Psychologists - Jamestown, OH

"I wanted to write a review of Dene Berman based on a recent experience I had with him and his office, LifeSpan Counseling. Dr. Berman was recommended to me for an evaluation needed for a court case. It was explained to me that $3000 was required for the evaluation itself and $1800 for possible testimony which was to be scheduled at a later date - a few months afterward the evaluation. It was agreed in writing that the $1800 would be returned if Dr. Berman’s testimony in court was not needed – as long as 30 days notice of cancellation was provided. Dr. Berman’s office demanded all monies be paid by certified check upfront – no exceptions. It turned out that after the initial evaluation, Dr. Berman’s testimony was not needed after all, so I called his office and left a message that I wished to cancel. No response from the office. A few days later I emailed the office in writing that I did not need his court testimonial and wished to have the $1800 returned. No response. Eventually, the office called back and explained Dr. Berman was a very important person and even though I signed a contract stating the 30 day cancellation/refund policy, Dr. Berman “had to make special accommodations with his work schedule to allow the dates for the court testimonial, so the $1800 could not be returned for this reason alone.” I had no knowledge of this whatsoever. After continued ignored messages and phone calls, I visited the office in person a few weeks later in order to obtain the refund. The office changed their reasons again and said “No, Dr. Berman had special vacation plans that had to be adjusted for these dates” and therefore I was out of luck on getting these monies returned. I was also told that “I just didn’t understand how important Dr. Berman is and how valuable his time is”. Upon pursing this further, Dr. Berman himself wrote a letter to me explaining that my email of cancellation was received 29 days in advance, not 30 days. Therefore, he was entirely entitled to keep this money. Unbelievable! The audacity of this fellow to make up one excuse after the other, then to believe he is entirely justified to keep nearly $2000 for doing absolutely nothing. I live out of the country (Dr. Berman is fully aware of this fact), therefore, there is effectively nothing I can do about pursuing this matter legally and he knows it. I have never been so disgusted by this experience and by how poorly Dr. Berman and his office have conducted themselves in this matter. Needless to say, I would never recommend Dr. Berman or LifeSpan Counseling to anyone. Dr. Berman, I hope you did enjoy your summer holiday vacation - perhaps you took a really nice cruise vacation or perhaps a wilderness camping trip which could easily be paid for using these funds that were not returned to me. You apparently need this money far more than I. Shame on you, Dr. Berman. "