In a nutshell, the training and rehab services for my teenage daughters was completely useless and in some ways counterproductive, and when I challenged the billing clerk who called me about my small remaining balance, rather than address my grievances, she just sent it straight to collections! And now it has hit my credit score! So, because of a small remaining balance (after more than $1200 in prior payments), my family's financial future has been severely impacted. Sorry, but I'm not going to knuckle under to extortion. THIS IS WAR.
Here are more details. About two years ago, my younger daughter was having a lot of sports-related shoulder pain, so I took her to a series of rehab sessions after an acquaintance told me that Brisby gave discounts for local high school athletes. They had her do a lot of silly "T's and Y's" on an exercise ball along with various other rehab activities like ultrasound stimulus and Lord knows what else. None of it did a bit of good. So, she would just rest a few days and then keep trying to play. Then, her lower back began hurting, so I called Brisby about it and he had her come in for some spinal adjustments, which only made it worse and inhibited her ability to play at all. Moreover, I later learned that he offered no discount for Santa Barbara High athletes--only for DP and SM, apparently because SBHS didn't pay a required retainer fee that year. So, all the time spent pulling her out of school and me leaving work to drop her off and pick her up was completely worthless, and it was priced way higher than I expected.
Nevertheless, I continued to pay the bills they sent me until it became clear that there was no benefit at all. I was so unhappy that I couldn't bring myself to pay the very last bill, but rather than Brisby calling me to discuss it and try to "make it right," he just sent my tiny $160 balance straight to collections! I gave my dispute statement to the collection agency, and they just sent a negative report to the credit agencies! Now my credit score has taken a hit over this small balance. Although I have filed a dispute, my credit score is probably about 50 points lower. The rights of the consumer have been completely trampled. Apparently my dissatisfaction with the service doesn't matter. Is it really that easy for a low-quality service provider to ruin a dissatisfied client's credit? Is there really nothing I can do about this extortion?
There's more to the story. Prior to this episode with my younger daughter, I had bought my older daughter a package of 10 workout sessions at The Training Room for $700 or so. At the end of it, I asked her if she learned enough to train on her own at a gym, but she didn't. The workouts they had her do were obscure exercises on specialized machines that she couldn't do on her own. If she couldn't continue on her own, then this 10-session package was a total waste.
So, as an athlete and fitness enthusiast myself who still works out regularly, I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. I had both daughters join a local fitness center, and I spent 30 minutes showing them how to use the equipment and do basic strength training. In the case of my younger daughter, she simply needed to strengthen her back and rear deltoids in order to better stabilize her shoulder. After several weeks of strength training to balance her shoulders, her sports-related pain had disappeared completely. In addition, my older daughter also took my basic instruction and ran with it, and now she is happy and fit and completely self-sufficient in the gym. Joining a gym and getting some basic instruction was all that either of my daughters needed. Brisby's Training Room was completely useless and a total waste of time and money.
Now my lowered credit score is costing me money and opportunities, thanks to the good Dr. Brisby, but I'm not going to sit here and take it. This Yelp posting is my first retaliatory salvo. He offers absolutely no customer service or compassion for the client. I strongly recommend you avoid this place at all costs. There are plenty of better facilities in town, whether you need rehab, fitness training, or chiropractic care. Don't risk getting at odds with this outfit because they won't hesitate to screw you over it. read more
