Yesterday, on 1.9.20, I called and spoke with Daniel with WVT - Salem to schedule a medical transport ride to a doctor appointment for my mother, who is 84-years-old, has stage 3 congestive heart failure, is in constant A-Fib and was hospitalized the day before for dangerously low blood pressure, kidney stones and a UTI. My mother is also recovering from a broken hip and uses a walker due to balance, pain and fatigue issues. She is very, very unstable on her feet.
I told Daniel that I needed a driver to pick up my Mother the following morning (today) at 9:30am for a 10:30am doctor appointment. I told Daniel to schedule the driver to bring a wheelchair to my mother's assisted living apartment and pick her up there, as she was too weak to walk to the lobby to access her ride, since she had just gotten out of the hospital the day before.
Daniel confirmed that he had a driver available that could do a 9:30am pickup, and that the driver would pick my mother up in her apartment. Daniel then confirmed her apartment number.
At 9:50 this morning, my mother called me to let me know that the driver had not yet arrived. In a panic, I immediately called Daniel and reported this to him. Daniel said that the driver was indeed there. I told him that my mother had just called me 30 seconds ago and the driver was NOT there. Come to find out, the driver had been sitting outside "waiting" for my mother to come out! Daniel reported to me that the driver had not read the "comments" section on his work order, which instructed him to pick my mother up from her apartment, and that he would give me a 25% discount off the bill.
And, as if that wasn't enough, when the driver arrived at my Mother's doctor's office, he didn't get the wheelchair out for her and made her walk from the parking space into the doctor's office WITHOUT HER MEDICALLY NECESSARY WALKER (which she left in her apartment thinking she would have access to a wheelchair) OR THE WHEELCHAIR HE HAD INSIDE HIS TRANSPORT VEHICLE!! What kind of a dunce is he??!!
Then, when he came back to pick my mother up after her appointment, he waited in his vehicle for her to come out! My mother's 90-year-old boyfriend that was with her, who is legally blind and deaf, had to walk outside in the rain storm we had today, with wind gusts of 40 mph, and demand that the driver bring the wheelchair inside to get my mother!
I was livid, as you can imagine, when I heard all of this! I immediately called Daniel and reported the story to him, told him that I would not be paying the bill to transport my mother from Woodburn to NW Salem, and asked him to have the manager call me. I never received that call. I told Daniel that if my mother had fallen while the driver watched her walk unassisted and supported, contrary to instructions on his work order, this would have become a serious legal issue......
THINK TWICE BEFORE EVER SCHEDULING A RIDE FOR YOUR LOVED WITH WILLAMETTE VALLEY TRANSPORT - SALEM! There were numerous mistakes made during this trip. The driver did not know where he was going when he arrived in NW Salem and weaved between lanes without using his signal, it appeared to my mother. The driver told my mother that the reason he was late was because he forgot the wheelchair and had to go back and get it; THE WHEELCHAIR THAT HE DIDN'T USE WITH MY MOTHER UNTIL HER 90-YEAR OLD BOYFRIEND DEMANDED IT!
There is no excuse for what happened today and the risk WVT-Salem put my mother in!!
I just noticed that I received the bill for this trip in my email inbox: $83. WVT-Salem is getting a YELP and GOOGLE review instead of a check........ read more
