ComplaintsforVIVIFY Plastic Surgery, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They made a fraudulent charge to my credit card for $250 and claimed it was for labs. I've never had labs completed here or even stepped foot in this establishment. I am not a patient of this doctor. I canceled a first time appointment 24 hours in advance via email and they felt entitled to charge me $250 for "labs" to cover what they claim was a late cancellation fee. Prior to this fraudulent charge, this doctors team tried to get me to pay in advance, over the phone, over a thousand dollars for injections. I told them I wasnt comfortable doing that as they had not even seen me in person and I had never been asked by an esthetician to do that before. It was apparant to me that this establishment is unscrupulous in their business practices and as a result, I cancelled in advance. I'm currently disputing this transaction with my credit card. Im also filing a claim with the office of the Attorney General.

  

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  Thank you for allowing me to respond to this complaint. As a health care provider, we take patient confidentiality and privacy very seriously, so without the patient's permission, we cannot disclose any information regarding their private health information. However, this person is upset at our late cancellation policy. 
  
  First and foremost, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation fee. We strive to provide transparency and ensure that our policies are clearly communicated to all of our patients. Prior to scheduling any appointment, our cancellation policy is explicitly explained during the booking process. This is also outlined on our website, and in our terms and conditions that are sent to all patient via email with standard new patient paperwork. We believe it is important to set clear expectations regarding any potential fees our patients will encounter.
  
  The reason behind implementing a cancellation fee is to protect the interests of both our patients and our business. When an appointment is scheduled, our team reserves a dedicated time slot and allocates resources to accommodate your needs. By enforcing a cancellation fee, we aim to minimize the impact of last-minute cancellations, which can disrupt our schedule and prevent other patients from accessing our services.
  It's important to note that our cancellation fee is not intended to be punitive, but rather a means to recover a portion of the costs incurred due to the cancellation. This fee helps us cover the expenses related to the preparation, staff allocation, and lost opportunities to serve other clients during the reserved time. It also enables us to maintain affordable pricing for our services overall.
  
  We understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, and we genuinely empathize with our patients' situations. In cases of genuine emergencies or extenuating circumstances, we encourage our patients to reach out to us directly. We are always willing to review individual cases and exercise discretion when appropriate, taking into consideration the unique circumstances surrounding a cancellation. However, this patient cancelled with less than 24 hours notice with no extenuating circumstances. Because of this, the charge was applied to her account per our policy. It was not denoted as "labs" by us, but that designation was applied by her credit card company and not us. 

  If you have any further concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. I have attached a copy of our practice policies to this communication. 

  Customer response

  06/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20098438
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As aforementioned, I did indeed cancel before the 24 hour requirement. I called as well as sent an email cancelling. In addition, I made it explicitely clear, via email, that I was concerned about unnecesary charges (refer to the email where I stated I was not comfortable paying for services in advance, to the tune of more than $1000 that they were asking for, while never having been seen by this establish ever). It is quite apparant that this establishment wants to be perceived as caring and concerning about the best interest of patients, even stating that they can't talk about my health to the BBB (as if they had any medical information on me) when they have never ever seen me before in person. When I saw the writing on the wall with their greed for money and decided to cancel, they were determined to find a way to milk some kind of payment out of me. Please refer to the emails where you can see the dialogue. it is abundantly clear that I declined having anything to do with them (all in writing).  Charging an unnecessary $250 fee and allege that this is for a late cancellation is preposterous. US Bank is not going to just allege that this is for labs. What would US Bank have to gain from doing that? They retrieve that information from the merchant. I am requesting that I get reimbursed for the $250 they charged me. I have even sought assistance from the Attorney General about this fraudulent attempt on their part. I am also requesting US Bank to further investigate.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

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