Mark and Julia from Sterling Optical in Lynbrook, New York Lost our prescription, gave us the wrong order twice, refused to fix it and told us they will STILL get paid Lynbrook New York

 On June 11, 2017, my husband and I used our vision benefits at the local Sterling Optical in Lynbrook, New York. Open finding frames we liked for $89.95 and getting our eye exams done, we requested 20% brown to clear gradient tints. At first, Mark quoted us prices to pay out of pocket when our insurance covered the costs. He even printed out our benefits. However, we knew what our coverage was and pointed out where it was covered. My gut told me to leave then but I tried to brush it off as an honest mistake. They took our prescription off our current glasses, we had an exam and made note of our order. We waited a week and called to check on the status of our glasses. We were told they lost our prescription and we must come in again to get another eye exam. My husband went first and another representative, Julia, insisted that the 20% brown was too dark of a tint for indoor glasses. My husband kept explaining he was interested in 20% brown to clear gradient tints. When he received his glasses they were NOT gradient and only 10% brown. We explained that isn't what we asked for and still gave them the benefit of the doubt. We thought maybe they confused our order seeing that they did lose our prescription before. Julia sternly told us she'd fix it but she was NOT changing it again. We asked her to write down that we wanted 20% brown to clear gradient tints.

We waited almost two weeks and called after the first week of February to see if they were done (they never called us the first or second time to let us know the status) Low and behold our glasses were ready but again, no call. We pick up our glasses but this time his glasses we a full 20% brown tint and my glasses only had a prescription in one lense instead of both, like my previous glasses. Mark tells us that the lab technician said he couldn't do gradient on that size lense. I asked why he didn't contact us to find out how we wanted to proceed instead putting together an order we didn't ask for. He just said it couldn't be done anywhere. I complained about there not being a prescription on one lense and Julia told me I had to take it up with the doctor. They also suggested I wanted glasses for fashion because my stigmatism is mild. I found that very rude. They refused to correct our order and refused to give us any paperwork, receipt or something that showed that they utilized our benefits.

We received a statement from our insurance showing inflated prices, much what than what they told us. Mark said he was ordering the frames from the Capri catalog and it would only cost $89.95 but he charged our insurance $249! When we had our insurance company call them to help resolve the matter, Mark refused to work with us. I called him to ask one last time to let us get the glasses we asked for. He specifically told us, while an insurance rep was on the phone, that the 20% brown to clear gradient tints couldn't be done by anyone. I explained again that as a provider and us being the customer, it was still his responsibility to let us know that before they chose to do what they wanted. We had the right to search for someone to give us the glasses we wanted. Mark told us NO we don't. He arrogantly told us not to contact them anymore, they don't want our business, they will appeal our claim and they will STILL get paid.

Meanwhile our benefits got used up and neither of us got what we asked for. This was a horrible experience. We were treated poorly and not given the right product. We have glasses we can't see properly out of and they refused the cosmetic choice we wanted because it wasn't to their liking and verbatim, "too creative design." We believe they inflated the prices to insurance. Secondly we waited all year for new glasses and they chose to do what they wanted and denied us the right to go elsewhere when they knew they couldn't do what we wanted. In essence they stole our benefits / money from us. BEWARE