Dr Feller or Dr Cooley

[rkreddy]

Hello All,

 

Who is better, kindly do let me know? I am planning to have my second HT with one of them.

 

Kindly suggest me.

[rkreddy]

Hello All,

 

Who is better, kindly do let me know? I am planning to have my second HT with one of them.

 

Kindly suggest me.

[Maxxy]

Rkreddy,

 

I don't think you are going to get the answer you want on this one.

 

Both Doc's are very respected and amongst the best out there.

 

When it comes to the coalition and other top doctors, it becomes more a matter of preference.

 

I may be wrong but I don't think many people are going tell you one is better then the other.

[Foundation]

Yea, I did some serious research before I did my last HT and ended up with Dr. Feller for two reasons. First, he was one of the three most respected and suggested doctors on here. Second, he was a few miles from my house. So, my answer I think would be location, location, location.

[TonySC]

rkready,

 

I just had my first HT procedure 3 weeks ago and it was with Dr. Cooley. I selected Dr. Cooley because of his reputation in the HT field, his results, and his honesty. He also was selected along with Dr. Rose in September by other Hair transplant doctor's as the best in there field in research and staying up with the best technology to use with HT's. He and his staff are best in class. I can only speak for my experience with Dr. Cooley and his awesome staff. They ALL go above and beyond the call of duty.

 

I would schedule an appointment with both Dr's and then you will know which way to go. And also do your research on each and then you will have the piece of mind with which doctor to go with.

 

Good luck!

[mrkneed]

I know Dr. Feller is highly regarded in the field however I made 2 attempts via his assistant to have a consultation about 9 months ago and he nor she ever returned my phone calls.

[latinlotus]

I don't think you would make a wrong decision with either Cooley or Feller. I had HT with dr. Cooley, but you can count on Dr. Feller being a straight shooter and who takes great pride in his work. He got amazing and consistent results as well. As for dr. Cooley, you can check my weblog for reasons why I went with him.

 

Ask some of dr.Feller's patients, I am sure they can give plenty of reason why they went with him.

 

At the end of the day, your decision should be based on how comfortable you are with each doctor's approach.

[hairdoyle]

I am booked wirth Dr.Fellerr for April and I rang the first day and spoke to Marcia and she put me in touch with Spex would help people in Europe..

 

I have to admit all emails/phone calls were answered straight away (even at all hours at night)

 

Marcia was very helpful remembering me from previous phone calls also...

 

good work!!

[Rachmunas4life]

Originally posted by mrkneed:

I know Dr. Feller is highly regarded in the field however I made 2 attempts via his assistant to have a consultation about 9 months ago and he nor she ever returned my phone calls.

 

Me too I'm sad to say! They were the FIRST office I contacted by e-mail a few months ago due to reputation on here, but I never got a reply.

 

But then again Spex said in my thread that I don't need a hair transplant, unlike the other top surgeons I have visited, so I figured that was the answer.

 

It's too late I'm going somewhere else...

[justgrow]

You are not alone. I had the same type of experince with Dr. Feller.

 

I sent the pictures to Dr. Feller over a year ago when I was thinking of my second surgery. I called them and they said they lost the pics. I sent another set of pics as per her(Marcia)request for Dr. Feller to review and waited for a response For a few weeks. I then called again because I heard nothing. When I did they told me they lost my pics again. They said they would find them and call me. still have not gotten the phone call. I Started thinking I did not need the aggrivation of trying to chase them around and wondered would it be the same way if I had a post op problem or questions. So I am booked somewhere else.

 

I like the work of both docs but I really am truly impressed with Dr. Cooley's

work as of late.

 

This was just my personal experience and these are just the facts.

[latinlotus]

Justgrow:

I had the same experience as yours. Although dr. Feller's work is amazing and he seems to be a very honest/dedicated doctor, his on-line consultation process needs to be improved.

[Rachmunas4life]

Wow 4 unhappy guys so far in just a few days on this thread! Can you imagine how many others are having problems trying to get answers from Dr. Fellers staff? 4 guys alone could have been over $50,000 profit for their clinic!

 

Whom ever is in charge of receiving e-mails and calls should be talked to in a quiet room and explained that this is their job!

 

I am a consultant for a surgical team (not hair related) and even though I'm swamped with e-mails and calls, it is my job to assist to the best of my abilities!

[Dr. Alan Feller]

This seems to be much to do about nothing. We receive hundreds of emails per day and over a hundred telephone calls and have had no significant problems with being contacted in 15 years of practice. Furthermore, I'm on this site every day and so is Spex. I have not received PMs from any of the people in this thread claiming they couldn't contact me. I'm about as accessible as any doctor in this field can get, and so is Spex.

 

Internet contacts:

We've received the complaints mentioned in this thread before and each and every time it's been because we either never received the emails, or they were caught in the spam filter, or the photo attachments sent by the perspective patient were too large to make it through email. This last issue is VERY common.

 

As for us 'losing' photos, that's impossible, and so there is obviously some miscommunication there. We can't lose photos because they are either in the email account or they are not.

 

We receive hundreds of emails per day and we read every single one of them. If there are photos attached Marcia will show them to me for my opinion and then will write straight back to the potential patient with my suggestions.

 

Some patients expect us to call them after sending us an email. We will not do that as too many people send someone else's phone number in order to play a practical joke. Sad but true.

 

It is up to each patient to send their email and then call Marcia to confirm it was received. Then, after the pictures in the email have been viewed by me, an email will go back to the patient telling them to CALL us at their convenience to work out the details of setting up a surgical date.

 

 

Telephone contacts:

 

As for telephoning, we are here M-F from 8am to 5pm and every phone call is answered. There is no opportunity for someone to leave a message during business hours. For European patients Spex is available at times more conducive for your time zone.

 

 

We have used the above routine for years without a problem. There really is no more efficient way then this method. Even so, some of you will fall through the cracks, and for that we sincerely apologize. But we have never had a patient fail to get through to us in a timely and responsible manner.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I have heard of some problems with emails sent to Dr Feller in the past but before I choose Shapiro I really researched Dr Feller and he and Spex answered all my questions within a reasonable time frame

[justgrow]

I was told that the second set of photo's were received but they were misplaced when I called a few weeks later. Is that that the same as losing them?

 

I did contact Marcia the second time to confirm.

However I never got the email or phone call on your recommendation.

That is why I called. I did everything I should have done. I must have been one of the few that"slipped through the cracks" I agree that there must have been a miscommunication some where along the way. At least I am not the only one. As far as a PM...I thought that an actual phone call was more effective than an email any day. That is what I did.

 

I am not trying to launch an attack at all. I am not the type of guy that makes things up either. What I stated was my personal experience and Fact.

 

It really is "much to do about nothing" and I guess even a little silly

I am happy with my choice.

 

Best Regards to you Dr. Feller and thanks for responding and explaining

[dakota3]

I also had a hard time getting a response from Dr. Feller. I emailed pics and called the office and each time I got " he hasnt looked at the pictures yet but once he does we'll get back to you". Finally I talked to Spex who was very helpful.

[Bill - Seemiller]

For those having a problem getting a hold of Dr. Feller by email, consider sending him or Spex a private message on this site.

 

Dr. Feller,

 

I never have a problem getting a response from you when I write you at your email address. However, I too once upon a time had a hard time getting a response from someone at your clinic when I was considering you for my second procedure. It was actually the lack of and quality of response that turned my head from your clinic.

 

You may want to talk to Marcia (or whomever is monitoring the main clinic's email address) to be sure she's being as prompt and thorough as possible.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[hairthere]

My experience was i called dr. f up, made an appointment and had the surgery. no big deal.

[Dewayne]

I had similar issues as you all, except with different clinics! The only reason I didn't go to Feller was the distance, and the fact it was in NYC.

 

But, I can tell you a lot of clinics have these issues and I learned to just bear it and overlook a lot of it.

 

I'm positive these clinics are overloaded with contact with people who'll never have a transplant. My advice is to understand this up front and try again. It's worth it.

[thanatopsis_awry]

I wouldn't call it rampant, but I've seen these complaints pop up rather frequently. Personally, I had no problem -- and *many* others have had zero problem, as well. Still, it seems like there might be something infringing upon the consistency of the process. I do wonder how much just has to do with Dr. Feller's visilibty and busyness, too....

 

I'd like to add that post-surgery I have had *zero* problems, and Dr. Feller/Spex have been *amazingly* accessible and thoughtful along the way. And, in fact, I've never heard anything but positive remarks about their accessibility in post-surgery care, FWIW.

[latinlotus]

I just want to add that the few times i contacted dr. Feller by PM, he answered me immediately.

 

I think the issue is more technological (eg. emails lost etc...)

[Ceasar08]

I've never had a problem. Sometimes you just have to be extra patient and follow-up on your inquiries a few times.

 

I think that it makes sense that the best doctors are going to have clogged e-mail boxes, busy phone lines, and long waiting times when scheduling surgery. It's the trade off of going to someone with a great reputation.

 

I'd be more concerned with the doctors who answer my e-mail in thirty seconds, follow-up with ten phone calls, and then offer to do the transplant the following day.

[Maxxy]

Hey Spex,

 

It is good for people that use this forum as well as others and know that you work with Dr. Feller and can get in contact with you via the forum/e-mail, but many people won't know that fact or don't use the forums.

 

For whatever reason, a lot of people are still not getting through to the clinic - both via e-mail and/or some calls not being replied to.

 

I understand Dr. Feller's clinic is very busy, the 4 months waiting list confirms this, but if people are e-mailing and/or calling - each of them should be responded to.

 

Do any of the other top clinics suffer to this extent with communication problems?

 

Dr. Feller has explained why this may be the case:

 

 

We've received the complaints mentioned in this thread before and each and every time it's been because we either never received the emails, or they were caught in the spam filter, or the photo attachments sent by the perspective patient were too large to make it through email. This last issue is VERY common.

 

Could the spam folder not be checked on a daily basis? This may require more man power but as someone pointed out, 4 lost patients due to this spam filter - could be $50,000 in lost revenue, and people wouldn't feel ignored. If the spam filter is the type that ejects the e-mail maybe this could be changed just to flag them as spam, prepending "**SPAM**" to the topic?

 

If the photo was to large, would it not just drop the image attachment? If the patient didn't notice this, it could be pointed out by the clinic that it has been rejected.

 

If an e-mail isn't getting through because the image is too large, couldn't this be changed... as Dr.Feller stated this is "VERY common".

 

 

As for us 'losing' photos, that's impossible, and so there is obviously some miscommunication there. We can't lose photos because they are either in the email account or they are not.

 

Maybe whoever told Justgrow his photos have been lost was actually referring to them not being recieved, maybe lost to the spam filter.

 

When I was looking into Dr. Feller sometime ago, Spex always answered my e-mails. On the 2 e-mails I have sent to Dr. Fellers office, only 1 was answered.

[Dewayne]

Originally posted by Ceasar08:

I've never had a problem. Sometimes you just have to be extra patient and follow-up on your inquiries a few times.

 

I think that it makes sense that the best doctors are going to have clogged e-mail boxes, busy phone lines, and long waiting times when scheduling surgery. It's the trade off of going to someone with a great reputation.

 

I'd be more concerned with the doctors who answer my e-mail in thirty seconds, follow-up with ten phone calls, and then offer to do the transplant the following day.

 

Ceaser,

 

That is about the smartest post I've read in quiet a while, and I couldn't agree more. Initially, I felt Dr. Cooley was difficult to reach but I kept on and found that if I email him personally he usually checks it every morning just before 7 a.m. and responds.

 

He's in the operating room all day, so I quickly figured out why he wasn't sitting by the phone all day.

[latinlotus]

Ceaser: i completely agree with you.

 

Dr. Cooley actually called me back the same day i submitted my pics on line. Granted, he called at 8 pm after his surgery. He was the only doctor who called me back. Even though the conversation lasted only about 5 minutes, i was sold. I always remembered that when i book with him a year later.