I recently completed my LL Journey with the above company, and even though I found some aspects positive, there were mostly negative aspects. The positive is the doctor; I believe he is very professional, good at what he does, and cares about his patients, but the bad comes after when you have to spend your time at the hotel. From the start, you are blatantly lied to by saying they have a 24/7 gym and pool, which is just not true; they haven't had a gym in over 6 months at least but will still post and advertise pictures saying that they do, I assume so they can get customers in the door, which is really dishonest. Same with the pool; it's closed, and even when it's open, it's not even wheelchair-friendly, so just another lie you are told is that hydrotherapy is offered. The physio room is so small, it's a hazard; you are always tripping over something, from walkers to wheelchairs. There is no equipment; the very few things they do have, such as a massage gun and exercise bike, are broken and have been broken for many months. Again, no one seems to care at all; it's like they are living in some fantasy. The beds where physiotherapy is carried out are broken; I think only one bed works at the moment. No AC I think it may finally be working at the moment. The hotel staff is rude and disrespectful when bringing up problems with the hotel. For a new hotel, it looks like it's been open for 150 years. Its property management is horrible, and the food quality is not so good. Maggots in the food at breakfast are common, and only 5% of the menu at dinner is available, and again, the hotel staff doesn't care. For the price you pay, you don't get much in return; you are basically trapped alone in your room for months at a time as they have no rec room for the patients or nothing to do. I met some great Turkish people, but again, some Turkish people within this company won't even talk to you unless you speak Turkish; you are basically invisible, and again, if you bring it up to anyone, you are just gaslighted for telling the truth. I have also seen some pretty bad stuff with this company, such as female patients being sxxually assaulted and harassed. And a male patient was stabbed and nearly died, and the company—all they could think about was money and how the company looked—tried to sweep it under the rug and delete evidence. No support was offered. I recommend to anyone that they go somewhere else for the hotel because it's double the price and you get nothing where other places are half the price. For example, Livelifetaller has really good equipment and actually does have a gym and pool made for people using wheel chairs, and they seem a lot friendlier there.
Hello, I am the quality control manager of the company. It is my responsibility to ensure that all services provided to patients, from transfers to accommodations, from physical therapy to medical dressing, are carried out according to the company's quality policy. Therefore, I will try to respond to each claim made by the patient in a detailed manner, without compromising honesty and transparency. In fact, forums are places where competitors criticize each other, and real patient reviews get mixed with fictitious ones, creating a risk of falling into the trap of manipulated information while trying to access accurate information. For this reason, as a principle, I prefer not to engage in discussions on forums. However, this time, I want to intervene because I feel a responsibility toward the company, the employees, and all our patients who return home with fulfilled dreams.
1- The patient stated that the doctor’s professionalism is a positive aspect of the company. Yes, our doctor and hospital team are indeed very good at their jobs. However, we also expected him to mention how excellent and professional the physical therapy and dressing services, which are part of the hotel-like amenities for patients, are. If we speak based on the statement of the doctor, in which the patient stated that he was professional, "A successful limb lengthening surgery journey is only 30%, the remaining 70% depends on successful physical therapy, the patient's commitment to the therapy, and dressing services." From what I observed, despite the patient's complaints about the pool, food, price, and many other things, they did not have any complaints about the current health of their legs. No infection or any leg issues at all. This alone should be enough to show that the company's professionalism is not limited to just the doctor.
2- I also have to agree with the patient's criticisms regarding the pool and gym facilities. The patient is right in this matter. However, there are some points that I cannot help but explain. Our company moved to an affiliate of the international brand Wyndham, a hotel, about two months ago to provide better service to our patients. During the relocation negotiations, the hotel was still making arrangements for the pool and gym, according to the information provided to us. We relied on this information and decided to move with the expectation that the pool and gym would be operational shortly. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the hotel could not fulfill its commitment, and the pool and gym did not become operational during the two months after our move. (Based on the information given to me, the pool is currently operational and will be made accessible for disabled individuals.) The patient's accusation of deception by the company to deceive customers is either due to their malice or ignorance. Patients are not obliged to stay at the hotel, which is our company's business partner. Accommodation is just one of the options offered by the company and is not mandatory. After seeing the hotel, we refunded the accommodation packages to those who did not wish to stay there, and they stayed at their preferred homes or other hotels. This patient could have also chosen to cancel their accommodation package and stay at a hotel with a pool or even a jacuzzi. In fact, dozens of our patients stayed in other places during this two-month period, not at this hotel, and we continued to provide all the services to them with utmost care.
3- The physiotherapy room is designed to accommodate the treatment services of four patients simultaneously, according to the standards set by doctors and physiotherapy specialists. Assuming our patients adhere to their physiotherapy appointments, it is presumed they will achieve the maximum benefit from each session. The excellent success rate in our patients' physiotherapy treatments demonstrates that this assumption is being met accordingly.
4- The inadequacy of equipment has been a longstanding issue raised by patients. Equipment purchases are determined based on the recommendations of doctors and physical therapy specialists. Our company has empowered experts to identify and purchase all kinds of equipment that will help patients continue their physical therapies in an optimal manner. Our specialists believe that many fancy devices are merely part of a commercial marketing tactic, intended to impress but lacking substantial benefits. When I conveyed the complaints about equipment diversity to our physical therapy specialists, they responded as follows: "Many devices used by rival companies are actually just for show. If they had any real benefits, we would demand their purchase based on the authority granted to us. This way, our work would be easier, and we wouldn't have to exert so much effort. Success in physical therapy depends on a diligent physical therapist and the patient's personal effort in harmony with the physical therapy specialist.
5- When it comes to the devices that are reported as faulty, despite warnings, some of our patients are taking the functioning massage guns to their rooms. When we notice this, we order new ones, just like we did the other day. A new bicycle has also been purchased, but it is not being effectively used either due to improper usage or tampering with the pedals and seat pins. As soon as the malfunction is noticed, we intervene, and if it cannot be repaired, we immediately order a replacement. In the physical therapy room, we have four beds - three fixed and one with a movable system. One of the beds with a movable system malfunctioned, and due to the delay in obtaining the spare part and repairing it, it was temporarily used as a fixed bed. (According to the last information I received, all that remains is to install the supplied spare part in the system.) In essence, whether a bed has a movable or fixed system has little significance on the success of the applied physical therapy, and since the patient mentioned a problem with the bed and not with their legs, it seems that he has had a successful physical therapy process.
As for the ventilation of the physical therapy room, it is true that there was a problem caused by the central air conditioning system in the hotel's property, specifically in the ventilation ducts providing air to some rooms. Unfortunately, this has caused discomfort for the patients in hot weather. We have consistently made efforts with the hotel to resolve this issue, as it falls under the hotel's ownership and responsibility. Additionally, we purchased a portable air conditioner to try to alleviate the problem to some extent. (Based on the latest information I have, the ventilation issue in the physical therapy room has been resolved six days ago.)
6- While the direct criticisms related to the hotel should perhaps be addressed by the hotel itself, I still want to share my observations from the times I visited the hotel. A- As I mentioned before, the hotel operates as a subsidiary of the world-renowned international hotel chain, Wyndham, and it is relatively new in service. I must admit that being a newly established hotel comes with some challenges. However, among these issues, there is no problem with the hotel staff being rude and disrespectful. Undoubtedly, there are dozens of staff members in this hotel, and it's possible that a few of them might be rude or impolite. But the same issue applies to our patients as well. While some patients are praised for their politeness by the hotel staff, there are also patients who are claimed to be rude and disrespectful by the hotel staff. This patient is probably one of them 😊 I guess expecting people from different nationalities to exhibit high standards of conduct and ethics in a world where even people of the same nation fight with each other would be unrealistic. B- The quality of the hotel's food can certainly be debatable, but I cannot give an opinion on that since I haven't had lunch or dinner there yet. However, I was quite surprised by the patient's claims of finding worms in the breakfast. Because I have had breakfast at this hotel at least 15 times and have never encountered such a situation. To be honest, the variety and quality were satisfying from my perspective. Not only me but also six of the company's employees who have been having their breakfast here from the beginning haven't mentioned anything about their breakfast being spiced up by worms. I wish the patient had taken photos of these adorable worms visiting them during breakfast and informed us immediately, so we wouldn't have to learn about this worm story from a forum now. C- Actually, it shouldn't be a problem for the patient even if the evening menu of the hotel is just 1% of the total options available. There are hundreds of establishments around the hotel that provide services and accept online orders, and this option is one of the reasons why we chose this hotel. Well, the patient could have used this option to order the desired food, and we have a staff member entirely dedicated to handling these orders from the patients. D- (Although it is almost finished,) it would be harsh to criticize the patient's claim of being confined to their room for months due to ongoing renovations in the hotel's pool, terrace, and gym. However, the situation is not as dire as the patient suggests. The hotel has a lobby and an integrated common sitting area. Furthermore, the hotel rooms have a one-bedroom suite concept, which offers a more spacious arrangement compared to standard hotel rooms. As previously mentioned, patients are not obligated to stay in this hotel, and we already provide services to many patients who choose to stay elsewhere according to their preferences. Patients are not obliged to consider either the patient's complaints or my defense when deciding whether to stay in this hotel. After personally seeing the hotel, they can make their decision freely. E- We didn't know that we had fascist staff who spoke Turkish with the patient even though he or she didn't speak Turkish 😊 If the patient shares the names of these staff members with us and if we find any intention behind their behavior, I guarantee that we will terminate their employment immediately. Currently, our staff has an accepted level of English to provide the services promised by the company in the contracts, in case the patient doesn't wish to engage in philosophical discussions about Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Hegel with them.
Until now, I have preferred to respond to the patient's criticisms by occasionally acknowledging their perspective and sometimes using humor. However, in this final point, there will be no humor, and I will not agree with the patient in any way. This is because, considering that the patient has neither directly nor indirectly suffered any harm in the incident they mentioned and is not one of the parties involved, I believe their intention is not to offer constructive criticism but rather to maliciously discredit the company and trap forum members into biases against the company.
7- All the individuals involved in the harassment and injury incident mentioned by the patient are our patients. As a company, we strictly adhere to the principle of impartiality in resolving any issues that may arise between patients, with the sole priority of calming the situation and preventing further harm to our patients. In this particular case, we have advised each party involved to seek their rights through independent legal channels by offering to provide them with lawyers. This is because each patient has denied the other party's claims and put forth their own. Regarding the injury incident, the patient who suffered a leg injury claimed that he was attacked without reason, while the other patient who caused the injury claimed that he was forced to defend himself in response to an attack against him. As for the aspect of harassment, the female patient who experienced it accused the other patient of the act, while the accused patient denied such actions. In such a complex situation, it was not up to us but the judicial authorities to determine who was right and who was wrong. Therefore, we encouraged the parties to seek their rights through legal means, and during this process, our company did its best. The party accused of harassment and assault is seeking his rights through legal means and hired a Turkish lawyer. The legal process is currently ongoing, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further, as sharing more information could violate legal confidentiality. As I am not in a legal position to provide an opinion, I refrain from making any comments. Currently, all the patients involved in the incident have completed their processes and returned to their countries. If the serious events mentioned by the patient on the forum, such as near-death experiences or assault, had actually occurred, Turkish Criminal Law would have imposed precautionary measures and the accused person would not have been allowed to leave the country. Hence, the claim that 'the company disregarded the incident and provided no support to the patients involved, solely focusing on money and prestige' is highly unethical and baseless. Moreover, even if such an incident had occurred, why would our female patient, who claims to have been harassed, refuse to accept the offer of being relocated to another hotel for her safety and insist on staying at our company's hotel on her own will? This alone should be enough to demonstrate her trust in our company. Furthermore, why would the same patient convey her request to stay at the same hotel for her second surgery? Despite our insistence on recommending other hotels with concealed addresses for patients involved in the incident due to various security concerns, why did this female patient insist on staying at our hotel? And why did she want to complete her second surgery process here?
If we were thinking about money, would we recommend this patient we are worried about to have her second surgery done somewhere else? We kindly recommended her to do the second surgery somewhere else.
The long and the short, it is unacceptable persecution for a patient who was not involved in the incident and did not suffer any harm from the events, to adopt an unfair and unjust attitude that exceeds the boundaries of constructive criticism towards our company based on an event he is not familiar with.
For example, if this patient, who displays this unacceptable behavior, were friends with another patient of ours and later his friend whom he befriended stole his money and caused harm, would our company be held responsible for his/her wrongdoing? If we did not encourage or assist that patient in stealing the other patient's money and causing harm, which is already unthinkable, can the company be held accountable for its actions? We embrace all of our patients, regardless of their religion, language, race, or color, and strive to do our best to help them achieve their dreams. We do not possess a miraculous ability to determine who is a saint and who is a devil. If we did, we would identify and never allow such ungrateful and malicious patients to approach our company, despite all our dedication, efforts, closeness, and the successful treatment we have provided.
We have confidence in ourselves. We do not shy away from our mistakes and deficiencies but confront them and try to overcome them. We will continue to strive to do better and achieve the best.