Unethical practices?
Hello, I am a patient and I went to an acupuncturist who practices functional medicine. They had me sign a non refundable contract for a high cost package. They said this was to show commitment to the process which they dedicate a lot of time to. Then, after I signed and paid I received a note about their fees for once the package is completed. I can’t afford them so unfortunately the goal of working with them long term is not an option for me due to the high costs. I had concerns about them potentially having some questionable attitudes around fees but this caught me off guard. They’ve also threatened that if I don’t complete the program within the 30 days of my good faith estimate I will lose my investment.
The rub is that I wouldn’t have started working with them at all if I had been informed of these rates(which are absurdly high)- is this something I can as a patient report to the board? Can they take my non refundable payment and refuse service if I don’t schedule the appointments within the good faith estimate time frame?
All of it seems incredibly unethical and at the very least uncaring and rather uncompassionate.
What recourse is there when an acupuncturist does something like this and is there anything I can do to protect myself and stop them doing this to anyone else? I’m considering claims court but I’m not sure if it’s my fault or if I’m correct to assume this is unethical behavior for a health professional.
Thank you