacts I had to get another appointment OUT OF POCKET. Dont give them your business. I feel terrible saying such negative things but it has cost me time and money. Not even an apology.

I absolutely love vision works location Ithaca! Everyones so polite and made everything comfortable for me, a person who hates going to eye doctors and has very high anxiety, and sensitive eyes. Ive had only one run in with one staff member being rude. The red haired fair skinned one that fits the glasses she had a bit of an attitude the day i went to order a second pair of glasses. Everyone has off days. I just assume that was her off day other wise every time ive been in there its been great :-)

This company treats their customers like an inconvenience. Terrible

Not only were these people the rudest most inconsiderate eye professionals I have ever come in contact with, they dont care about their patients and are obviously just out to make money. They havent adapted to the market and despite the fact that you can buy plastic frames for $6 from eye direct, they still charge you $300 for a pair of plastic frames plus $60 for lenses.I was so offended that their sales tactics involved them basically not letting you leave the store without buying a pair of glasses. When I still declined they treated me like crap and tried to sell me on a fake warranty for my contacts that turns out, I wasnt even eligible for. I went back and returned the portion of contacts my insurance didnt cover, and when I did they acted like angry toddlers. When I asked for a copy of my prescription, they knew what I was doing and that I was going to buy glasses somewhere else, so they refused to give me the measurement of the distance between my eyes.The one star was for the optometrist, who was nice and helpful and honest. That guy should fire his whole whiney, crappy staff and clean house.

I have worked in the hotel industry for 13 years, and I never have seen such poor customer service as I have in this Ithaca location . When the place is busy, you guys need to have more than 2 customer service people working the floor

I had my eye exam today and everyone was very friendly. Lots of frames to chose from.

Very pushy sales and unknowledgeable about customer service. Felt more like they were working for a commission the way they push options on you.

My friend just gave me there business card

Very rude staff

They lie

On time appointments

I need my glasses. why doesnt any one pick up that phone????????????????????????????????????