Feller Medical - Be Extremley Careful Paying Over Deposit

[ej]

ding dong

 

every procedure i have had, has had refund policy clearly written on the booking confirmation i have recieved after making initial payment , i find it odd that this wouldnt of been the case here .

 

ej

[Gandolf]

ding dong

 

every procedure i have had, has had refund policy clearly written on the booking confirmation i have recieved after making initial payment , i find it odd that this wouldnt of been the case here .

 

ej

Well both Dr. Feller AND Spex chimed in on this thread and didn't claim to have notified him in any way other than posting the terms on the website, so whether or not they notified him isn't really in dispute here I don't think. If he had been notified verbally or in writing I'm sure one of them would have mentioned that in their rebuttle at some point.

[dingdong12]

i agree with gandolf and i find it hard to believe also .

 

i think a lot of people are annoyed the way feller medical handled the whole situation giving a contrived statement and then refusing to read any more posts. if indeed they did give written confirmation why wouldnt they so. either way they look bad!!!!

[lorenzo]

Its unfortunate but the reality is every business has the right to run their business as they see fit. In my opinion this post was not only made to discuss his deposit policy but also put pressure on him to pay it. If so he would have posted his story and let it be rather than keep posting and trying to defend. Although I am not saying a agree with the policy after hearing both sides of the story I wouldnt give him back his deposit.

In 10 year that I have posted this is the first time that I have heard anyone question Dr. Feller deposit policy.

[ej]

rebuttle ? i saw it as more of a reply . Perhaps they dont have the paperwork to hand after the long period of time passed .

 

I wonder how other Feller medical clients have found the refund policy ? be interesting to know if it was emailed out when payment received as im led to beleive is common practice , or if they too had to search the website

 

ej

[ej]

i agree with gandolf and i find it hard to believe also .

 

i think a lot of people are annoyed the way feller medical handled the whole situation giving a contrived statement and then refusing to read any more posts. if indeed they did give written confirmation why wouldnt they so. either way they look bad!!!!

 

 

Probably because of the legal threats and threats to post on forums i would suspect

[salami]

I haven't gone public with this before, but I also had an issue with Dr. Feller when it came to a deposit.

 

I want to first say that I think it's great that a lot of people have had very positive experiences with Dr. Feller, and that they support him because of this.

 

Unfortunately, my experience was not positive.

 

In April 2011, I had a consult with Dr. Feller, and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I honestly was not completely comfortable with Dr. Feller, but he seemed to be highly recommended, and was only a half hour drive from my house. I will admit that this was a mistake on my part to go with someone I was not totally comfortable with.

 

I paid a $2500 deposit. I paid by check, because he charges 2% extra for using a credit card (I thought that was a little odd). I was never told that the deposit was non-refundable, nor did I sign anything which said this.

 

My main issue was that at no time did he mention shaving of the recipient area. I had an HT back in 1997, and know of several people who have had HT's, and never had to shave. I understand that times have changed, and there are several potential benefits to shaving down, but that is really not the issue here.

 

So, I went back for a second consult to discuss this with Dr. Feller, and he completely denied not telling me about the shaving. He got very rude and defensive, claiming that he definitely told me. It got a little uncomfortable, and I left shortly thereafter with the situation unresolved.

 

I went home and thought about it for a few days, and then called to cancel the appointment. This was a full month before my scheduled date.

 

I wrote Dr. Feller a nice email explaining the situation. I then had to call his office several days in a row just to get a reply. Finally, I got an email reply from him basically saying that he didn't remember my case, and that the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

 

Overall, I understand if people feel that I shouldn't get my deposit back, but it was how rude and unprofessional Dr. Feller was in handling this situation that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are several threads in these forums where he demonstrates similar behavior.

 

So, he has my $2500, but he will never get my business, and I can absolutely never recommend him to anyone. This is a shame, as I live very close to his office, and would love to be able to recommend him to others. I simply cannot do this.

 

Bobilero, while our situations are a little different, I completely empathize with you, and this thread is not pointless by any means.

[dingdong12]

very interesting to hear salami . it would appear not to be an isolated incident

[Shampoo]

I honestly was not completely comfortable with Dr. Feller

 

can you elaborate a bit?

what were you not comfortable with?

his office? his mannerism? his approach? his pricing? was he hurried?

[salami]

can you elaborate a bit?

what were you not comfortable with?

his office? his mannerism? his approach? his pricing? was he hurried?

 

Sure. It was really more around his attitude and professionalism.

 

He was quick to belittle other doctors, and seemed very impressed with himself when showing me pictures.

He was like , "look at what I did for this guy".

Then, I remember on may way out he said, "send me your bald friends".

 

The whole vibe was just weird for doctor that seemed to have a very good reputation.

I remember saying to myself, THIS is the guy that all of these people recommend?

 

I was a little put-off by the 2% surcharge by using a credit card, but that was a minor issue. Do other clinics do this?

[Blake Bloxham]

Hi Guys,

 

As a few others have stated, our forums are a very open, honest place to discuss hair restoration. We're very fair to patient experience/concerns, but we also always allow physicians and clinics to discuss and "share their side of the story" in cases like this.

 

As stated earlier, as long as this thread remains appropriate (no name calling, using harsh language, etc) and stays relevant, I see no reason to close it (however, if the thread does outlive its purpose, it will likely be closed). Furthermore, I'm pleased Spex and Dr. Feller both had the opportunity to reply, and I think all parties have done a good job expressing their point of view.

 

I think the moral of the story, altogether, is the following: all parties involved with a hair restoration procedure must make sure appropriate questions are asked and answered, and contracts/oral agreements must be clear, concise, and agreed upon by both parties. To me, this is the crux of appropriate medical consent.

[dingdong12]

future ht doc; its great to hear from moderator . i agree both parties have a level of responsibility but the real responsibility to outline terms and conditions lie with clinic concerned and they must ensure that patient is fully briefed on all matters.

 

this thread should make clinics review their policies not only on refund issues but across the board and while one earlier poster remarked this was a pointless issue it couldnt be further from the truth . i dont know what planet that posters living on but its obviously a different one to everyone else given the reaction !!!!

[Spanker]

I haven't gone public with this before, but I also had an issue with Dr. Feller when it came to a deposit.

 

I want to first say that I think it's great that a lot of people have had very positive experiences with Dr. Feller, and that they support him because of this.

 

Unfortunately, my experience was not positive.

 

In April 2011, I had a consult with Dr. Feller, and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I honestly was not completely comfortable with Dr. Feller, but he seemed to be highly recommended, and was only a half hour drive from my house. I will admit that this was a mistake on my part to go with someone I was not totally comfortable with.

 

I paid a $2500 deposit. I paid by check, because he charges 2% extra for using a credit card (I thought that was a little odd). I was never told that the deposit was non-refundable, nor did I sign anything which said this.

 

My main issue was that at no time did he mention shaving of the recipient area. I had an HT back in 1997, and know of several people who have had HT's, and never had to shave. I understand that times have changed, and there are several potential benefits to shaving down, but that is really not the issue here.

 

So, I went back for a second consult to discuss this with Dr. Feller, and he completely denied not telling me about the shaving. He got very rude and defensive, claiming that he definitely told me. It got a little uncomfortable, and I left shortly thereafter with the situation unresolved.

 

I went home and thought about it for a few days, and then called to cancel the appointment. This was a full month before my scheduled date.

 

I wrote Dr. Feller a nice email explaining the situation. I then had to call his office several days in a row just to get a reply. Finally, I got an email reply from him basically saying that he didn't remember my case, and that the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

 

Overall, I understand if people feel that I shouldn't get my deposit back, but it was how rude and unprofessional Dr. Feller was in handling this situation that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are several threads in these forums where he demonstrates similar behavior.

 

So, he has my $2500, but he will never get my business, and I can absolutely never recommend him to anyone. This is a shame, as I live very close to his office, and would love to be able to recommend him to others. I simply cannot do this.

 

Bobilero, while our situations are a little different, I completely empathize with you, and this thread is not pointless by any means.

 

 

I wonder if Dr Feller was a able to fill your slot a month in advance or if he lost money on you too? $2,500 is a LOT of money to secure a slot and cancel a month out.

[Gandolf]

Sure. It was really more around his attitude and professionalism.

 

He was quick to belittle other doctors, and seemed very impressed with himself when showing me pictures.

He was like , "look at what I did for this guy".

Then, I remember on may way out he said, "send me your bald friends".

 

The whole vibe was just weird for doctor that seemed to have a very good reputation.

I remember saying to myself, THIS is the guy that all of these people recommend?

 

VERY similar to my feelings when I met with him a month ago for my consultation. I also felt that there was a complete lack of attention to detail and that he was not thorough at all with me.

 

For example, I got there in the afternoon and as I was in the waiting area, the patient they had just finished up that morning came and sat down all bandaged up, the nurses had just finished with him while Feller was in the other room meeting with another consult who had had a prior surgery with him (I will add that this returning patient was very happy with his results which I could over hear from them talking, for what it's worth). I had to wait until about 45 minutes after my scheduled time to be seen, but when it was finally my turn I went in and met with Dr. Feller. Again, he was very nice and friendly, but it really bothered me that he took a quick look at my hair and said "oh, did you see the patient in the waiting room? You're him. I would do the same exact procedure, 1800 grafts." I should note that while the patient he referenced had a similar pattern as mine in that he had full coverage on top but had bad recession in the hairline, his hairloss had pregressed significantly more than mine had AND Dr. Feller said he was 22 (I'm 28) so basically this guy had experienced more hairloss than I had in probably half the time and Dr. Feller made a quick 10 second diagnosis that we would get the same procedure. I remember feeling like it was some "cookie cutter" type of approach. And he didn't ask me some of the questions that I know from reading here are VERY important. For example, he didn't ask me any anything at all about my family history, when my hairloss began, etc., I had to volunteer all of this information after he had completed his information and was asking me if I had any additional questions.

 

I was concerned about the low graft count and the hairline he drew in on my head which honestly looked like it was drawn right over top of my existing hairline. His response was to the effect of "well I could go lower but I don't recommend it at your age, you can always have it lowered at a later date." While I respect his opinion and appreciate that his plan would cost much less than I had anticipated, it didn't make any sense to me to go through all the hassle and cost of having the procedure done to not get what I want and to have to come back later to alter it. We aren't talking about filling in future loss here either, which I understand it always a possibility. So, the cancellations from the weeks earlier were already a red flag but I knew there was no chance I was going to go to him after the consultation. Even though I spent hundreds of dollars on the gas money and 2 hotel nights, I still felt it was money well spent as I could confidently narrow down the field of available HT doctors in my search and was glad that I hadn't booked and sent the money like some of the others here did.

 

**********

I also want to add that when I got there and was waiting, the lady at the desk had me fill out paperwork about my medical history and there was also a form where they advised VERY clearly about their non refundable $2,500 deposit for booking a case which I had to sign. So apparently they had added this for their consults which is good but obviously does nothing for the people like Bobilero and Salami who paid in the past and didn't get this notification. I would imagine that they probably had a number of issues with the deposit disputes with guys who booked before having a chance to meet with him from out of town and that's why they are now being more direct about the notification.

[ej]

I hope the thread remains open , at least until these claims can be proven until then its merely ` heresay ` ..

 

ej

[HARIRI]

Sure. It was really more around his attitude and professionalism.

 

He was quick to belittle other doctors, and seemed very impressed with himself when showing me pictures.

He was like , "look at what I did for this guy".

Then, I remember on may way out he said, "send me your bald friends".

 

The whole vibe was just weird for doctor that seemed to have a very good reputation.

I remember saying to myself, THIS is the guy that all of these people recommend?

 

I was a little put-off by the 2% surcharge by using a credit card, but that was a minor issue. Do other clinics do this?

 

If that is the case truly, then I would have done the same as you did if I was in your place. This is really bad. Manners in a doctor is the most important factor in choosing one (why I chose to deal with Rahal and Feriduni especially) because without it, it would be very hard to deal with him post op in long term. Thats why I always insist to talk to the doctor personally at first than dealing blindly with the representative in order to evaluate his attitude and manners. Your story Salami is much worse than Bobilero.

 

I salute HTN for the transparency and freedom of speech. Its a very great new step this forum is approaching to allow patients share their feelings in a decent open way. I hope it will applied on all recommended clinics in the network without exceptions. Big thanks HTN (created by and for patients)

Edited June 10, 2012 by HARIRI

[Bobilero]

I haven't gone public with this before, but I also had an issue with Dr. Feller when it came to a deposit.

 

I want to first say that I think it's great that a lot of people have had very positive experiences with Dr. Feller, and that they support him because of this.

 

Unfortunately, my experience was not positive.

 

In April 2011, I had a consult with Dr. Feller, and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I honestly was not completely comfortable with Dr. Feller, but he seemed to be highly recommended, and was only a half hour drive from my house. I will admit that this was a mistake on my part to go with someone I was not totally comfortable with.

 

I paid a $2500 deposit. I paid by check, because he charges 2% extra for using a credit card (I thought that was a little odd). I was never told that the deposit was non-refundable, nor did I sign anything which said this.

 

My main issue was that at no time did he mention shaving of the recipient area. I had an HT back in 1997, and know of several people who have had HT's, and never had to shave. I understand that times have changed, and there are several potential benefits to shaving down, but that is really not the issue here.

 

So, I went back for a second consult to discuss this with Dr. Feller, and he completely denied not telling me about the shaving. He got very rude and defensive, claiming that he definitely told me. It got a little uncomfortable, and I left shortly thereafter with the situation unresolved.

 

I went home and thought about it for a few days, and then called to cancel the appointment. This was a full month before my scheduled date.

 

I wrote Dr. Feller a nice email explaining the situation. I then had to call his office several days in a row just to get a reply. Finally, I got an email reply from him basically saying that he didn't remember my case, and that the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

 

Overall, I understand if people feel that I shouldn't get my deposit back, but it was how rude and unprofessional Dr. Feller was in handling this situation that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are several threads in these forums where he demonstrates similar behavior.

 

So, he has my $2500, but he will never get my business, and I can absolutely never recommend him to anyone. This is a shame, as I live very close to his office, and would love to be able to recommend him to others. I simply cannot do this.

 

Bobilero, while our situations are a little different, I completely empathize with you, and this thread is not pointless by any means.

 

 

Sorry to hear also about your bad experiences Salami & Gandolph. Salami you are actually out of pocket more than me. You live and learn eh. I wish you the best for your future plans.

[salami]

Gandolf,

Very interesting. Sorry about the money you spent, but I agree that it was well spent if it helps you narrow down your choice of doc.

Glad to hear that they now have a form to sign which discusses the deposit.

 

I wonder if Dr Feller was a able to fill your slot a month in advance or if he lost money on you too? $2,500 is a LOT of money to secure a slot and cancel a month out.

 

Good question. I know the date, so I would be curious to know this as well.

 

I hope the thread remains open , at least until these claims can be proven until then its merely ` heresay ` ..

 

ej

 

ej,

Very valid point. Not sure how I could prove anything, although I do have all of the email exchanges with Dr. Feller, as well ones with Spex and Bill.

I tried to resolved this with all 3 of them to no avail.

 

 

If that is the case truly, then I would have done the same as you did if I was in your place. This is really bad. Manners in a doctor is the most important factor in choosing one (why I chose to deal with Rahal and Feriduni especially) because without it, it would be very hard to deal with him post op in long term. Thats why I always insist to talk to the doctor personally at first than dealing blindly with the representative in order to evaluate his attitude and manners. Your story Salami is much worse than Bobilero.

 

I salute HTN for the transparency and freedom of speech. Its a very great new step this forum is approaching to allow patients share their feelings in a decent open way. I hope it will applied on all recommended clinics in the network without exceptions. Big thanks HTN (created by and for patients)

 

Hariri,

I completely agree with your assessment of the HTN.

My situation is 100% true. I would not make this up.

 

Sorry to hear also about your bad experiences Salami & Gandolph. Salami you are actually out of pocket more than me. You live and learn eh. I wish you the best for your future plans.

 

Absolutely.

I was very angry about this last year, but I eventually let it go.

This thread really hit home with me though.

 

After I tried to resolve this situation on my own with Dr. Feller, I then contacted Bill, who contacted Dr. Feller on my behalf.

 

Bill's response after emailing Dr. Feller was, "he claims he's been more than fair to you already".

I am still trying to figure out what "more than fair" is in my case.

 

Thanks Bobilero.

I wound up choosing Dr. Dorin, and I am very glad I did.

[ej]

I haven't gone public with this before, but I also had an issue with Dr. Feller when it came to a deposit.

 

 

Overall, I understand if people feel that I shouldn't get my deposit back, but it was how rude and unprofessional Dr. Feller was in handling this situation that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are several threads in these forums where he demonstrates similar behavior.

 

 

Im sorry anyone is out of pocket re the deposit , i think the other ` several threads` you refer to are not about deposits though, and if i remember correctly were attempts to get discounted or free work , i noticed a lot of the input on those threads came from Dr Dorin patients also

 

I have been on this forum a couple of years , and a couple of years as a guest before that , in all that time all Feller medical photographs of patients before and afters, on all forums, always show shaved down pre ops ,.... every single one of them ,.... a major reason i didnt consult with Dr Feller was that i knew he shaved down, it was glaringly obvious to be honest , even all the patients he has refer to it as the " doldrums " a stage they go through after the op , shaved down , hat wearing , how to conceal it at work etc

 

equally so the Drs who dont shave provide many photographs of graft placement , pre post op

 

Perhaps were in need of video consults , that would help to reflect back upon what was said or not said

 

all the best

 

ejj

[salami]

Im sorry anyone is out of pocket re the deposit , i think the other ` several

threads` you refer to are not about deposits though, and if i remember

correctly were attempts to get discounted or free work , i noticed a lot of

the input on those threads came from Dr Dorin patients also

 

Correct, I don't believe they had anything to do with deposits, but I was amazed at how similar his tone was on those threads to the way he handled my situation.

 

As far as Dr. Dorin patients, it was really just Corvettester who voiced his opinion on those threads. Also, Feller and Dorin are both in NY (about 20 miles away from each other), so it makes sense that people may consult with both of them.

Not that you were insinuating this, but I have no affiliation with anyone. I am just some balding guy from NY.

 

I have been on this forum a couple of years , and a couple of years as a guest

before that , in all that time all Feller medical photographs of patients

before and afters, on all forums, always show shaved down pre ops ,.... every

single one of them ,.... a major reason i didnt consult with Dr Feller was

that i knew he shaved down, it was glaringly obvious to be honest , even all

the patients he has refer to it as the " doldrums " a stage they go through

after the op , shaved down , hat wearing , how to conceal it at work etc

equally so the Drs who dont shave provide many photographs of graft placement , pre post op

 

 

Fair point.

Admittedly, I didn't do as much research as I should have before the first consult. I saw a lot of before and afters, but it wasn't until after I put the deposit down, that I did the proper amount of research and found out about the shaving. This was my mistake, but he should have definitely told me this during the consult.

 

I definitely take accountability for my situation, but I was honestly very shocked how Dr. Feller handled it.

In fact, the crux of my follow-up email to Dr. Feller was about the fact that he neglected to tell me about the shaving. He didn't even acknowledge or mention this at all in his response. He essentially said, I don't remember your case, and the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

 

I'll chalk this one up as an expensive life lesson.

[dingdong12]

salami , without doubt you should have been warned that you would be shaved down!!!!

 

during a consult all parts of the surgery should be explained !

[Gandolf]

As far as Dr. Dorin patients, it was really just Corvettester who voiced his opinion on those threads. Also, Feller and Dorin are both in NY (about 20 miles away from each other), so it makes sense that people may consult with both of them.

Not that you were insinuating this, but I have no affiliation with anyone. I am just some balding guy from NY.

I'm not sure he was insinuating that either, but I definitely do think he was making an attempt to try and discredit you, and a pretty lame one in my opinion. I also think he might be missing the big picture that several of the posting here are trying to make. Rather than focusing on the trivial nuances of these individual posts, this is more an issue that some patients of Dr. Feller seem to think he is unable to ever concede in the slightest when he may share some element of the blame in a situation. Here is a quote Dr. Feller made on another thread on this forum which was referencing an actual HT result and not a deposit issue, but still highlights the same points nevertheless.

 

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

So lets set the standard right here online from now going forward:

 

If a patient has a transplant and it doesn't grow well, the reason is physiological UNLESS a patient can substantly demonstrate that the surgery did not rise to the level generally accepted throughout the industry. If a perspective patient can't accept this standard, then he is not a qualified patient and should not request nor be acceppted for a surgical procedure.

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

[ej]

I was not trying to discredit anyone , rather just make a point that the threads refered to appear to follow a similar pattern that is to take a pop at Dr Feller at almost every opportunity whilst stating there own prefered Dr , its an observation i made , i have had many procedures however choose not to mention my Dr as its not relevent to this thread , hope that clarifies my position

 

I think the statement you posted quoting Dr Feller is basically saying a patients expectations should be well managed and if not dont accept them as a patient , i would have to agree with this , perhaps it isnt what some want to hear though ,

 

regards

 

ej

[Spanker]

I'm not sure he was insinuating that either, but I definitely do think he was making an attempt to try and discredit you, and a pretty lame one in my opinion. I also think he might be missing the big picture that several of the posting here are trying to make. Rather than focusing on the trivial nuances of these individual posts, this is more an issue that some patients of Dr. Feller seem to think he is unable to ever concede in the slightest when he may share some element of the blame in a situation. Here is a quote Dr. Feller made on another thread on this forum which was referencing an actual HT result and not a deposit issue, but still highlights the same points nevertheless.

 

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

So lets set the standard right here online from now going forward:

 

If a patient has a transplant and it doesn't grow well, the reason is physiological UNLESS a patient can substantly demonstrate that the surgery did not rise to the level generally accepted throughout the industry. If a perspective patient can't accept this standard, then he is not a qualified patient and should not request nor be acceppted for a surgical procedure.

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

 

Can you link that quote?

[Gandolf]

 

Can you link that quote?

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160367-hasson-wong-really-say-11.html#post2263229