Sears Optical Padding the bill to make a buck Laguna Hills, California

I went to Sears Optical, as it was on my insurance card. Seemed all right.

When the time came around for my kid to get new glasses, we went again. Only this time, she wasn't eligible for new frames yet. Only lens replacement would be covered, as she was under 19.

She picked out new frames, Ray Bans, as her old glasses had been chewed on by the dog. The Ray Bans they had were $165.00. I told my daughter we should look elsewhere, as that was way too much. We searched around and found the same ones a LOT cheaper. (Yes-they're real Ray Bans!)

When I brought these new frames in, the assistant told me that- all of a sudden- I had to pay $125.00 for new lens! When I asked her why, she told me it was because they do not carry those exact frames. Huh?! I argued that she had already told me the lens were covered. I could not return these frames!

She thentried to tellme that she had informed about this before! As if I would go pay $100 for frames and try to get the new lens for free if she had already informed that the lens would not be free- who would do that?! I read all of the paperwork they gave me- looked all over the store. There was nothing about this issue! She then told me they "had a sign...oh...where is it?" Uh- made up- like your story.

She then said she had told me this before when my daughter cried she wanted the black ones, not the tortoise shell ones in stock. This was an obvious lie, as my kid LIKED the ones they had! I was the one that toldmy daughter thatmaybe we could find them cheaper- the assistant wasn't even with us at that time! She wasn't even aware that I wanted to buy the frames elsewhere.

So she called our insurance (supposedly) and repeated to me that, yes, the lens are free. FREE! Like I said! So then she makes a big show of measuring my daughter's eyes, marking he glasses, etc... Only to tell me these glasses won't accept the measurement for the iris. And it will be $125.00. ?!?!?!

It was then that I saw on the back of my insurance card a JC Penny logo. So I said a few more things, gathered my glasses and left.

At JC Penny, the gal called my insurance, wrote down a few things, measured my kids eyes and marked the glasses and then said- "That'll be a $25.00 co-pay...cash or credit?"

Stunned, I explained what I'd just been through over at Sears...she was just as mystified as me about all that $125.00 and measuring crud.

She was too professional to say it, so I did: "I think they were PO'd I bought the frames elsewhere and were trying to make up for it with padding the bill on the lens!" A couple standing nearby that overheard all of this agreed with me.

So I started to wonder if last year, when we all got our glasses- what if they padded the bill then? Maybe my insurance actually covers more than we thought? So we found some glasses at JC Penny and asked about them. Co pay of $25.00. Frames were covered (for me). What?!?!?! Last time at SearsI shelled out over $130!! Dang! NEVER AGAIN!!