Semel Vision Care & Aesthetics

Hidden charges and HORRIBLE staff! So I needed new glasses prescription and I thought this place would be good, the reception is nice enough. When I arrived and checked in, the receptionist asked if I wanted a contact lens prescription as well and it would cost $ 50, so I said ok and forgot about it. The actual eye exam is done by what I think was a nurse not the doctor, who actually had the audacity to make fun of how bad my eye sight was and asked why I hadn’t done an eye exam sooner. I explained it had been a year since my last exam, but he just ignored me and continued to say how bad my eye sight was. He kept trying to push a new type of contact lens that is suppose to be less irritating to the eyes and I explained to him I had already tried that contact lens before and it made my eyes really dry but he just ignored me again and kept talking about the benefits of this new contacts! He progressed to doing an eye dilation part of the exam and I asked if I would be able to drive afterward, and he just joked about how no one had died yet, which only made me more annoyed. When my eyes were fully dilated, my vision got extremely blurry, so I had to call someone to pick me up, I wish they had mentioned my vision would get this blurry because I was unable to see properly for the whole day! I’m not sure why the effects lasted that long, because I have done many eye dilations before, but this was the first time the effects lasted over 6 hours! The actual doctor only came in for about 5 minutes asked random questions and left. I paid the $ 50 for the contact prescription and left. Several weeks later I receive a bill saying I needed to pay $ 55 for a ‘refraction’. After calling and being put on hold for a long time, the receptionist told me that I had paid $ 50 for a consultation while the $ 55 was for the ‘refraction’. I asked her why I wasn’t informed about this extra cost during my visit and she just said I should have been told and didn’t even apologize! I will never return to this place again.

I usually don’t write a review but this time I had to because of the horrible experiences I had with Claudia.
My husband and I have been clients here for 3 years. Everytime I had a great experience except this time.
I had an eye exams. Everythings was great and easy till I call to put an order for my contacts prescription and spoke with Claudia and she was taking my order and I asked her the differences between daily and weekly contacts. I told her that my doctor recemmend me the daily but I only uses it about 2 – 3 times a week. So I want to know how many is it in a box. She said its 8 boxes (for the whole year, 365 pairs of contacts!!! I already told her, I uses only 2 – 3 times a week.) and that I must buy 8 boxes and that she’s doesn’t know how many in a box. She was extremely rude and say do you want it or not? She
forces me to order the full 8 packs and say that I must pick it up as well. Then she forces to take my credit card for the purchase and states that she’s extremely busy and with another customer. But, I am also a customer that’s trying to place an order. She then took my credit card and hung up in my face. After so she called back because she took down my credit card information wrong and need the correct one. After thinking about it I called her back and say I would like to cancel my order and order the new correct contacts. She says that I can not cancel because she already placed my order and it can not be cancel. I told her how? My credit card was not taken down right. She’s say that they trusted her and it’s already on its way and she hang up in my face. AGAIN!!! I feel really mentally violated by this woman Claudia and her attitude and customer service level. I think I was treated really poorly and with none or at any respect as a customer trying to give her my business.
So I decided to order contacts from another place. I call to ask them to send me a prescription by e-​mail and they sent me a wrong prescription for 3 times!!! Also they hold my insurance. I couldn’t buy the contacts with my insurance at another place till my insurance called them to removed it.
I want to let everyone know that this Claudia lady shouldn’t treat customer this way and that she need owes me an apologize for her rudeness.
I will definitely take my business else where! After this experience I am never going to return to them for any future business.

I’ve been coming to Dr. Semel’s office for several years for vision care. Great front office, staff, with up-​to-​date equipment and procedures for general exams and problem solving.
Last week, I took advantage of Dr. Semel’s Aesthetics services: I made the appointment by phone, which they followed up with email confirmation. On the day (and exact time) of my appointment, they took great care to fully explain the procedure I scheduled. Since it was my first time for this (Botox/​Juvederm injections) they completely allayed my nervousness by walking me through the whole procedure step-​by-​step. Will definately be going back again!

I made an appointment AND provided insurance information to expedite the process, I was told. They called me at least six times asking me for my information and to confirm my appointment, after the second time I stopped responding. First red flag… Upon arrival (the building is under construction so it’s dirty and no valet parking). I arrived and received a thick stack of papers to fill out, totally unnecessary for an eye exam. After waiting 90 minutes to see the doctor I asked receptionist what was going on and why I had not been seen yet. She said that was typical and shrugged me off. I told her I should not have been given a 930 appointment time if I had to wait that long. She said she was going to ask the doctor a question and NEVER returned. How rude and unprofessional. I found another receptionist who claimed to be apologetic, but still was unable to find out where the doctor was and why I still hadn’t been seen. I gave one star because I can’t give a negative score. This place is a joke, and a complete waste of my time. I’m still waiting for the email confirming all my information was destroyed and that they are not going to TRY to bill me. I should bill them for MY time!

Love Dr. Semel! So happy with her and her staff, they are very friendly. I got lasik earlier this year and it was the best decision I have ever made. Dr. Semel made it a wonderful experience.

Dr. Semel has been by eye Dr. for about a year and a half. Getting appointments is always an easy experience — her staff is friendly and professional. Dr. Semel is an ophthalmologist, and her examinations are very complete and professional.

I’ve been a client since 2012. I’m very content with the friendly staff and service. They are accommodating with my schedule. Yes, the Rx glasses ordered here are pricey, but it is not mandatory. Just ask for a Rx note and go somewhere else. I usually get my eyes dilated when I come, but this time I requested not to get it since I was unable to get dropped off. I called and asked the staff if it was okay, and they gave me no problem. Just come over, we’ll take care of it. I will return later for dilation at another time. The office is always very clean. The staff is very friendly & easy to talk to.

I’ve been coming here for about a year and a half now. The area is nice and secured. The parking lot is secured, and don’t forget to bring in your parking voucher because you’ll need to validate it. The workers are usually very nice, but my last visit was a little nerve-​racking.
I went in for my appointment and wasn’t told that I was going to be dilated. That’s an important factor patients need to know isn’t it? I tried to tell them I didn’t get dilated last visit and they tried to prove me wrong, but when they looked at the computer, I was right. Six months ago, I was not dilated, a year ago I was. Then they tried to make it seem like that’s what they meant, but no. I’m not stupid and please don’t try to make me feel like it.
There was also a girl in training for the back and she is usually in the front. When she tried to book my appointment, I told her I was supposed to come back in a year. She tried booking me for next month. Again, I told her next year and she tried to explain that what I had was a medical procedure, not a standard check up. I again explained that I’m not coming in for glasses or anything because I have a different doctor for that. She didn’t believe me and wanted to check on the computer again. Of course, I was right and she was wrong. Did she apologize for the miscommunication? No… what’s wrong with that picture?
Maybe I was already annoyed and didn’t want to hear anything else, but it was still irritating. I really hope my appointment next year won’t strike a nerve. The only reason I tolerate coming here is because I need to. My doctor works closely with this office. In addition to that, DR. SEMEL is a really nice lady and does a great job explaining in details things I need to know. If I could give three and half stars, I would because four stars is too much for me.

I love Dr. Semel and all her staff. I go to her for all my eye exams, and she also is wonderful with skin rejuvenation… offers all the latest laser treatments and is great at injecting fillers with no pain, no bruising, and beautiful results. I willing to drive quite a distance to have my facial injections done by Dr. Semel… I like the fact that she’s an ophthalmologist and is extremely meticulous, educated, and attentive to detail… Which is evident by the excellent results!
Claudia works at the office and is incredible… She always calls or emails me when there is a special on skin treatments, and makes me feel like I am part of the family… Not just a «patient» or a medical chart!
I bring both my daughters to Dr. Semel for their eye exams as well, I highly recommend this practice to anyone who wants a very high level of care.

Long story short, I made an appointment with this office after a 2 week wait. Had them check my insurance information THREE times… and had them confirm that it was accepted there. I then drove all the way from Marina del rey– took the time off of work as well to make this appointment. Only to have them tell me they NEVER checked my insurance information and that they couldn’t do anything for me. This place was completely unprofessional and needs a reality check on customer service. DONT GO HERE.

The reviews that this business has received have left me a bit unnerved as to what I should expect when going to this place. But here is my review after visiting Semel Vision Care.
I called and wanted to get an appointment for my husband and myself and the lady I spoke on the phone to, Kay, was very sweet. She looked up the earliest available and scheduled my husband and I without a problem. Both of us at the same time. She asked for some basic information over the phone which I gave her and that was it. I filled out the paper work online before getting there to make the process smoother. Their website is easy to navigate and very modernized.
My appointment flew by but they were very thorough. Only saw Dr. Semel for a few moments because her staff did most of the tests. The lady who tried to sell me glasses wasn’t pushy, just eager. They were even able to email me my prescription. I don’t really understand what all of the bad reviews are about. You need to be an informed patient and ask questions so you don’t have any misunderstandings happen to you. That is what I do and I never have any complaints about my doctors.

This is the worst clinic I have ever visited. Every staff here is extremely arrogant and do not have the responsibility to look into insurance details. All they want is MONEY and they drain everything from us. When we ask for an explanation of bills they get so frustrated and make us go behind them forever.
I had a really bad time resolving my bills and I am totally fed up with them. The billers never update status with us and we have to keep calling them if we need our money. How irresponsible!!! The billing department is always busy and after 100 calls they get back to us. You think we are jobless ???
PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THIS VISION CARE IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY. The doctor is also very arrogant and my vision problems never got resolved though I went for many checkups.
Please learn to be nice to patients and you are not the only clinic out there. so step down from your arrogance. I am 200% not visiting this clinic again and will NOT recommend it to anyone. I am forced to give one star as I do not have an option of negative stars here.

My kids and I went to Semel for exams and glasses. I specifically looked for a someone with advanced education in opthalmology. We were examined by two other people before we saw the doctor I had chosen. During the process, all three of us had to get glasses and I was upsold on everything. I explained that I only wanted what was really necessary for my children and the staff continued to pressure me into spending more than I wanted to. My glasses (I wore reading glasses before) were the most expensive because the staff talked me into the progressive lenses without any real information about them.
When I got my glasses, I couldn’t see well with them and they made me dizzy and nauseated. No one at the eye doctor suggested I would go through that and when I complained they said they could not refund me the extra money but they could change them to readers for no extra cost. I now have the most expensive reading glasses in history.
My insurance is pretty good and I should have been able to get glasses for everyone and spend maybe $ 100 total above what my insurance pays. With the stress of the appt, I spent over $ 700 at that appt. I will never go back there. And I will never let anyone upsell me again. This was easily the worst doctor’s office ever.

Annoying.
This place says on their website that they accept the care credit card, and with no vision insurance, that’s something that I need to use for payment. I have been a patient here for a while and have spent hundreds on appointments, contacts, and glasses. I recently lost my vision insurance, so I said I would need to use the care credit to pay. At first when I called about it, the receptionist said I would be able to use the card with no problem. Fantastic– so I go in and get everything squared out. Mind you, I recently moved to Simi Valley, so I was making a 60 mile trip (2 hours in traffic ONE WAY) to their office. So I was a little pissed when I got there and was told that the card wasn’t accepted. Their response? «Care credit is only allowed on surgeries.» Uh. Okay. Perhaps your website shouldn’t say you accept it, nor should your employees, especially when I am a loyal customer who drives 4 hours roundtrip to use your services. I needed a new exam, new frames and about 6 boxes of contacts– which wasn’t going to be cheap. After spending so much in the past years, I thought they would at least work with me on payments, but they wouldn’t. They wanted my $ 560 upfront, and were not willing to work out payments with me. Suck it, semel vision. I will take my business to another eye doctor who actually cares and works with their patients.

I just switched to Dr. Semel because the doctor I’d been seeing (sure, pun intended) all my life stopped taking my insurance. I feared it would be impossible to replace my confidence. I was, therefore, delighted and impressed with my initial visit to Dr. Semel’s office. She is very knowledgeable, professional and presents herself and her office well. There is a great teamwork dynamic among her staff. I look forward to my next visit and would not hesitate in recommending her!

Wonderful doctor, staff, optics, & aesthetics. First and foremost Dr. Semel and her staff have tremendously helped me. They are super responsive, get you in quickly when you need to be seen, and are very caring.
I remember one time got I touch with Dr. Semel when she happened to be on vacation. She actually responded instantly while on her vacation, got me in to see her as soon as she was back, then followed up with me on the issue. As a fearful and skittish person (in terms of things touching my eyes other than me) it’s not easy trusting some one with something as sensitive and important as your vision. Dr is a pro and fixed not only my problem but her calmness alleviated my anxieties! Her staff even got me to overcome my fear of contact lenses. They patiently and kindly worked with me (maybe 3 hours) to guide and supervise me through learning to wear them!
She has great bedside manner (not sure what other reviewer was talking about). She is friendly, calm, not intimidating, and makes her patients feel empowered to make their own decision based on honest information she provides.
In addition to helping me she has helped my whole family, from my 90+ grandparents down the line. She treats us all with respect. We all keep coming back years and years later.
As a business owner, I admire that Dr. Semel has made her practice into a one stop shop for vision, beauty, and fashion. Carries wonderful line optics, and also wonderful aesthetic products like Botox, Latisse, etc. More important than the «product» offering is the level of patient/​customer service.
The new location is lovely and convenient. I think it adds tremendous value to the practice as well.

So when I was looking for a new eye doctor, I want a professional doctor with a helpful friendly staff.
Dr Semel herself was ok. She seemed to know what she was doing, but maybe I just didn’t «click» with her, but even though I was a new patient she seemed to be a little affronted by the idea that I would have made a special trip down to a very well renowned doctor to get my LASIK done rather than realize a local doctor like her shares equipment and can do a similar procedure. It kinda put a bit of awkwardness into the appointment. Mostly though, it came off as her being a little arrogant or stuck up.
The staff was friendly enough, but not really present. Apparently there was some issue with the lady who does the frame fittings and she wasn’t available during my appointment time to show me the frame. And the rest of the staff really weren’t very good at filling in. And then when my glasses came in, they told me to come in to pick them up and she still wasn’t there. So essentially, they just sold me a pair of glasses without any damn help. Why would you tell me to come in when your staff isn’t available to help me? I’ve got ill fitted glasses that don’t really work to fix my astigmatism, since they must be perfectly fitted to do that job. Basically, it’s a waste of money and I won’t be back. It pretty much doesn’t even matter if Dr Semel got my prescription correct, the glasses suck and the staff aren’t available to help.
I’m not going to waste anymore money or time going back to this place. The eye doctor at the mall is better.

Great experience as opposed to what I have been used to with places such as South Bay Eye Institute. Great staff, great doctor and most important of all… very punctual!!! You are not waiting for 1hr in the lobby. That alone is worth all the gold in teh world for me!

I have not had a good experience at this office, Dr. Semel is rude and feels she is superior and the office manager, Angel is even worse. There lacks professionalism, respect and courtesy. They are not the only shop in town so lucky for that.

I had some trepidation about my eye doc moving his practice from a cozy little office to a big modern building. I needn’t have worried: he made the right decision. The office is comfortable, with lots of stations (for eye exams, picking up glasses, trying on glasses) so it doesn’t feel like a cattle call situation. The staff is professional, friendly, and accommodating, and they know exactly what my insurance provides. I’m glad to be seeing my old doctor there, and the great advantage is that there’s now a huge selection of frames to choose from. Easy access to the building and they even validate parking completely!