Say No to Sono Bello

I had my procedure on November 15, 2017, performed by Talmage Raine. I elected to have liposuction on my upper abdomen, lower abdomen, waist and BBR. I was charged $1,447.31 per area, $105 for Platinum Recovery Kit and $1,295 for the Surgical Fee, which totals $7,189.24, but I guess it was rounded in your favor to $7,200.00. I paid $1,000 on my credit card, and $6,200 on my Care Credit account.
During my consultation with Kathy Neidert on October 24, 2017, she conducted my analysis and based on my height, weight and measurements , and determined that the surgeon will most likely have to perform 2 procedures in order to maximize my results. When I signed my agreement, I wrote in the agreement that there would be a 2nd date so that there would be no denying that she indicated that I would have 2 procedures.
When I went in for the consultation, there was another senior surgeon present who consulted with Dr. Raine and I distinctly remember him advising Dr. Raine to make an incision near my scapula on each side. The senior surgeon told me that they should be able to remove all of the desired fat in one procedure. I reluctantly agreed to move forward.
On the day of my procedure, I was coming from the washroom with the nurse and at that time, she asked Dr. Raine what medication he wanted administered. He looked a little surprised and told her that whatever they usually give patients. That stuck in my mind because it was a little alarming that the surgeon did not know what medications I should take in order to undergo the procedure. My hair comes to the middle of my back, so I had to ask for a cover for my hair, especially since I had not washed my hair that day. Once we went into the procedure room, she told me that it was too late and that I had to move my hair out of the way during the procedure.
Once Dr. Raine started the procedure, I experienced on a little discomfort. During the procedure, I watched and was a little concerned because I thought I would see more yellow fat instead of red fluid. Throughout the procedure, the doctor made some requests to the nurse, who had to continue to ask him to repeat himself. Near the end, the nurse finally told him that she was a little hard of hearing. She then started disconnecting devices and he told her to stop because he wasn’t finished with them. It was a little stressful that he had to continuously ask her to perform certain tasks.
Once finished, she put on a garment that was baggy and too big and got me ready to leave.
Upon my one-week post-op appointment, I had not lost any weight and noticed absolutely no difference. I voiced my concern and a manager came into the room and told me that it was normal to have weight gain because of all of the fluids that were injected. I was concerned that there was a large collection of fluid in my lower abdomen and asked if I should get post-op massages. She told me that my body would absorb the fluid and the massages would cause more bruising and is not recommended. I followed all of the orders and suggestions to the letter. I then ordered a garment, and when I received it, it was different from what I ordered, but I could live with it. Within the first week, my nail punctured a hole in the garment.
At my 3-month post-op visit, there was absolutely no change from prior to the surgery. I looked exactly the same. When I met with the nurse, she became impatient with me because I voiced my dissatisfaction with my results and wanted to speak to management. The nurse became very rude and dismissive, which annoyed me even further. I then met with someone that presented herself to be a patient advocate. She told me that I had to wait for my 6 month appointment, but looked at my before and after photos and agreed that there was little if any improvement.
All along the way, I had been suffering from depression because I had decided to come to Sono Bello instead of going to Miami for my procedure. All of my friends that had gone to Miami had amazing results and I was left to have to look at a body that looked exactly the same day after day. I am having to pay back over $7,000 in addition to the interest payments.
I called and left a message for patient advocate, Angela on 4/14 and requested that she call me back. I received a message from her on 04/18. When we finally connected on 04/23, and we discussed my options, she offered to move me to a different surgeon because a refund was not an option. After discussing further, I stated that I would like to have my complaint escalated to a manager. She told me that her Regional Manager would call me by the end of the week. I never received a call.
I am livid and beyond words. I have been taken advantage of and at a minimum, most of the charges should be reversed. My back was not touched. I have hired a personal trainer in hopes that I could work a little harder to see some results. I cry in private almost daily, having to hide my depression from my 14 year old daughter.
I will send my pictures and story to any and everyone in hopes that Sono Bello is not able to take advantage of anyone else. This is disgraceful, unacceptable and if you have any morals and stand by your work, you will look at the photos and agree that I deserve a refund so that I can move on to other options. I do not want to go through this procedure again to realize the same unsuccessful results. I am having panic attacks just thinking about it. My heart is heavy because of Sono Bello and Dr. Raine.

You can see for yourself that there were absolutely no results, especially for $7200. I file a complaint with Sono Bello and they are supposed to escalate my complaint, but they are now not responding to my email messages (I want to put everything in writing). Angela, the manager of the Schaumburg location seems sweet in person, but will play the game and ignore you.
My next step is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation and the Illinois Attorney General. I have been referred to a seasoned attorney. The farther I have to go to get a response, the harder I am going. They should be shut down and licensed revoked.