I heard about the Laser and Dermatology Institute of CA on the radio. They have tons of "radio commercials" that sound like a real radio program. I made an appointment for the center in Beverly Hills on Wilshire for a free consultation. I wanted to resolve an issue of sun damage on my face, which I had hoped that laser skin resurfacing could help. When I got to the office they quickly escorted me in to a small "chat room" (not an examination room.) A young gentleman came in and gave me a wet wipe to wash off my face. I assumed that my makeup was being removed as a prep prior to meeting the doctor. Nope! Next guy entering the room was a salesman! He was worse than ANY used car sales guy I have ever met. He became irate and snippy when I asked questions about the lasers. He said it was "far too complicated" for me to understand. He then said that any treatment to my face would cost between $8, 000 and $9, 000 and was I willing to commit to spending that amount today. No meeting with the doctor, no explanation of what the treatment entails and no respect or courtesy. I need to commit to spending up to $9, 000 before I can MEET the doctor. Unbelievable! I should have known. On the table of our "chat room" was brochures on how to finance your treatments. When I announced to my salesman that I wanted to do more research before making a commitment, he jumped up and opened the door and said "you can leave by the back door." Apparently they don't want "rejects" (i.e. those that question the cost and treatment before coughing up money) walking out through the lobby. The backdoor dumps you with a clear exit back to the parking lot. They don't even say "thanks for coming."

I have seen health clubs that don't really care about helping people get healthy, they only care about running their business and signing up members so that they can make $$$. I've also seen educational institutions that seem more concerned with the making money that with educating people, but in the medical community we would like to believe that they can care for patients, provide high quality medical treatment and still earn a fair income from their practice. The Laser and Dermatology Institute of CA is pathetic. Potential patients walking through their doors are looking for help - hitting them with some slimy salesman with a rude and unprofessional attitude is disgraceful.

I would like to add that I read online many people praising LDI for fixing their problem. I'm not sure if these praises are seeded by LDI or if these individuals went to a different LDI location and met with different experiences. I can only speak to my experience with the LDI in Beverly Hills. I also cannot tell you if the $9, 000 laser treatments would have resolved my problem. Again, I was not permitted to meet with the doctor until I signed papers agreeing to the $9, 000 treatment plan. I ended up going to a regular dermatologist in a doctor's office and paying around $3800.