Part #1
Let me preface my story by saying my stay at a Miami Recovery Home in 2022 #horrible. IN this series of blogs, I’ll be laying out the facts, text conversations, emails, and in-person communication I exchanged with the recovery home’s owner from January 10, 2022 – March 17, 2022. I’ve laid out my story to help clear my mind and share my horrible overall service experience.
January 10, 2022 – Initial Contact
I knew I wanted my next round of plastic surgery to be with Dr. Zuri, and I was looking for recovery homes in the area. After coming across a Recovery Home, I made a booking request via email providing all the details requested, in addition to 8 questions that I knew I’d want a clear answer on before I’d commit to booking this home.
January 13, 2022 – Response from this Recovery Home Owner
The owner responds with an email which includes instructions to call her phone. When I called, she said she didn’t like responding to emails (Red flag #1 – When someone doesn’t like written documentation you can use later) and that I had too many questions, making it easier to talk on the phone instead of typing it out.
Some of these questions included:
- How long are the massages that are included as part of the package?
- Is there an additional fee for more than one post-op appointment, as there are usually 2-3 appointments?
- What is the setup for sleeping positions for individuals who have had BBLs and breast augmentation?
After our conversation, where I felt she’d skillfully answered my questions, I requested the contract to be sent to secure my dates and I returned it to her the same day.
Having done research, there was a single one-star review on Google for this Recovery Home among many highly rated reviews, so I proceeded to send my deposit on Zelle. The deposit was $250 and these recovery homes don’t take credit cards as a form of payment (Red flag #2 – You won’t be able to dispute the charges)
February 16, 2022 – Establishment of Itinerary
In preparation for my trip to Florida for surgery and recovery, I texted all my flight details including arrival times and recovery home owner responded that her driver would pick me up.
February 22, 2022 – Arrival in Miami
I arrived at the Miami airport around 10:30am, communicated via What’s App with her driver, who arrived on time – a good sign! We had a friendly conversation, which was more like a prep talk – on our 30-40 drive to “this Recovery Home,” I learned some new information from the driver:
- The recovery home owner lives in the home
- The owner has one assistant who does the cooking, caregiving (No driving)
- Don’t roll my bags/suitcase on her floors
Once I arrived It was only myself and the recovery home owner- I settled into the room on the 1st floor, which had 2 twin beds on nice frames but had air mattresses. She hung my coat and I began to unpack my laptop and things to get some work done. I asked her if I could set it up at the dining room table, but she told me no and provided a food tray table in the main room. Mind you, the main room has the recliner and couch with recliners at each end. When I asked, there were also no bar stools or regular chairs available. Owner sat in the single recliner watching the news and gossip on a high volume, while I squeezed my laptop & flat monitor onto this tiny table to conduct my meetings.
And then…a small dog emerges from the kitchen. I told her I’m afraid of dogs and I was not aware there was an animal in the house. She shoved it off by stating, “It’s a tiny dog; ‘He’ don’t bother anybody and she’d rather live with a dog than a man as she lives alone” (her words not mine). Now this dog kept coming by me and even attempted to jump on the couch despite her telling him to go lay down.
It was around noon when she told me I had to leave with her to go pick up another girl from the airport and wait at her pre-op appnt. I asked why I couldn’t stay there as I had meetings in pacific time (PST) and she said “she doesn’t leave people in her home alone but she’d be willing to drop me off at Starbucks”. WTF? I told her I was a remote worker and would require a workspace; when I’d first spoken with her on the phone a few weeks prior she told me she could accommodate (Red Flag #3)
Stay tuned for Part #2…