Hi,
My name is Miss J. Some of you may know me from the "other board" (YTF) as a key information provider there. Others looking for me there may not know that I have recently 'parted terms' with YTF. Given my large readership there, I thought it would be a good idea to give people, seeking me out, a place to find me and to also describe the situation in one place so I don't have to e-mail each person separately regarding my "conflict " with YTF.
Since I am no longer to make public or give 'voice' to issues that may be of concern to YTF readers (on their board) regarding the changes there subsequent to their sell out or take over by a new medical corporate entity, I have created this BLOG (which I update for readability).
Corporate Take over of YTF:
The "YTF" boards, specifically the ones discussing facial plastic surgery have been "bought out" by the corporate entity known as mychoicemedical.com.
VERTRUE is the parent company of mychoicemedical.com and is currently being sued for consumer fraud by the Attorney General in Iowa.
Mychoicemedical.com, the entity that bought out YTF board I used to write on owns the domain name: consultationservicesforplasticsurgery.com.
That domain name is found on the bottom of e-mails one gets back when one clicks onto the prominent LOGO found on YTF with the domain name; lookmybest.com and fills out the "find a doctor" form. It is the domain name that one needs to write to to have your e-mail removed from the 'list' if you don't want any further solicitations from lookmybest.com
On that domain name; consultationservicesforplasticsurgery.com, if one clicks on to "plastic surgery", LIFESTYLE LIFT is listed as a prominent advertiser, on the top of the list or close to the top and on the first page.
On the domain name; consultationservicesforplasticsurgery.com, if one clicks on to 'eye surgery', MICHAEL EVAN SACHS is listed as prominent advertiser, on the top of the list or close to the top and on the first page.
Both LIFESTYLE LIFT and MICHAEL EVAN SACHS are PROMINENT ADVERTISERS found on the domain; consultationservicesforplasticsurgery.com which is owned by mychoicemedical.com, the entity that "took over" the YTF facial surgery board I was a key info provider to, from which I was banned. Consultationservicesforplasticsurgery.com is the address to write to to remove your name from the e-mail 'list', if you have filled out the find a doc form on lookmybest.com (prominent LOGO) found on the YTF boards now, and you don't want anymore e-mail from them (solicitations to finance). In turn, the parent company; VERTRUE of mychoicemedical.com is being SUED by AG in Iowa for CONSUMER FRAUD.
Although the "mouthpiece" of the corporate entity (Bailey, a moderator on YTF, who is either self appointed to speak for them or a direct representative, I do not know which) promulgated that I was removed 'because' I spoke openly about 'charging' for morphs on that site, I NEVER spoke publicly on the site about costs or charges for morphs other than to note that I can do them publicly for FREE but not privately and that was because I wanted to put a STOP to posters writing to me privately (soliciting me) to do work for them for free. However, when people wrote to me privately (solicited me privately where I was the SOLICITEE not the SOLICITER) I told them, I told them that I was willing to do what they wanted me to do (morphs/facial analysis) IF they were willing to cover the expenses incurred to me or that could arise in the process of my accommodating them. (For example, my computer can often go haywire when doing morphs--old computer--and I have to hire a 'fix it' guy more than the proceeds of the morphs to honor my promise to the 'morphee' that I get their stuff to them within a certain time period. It was NOT in the paradigm of running a "business for profit" but rather a courtesy I could do for the YTF readers IF they could offset the costs I could incur by doing so. (Break even or 'lose' kind of endeavor that I like to do but don't have finances to make a 'business' out of it as to run a 'profit' from it.).
Claims that I was using their site to "run a profit making business" are far from the facts and context of the situation.
It is my belief that the "conflict of interests" I posed to the new corporate entity who took over YTF has to do with my long history of being a "consumer advocate" or "patient advocate" who called attention to 'deviations of ethics' on the part of prominent medical/corporate entities and who pointed out WHO the "top doctors" were with both peer recognition and patient satisfaction.
For example, with regard to both MICHAEL EVAN SACHS and LIFE STYLE LIFT being found as prominent advertisers on a domain name the entity owns, I have often pointed out that Sachs has over 30 law suits against him, and I also spotted a MORPH on his site that he presented as being part as a "before and after" surgery photo juxtaposition. I have also spoken out about LSL's marketing tactics which include posting 1 day early post op pics (before bruising sets in and while swelling makes them look good) in addition to their having patients 'consult' with the equivalent of a sales rep but not directly with the doctor DURING the "consultation process". I wished to point out to patients that forthright doctors advocate viewing 1 year post op pics to evaluate face lifts and also consult directly with patients BEFORE any decision is made by the patient to proceed with a surgery.
Hence, it is my belief that some of what I could say could pose a 'threat' to a corporate entity that represents, manages or takes advertisement revenue from a "pool" of non "top doctors" who select this entity to manage, advertise or represent in some way. It would certainly be a threat if the 'pool' included questionable medical corporate entities within it. Even IF I did not name them directly, statements such as; "Be sure to view 1 year post ops", "Ask what the follow up protocol is" etc would run contrary to entities seeking to market via early post op pics or who don't observe the progress of their patients via a time span needed to observe and report it.
Consumer advocates are the BANE to corporate entities seeking to 'get away' unnoticed for things consumer advocates like to call attention to. It's not 'rocket science' to figure out WHY they wanted me off there and fool hardy to believe it 'was because I was accepting payment for morphs'. I went from valuable information provider (for 5 years!), an asset to their board, to 'persona non grata' soon after this take over of the corporate entity.
VERTRUE the parent company of the "corporate entity" I refer to; "mychoicemedical.com" who "took over" (my words) the YTF site is already being SUED for CONSUMER FRAUD.
Billing charges with different names, hard for the consumer to make heads or tails with, as to where they arise, (because the company got the consumer's credit card number by other means), are part of the charges the Attorney General in Iowa is suing them for with regard to the "marketing scheme" they are allegedly engaging in.
See:
http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/latest_news/releases/may_2006/MemberWorks.html
Naturally, my "hackles are up" and I'm alarmed by the fact that the entity owning YTF is also one requiring CREDIT INFORMATION from consumers seeking "financing" for plastic surgery.
I guess the only thing that disturbs me is that patients/consumers are totally unaware of the changes that have taken place subsequent to the corporate take over and how they may relate to the type of information they get there which is bound to differ from what the "board used to be".
Quote of the day: "A Fish Stinks From the Head"
