I am saddened to announce ....

[Guest guest]

I have met and participated in meetings with many of you who live in ,

or have visited, the FL area. As you know, I had weight loss surgery in

Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 1999 . It has been my purpose to support and

uplift all who express an interest in, and in fact have had weight loss

surgery.

I know it to be a difficult transition. During the " should I phase " and

even after, the integrity of those helping and supporting you can not be

an issue. You have enough to worry about.

Some months ago, a company approached me and asked me to listen to what

they proposed to do to enhance the process for potential patients of

this surgery.

Their approach seemed reasonable, and I lent my professional name and

public support to their efforts in an agreed on, contract basis per

hour. My efforts were directed by the Chief Operating Officer. At her

specific direction and request, my services included running support

group meetings , counseling patients or prospective patients as needed,

appearing at marketing functions, and being a medical reference for

patients experiencing difficulty and needing support. Additionally I was

requested to prepare and conduct a " sample " dinner consisting of various

main course meals, suitable for weight loss surgery patients, which I

prepared and transported to the meeting site as directed.

I have outstanding invoices for my services since June 2003. Numerous

duplicate invoices and requests have been made to the Chief Operating

Officer, who directed me as to what to do for her company and when to do

it.

I am NOT the only business entity or person experiencing difficulty

getting payment in a timely manner for services or material goods

provided .

The pattern seems to be that the Chief Operating Officer orders/buys

goods and services, making commitments, but payment comes from an office

in Tampa, FL. When payment is not forthcoming in a timely manner, it is

the fault of the people in Tampa, Fl. So in my experience it is a

classic run around, which in my case results in nonpayment for work

completed almost 6 months ago .

Having endured non - payment long enough, I prepared a final demand for

payment with duplicate detailed invoices, to be hand delivered to the

Chief Operating Officer on the morning of 24 Nov 2003. A reading of the

final demand for payment of services ordered by the Chief Operating

Officer and delivered by me since June 2003 would seem to show a pretty

clear situation.

Today I received a partial payment of less than $800.00 (one half of

money billed) with an explanation from the Tampa office that my

invoices have been altered and adjusted by the individual in Tampa, FL,

who having no real knowledge of what was ordered or delivered in the way

of services, nor time expended at the request of the Chief Operating

Officer has failed to include any written explanation of WHAT was

judged by himself to be not due or payable.

Needless to say, I am withdrawing my support of this organization. Any

company that asks for and directs your efforts for almost six months

and then refuses to pay for such, is not, in my opinion and experience,

trustworthy.

Additionally, I have come to personally doubt the value received for the

price paid to this organization. There is NO " special track " for getting

surgeries approved, and the after surgery support is widely available

for free to all that seek it. Fortunately for the patients , the

physician performing the surgery is superior.

Beginning Monday, December 1, 2003 I will research Florida public

records that exist on this organization , WHO really is empowered to

order services and WHO is responsible for payment and fulfillment of

promises made by members of this organization.

I have contacted several doctor's offices about this group and in fact

helped them solicit and acquire a prominent local physician ' s weight

loss patients for support purposes. I will be recontacting these

doctors to explain what has transpired and why I no longer feel it is

appropriate for me to support the marketing practices or claims of this

company. Additionally I will be reiterating to these doctors, the

various support resources available to their patients.

Thank you for reading this far. Should anyone be interested, I will

post developments as they occur. I will also provide what public

records I find to this group. I have thought long and hard about this

post. I had hoped it would not be necessary as I believed they would do

the right thing in the end however, it is obvious that is not the case.

As always, I am available to assist any of you in any way possible, but

not through my prior association with the aforementioned office

/individuals.

Amber/FL