I Designs Opticians

I am an eyewear collector and heard through a friend that I Designs carries Undostrial which is a brand I don't own yet. I went to look on an information-seeking mission as I Designs is one of the few places in the whole Southeast that carries that brand. I didn't tell them I'm a collector so I could gauge how they treat a regular customer off the street. Let's just say I wasn't pleased. Condescending and crass are the two words that come to mind. I didn't catch the clerk's name but she was an older petite blonde lady with glasses (go figure). First thing I asked was if they carried my eye plan, which I asked just to make conversation more than anything. It turns out they don't take insurance of any kind. At that point, she must have gotten the impression that I wasn't going to buy anything, so she basically turned off or ignored me if you will. Undaunted, I browsed around some more and asked to see another pair of glasses. As I was handling them, the clerk had her hand stretched out, so I would give them back. I suppose that was her not-so-subtle way of telling me to leave. It was humiliating to say the least. It was one of the worst retail experiences I've ever had, not just at an optician. I left and will never go back and will recommend to anyone within earshot never to go there. more

The previous review was completely off. They couldn't even keep their story straight on such simple issues on whether the staff was ""very nice"" or ""condescending."" In my honest opinion that review should be disregarded because: 1. i go there frequently. Never have i seen a $70 markup on ANY pair of sunglasses. Maybe $10-$15, but keep in mind that they will do *anything* to make sure that your glasses fit properly and don't slide/fall off your face (the ""service"" the previous review forgot to mention) 2. the only time I've spent at least $50 over retail price for a pair was when i was getting custom polarized, scratch-resistant, anti-glare, prescription sunglasses lenses put in 3. going into the store is always nice and the staff is never condescending (i go there at least 4 times a year for the past 6 years). they will take their time to make sure that the customer is always satisfied with their decisions and purchases. They can't risk losing customers since they are a single store and not a franchise. 4. The staff is not incompetent by any means. They know pretty much anything relevant to the lenses, prescription filling, order time, and glasses in general. 5. They know me, and many others, by name and greet us as they enter the store even if they are only picking up their glasses and not spending money. That hints at repeat visitors, including myself, which makes it highly doubtful that there is ""overpriced merchandise, and condescending and incompetent staff."" Please, do yourself a favor and disregard the one-star review. I Designs is a fantastic store. I wold recommend this place without a doubt. more

For the amount of optical stores in the area, I would not recommend iDesign in Coral Gables. While their selection is abundant, their glasses and services are extremely overpriced. I found out that what other stores charged $180 for, they charged $250 for. That's quite the increase when providing the same service. Also, when told of the competitive pricing, the store owners insinuated that the competitor could not offer such pricing unless selling falsified goods. To be certain this wasn't the case, I called the lab that creates the lenses myself to verify. iDesign was in fact wrong. I would not recommend this store to a friend for the overpriced merchandise, and condescending and incompetent staff. more