MOSCOT

Good experience there. I went to Moscot Eyecare when I first moved to the city. No recommendations, just simply found them online and felt blessed that it was a decently run shop with proper eyecare. Dr. Kwon was very straight-forward and did her job. She had me come back to do some test to make sure I didn't have any diseases (I'm all for preventive care). She said my left eye had some astigmatism or something, but it was so slight, she didn't want to give me a higher prescription because it would "overcorrect" the problem and might give me a headache. My current contact script is fine. I liked her recommendation of contact solution. She checked my glasses and they were a bit outdated so got them redone at their shop. It was a while ago, but I didn't pay that much for the update of the lenses. They don't take my insurance anymore so I am moving to another eye shop, but just wanted to leave my recommendation for this place. In other words, I would still be going if they took my insurance.…

Satisfied . . . .. Allow me to briefly break down below my experience into what I believe to be the essential categories for someone on the hunt for new glasses/contacts: Selection At least at Orchard Street, the choice of frames was fine; I was able to find with no problem a pair of frames in the horn-rimmed style I craved. Their "Moscot Originals" and "Moscot Spirit" lines more than covered the style, so I was impressed (I did do a bunch of "research" online beforehand, so I knew the general style I liked vis a vis what they actually offered in the store, and avoided the "deer-in-headlights" paralysis that often makes an unsure shopper easy prey for a salesperson trying to ring up another sale - satisfaction be damned. This, plus wearing a MOSCOT frame ensures that you'll be sporting a unique permutation of what is currently a very popular style (so-called geek, Clark Kent, etc.), which is important to rugged individualists like me in a city like NYC, if only to avoid following the (massive) crowd - trendy as it may be.

Price

Let it be known: MOSCOT isn't cheap. There's a reason why they cater to so many celebrities and the like: because those folks can easily afford to drop a few bills on the merchandise and not blink. If you've got budgetary constraints, however, the cost may be prohibitive - especially if you're trying to go through your insurance. I paid for everything out-of-pocket, which apparently saved me $71 on my frames (for some strange reason, having coverage allows them to charge you a higher price for frames, which is crazy). I also got contacts, which rang up the bill considerably, as I wear RGP lenses (i.e. hard - I have an astigmatism), and are apparently less common than soft lenses, so they are able to charge you much more for a special eye exam. No biggie there.

Service

Here's where they wet the bed -- especially if you consider the price vs. selection to be a wash up to this point. I initially went on a Sunday in the early afternoon, and was seen pretty quickly for a pre-scheduled RGP exam by Dr. Kwon (definitely call ahead, folks!). She certainly was professional enough, but not outstanding - she just did her job. Fine. The contacts I got from them work great, and supposedly I'm to have a follow-up exam in a few weeks to make sure everything is OK. Great. Now, when I went to purchase frames, I worked with a guy named Frank, who, for all of his supererogatory gregariousness and surface professionalism really gave off a "salesman" vibe that was a tad irksome. First off, the store is small and compact, so every little bit of space counts. And let me tell you: it was quite packed in there, and rather chaotic. My man Frank was juggling me and 2 other people simultaneously, and the other 3 salespeople had customers, also. As I said, I knew what I wanted, so I basically fitted myself based on the selection and what I wanted - a distracted Frank be damned. Finally, when it came time for me to put in the order, I had to get Frank's attention once again and have him bump one of the guys he was working with in order to finish up with me. Of course, Frank didn't know how to order the RGPs at first via the computer (they don't often get many customers that swing that way, I guess), but he finally got it right. And, as I said, my contacts are great. My glasses, however, are a different story. I've had to have one of the lenses replaced TWICE (still waiting on the replacement) because of mysterious scratches on the surface of the lens. Mind you, these lenses are "The Best", as Frank said it - Polycarb Crizal lenses with anti-scratch and -glare. Short story long, as soon as they get it right with the lenses, I'm out -- oh, I'll still stay with MOSCOT, as I like the overall quality and selection they offer, but will try 14th Street next time - believe that!…