Golden Optical

I wish I had read the reviews before choosing to get glasses here. Terrible service. Overpriced lenses. Rude employees (except for one, maybe two). Overall horrible (never-ending) experience. \r \r These people obviously do not like their jobs or perhaps their employer, and this comes through in the service and attitude. They didn't even make sure the glasses fit my face when I picked them up. They charge $75 more for lenses than anywhere in the area, but claim they're the best. They did a crappy job. After ten days, I decided to exchange the glasses (they looked bad and weren't comfortable), which they assured me was perfectly OK under their 30-day return policy. That's when it really went downhill. They make you feel like an a#@hole for exchanging your glasses. So much that I almost just sold them on ebay instead. Oh, and they said the exchanged pair would cost the same, but in the end they billed me. Instead of arguing, I paid. I just wanted to get out of there.\r more

I went into Golden Optical recently because I desperately needed a new pair of glasses. I got an appointment with Dr. Schmitt very fast and he was extremely knowledgable and of course very friendly. I also was helped by Jessica and she made this process easy. She helped me with my insurance, and selecting a frame that not only looked amazing, but also complemented my facial features. She explained my insurance in a way that I could understand, and the entire experience was wonderful. The staff is great and you can tell they take their job seriously and have a high priority for customer care. I will definitely be going back there again in the future and would recommend Golden Optical to anyone. more

I never had a chance to meet the doctor. The women working in the office had me chased out of there in 2-3 minutes! Very rude and stuffy! They must make enough off of their over priced glasses (taking that from other entries) that they can afford to be rude and chase off a customer or two,...... more

Over almost 20 years, George & his wife and Melody are like family. Dr. Nelson does a thorough job making sure my vision is well corrected. Melody knows what frames and features fit my style and life. They know my insurance coverage better than I do and make sure I get all the coverage I'm due. There are a lot of options for optometric services, but Golden truly shines. Pros: Great range of products, responsive staff Cons: parking more

I've been a customer for just about 5yrs. Dr. Nelson is great, and the staff is always friendly. When I call they answer my questions promptly. They really know what they are doing, and are very professional. I don't know their names, but the girl w/the long dark hair, the older gentleman, and the Dr. are the people I usually deal with. As for a particularly great experience: I had been having issues w/my contacts feeling like my eyes burned when I put them in. The girl w/the dark hair knew exactly what was happening- cheap saline solutions- and put together a care package for me that included the med size bottles of solution (Bauch, Replenish, and the Clean Care solutions)...they could've just sent me to the pharmacy to spend $30 on solutions to try after explaining, but instead put together a care package for me. Haven't had a problem since! They always check w/the insurance so when my exam is done, we can get down to business- contacts and/or glasses. I stick w/the contacts from them (buy the yearly supply- cheaper). As for the glasses, I can't justify spending much since I only wear them at night...so I stick w/my outdated frames. Pros: Dr. , staff, research, thoroughness, top notch frames Cons: Top notch frames=high $$ more

I have been a customer at Golden Optical for about 10 years and have never had any of the problems people talk about here. I got an appointment quickly, the doctor was on time/thorough and I got really great one-on-one attention from Jeffrey when it came time to pick out my glasses. They always check to see what my insurance covers so there are no surprises and I can budget accordingly. I will remain faithful to this business for the quality of care I have received over the last decade. Pros: Top Notch in every way---love Jeffrey and Dr.Nelson more

Hi, I'm the front desk person, and I'm sitting here writing a good review for my company because I'm bored, and doing my job is just too bothersome.... Don't go here! The manager is a wench who hates her life and her job. I won't ever return. BIG mistake. Pros: bleck Cons: bad customer serivce, craptastic decor more

I have been going here for 10 years and I couldn't be happier. Pros: Dr Nelson is so personable. more

My wife and I went to Golden Optical twice, spanning the course of about three or four years. The customer service has always been mediocre or less, depending on who helps you. It is true, Melody is atrocious! I came across these citysearch reviews while searching for new high-end optical offices in the downtown area. I find it funny that most of the reviews have similar high regards toward the doctor and extremely unfavorable reviews toward this Melody person. I won't go into details, but my wife and I had very similar experiences with her and as a result have found care elsewhere that we are very pleased with. I want to mention what I noticed while reading the FIVE STAR reviews for this business: the excessive and incorrect use of caps and punctuation, especially the ellipsis (...) and overall use of very poor grammar. There is an obvious use of jargon and technical vocabulary in these blogs so they sound more like a sales pitch than a review. This can only lead one to believe they were written by the staff of Golden Optical themselves, only serving to prove the lack of trust one may have in this company. I feel very sorry for the doctor. I truly believe he is oblivious to the way his staff, especially Melody, treats his patients. I would return to this office immediately if I were to be reassured that I would never again have to deal with her. Also, I agree with other comments regarding the fact that the office needs a remodel. Start with the staff. Best of luck to you, Dr. Nelson. Cons: everything but the Doc more

Go in to Golden and ask for the office manager, and expect THE WORST!!!!!!! Her name is Melody. I know, funny. She has a constant snarl on her face, and is not willing to work with customers about anything. A nice lady in front of my was treated like absolute garbage for wanting her lenses sent back for scratches. This Melody would not budge. I wanted to walk out of the place because I was embarrassed for everyone in that unkempt, not up to par office. but I needed my contacts. I saw patient records strewn about. Doesn't conform to HIPPA now does it?? Cons: Don't ever go there! more

I am in the market for a new pair of specs, so I have been visiting assorted optical places downtown. I have never been treated as poorly as I was today by any business period! There was nobody in the office except for two women who were cleaning lenses on the shelf. I approached one of the women about needing a change and wanting to browse their selection. Before picking up a pair of glasses I was asked what insurance I carry, which I come to find out; they don't carry. The lady next to her turns around glances at me and examines me from head to toe. She then proceeds to tell me I would be better off trying at Binyon's! I was appalled! For one, I was planning on paying out of pocket for the glasses because I used my insurance on sunglasses the previous year and secondly, who turns down business in this economy? The staff was very rude, unhelpful and I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE. It my be helpful to point out that I am not patient of Dr. Nelson, who may be totally blind regarding his staff. No pun intended. Pros: Clean, empty Cons: Horrible service, rude staff, small selection more

I went to Golden Optical b/c it was the only location downtown that took my insurance... but my experience there was terrific. The doctor was personable and communicative (rare these days). When I went back to get my glasses, the previous reviews on this site made me a bit apprehensive, but it turns out for no good reason. Everyone there treated me with kindness and respect -- yes, even Melody! She waited on me (or whatever you call it), and was helpful, friendly, and patient. Seriously. So I'm happy to say I can recommend Golden Optical wholeheartedly. more

I have been a patient with Dr. Nelson at the downtowm Portland location location for a long, long time. Over the past 2 years it has became more apparent to me that the service I received from the 2 gals out front (one was Melody, and I think she's gone now - but there is a blonde lady there now and she's no treat!) and the other middle aged guy w/glasses was so BAD! I entered the store yesterday, the guy, the blonde lady and another dark haired gal were all just standing around the front counter - doing nothing & no customers. They all acted like they didn't want to be bothered, didn't have time for me, and basically just shrugged their shoulders regarding my request and said they couldn't help. My past examinations and experiences with Dr. Nelson has been to my satisfaction I relied on his expertise as my eye Dr., but I have now decided to take my business elsewhere because I don't want to deal with any of his staff. I realize I have a choice, and will be looking for a new eye Dr. and hope they have trained the staff to recognize what ""customer service"" and professionalism means. Pros: Dr. is nice and listens Cons: STAFF IS HORRIBLE! - Hope Dr. realizes he may loose patients more

With such mixed reviews, I was curious. I got glasses there and realized to my amusement, that the people describing the staff as unfriendly especially their leader, melody (a misnomer if ever i've heard one) were right, and likely the 5 start and 100 exclamation mark positive reviews are fake. more

I like Dr. Nelsons demeanor, but I will never return. I've dealt with them for the last few years and have never been greeted with a smile or felt like my business is wanted or appreciated. The gentleman that works there and one of the older ladies is cordial, but there are too many other competent Dr.s in Portland to put up with being treated so poorly. more

Referenced in several posts is the bad customer service. I distinctly got a very bad feeling from ""Melody."" She has been there forever (years). Not sure but isn't she the manager of Golden Optical? I felt like she is a very controlling person, uptight, and intimidates the rest of the staff. My impression is she really feels that she must be ""right."" This is a very bad management model. And, not any way to run a medical office (or any office). I felt that everyone else working there was anxiously trying to do their jobs but also very afraid. I think the doctor is probably clueless about her behavior. more

I've been going to Golden Optical for the past 4-5 years. The staff's demeanors are consistently uptight and unwelcoming whether in person or over the phone...Dr. Nelson is great and professional, but I believe his staff's poor customer service makes him look bad. My advice is to at least fake a smile and pretend that you care about Dr. Nelson's patients. Pros: Centralized location Cons: Parking and staff's poor customer service more

I recently had an eye exam at Golden Optical. It was the best exam I have ever had...Dr. Nelson has high tech equpiment and has obviously been a doctor for a long time. I never liked wearing my glasses before...I expressed that so the staff was extremely helpful. They were not pushy like some other places I have been to. They allowed me plenty of time to review the various choices, which ranged not only in a wonderful variety of styles, designer names but also a helpful range in prices. They showed me lotsof frames that would work best for me, all their options for lenses and were very helpful in assisting me with my insurance. I was not in any way pressured to purchase anything that was even one penny over my insurance if I did not want to...they wanted ME happy... I was so happy with my new glasses (and contacts) I returned last week and purchased a pair of prescription sunglasses. Pros: huge variety of frames and prices, great doctor, friendly and knowledgeable staff more

I had gone to Golden Optical/Dr. Nelson for about 4 years and I have purchased several pairs of glasses, new lenses, etc., most recently a very expensive pair (after my insurance paid its part I paid upwards of $500 out of pocket). Unfortunately, the wire arms kept coming out of the lenses for no apparent reason. Golden Optical fixed them once without incident but the second time this happened, I called and was transferred to Melody - my first contact with her. I told her what happened and she told me that both she and Dr. Nelson wear the same type of glasses and never had problems with them, suggesting that I am the problem. She very reluctantly agreed to have them reglued but she was not happy to do so. However, she later let it slip that the ""batch of glue"" used to affix the arms to the lenses was bad and this had caused many problems. When I picked up my repaired glasses, Melody had written across the order ""Twisted up,"" and shrieked this at me across the store, again accusing me of manhandling the glasses and/or causing them to break. I cared for those glasses very well, always keeping them in the case and handling them gently. Directly after this ordeal, I met friends for dinner and one pointed out that the glasses were still ""twisted."" I wore them 2 more times before they broke again. I just went to The Eye Studio in the Pearl for an exam and bought 3 new pairs of glasses, spending about $900 out of pocket. My insurance also kicked in a great deal for the glasses themselves and the exam, etc. The total that Dr. Tsai pocketed was probably close to $1500. It goes to show you that if you don't treat your customers fairly and kindly, they can go elsewhere. Customer service is very important to me, both in my own business and when I am the customer. I am easy-going friendly and totally put off by the way Melody treated me. I will never return to Golden Optical again. Dr. Tsai's assistant even fixed my other pair of glasses for me. Pros: Good downtown location, Saturday hours, good selection of frames.. Cons: Very unkind treatment, poor customer service, only reluctantly stand behind their products. more

My first reaction to the last review was ""a jealous competitor"" of Golden Optical. It made me giggle, in fact. I have been a patient for almost 30 years. I am a ""second generation"" patient of Dr. Nelson, and there are MANY of us in Oregon!!! Pros: excellent doctor, staff, and high quality frame and wonderful selection more