Why I'll never patronize LensCrafters again

Let me first share the Yelp review I wrote after my experience at my local LensCrafters store:

"I was fully prepared to give this place five stars after my first visit.  The eye exam was one of the best I've ever received.  The doctor was great.  So was Mark, who helped me pick out the right frames and found me some great discounts on the frames and lenses.  I left that day with one pair and a promise my other pair would be ready within a week.  That was on June 29th.

I got a call on July 7th that my other pair of glasses was ready to be picked up.  I drove over and spent 15 minutes waiting to be served.  That's fair, they were busy.  But then I waited for a full 40 minutes waiting for them to locate my new glasses before they finally admitted the truth.  My lenses had come in and were there but the frames hadn't arrived yet.  The person helping me said they would definitely be in on Saturday.

I called them on Monday, July 11th and was told that they hadn't arrived yet but a new shipment was there and being unpacked  I left my number and they promised to call back either way.  No call back.

On Tuesday I tried and failed to reach them on the phone.  I should mention that it is nearly impossible to reach them.  They have a computer answering incoming calls and when you press 2 for an associate; if one doesn't pick up, there is no way to leave a voicemail message.  You find yourself hearing the initial greeting again.

If it weren't for the incredible inconvenience of having to find someone else to make the second pair of glasses, I'd cancel the order and demand a refund.  They won't get any of my future business and anyone who asks me will get the negative reference this kind of service deserves."

Recently I was able to see the VA optometry office and they examined the bifocals that I'd paid good money for at LensCrafters.  They told me something surprising and yet it made perfect sense.  I'd been using a pair of bifocals that were over two years old when I had gone to LensCrafters; and they had told me that my new glasses were a stronger prescription.

The optometrist at the VA let me know that this was a half-truth.  The lower portion of the new bifocals was indeed stronger.  But the top portion was actually a weaker prescription.  I'd felt like I was having trouble seeing at a distance and now I knew why.  These incompetent idiots had actually given me a weaker prescription.  Now, while I wait for a good pair of bifocals from the VA, I am actually using my older glasses when I drive, so I can be safer.  So I can see better at a distance.

In my personal opinion, LensCrafters put me and others at risk with their incompetence.