PLEASE READ THIS IN IT'S ENTIRETY BEFORE TAKING YOUR ELDERLY LOVED ONE TO MAGGIE AT NEXT STEP ELDER ASSIST:
After my grandfather became suddenly ill in October, my mother and I took my grandmother to see Maggie at Next Step Elder Assist for financial planning. I cannot begin to say how many things went wrong in the following meetings and subsequent contacts, but allow me to attempt to list just a few of them here.
- At neither of the 2 meetings with Maggie, the first of which was approximately 2.5 hours long, the second of which was approximately 1.5 hours long, was my grandmother ever made to fully understand what she had come to ask about. This was even after my grandmother asked the same questions multiple times. Maggie couldn't explain things in a way that either my grandmother or my mother could understand, even in that lengthy amount of time.
- I contacted Maggie and specifically asked her to bill ME for the time we spoke, and to NOT bill my grandmother as expenses were a big concern for her, and the stress of my grandfather being in the hospital had even caused her to fall. Maggie agreed to bill ME for our talk. Regrettably, she failed in that regard as you'll see after the next bullet.
- When one of the siblings had questions regarding matters related to Maggie's recommendations to my grandmother they contacted Maggie. This person was never at any meetings with my grandmother, and my grandmother never knew in advance that this sibling was going to contact Maggie. In addition, my grandmother ever authorized Maggie to speak with this sibling. Maggie did however, choose to speak with them of her own accord in what she later described to me as "general" terms.
- A few weeks later my grandmother called me very upset and obviously overwhelmed and on the verge of tears because SHE Got a Significant Bill for the call from the Unauthorized Sibling Maggie Chose To Entertain, WITHOUT My Grandmother's Consent, as well as from MY call that she ASSURED me she would bill ME for and NOT my grandmother. I obviously felt responsible as I'm the one who had found this company and so I told my grandmother that I would call Maggie and straighten out the bill. But by this time she was so frightened that it would only rack up more costly charges at $300 or $350/hr (I don't remember off-hand which was her fee, but somewhere in there.) that she wouldn't allow me to contact Maggie's office for fear of additional charges.
- Toward the end of November, my grandfather passed and I was instructed by my mother to make a call to Maggie, but to keep it very brief. I was told to simply tell her that my grandfather had passed and that my grandmother would no longer need her services. As instructed, I made the phone call. As I received Maggie's voicemail, I left a succinct message stating just what I was told to say.
- I received a call from my very tearful and upset grandmother today. She received a $40 charge from my phone call. She again asked me to not call her anymore. I explained the only phonecall that I had made was the voicemail message back in November and that surely that didn't cost $40. My grandmother said that it was from November, and that the bill was for ".25" and was "$40". This was after we were told from the very beginning that a call less than 5 minutes would not be charged.
- I could go on, but I believe the details here paint a clear enough picture by simply stating Some of our situation. Please take from it what you will. All the best to you. read more
