Affinity Eye Care

I loved Affinity until last week. I would have given them a 5 star until then. I had a sudden and severe onset of double vision and went in for an exam and testing. I paid that bill. Then went to the ER and was immediately admitted to the hospital in case it was an aneurysm or stroke. After release four days later I got a call from Affinity that the doctor wanted to do another test and follow up. As I was leaving that visit I was handed a bill for $89 for the test! What??? I was called back by the doctor. I was never informed that there would be additional charges. There typically is not on a follow up. When I called regarding the bill I was told that they had actually given me a smoking deal. So the $89 was a supposed great thing. When I said I thought that was so wrong! I was told that I probably wasn’t a good fit as a client. But that they would delete the payment and mark me off the client list. Wow. What a way to do business! No accountability. I guess if they want to call me in every week for more tests they want to perform, I should just guess how much it is going to be and just shell out the cash!? Really bad business model. Yes, I am not a good fit for your services. I’m not interested in depending on a business that uses a sliding scale with integrity. I may not be a fit for them but they are absolutely not a fit for me!

I've never had an experience like this. I made an appointment 3-4 days ago for an eye exam and glasses. I verified Affinity took my insurance with both Affinity and my insurance. This morning I got a text message from Affinity verifying my appointment and saying I had been informed of the self-pay no-insurance option. I called Affinity and told them I wasn't self-pay and I have insurance that they take. The woman on the phone said not to worry that didn't apply to me. But when I went to my appointment the woman at the front desk said so you are no insurance/self pay? I said no I have insurance and have verified that with everyone I've spoken to. An employee called me back to do the beginning part of the exam, then left to get the doctor. I was waiting in the exam room when the man reappeared and said they're having a problem verifying your benefits would you consider doing self pay? I said what? No. I waited about 5 more minutes and a woman came in and started on a long narrative. Eventually she let me know I had another pre-auth for my benefits. I said It must be an error. This is my last chance to get an exam and glasses this year. Can't we resolve this? It became clear she had no desire to resolve it. She told me I would have to fix it with my insurance. I asked her since it was my last day to use my benefits if I could call the insurance. She said, "No. This appointment is over." I asked her if we could go ahead and do the exam and sort it out the next day since I haven't used my benefits and they take my insurance and she said I quote "So you want me to engage in insurance fraud?" I said "No, what are you talking about?" Then she said something else really mean which I can't remember and I said why are you talking to me this way? I am going to lose hundreds of dollars. I just want a way to resolve this so I can use my benefits. I also asked her why they hadn't verified my benefits. She said they had no reason because they didn't anticipate a problem. She denied behaving rudely, saying "I haven't yelled at you or called you a name." That's a low bar. It gets worse. I am disabled and have chronic pain. I got out of the ouchy exam chair to get my water which was near where she was sitting and she said you are towering over me (I'm 5'1", 60 years old and disabled). I was standing as far away from her as possible next to a chair against the wall where my water was. She is tall and broad-shouldered and intimidating. I said I'm getting my water. It gets worse. Then she stood up and said I'm escorting you out of here. You need to leave. I picked up my purse and water and followed her down the hall. As she stood by the front door she gestured toward where the doctor who I had never met was standing at the end of the hall and said "Here is the doctor. Do you want to tell him how to do his job too?" I hadn't told her how to do her job. I had asked her how we could solve this so I could use my benefits. I said no. Then I turned to the doctor and said, "Sorry I couldn't get an eye exam from you. She is mean." Then I turned to my other side and said to the front desk people, "She is mean" as I headed out the door. The woman said "they know I'm mean" and I said "That's nothing to be proud of. Merry Christmas" and I left. It gets worse. As I sat in my car in the handicapped spot in their parking lot shaking and pulling out my phone to call my insurance and try to resolve it so I could go somewhere else if anyone could squeeze me in she rushed out of the front door of the office and banged on my window and shouted "you need to get off these premises immediately!" I told her I'm allowed to look at my phone in my car and she stormed off as I rolled my window back up. I was shaking so badly I could barely drive. I had insurance on the phone minutes later. The pre-auth took two seconds to remove. The ins. woman said almost all offices verify benefits before the appointment. The 2 optometrist offices I just spoke with told me they always verify benefits. I can't believe any of this happened. Toxic and unprofessional.

Dr. Murphy is the best! He explains everything in terms I can understand, and is so easy to work with! I always feel pressure during the “is this better… or this one?” portion- and he keeps it easy and low stress. The gentleman who did the initial tests was also very kind and helpful. Eyeglass department is wonderful. Always a great experience here!

The doctors are ok, Dr. Gudenkauf was the only one I felt was truly nice which I’m grateful. Unfortunately, while the doctors are ok, the treatment I was received by the staff was so bad, I have to give it 1 star and advise potential patients to find another optometry practice. The staff is really bad. Not just the reception, but the medical assistants too. Whenever I would call for an appointment or ask about contact lens, I usually got indifference (best case scenario) or rudeness (most common scenario) from whoever was answering the phone like I was bothering them for making an appointment or having a question. The office was frequently disorganized and it was difficult getting necessary info. Once during an eye exam, the assistant got mad at me because I would blink during the test. I wasn’t trying to blink on purpose, I blinked on accident because my eyes were sensitive. She got mad at me and gave up on the test after two attempts. Another time when I was fitted for contact lens, I was given a contact lens tutorial by the most aggressive, unhelpful woman. This woman in her 20’s, with very long fake nails, didn’t wash her hands to put contact lens in my eyes and jammed in it aggressively to the point where I started crying. I wish I had complained to the medical board and reported it, but I didn’t know any better at the time. Another thing I noticed about the practice is that there’s high turnover. Every time I would had a new appointment, I would see new people who weren’t there before. High turnover indicates a culture problem like bullying which could explain why I received some of the treatment I received from the staff, it was their way of taking out their frustration on me, the patient. Regardless, the way I was treated was unacceptable and shouldn’t have happened to me or anyone else. I highly advise potential patients to read and heed my review and find a different optometry practice. Most of the time you spend at the optometrist is not with the optometrist but the staff. They are the gatekeepers and people who you interact with the most. I can’t recommend others come here in good conscience and urge they find somewhere else.

I loved Affinity until last week. I would have given them a 5 star until then. I had a sudden and severe onset of double vision and went in for an exam and testing. I paid that bill. Then went to the ER and was immediately admitted to the hospital in case it was an aneurysm or stroke. After release four days later I got a call from Affinity that the doctor wanted to do another test and follow up. As I was leaving that visit I was handed a bill for $89 for the test! What??? I was called back by the doctor. I was never informed that there would be additional charges. There typically is not on a follow up. When I called regarding the bill I was told that they had actually given me a smoking deal. So the $89 was a supposed great thing. When I said I thought that was so wrong! I was told that I probably wasn’t a good fit as a client. But that they would delete the payment and mark me off the client list. Wow. What a way to do business! No accountability. I guess if they want to call me in every week for more tests they want to perform, I should just guess how much it is going to be and just shell out the cash!? Really bad business model. Yes, I am not a good fit for your services. I’m not interested in depending on a business that uses a sliding scale with integrity. I may not be a fit for them but they are absolutely not a fit for me!

I've never had an experience like this. I made an appointment 3-4 days ago for an eye exam and glasses. I verified Affinity took my insurance with both Affinity and my insurance. This morning I got a text message from Affinity verifying my appointment and saying I had been informed of the self-pay no-insurance option. I called Affinity and told them I wasn't self-pay and I have insurance that they take. The woman on the phone said not to worry that didn't apply to me. But when I went to my appointment the woman at the front desk said so you are no insurance/self pay? I said no I have insurance and have verified that with everyone I've spoken to. An employee called me back to do the beginning part of the exam, then left to get the doctor. I was waiting in the exam room when the man reappeared and said they're having a problem verifying your benefits would you consider doing self pay? I said what? No. I waited about 5 more minutes and a woman came in and started on a long narrative. Eventually she let me know I had another pre-auth for my benefits. I said It must be an error. This is my last chance to get an exam and glasses this year. Can't we resolve this? It became clear she had no desire to resolve it. She told me I would have to fix it with my insurance. I asked her since it was my last day to use my benefits if I could call the insurance. She said, "No. This appointment is over." I asked her if we could go ahead and do the exam and sort it out the next day since I haven't used my benefits and they take my insurance and she said I quote "So you want me to engage in insurance fraud?" I said "No, what are you talking about?" Then she said something else really mean which I can't remember and I said why are you talking to me this way? I am going to lose hundreds of dollars. I just want a way to resolve this so I can use my benefits. I also asked her why they hadn't verified my benefits. She said they had no reason because they didn't anticipate a problem. She denied behaving rudely, saying "I haven't yelled at you or called you a name." That's a low bar. It gets worse. I am disabled and have chronic pain. I got out of the ouchy exam chair to get my water which was near where she was sitting and she said you are towering over me (I'm 5'1", 60 years old and disabled). I was standing as far away from her as possible next to a chair against the wall where my water was. She is tall and broad-shouldered and intimidating. I said I'm getting my water. It gets worse. Then she stood up and said I'm escorting you out of here. You need to leave. I picked up my purse and water and followed her down the hall. As she stood by the front door she gestured toward where the doctor who I had never met was standing at the end of the hall and said "Here is the doctor. Do you want to tell him how to do his job too?" I hadn't told her how to do her job. I had asked her how we could solve this so I could use my benefits. I said no. Then I turned to the doctor and said, "Sorry I couldn't get an eye exam from you. She is mean." Then I turned to my other side and said to the front desk people, "She is mean" as I headed out the door. The woman said "they know I'm mean" and I said "That's nothing to be proud of. Merry Christmas" and I left. It gets worse. As I sat in my car in the handicapped spot in their parking lot shaking and pulling out my phone to call my insurance and try to resolve it so I could go somewhere else if anyone could squeeze me in she rushed out of the front door of the office and banged on my window and shouted "you need to get off these premises immediately!" I told her I'm allowed to look at my phone in my car and she stormed off as I rolled my window back up. I was shaking so badly I could barely drive. I had insurance on the phone minutes later. The pre-auth took two seconds to remove. The ins. woman said almost all offices verify benefits before the appointment. The 2 optometrist offices I just spoke with told me they always verify benefits. I can't believe any of this happened. Toxic and unprofessional.