Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had stem cell treatment to help regrow tissue from a herniated disc at **** **** *******. As part of the recovery, they advised me that I would need elevated testosterone levels for 12 months following the procedure, and provided a referral for BioBalance Health as they have worked with them in the past for this issue. When I began the new patient process at BioBalance they were skeptical due to my age, but agreed to meet and treat me once I explained the short term nature of the treatment and the origin of my referral. I met with a nurse who was hesitant about TRT due to age related risks, which I'm familiar with. I agreed to take an alternative treatment using an injectable peptide that could potentially provide the same results, with the understanding that they would be fine providing TRT if there were no results after a few months. The consultations and medications were not covered by my insurance and each visit was costly. After a period of consistent peptide use, I got new labs and met to discuss. Sure enough, there had been no progress on my hormone levels and they agreed to schedule an appointment for testosterone pellet injections. I confirmed the appointment for 1/10/23 on 12/14, scheduled PTO, and scheduled a final consult on 12/19 where I expected to review the procedure and the next steps with Dr. ******. During this consult I instead learned that she had decided to cancel the new appointment and was refusing to provide me treatment. She very rudely explained that she didn't think I needed it and I must have misunderstood the doctor at **** ****, and they would never provide the requested treatment. She refunded the cost of the 12/19 consult, $250, but I had still paid hundreds for consults and ineffective treatment, and was months out from the procedure at **** **** with no resolution to the hormone replacement issue. I feel like I was strung along for the purpose of charging for costly office visits with no intent to ever provide the treatment.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  We are a medical practice that specializes in hormone
  replacement treatment (HRT) for aging men and women. We are very
  cautious in selecting whom our patients will be and utilize a process to
  screen out those for whom HRT is not appropriate. One such group is
  young men who are not finished with creating their families yet want
  testosterone replacement.

  Testosterone for such individuals is
  generally contraindicated because of the risk of infertility after
  testosterone replacement, and because it commits them to a lifetime of
  testosterone replacement. Although there are exceptions to every rule,
  it is the absolute prerogative of a medical professional to refuse to
  administer testosterone treatment based upon her training, and
  experience.

  The complainant states he wanted to boost his
  testosterone levels to assist in his healing from a stem cell procedure
  by another practice; and our practice informed him that testosterone
  treatment for a man of his age and interest in perhaps someday starting a
  family was not a recommended protocol. Instead, we suggested an
  alternative of an injectable peptide that could work without the risk of
  testosterone. The peptide treatment, like every medical treatment, was
  not guaranteed to work; and, unfortunately, it did not elevate the
  complainant's testosterone levels.

  The key to this complaint lies
  in its fifth sentence: "I agreed to take an alternative treatment using
  an injectable peptide that could potentially provide the same results,
  with the understanding that they would be fine providing TRT if there
  were no results after a few months."

  There was no such
  understanding; but the complainant insisted on scheduling an appointment
  to receive testosterone. Before he could receive this treatment,
  however, his situation needed to be reviewed and approved by the founder
  of the practice, a board-certified physician with more than forty years
  of experience whose book on hormone replacement therapy has been
  published in three languages in seven countries. That doctor made the
  medical decision not to allow the testosterone treatment.

  The
  remedy sought by the complainant is a bit unclear, but it seems to be
  the costs he incurred with the injectable peptide. We reject this
  solution because, as the complainant acknowledges, that treatment merely
  had the potential to yield the desired result.

  Additionally,
  another physician in the practice checked with the complainant's stem
  cell doctor because of the complainant's insistence that that doctor had
  assured him that our practice would give him testosterone. That doctor
  denied having made any such statement; and it would have been highly
  improper for one doctor to tell another how to practice her profession.
  While no one likes having a complaint filed with the BBB, this complaint
  is wholly without merit.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/01/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the response from the business is simply incorrect. There was an understanding from the very first conversation that the peptide solution was being offered to try and avoid a testosterone prescription, but TRT would be provided if the peptide injections did not produce the required results. They made very sure I understood the risks about starting a family, which I did, but there was never any indication that they would refuse to provide testosterone injections. I did not “insist” on scheduling a testosterone injection, I met with the provider to review my lab results and during that meeting they agreed to schedule an appointment for it as was initially discussed. This can be seen in the screenshots I attached to my complaint of our email conversation. Additionally I spoke with my doctor at **** **** who told me he had not received any correspondence from BioBalance regarding me or my treatment.
  
  
  The crux of the issue is that they took me on as a referral from **** ****, a clinic they are familiar with for an issue they have worked on before. They said from the very first meeting that they would be willing to provide me testosterone only after I tried an alternative solution and they were sure I was educated on the risks. The solution they provided had zero impact on my testosterone levels and until the very last minute they were acting like they would follow through with the plan we made, only to cancel it after I had already made arrangements based on a poorly articulated concern for the future of my family despite me being well aware of the risks and capable of making an informed decision. I am asserting based on this that they never intended to provide TRT treatment and were only interested in costly office visits and medication despite the assurances from their staff. Based on this I believe I am entitled to a refund as I would never have agreed to receive treatment from them if I knew from the start they would not provide TRT. Because of their refusal to be honest and upfront about their intentions from the start I wasted both my money and more importantly valuable time needed for recovery post procedure. I can’t get my time back nor can I go back in time and have the properly elevated hormone levels needed for recovery, but I can try to recover financially from the money wasted on a dead end procedure. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** *******