I was having some recurring leg, shoulder, arm, and back issues that were affecting my quality of…read morelife, so I reached out to my PCP about physical therapy and they referred me to this place. A friend of mine told me that they had gone there before and filled me in on the best parts of what they have to offer. I was very excited to try it out and get relief from all the pain and tension in my body. However, I quickly realized that the expectations that I had in my head did not align with reality. The location itself is on the first floor of a building and to enter the building (from the parking lot), you must go through a security checkpoint. They don't allow vapes, sharp objects, or metal canteens, so if you have any of these items, you will be forced to turn around and go back. Upon walking in, there is no signage indicating if there is a line or where to form one; when it's busy, there is a jumble of bodies you must try to navigate. There is seating around the walls, and it is usually loud in the reception area. If the receptionists aren't talking on the phone or amongst each other about their Starbucks order, you will have to try and force eye contact for assistance. When seeking assistance, if you interrupt them, you are treated like an annoyance. The whole experience felt overwhelming and the uncertainty of what to do or what to expect added to it. My first visit, Kash, a physical therapy student, was very nice. His instructions on what to do were clear and after he did an assessment and asked some questions, a plan for therapy was formed. When I finally returned for my second visit, this is where things got a whole lot more uncomfortable. I don't know why, but I had envisioned working one on one with a trainer. This was not the case. Apparently, when you are finished, you have to flag down one of their staff to be told what to do next. They started me on an arm machine by the wall, very close to the speaker and it was so loud, my ears were hurting. Thankfully, they turned it down. After starting some leg exercises with Kash, he stepped away. I assumed he would return but was unsure of when that may be. I continued my exercises and scanned the room for him. A short woman with fair skin and straight black shiny hair came up to me. "Are you done with the exercises?" she asked haughtily. "Oh, I was waiting for Kash, so I figured I'd just keep doing them until whatever is next." She grabbed the paper up from next to where I was sitting and said, "Well you need to let us know when you are done because we have things to do." I said "Oh, okay," and after she instructed me on what to do next, I spent the rest of the day wondering if I did or said anything that she may have taken offense to. After all my therapy was done for the day, I asked if she had a printout since I wouldn't remember the exercises. The same lady told me, "We don't do that here," very curtly and then walked away. I felt disheartened and wondered if I should even bother going back. After talking it over with a friend, we figured maybe she just had a bad day. This time, things seemed to mostly be ok, except it was jam packed with staff and patients. At some point, I was on the massage table, waiting for instructions on my next exercise when suddenly, the building got quiet and there was a large roar. A college basketball team on the television screen had scored a basket, and every single staff member on the floor abandoned what they were doing to huddle around the TV (it was March Madness). In all my time there, I felt that most of the staff were only engaged in talking with each other and that the customer service skills there were very lacking. At least this time, at the end of everything, Kash did give me a printout for some exercises. The final straw was when I missed a second visit. I had missed a visit before due to a pressing health issue I had to attend to. I had mentioned to one of the receptionists that I did not want to schedule an appointment before I left the country due to me possibly forgetting. She persuaded me to set one and then change it later, against my better judgment. Three weeks go by and I missed the appointment because, of course, I forgot to put it in my calendar and now someone from the office is calling me to tell me that I now have to speak to the manager and they can only accommodate me if I call in day-to-day. I have a literal disability that the staff should have been well aware of (I had written it down on my intake forms at the very beginning and mentioned it multiple times, to multiple staff) and none of their policies, procedures, or staff (except Kash) seem to accommodate a person like me. On top of that, I felt personally bullied by one of their team members on the floor.
I thought about calling them to see if they could make this right, but I was on hold for about 10 minutes, which seems to happen pretty frequently. Overall, I am very disappointed. Gardena PT, do better!
