I'm hoping to help others who, apparently had pleasant experiences when the Dermatology center was owned by Dr. Pruett--who I am guessing had a great reputation...he is no longer in the building. I have a susceptibility to in grown hairs and, specifically, a history of cysts, due to my thick curly hair. I had discovered a cyst on my face about six years ago when it was very small and unnoticeable. Over the course of the past two months, it was still unnoticeable to others, but I could tell it had grown in size. Knowing that its growth only leads to infection and bigger problems, I wanted to be proactive and have it extracted. I turned to the internet, and found that Keys Dermatology had a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. I called and informed the person who answered the phone of the situation, and that I wanted to schedule a surgery. She told me that the next available appointment was a week and a half away, so, I scheduled it for that morning, taking off work, and allowing two days for recovery, if need be. I showed up early to fill out necessary paperwork, and got in at my scheduled appointment time. In discussions with the aid who took me back to the examination room, it turns out that my request for cyst removal was not communicated on the paperwork that I had been provided by the lady who took the appointment, and that the odds on my having it removed that day were slim to none, but, I could speak with the doctor. Two minutes later, Dr. V came into the room. I repeated to him, what I had conveyed three times prior, that I needed the cyst on my face removed before it became infected. He agreed that I did indeed have a cyst, and then proceeded to ask me if I smoked. I told him that I did--not knowing what that had to do with anything--and he proceeded to tell me that, given the cyst's location, that would make sense. I told him that my prior two cysts were on my back, so, I didn't understand his logic. He then proceeded to tell me that I ran a huge risk for infections, that I would have a permanent scar, that the scar would be small, but, if I chewed or smiled, it could be a bigger scar. I stared at him dumbfounded, and then asked if he could remove it. He told me that they never schedule surgeries on the same day as consultations. WHAT CONSULTATION? I told you what I had, and you agreed with me, and, had I not had similar incidents in my past, your warning to me might very well have scared me out of having the procedure done to begin with, assuring further problems for me down the road. Thanks. Had I known I was in for a consultation when I made the appointment, not a surgery, I probably wouldn't have been as upset, but, the lady who made the appointment never relayed that to me--and if that's the policy of office, she surely should have. I asked when was the earliest time I could have the procedure, and was told I'd have to make an appointment for it on my way out. The earliest date was three weeks away, but, I was told, I could call the office as often as I liked to see if there was a cancellation...EXCUSE ME? Shouldn't YOU be calling ME to tell me that there's an earlier cancellation? My time is valuable, too. I paid $91 to sit in a chair with paper on the back of it for less than ten minutes--my appointment was at 9:15, and when I checked the time when I got to the car, it was 9:25. I might have gotten in a tad earlier, but, still. This was a Monday, and by Wednesday I had gone to a different doctor in the same building, and the cyst was removed in less than a half hour. So, given that I would be charged $50 if I was a no show, or didn't cancel in the appropriate amount of time, the Thursday morning after my surgery, I called the office and asked to cancel my appointment for surgery with them. I was told by the person on the phone that she wasn't authorized to cancel my appointment, and forwarded my call to the person who could--telling me to leave my name and number if she didn't answer, which I did. I heard nothing for the rest of the day. I called back again the next day to cancel, and was greeted by the same line of bull that the person answering the phone wasn't capable of cancelling, and they again tried to forward me to the person who could, after verifying that my appointment was still on the books. I could only assume that this was their attempt at milking another $50 bucks out of me, hoping with the prior day's voicemail that my appointment would be cancelled. I was livid. I informed her that if I was charged $50 dollars, I would dispute that charge, and that if I didn't hear from them by the end of the business day, I would go about taking the steps to dispute the original pointless $91 that I paid upon my initial visit. A couple of hours later, I got a phone call from the office, and my appointment was cancelled. God forbid, if I ever have another cyst in need of removal, and Keys Dermatology was my only local option, I would book a flight to the mainland and have it taken care of there. read more
