ComplaintsforThe Joint Chiropractic

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I had a membership with The Joint Chiropractic ("Joint"), located in *********, MD at the *******. The member ship fee was $89/month. The membership entitled me as many as four treatments each month. It may be canceled at any time. It was my intention to cancel my membership prior to the charge in February 2024 because I had stopped visiting. I missed the date. A Joint employee told me so -- that it was too late to cancel and avoid the charge. My membership continued, unused. Prior to the March 2024 charge, I returned to Joint in person to make sure my membership was canceled. The employee told me that had already been done, so there was nothing more for me to do.From March 2024 through June 2024, Joint continued to debit my account. I didn't notice until the beginning of August 2024. When I did, I visited the Joint to straighten things out. A Joint employee canceled my membership, but could or would not reverse the charges for March through July, which amounted to $356. I was told that a manager would contact me, but that never happened. Today, July 17, 2024, I called the Joint again. I was told that these payments would not be returned. Once again, I was told that management would contact me. The employee's telephone demeanor led me to believe that, if I do receive a call from management, the result would be the same: my $356 is gone.

  Business response

  07/18/2024

  This is not one of our clinics. Our clinics are in ******, **********, ****, ********** and ******. This is a different franchise. 

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  The complaint concerned a clinic located in *********, *********
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  05/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I went in for a migraine. I explained I had calf, ankle and foot surgery, as I was asked about bandages. The Dr. set me up on the table and proceeded shift me about to straighten me out. I closed my eyes to relax, then he grabbed and abruptly yanked my foot and leg with his hands locked together. I had just warned him and yet he did it anyway. I was in immediate pain and when he finished I had to lie there as I was dizzy and feeling off. My surgery results were absolutely affected by this action. My progress in PT went down hill.My range of motion measurements have declined. I have a neurological condition and yanking on my limb, set it off and it’s never been the same. The nerve was just repaired in surgery and yet he chose to not hear me say that and pulled abruptly on it without regard for my safety. I’ve tried to months to reach out for help. I’ve heard from the owner with a few texts and his assistant saying she sent messages. The person by the name of Tiffany spoke to me once, she made excuses for not having contacted me. She said she wants all my medical records and asked me how much money I wanted. I explained this was not the way this matter should be handled. She told me she would talk to another Dr and have him call me, and I never heard from her or anyone again. I’ve waited 9 months to have this matter addressed while I’m suffering every day. This is extremely frustrating and very unprofessional. I don’t know how someone could be so irresponsible as to do this to a patient. For the record, this incident was immediately reported to my surgeon and PT. See texts.

• Initial Complaint

  01/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I went to the joint at Lohmans plaza in Sacramento on December 30, around 10am, for an adjustment. I told the chiropractor to be gentle as I have back and hip problems. I asked him to please read the notes in my account on the computer. He spent about two seconds, reading my chart. The first move he made on me fractured one of my ribs. At that point I got up and left and spoke to the lady at the desk. I said he was extremely rough. She said some people like it that way. I’m 73 years old. I asked him to be gentle. I spoke with my doctor the following Friday and received any x-ray. It was confirmed my rib had an acute fracture. I called to speak with a manager the following Wednesday after my chiropractic appointment and was told they were not in the office. I again told the girl on the phone what the issue was. She said again to me that some people like it rough and drive hundreds of miles just to see this particular chiropractor. Again, I’m 73 years old, and asked him to go gentle. I’m very surprised the joint would hire someone like this.

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The Joint offered a promotion where you could buy 10 months and get 2 months free. Since the monthly membership is $89, the total cost would be $890 for 12 months. This is the amount I was quoted in the clinic, and the receipt I received via email showed $890. However, my credit card was charged an additional $89, so $979 in total. I called the clinic, and they said that this charge is for the monthly wellness plan and that the 12 months that I prepaid would begin the following month. This is a bait and switch tactic. They have essentially forced me to buy 11 months to get 2 months free. The response was that there was nothing they could do. Neither the promotional materials nor the clinic where I signed up stated that you must pay for one month before the 12 months starts. This is a deceptive business practice.

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  We don't own any clinics in ********. This is a location owned by someone else other than Joint Ventures. 

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I canceled my membership after multiple back adjustments in a row on January 25th or 2023. After reviewing the charges on my bank account with an AI tool I realized I am still being charged for membership. The clinic has admitted the cancelation paperwork was not filed in their system but refuses to refund without the cancelation paperwork. I am being withheld from my refund because of a catch22 they are responsible. From the looks of other negative reviews this is a common occurrence. I need to be refunded or will seek legal action with others who have been wronged by this company.

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  We have attempted multiple times to contact this patient to offer them a 6 pack, but he has not responded.  There was never a record of any communication regarding cancellation from him as he implies. We have made a best effort attempt to mitigate this, but without his response there's not much more that we can do.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband signed up for what he thought was a pay as you go membership. Instead it turned out to be a monthly membership and unused services for the month did not carry over. He does not speak English enough to understand what he was signing up for. We attempted to reach an agreement and were offered 10 visits total to use to make up for 8 months where he was supposed to get 3 visits a month. This was not satisfactory to us. We would prefer a refund for unused months or to be able to have the same number of months thatvwe paid for at $89.00 per month made available to use in future.

  Business response

  11/13/2023

  This is for a clinic owned by another owner than us. We searched the zip code and the closest location to 94534 would be the **** clinic. Please direct to that owner. Thank you! ********************************************************************************

  Customer response

  11/16/2023

  *****************************************

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  We work very hard to ensure that our staff clearly explains all of the policies to our patients in order to avoid a situation such as this. Our Wellness Plan gives patients 4 adjustments a month for only $89 - our best deal on regular care. Per our membership agreement, the plan has a 2 month minimum that then continues month to month until he requests cancellation and turns in the proper form.
   
  All patients who choose to take advantage of one our plans agrees to all terms of the plan in writing before commencement of any billing. Those agreements clearly state how the plan works, how it is billed, our refund policy, and our cancellation policy.

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I would like to share with you the rude experience I had one of your locations. I called your location on Sunset in ********* ******. During the call no one said anything about what you can and cant treat. I was told to come in about noon. So I went to this location with my son and my wife. My son was the one who was there to be seen for using your $29 consult and adjustment. Upon arrival I checked in with the lady at the front desk. I told her my son was the one being seen. She asked what his issue was. I told her he is having some back pain from a car accident. She said oh i wish i told you that on the phone. Its ILLEGAL for us to treat any one with an injury She said I think its on our web site also. I told her I looked and its not on there. She said yeah it illegal for us to treat him. I has what law they where breaking by treating him. She could not answer it. She said our sister clinic can treat him if you would like. I asked is that the same clinic with a $500 retainer. She stood quiet and said sorry. My son was already seen by a medical doctor in the ** at a local hospital. The ** doctor is the one that suggested seeing a chiropractor to help with the pain. All im trying to do is get him some relief with out using pain meds. I would be going through auto insurance but the person that hit the car my son was in is self insured and the claims adjuster wants final bills before they pay for anything. If you cant treat auto accidents you need to list it on your web site. I will also be filing a complaint with the local health district, the Better Business Bureau as well as reviews on ****** and Yelp.

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  ************,
  
  My name is *************************, DC, and I'm the senior clinic director at The Joint Chiropractic ********* Sunset. I was not in the clinic on the day you came in with your son, but I want to take a moment to address your experience as you've described above.
  
  First of all, I would like to apologize for the miscommunication between you and our front desk person. The person working that day is relatively new to the company and is not fully trained yet on the less frequent types of patient encounters we see on a daily basis, such as yours. It is not illegal for us to treat patients who have been in car accidents; however, it is the general practice of The Joint not to accept car accident or workers compensation cases where a third party payer is involved. Also, in many cases, patients who have been in a car accident often require more than just chiropractic adjustments as part of their rehab journey. This is the only type of treatment The Joint provides, as we do not perform physiotherapy of any kind, and in some cases, we may even refer non-accident cases out if we feel their care requires more therapy options than we can offer. And while the ** doctor may have recommended chiropractic care, this does not mean your son's case is required to be accepted at any chiropractic office. There are also non-franchise, private practice clinics who simply choose not to accept personal injury cases for various reasons, so whether or not your son would receive treatment would depend on where he chose to seek treatment.
  
  Again, I apologize for having an experience less than you expected during your visit. If your son is still in need of care, please feel free to contact the office and I can provide the names of highly rated clinics nearby who will be able to provide care to your son.
  
  Respectfully,
  
  *************************, DC
  Senior Clinic Director
  The Joint Chiropractic - ********* Sunset

  Customer response

  01/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 20855735
  
  I am rejecting this response because: You need to train your employees before you let them be on their own. You are letting a new person have the freedom to sink your business without any concern. Most of us have spent years learning our job to be the best we can be. Your staff does not practice that. 
  I only hope that the ****** ***** of ************* and the ************************** shut you down. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  THIS WAS AT **** ****** *** ***, San Jose, CA 95118 ZERO STARS-I am beyond upset with your customer service. I cancelled back in MARCH IN PERSON and have been charged every month anywhere from the 14th-17th. I was in one of your locations and cancelled with one of your chiros present, the man with a cane, and an office person. I asked repeatedly if I needed to do anything else, I was assured I would not be charged any further, and my account would be cancelled. The chiro present even tried to sell me other options. Fast Forward to yesterday. My options- basically eat the 4 MONTHS of almost $400. Asked if I wanted a comp 10 visits-NO! You could have at the least offered the amount of visits YOU STOLE FROM ME that I paid for unknowingly. I didn't visit ONCE in these months, had I known I would have complained back then OR OR OR -shocker-use my services YOU STOLE THAT I PAID for!!!! You may be asking how I didn't know- well this is a card I DO NOT USE but once maybe twice a year. I basically was told because YOUR front office person didn't have me sign anything it's MY fault and I just get to eat the money. I am a single mother who is on an extreme fixed income. What is even worse is I haven't even heard back from the REGIONAL Manager... I am going to research and file complaints, try to get my money back from my bank, write reviews wherever I can regarding the scam you run, and MOST DEFINITELY NEVER EVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. This is a total SCAM. I cancelled in person and they got 4 months of payments for doing absolutely NOTHING. THEY ARE CROOKS who are spotty with their adjustments. Some would do a full adjustment and some would just do one or two spots. The front desk people don't acknowledge you when you walk in and obviously don't know how to do their job-like NOT CANCELLING A CUSTOMER...or maybe they were trained this way in order to steal what they can and say their hands are tied because THEIR IDIOT EMPLOYEE didn't do their job. DO NOT GO TO ANY OF THEIR SITES.

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  Our team tried our best to work with her but she wouldn’t cooperate. She has cursed at us like a sailor in spite of our gentle best efforts. 

  Customer response

  07/26/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  YOU GUYS STOLE FROM ME. I'm not the first either. I have read all your reviews on all review sites and this seems to be a common thing with you guys. I had to reach out numerous times to get any idea about what was going on. First I cancelled in March- IN PERSON. You charged me for 4 months after. Your employee didn't do their job. I had to follow up with phone calls and emails for you to even respond. So yeah, I basically pestered you guys. I have our entire email exchange. Which I can attach if needed. You tried to bargain with me? Or tried to make it right? Your head guy said he couldn't do anything and it's out of his hands. After a long convo he offered me 10 visits for the price of $356 that you stole from me. I absolutely do not want that and if I wanted more visits I would have not gone in to CANCEL in PERSON in MARCH. For four months you stole money from me, I never thought I'd have to fight for a refund for services that were NEVER provided and were stolen monies.
  

   

  Let me know if you'd like my email exchange.

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  Customer response

  08/23/2023

  Here are the threads.Mind you, this after I had called numerous times and got the run around and being told I'd be called back. Finally given the right number and again was told I'd get a call back- that did finally happen but not in any hurry on their end. This is a lot of money for me. It's sad that they do this all the time and people just eat it the cost. I've worked in the service industry before and all I can say is we never treated our customers this way. Please let me know if you need anything else.

  I have attached 2 threads (2 PDF's) if they don't work or if you have an email I can forward them too, if that will work better. I've never tried to save emails as PDF's before, sorry in advance.
  

  Thank you.

   

  ****

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  The customer signed a contract for a discounted rate that was dependent on fulfilling the terms and conditions associated with it.  The customer also initialed each of the conditions as they were pointed out to her by personnel (all contract documentation can be provided upon request and Medical Records Release from the individual involved).   She did not provide any notice of cancellation which would have been provided to her has she expressed this intent.  Because she did not cancel (though she mistakenly insists that she did) she was billed as per the contract. We did cancel the agreement at the time she made the complaint even though she did not fill out the cancellation form as is typically required. The amount she would have paid per visit at the prevailing rate would have been much higher than the discounted rate for service that was provided.  We offered additional visits  equal to the visits she missed (not usually done and not part of the contract) as a customer service courtesy - which she declined. We fulfilled our contract commitment to her for all services requested and she did not fulfill her end of the agreement.  Her cursing at the staff was abusive behavior and also did not make us want to negotiate further with her.

  Customer response

  09/08/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did cancel in person. You guys didn't do your job. It's a common occurrence with your business. I have seen numerous people with the same problem that is on public sites. You guys refused to talk to me. Look at how many times I requested a confirmation that my account was cancelled. You guys responded numerous times by email without my confirmation of cancellation. You hide behind your unethical contract in order to take from your customers. I had to call you guys numerous times before I finally got someone in a upper position to talk to me and he blamed it on me...AGAIN, I went in and cancelled in person. YOU KNOW YOUR POLICY, YOUR EMPLOYEES know your policy. How is it my fault when I cancel in person and YOUR EMPLOYEE doesn't do their job correctly? Instead of doing the right thing and making it right you blamed me and took ZERO responsibility. I know the truth and I know that I cancelled in person and was assured I was not going to be charged after my last visit. From a customer stand point- you guys are rude, unresponsive, arrogant, and thieves. I spoke in caps and apparently that's your definition of swearing - I call it making a point after some business who stole hundreds of dollars from you. Not once did anyone ever utter I'm sorry or my bad or apologies. What do I really expect from quacks who double as thieves? This makes me so angry because I know most people give up but I am not. You guys steal and cheat in order to make a dollar off hardworking individuals.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted The Joint in Windermere to cancel my account before moving out of state in 2020. I called 2 times to cancel, so I believed it was taken care of, but they did not cancel my account. They continued charging me for over 2 years without my knowledge and without ever calling me to ask if I still need their services or why I wasn't coming in despite paying for a monthly plan (that was supposed to be cancelled already!!!) I called The Joint Windermere (location I was using) and told them what happened and asked for a refund from the manager. They told me they wont refund unless I can provide proof that I filled out some cancellation form.

  Business response

  03/15/2023

  The Joint Chiropractic ********** is in ******* and is not one of our locations. ********************************************************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩