Bad HT Experience - Dr. Feller (long)

[Sparky]

Well, I think if your paying loads of money for something there should be some sort of guarantee of growth, otherwise the doctors dont even have to try to make sure things are going to grow.

 

Someone has to be responsible for the lack of growth, and if the patient has followed the pre-op and post-op instructions and why wouldnt they?, the doctor must own up to some of the blame.

Edited November 5, 2010 by Sparky

[mattj]

I echo the sentiments of those who're pleased that this has remained civil.

 

In defence of Dr Feller regarding his lack of response in sending out the requested paperwork, I just don't see why he would intentionally withhold the document. I'm not going to get into a discussion about what should and shouldn't be included in the waiver or how it should be worded, but in this case it did contain what amounts to informed consent. From the doctor's point of view, showing the patient this document with his signature on it would be a logical step in clearing up the matter, while ignoring the request could just inflame things. It is assumed that a waiver will be read; it's not something secret which must be hidden away.

 

An email is much easier to miss than a lawyer's letter.

[corvettester]

Bill,

 

You made the right decision to allow this thread to stay posted and give Badluck the benefit of the doubt. It was not only the reputation and credibility of Dr. Feller that was at stake, but also that of the Hair Transplant Network.

 

Corvettester

[corvettester]

I was confounded and dismayed by some of the hostility directed towards Badluck by certain posters. Nobody is above criticism, not even Dr. Feller. If Badluck had terrible results, then he should be allowed to voice his thoughts and feelings on the matter in his own words.

 

Badluck shouldn’t have to sugarcoat his poor results either, lest he offend Dr. Feller.... “less than optimal results” is nothing more than an equivocation. It was clear from all his posts that he was gentlemanly and respectful. I thought that this is what the forum is supposed to be about. We rely on these reviews to make informed decisions.

 

Give Badluck a break! I think that reaching out to him is more appropriate than denouncing his claims and basically calling him a liar. What can the community gain from that?

 

 

Corvettester

[Bill - Seemiller]

Corvettester,

 

You made the right decision to allow this thread to stay posted and give Badluck the benefit of the doubt. It was not only the reputation and credibility of Dr. Feller that was at stake, but also that of the Hair Transplant Network.

 

Thanks for your support but I want to clarify something. Had Badluck not further explained his claims against Dr. Feller, removing the topic would have been the right thing to do and would have no bearing on the credibility of this community at all. In fact, our terms of service make clear that members aren't to post knowingly false or defammatory statements and keeping such a topic active on our forum would go against our very policies designed to protect the integrity of this community.

 

However, since Badluck did provide a plausible explanation, I have no problem keeping this topic active as long as Badluck allows Dr. Feller to post any information he needs in order to present his side of the story, minus Badluck's identity.

 

That said, the best remedy at this point is for both Badluck and Dr. Feller to discuss these concerns privately and come to an amicable solution in resolving Badluck's less than optimal growth.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Dr. Alan Feller]

It is very unfortunate that this thread has gotten so out of control with speculation and mud-slinging, but I could not respond until speaking with an attorney. To most viewers, this is basically entertainment, but to me it’s my reputation-and I take that very seriously.

 

This thread is unlike any other I’ve ever had my name attached to. Rather than a patient of mine expressing his opinion or showing photos of his results (good or bad), Badluck chose to accuse me on this public forum of engaging in at least two criminal activities. And while it seems he has since rescinded the most egregious of these charges, it doesn’t change the fact that 1,500 views were logged before he felt compelled to edit his posts.

 

That is to say, the damage has been done.

 

Am I above criticism, as one poster recently put it? Never. In fact, I rely on criticism to build my practice and my reputation. Do I have patients who may be unhappy with their result? You bet. It’s no secret. Will I have others in the future that may be unhappy? Undoubtedly. That’s just the reality of surgery.

All doctors in all fields will experience less than optimal results or outright failures. Usually this is handled in a courteous and respectful manner that begins with a post op office visit and discussion. I need to actually see the results for myself to verify the assessment of the patient and to see if there is anything obvious that may have affected the growth. Thereafter I will usually suggest a few remedies which might include a test surgery (always free of charge), a second surgery (sometimes free or sharply discounted), or referral to another physician for evaluation and perhaps further treatment. No patient is left out in the cold.

 

This is a fair and logical way of demonstrating accountability and supporting ones patient. However, the process begins with an office visit, something Badluck declined to do. Despite this, I offered him a free test surgery and/or a second surgery at a steep discount, sight unseen, so that he knew I was still in his corner and serious about helping him. But he rejected these offers.

 

With respect to me not giving him his consent form, this is simply untrue as it would be a violation of New York State law. It is such a ridiculous and self-serving claim that one would think nobody would believe it. But many viewers bought this story hook, line, and sinker. The reality is that in our last phone conversation he denied that he had ever signed a consent form at all. When I told him I had a copy of it in his chart with his signature on it I offered to fax it immediately to him or send by mail. He declined.

 

So while Badluck is now trying to make the issue of the consent form one in which I refused to send it for some unexplained reason, in reality the last time we spoke he was denying its very existence and had no interest in obtaining a copy. I have several pieces of documentation that show this charge on his part to be completely false. There was no miscommunication and there were no lost emails.

 

Think about it, why would I withhold the most important document I have in my possession that could immediately exonerate me from any charge of malfeasance concerning informed consent? The fact is that I do indeed have such a signed document and it was always available to the patient. He never asked for it and turned it down when offered. Simple as that.

 

It is in poor taste and exceedingly inappropriate for this situation to play out on a public website, but I did not choose this venue, Badluck did. These sites are great for education, exchange of ideas, and fellowship. In many respects it is like a shield from ignorance or inaccurate information. But some people regrettably choose to use the forums as a sword to vent or “get even”.

 

Badluck could have certainly started a thread on this forum and said his peace about his results and perhaps even posted a photo or two, and then I would have been given an opportunity to say my peace and post a photo or two, and then that would have been it. That would have been a civil discourse and the public could decide for themselves. I and many doctors have been down that road a few times with unhappy patients in the past and it usually turns out to be beneficial to all sides. But that wasn’t the case here, unfortunately.

 

I know there are those posters out there who only see unhappy patients as victims and their doctors as villains. But it is really never that cut and dry. There are many variables in surgery that could affect results and I make sure each and every one of my patients knows that before hand and I confirm it in writing. This is a responsible and reasonable method of ensuring that there is a meeting of the minds so that BOTH parties are accountable.

 

Unfortunately, Badluck chose to come on here and communicate injurious falsehoods, and while it seems some of it has been retracted, after 1500 views the damage to my reputation has been done. Just as I am held to account, so are individuals who choose to post on public forums.

 

My thanks to the many doctors, patients, posters, and industry insiders who have contacted me privately with their support regarding this very unique thread. It is now in the hands of professionals.

 

I will not be reponding to questions online concerning this thread as it is now out of my hands.

 

Dr. Alan S. Feller

Feller Medical, PC

[Sparky]

I must say that I haven't found this thread entertaining in any way and can see the damage that it will have done to you. I still see you as one of the best Dr's in the industry and most giving for that matter aswell.

[Danielkiwi]

Dr. Feller

 

Irrespective of what has happened, i wanted to ask you a question. You have given him several alternatives but no where do i see an alternative to offer partial refund. Why would anybody want to get suregery done again from the same doctor if it did not work in the first place. Infact, why would anybody get a surgery done after that at all?

[Spanker]

I am wondering the specifics of why up to 5 percent of surgeries dont work

[Sparky]

He said he wont answer any more questions on here.

[badluck]

Hello again to the forum and to Dr. Feller,

I find it unfortunate that this post has taken such a turn. I hope that we can make it more positive. I would like to offer further clarifications.

 

The most striking statement in Dr. Feller's last post is that I refused to be faxed or mailed a copy of the waiver in a telephone conversation. This is puzzling to me and I do not recall any phone conversation and just to be sure, I checked my phone records from February when I first contacted Dr. Feller's office up until June when I turned the matter over to a lawyer. I only have a record of a 1-minute call to his office on February 22, 2010, where I believe I left message simply stating that I was concerned over a lack of results. I received a phone call back from Dr. Feller's office the same day where I was instructed to send the photos I had taken to Dr. Feller through email. Since that initial call, I don't have any record of any correspondence outside of email. I certainly authorize Dr. Feller to post the "documentation that show this charge on his part to be completely false" as long as identifying information is kept private - name, number, address, etc.

 

My last email to Dr. Feller was dated March 12, 2010 where I stated that I did not have a copy of the form and if he could make it available. This email was sent less than an hour after his email stating that they do not guarantee growth and that the three options that he stated in a prior email were all that he could do for me. That was my last contact with Dr. Feller. Three months later on May 6, 2010 I sent a detailed email to a NY state lawyer where I stated "Additionally, I requested a copy of the consent form, to which I received no reply from Feller." If there exists documentation showing that I refused a copy of the waiver, then I would be very surprised, but I would absolutely remove this charge from my posts and apologize. If this is the case, and Dr. Feller is concerned over my recollection of the events, then I would hope that he would make this proof available.

 

The three options. With Dr. Feller's permission, I would be happy to print his email in its entirety where he outlines my options. The first was that I accept my unique physiology and do nothing. The second was that I take a chance on him performing a second procedure at a steep discount where he noted that it may also yield a poor result. Also that he could perhaps perform a test patch. The word free was neither directly stated nor implied. The third option was to see another doctor whom he would request a discount for another procedure.

 

However, my entire point is that I would not have gone through with the surgery knowing that there is a 5% chance of failure or even any chance of failure. I couldn't justify spending more money, receiving a second scar, and taking a chance on a positive result after an initial failure. I felt that requesting a partial compensation was very reasonable on my behalf considering the circumstances.

 

As to accusing Dr. Feller of "at least two" criminal activities. I retracted a misstatement regarding being given a copy of the waiver on the day of surgery. Again I apologize for misleading anyone into thinking that you would have purposefully not given a patient a copy of a waiver at the time of surgery. As to the second miscommunication regarding taking the prescriptions before entering his office and signing the waiver, this could have been an exception during the day of my surgery. I do not consider that a criminal act, rather a miscommunication that careful steps could be taken to avoid in the future.

 

I would like to also repeat that an office visit wasn't requested to "verify the assessment of the patient." I would have had no reason to refuse such a thing and everything to gain from continued communication. After I explained to Dr. Feller that I could not justify a repeat surgery, I was simply told that there were no other options and I never heard back from his office.

 

Further, I do not want to attack Dr. Feller's character or personalize the issue. I believe the problem is entirely one of professional communication. I am not trying to "get even." I was hoping for two things to happen with my post. The first was to spread my experience so that prospective patients could have some information regarding a failure of results which doctors seem loath to discuss under the best circumstances. I do note that I am not the only one on these forums unaware of a 5% failure rate. The second was to spur dialogue from Dr. Feller who had been uncommunicative.

 

Dr. Feller, I certainly do not want to cycle accusations and refutations. I don't think that either of us will gain anything from that cycle. I would like engage in dialogue that leads to a solution to these unfortunate circumstances and I will be happy to post of a positive result.

 

Sincerely

[corvettester]

Hey guys,

 

Can someone direct me to the source documenting the 5% failure rate. I had never heard or read that before. In fact, I had no idea it was that high!

 

I remember reading somewhere that only about 1% of HT patients were physiologically incapable of responding to HT. For me, I consider 1% chance of failure rate to be "rare" but 5% is not rare... that's 5%!

 

Where can I find credible sources documenting this?

[Sean]

corevettester, I just found out about it too. Heard about it within the past 2-3 days regarding the 5%, if it really is up to 5%. I have heard of some transplant patients having varying physiology that might affect the transplant like you read, but other then that 5% it's new to me. Is it 1% total failure rate and then minor to moderate complications (including such things as certain conditions, permanent shockloss, scalp infections, excessive bleeding, and etc that might hinder optimal growth) included in the rest of the percentage? I googled and saw coalition doctor, Dr. Charles, website stating: "What is the success rate of hair transplants? Generally there is a 96-98% success rate if great care is taken with the donor tissue and it is reinserted into the recipient sites with in a 3-4 hour time period."

 

I am quoting the above from Dr. Charles website and those are not my words but a professionals. Hope he doesn't mind me adding that valuable information that I just came across via google to the question, but if he does then have it removed mods. On a side note, Dr. Charles, has a great easy to use website, with some fantastic results!

 

Then I found this info, http://www.baldingblog.com/2005/08/31/hair-transplant-growth-success-rate/

Edited November 7, 2010 by Sean
extra info

[receder]

thanks for starting this thread, badluck. very helpful for those of us who have not yet had an HT.

[John Malloy]

I have found Dr. Feller to be one of the most trustworthy doctors around. You are not going to find too many people on this forum who will believe he drugged you before giving you a waiver to sign.

 

I would not consider giving someone a Valium before signing paperwork drugging them; however, this is exactly what happened in my experience with Dr. Feller. TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR, you are not told about the fact that results are not guarenteed until the day of surgery. there is no excuse for that, that is a shameless policy, and I find it hard to believe that it only happened in these two cases.

Anyway, as I've said in the past, if Dr. Feller really only has unhappy patients so rarely, why does he not do more to accomadate them? I can attest that getting in touch with the doc was virtually impossible. He would only respond via e-mail.

In summary, I am extremely unsatisfied with the doc's post op care, and horrified with my scar left from the doc. I really feel this is something he should have fixed at "his expense" not mine. Due to the fact that after he bashed my first surgeon, he left a donor scar that makes my first surgeon's look like Picasso did it.

While he did do a better job with my receipent area, it is still detectable in most lights, and does not look half as good as it does in pics.

Sorry, to his following---hairthere, Spex, Bill, but these are the facts in my case.

I've offered people numerous times to come see the results for themselves in person, but seem to get bashed everytime I do so.

I'M EXTREMELY SORRY FOR YOUR SITUATION, I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL

[ej]

John,

Im sorry that you are unhappy with your results , I have been in a similar situation so believe me when i say I know how you feel .

 

However a couple of points ,

Results are not guaranteed I think that this should be researched fully by the patient before any procedure , sometimes patients dont get the result they expect , when this happens i think it is then about how the Dr goes the extra mile to help and put things right . Dr Feller has proven time and time again that he stands by his patients I have never met the Dr so please dont catagorise me as `his following`

 

I have noticed that you refer to your scar more so than your hairline now , which i think is good , i think you have a great hairline the photographs look good , i have not seen your scar/ donor so nil comment on that .

 

I have had six procedures , all correspondance was via email , trust me there is nothing unusual about that , my expierence is that the Dr generally gives you a number the night before, and the day of surgery so if need be you can contact the Dr .Dr Feller appears to be a `hands on Dr ` what I mean is he has one patient per day , I would not be happy if he left the op on occasions to take telephone calls , email is a much more convienient way for both Dr and patient to communicate .

 

John please dont take this the wrong way but nominating yourself for prospective patients to view your scar is not really the right way to go about things , it is becoming almost like you are conducting a campaign against the Dr which ultimately wont do you any good . You need to work out a way to get were you want to be, scar revision would be my advice with a Dr of your choice .

 

As I have said I have had six prior procedures over the last 19 years , I have seen a lot , but never ever have i been asked to sign a waiver whilst medicated that just does not happen .

 

regards

ej

Edited November 13, 2010 by ej
spelling and grammar

[Dr. Alan Feller]

I will not defend myself from these outrageous charges online, except to say that they are completely false, libelous, and solely designed to harm my reputaiton and injure my business.

 

I have already started the litigation process against Badluck for his false claims and lies. He will receive his summons soon.

 

Now Malloy has decided to get involved by inventing yet another lie and publishing it online. He too will now receive a lawsuit from me.

 

I will not respond on this thead to any questions or provocations.

 

Dr. Alan Feller

Feller Medical, PC

[wb280]

Like ej mentioned, somehow i just cannot concur with the alleged accusation of asking the patient to sign the form after the valium. I mean, if thats the normal practice, i presume there should be more complaints by now? In my case, i had the indemnity signed way before i was given anything.

 

To be honest, i cant blame Dr Feller for issuing summons.Its not nice but guess its necessary. The accusations, if untrue, are extremely damaging. John, it seems that whenever there is something negative about Dr Feller being posted, u would chip in and add fuel to the fire. I can understand that you are extremely unhappy about your procedure but appearing in threads to just start condemning Dr Feller is really over the top. Why not channel your energy into looking for another doc to improve your situation? Getting into litigations and lawsuits does not benefit parties involved.

[Bill - Seemiller]

John,

 

Time and time again you have shared your experience and dissatisfaction regarding your experience with Dr. Feller. For the longest time, you complained about your actual hairline and results yet the majority of us agree that your results look fantastic. I understand however, that you're not happy with your scar. Yet, despite your dissatisfaction, I don't see any action taken by you to attempt to remedy your situation.

 

Instead, you take every chance you can get to re-post your experience as if you had an agenda to tarnish Dr. Fellers hard earned reputation rather than find support and resolution to your concderns. While all patients are welcome to share their genuine experiences, agenda driven posters become evidence when they flood the forum by posting their dissatisfaction on any topic they feel will cause the most harm to their doctor.

 

You've also now accused Dr. Feller of providing you with drugs before signing the standard release, an accusation you have never made until right now.

 

Like BadLuck, I am going to ask you to provide proof of this allegation of your post on this topic will be deleted. Furthermore, since you seem to have an agenda against Dr. Feller by by re-posting the same complaints instead of being genuinely interested in finding remedy to your concerns, if you can't provide proof of these allegations, I am going to consider suspending your posting privileges. Agenda driven posts designed to harm instead of garner the support and help that you need are strictly prohibited on this forum.

 

This thread will not become a debate about your experience John. I want your next post to backup your claims or your posts on this thread will be deleted.

 

At the end of the day, I wish you all the best in getting your scar fixed and getting on with your life. But in the meantime, it's unfair and malicious of you to to attempt to discredit Dr. Feller every chance you can get and we're not going to allow it on this forum.

 

Best Regards

 

Bill

[Sparky]

Well now that you've told us you have started legal proceedings against these patients, please be so kind to also tell us the outcome. Thanks.

[Tao]

Wow. This thread is probably the best one I've ever read on this forum. I was going to compliment people for being so mature and for the most part, that has been surprisingly true. But alas, it's degraded into lawsuits. That's a shame. No doubt there are good people involved here who all sit in different places and therefore have different perspectives. Dr. Feller no doubt is an outstanding doctor. Badluck is a reasonable, articulate person who had the misfortune of having a failed HT, which given all we go through psychically and mentally, is devastating. I hope all involved here can maturely and calmly continue communicating and work this all out. Having this thread deleted or seeing it degrade into lawsuits is a bit chilling frankly. What I take from this is that HT doctors need to clearly discuss with potential patients the possibility of failure and what steps would be available to the patient should that happen, even if those steps are nothing, you're just screwed (but ideally, more along the lines of what Dr. Feller offers or even better). Let's face it, we come to the doctors usually in a state of desperation and full of hope. The possibility of failure, given the very substantial monetary, physical and emotional costs involved, is not in the forefront of our minds. But as this case shows, the possibility of failure clearly needs to be brought out on the table and discussed well beforehand. Yes, it is the patient's responsibility to fully understand the procedure but it is also the doctor's responsibility to help educate each patient. I believe that most of the quality doctors do a pretty good job of this but clearly there's room for improvement.

 

I feel for you, Badluck and John Malloy. I hope you both eventually find a solution that brings you peace of mind. And I feel for you, Dr. Feller. I know it has to be tough trying to 100% please everyone all the time, an impossible task. I think the way you initially responded, openly and honestly, will protect and enhance your reputation more so than lawsuits.

[wb280]

Tao, in fact u are quite right. Badluck does sound like an articulate and mature poster. Like all other cosmetic surgeries, such happen. Not everyone is gonna have great results and controversies arise as a result. I thought the fuel added to the fire by John was the trigger. I still urge all parties to restrain going into battles in the court as this benefits nobody.

[receder]

Bill,

 

I would ask that you reconsider deleting John's post, as I find it to be valuable information on this forum, especially to those people like myself who have yet to undergo an HT. One cause for skepticism in the industry is that hair forums, and to an extent this forum, seem to have a pro-HT slant to them. As a reader of the forums, I find posts such as John's and badlucks to actually be reassuring. They are reassuring in the sense that it is an indication that negative reviews are not being screened from the masses, but rather they are welcome to be presented and interpreted.

 

You worry that John's post may cause undue damage to Dr. Feller's reputation, but I would ask that you trust the judgment of the readers and let them make that assessment for themselves. We can weigh the credibility of the information presented and make our own decision. In my opinion, that's the ideal way that a forum should be operated.

 

You ask that John present proof of his claim, but how could he possibly do that? Do you think he has video of his surgery day? He gave his account of how his HT transpired. If he has in fact done something illegal, then it appears that will adjudicated. But for purposes of this forum, and for purposes of having an open exchange of discussion, I would ask that his post stay.

 

You also indicate that you will not permit someone to keep posting and reposting about a negative experience. Why not? How is this different from the masses of positive posts that are done over and over, stating that certain doctors are the best, do great work, etc. Moreover, as a casual reader of this forum, this is the first time that I've seen John's negative review, so I'm glad that he did repost, otherwise I would have never read it.

 

In sum, I find these negative reviews to be a valuable component of this forum. If it is taken down, it will only add to my skepticism that this forum is decidely pro-HT with a slant toward presenting more positive information. I hope that is not the case.

[Sparky]

The problem Dr Feller will have with winning a lawsuit is that, if Badluck has bad results (i'm not going to say "less than optimal", as its just a sentence to sugarcoat the word bad), then his complaints may be justified. I thought Badluck had already started proceedings anyway, so what Dr Feller is actually doing is counter-claiming and judges don't like that.

 

Only going on what I have read in this thread, there maybe a lot more to this than is presented here.

 

I'm still a Dr Feller fan by the way, and wouldn't want him to be tarred by the same brush as Armani who we always hear about suing people for complaining about bad results.

Edited November 13, 2010 by Sparky

[Bill - Seemiller]

Receder,

 

John's experience and photos can be found on multiple topics on this forum including his own. Thus, if you are truly interested in his story and the muitiple views of posters, read all about it on other topics. Frankly, it's inappropriate for John to continue hijacking topics that aren't his to share what he's already shared multiple times. Up until now I've allowed him to post his experience on multiple topics despite the fact that he was hijacking other's threads to do so.

 

It's not up to me to decide how a poster is to provide proof of his claims, but posters must be held accountable for them, especially given that this is the first time he's mentioned it out of all the times he's documented his experience.

 

I've let Badluck's topic stand after he clarified his claims and experience. But I won't let someone like John with an obvious agenda to tarnish Dr.Feller's reputation every chance he gets to hijack this thread to document the same information plus a new bold, unsubstantiated claim.

 

Regardless of whether or not this is the popular decision, it's the right thing to do. Just as we hold physicians accountable for their results, so must we hold members accountable for their posts and intentions.

 

Thanks for your understanding,

 

Bill