A Lighter Me--please share your negative experiences with me

I have been researching and I have had a little communication with A Lighter Me.  I know they are a sponsor here and so I am not surprised to see all the glowing remarks and to see that their own ALM Facebook page has glowing info too, but I know there must be some negative experiences so please share those with me.  I have struggled to send and receive their forms via email, which as an attention-to-detail kind of gal, irks me no end. 

Here I am with another couple days being a little befuddled and turned off by the admin process at ALM.  I have emailed forms back and forth and was told to pick out a surgery date (this is to the rep Sonya).  Like, shouldn't they be telling me the days the Dr. works and we go from there?  I also sent 5 or 6 questions I wanted answered and have yet to hear back. 

I would appreciate any honest feedback.  I'm suspicious that it's hard to find negative feedback on ALM.  I'm looking to go with Dr Covarrubias in the Nov timeframe. 

Hi!  I honestly had the same problem with A Lighter Me AND Ready4achange.  I had RNY almost 4 years ago through Ready4achange and had a wonderful experience but this time has been hell with these travel tourism companies! I was specifically looking for a revision from the RNY to DS (I should have gotten the DS to begin with tbh) but was also wanting information on any other revisions that would be suggested based on my condition.  I emailed A Lighter Me and asked them several questions.  Do they actually perform that revision?  If so, how many has the preferred doctor done?  Is it a true revision or a SIPS type procedure?  So basically...the most important and technial questions. Their response was canned and basically "fill out these forms for a quote".  So...I gave them a call instead and the woman (I forget her name) was absolutely clueless.  She didn't even know that you COULD revise from a RNY to a DS.  She said that she would write down my questions, get the answers, and give me a call back.  I later received an email saying that "I had not been approved for surgery".  I'm not sure how I could have not been approved...since I never completed any forms to begin with.

Ready4achange was a very frustrating nightmare.  I really wanted to go with this company because that is who I went with last time.  I had an enjoyable experience and now that I'm married and have a baby (I was single when I had the original surgery) I would be travelling alone and needed to be able to trust the company I was going through.  I emailed my questions and Judy (the company owner and sole employee) told me that this was a common surgery that Dr. Osuna and Dr. Lopez performed and that they were very experienced.  She also told me that she was also a revision patient (she didn't specify to which surgery) and was very empathetic of my situation.  She listened and answered all of my questions and told me that she would be contacting me when the doctors had published their December calendars so that I may get my surgery scheduled.  Not only am I new momma but I'm also a nursing student and I must plan ahead (far ahead) to get my surgery in between semesters.  I was very clear about that.  Fast forward a few weeks...I call her and (after I remind her who the hell I even am) she tells me that she's actually wanting to talk to Dr. Osuna about operating at a different facility other than VIDA hospital because it might be cheaper.  I told her that that sounded great and she promised she would be in touch.  Fast forward a few more weeks..I call her and she tells me that they still haven't gotten their schedules to her and that she would contact me when they did.  She made me feel like it was almost silly that I was thinking 5 months into the future.  5 months for a new mom and a nursing student..shame on me for planning, right?  A week or so passes and I email her for an update but get no response.  I wait a few days and email again..no response.  Now I'm thinking there must be something wrong with her email so I use the form on the website and write an email there asking for someone to contact me because I'm not sure if my emails are going through and I get an email and phone call back within minutes. I told her that sometimes it's hard for me to talk on the phone because I have a colicky 4 month old and that email or text is better.  She gives me her cell phone number and says I can text her any time.  Fast forward a few weeks...I text her and it shows "read" but I receive no response. I wait one week and text her again.."read" with no response.  At this time I send her an email and tell her that I'm very interested at working with Ready4achange because it was the company I used before but I'm very disappointed in the level unprofessionalism and lack of communication and that I can tell when she has read my text but choosing not to respond. I received no response from that email.  I waited a few weeks and text her to tell her that I'm going to be looking into surgery with another company and she texts me right back and tells me that she is in court with her lawyer (yet she has time to sit there and chat back and forth?) and that she didn't know how to tell me but Dr. Osuna didn't feel comfortable doing such a complicated surgery.  She had known this for over a month and just left me hanging and chose to ignore me.  We talked about other revision options and she said that she would get back to me after court was over to answer any questions I had.  At this point I began researching other companies and decided to use the same surgeon (Dr. Alejandro Lopez) but go through a different company, ALOBariatrics. I found out that Judy had lied to me. She told me she had consulted with Dr. Lopez and that he had advised against the surgery and that I should consult another physician. I was scheduled through ALOBariatrics with Dr. Lopez for my surgery in January. I texted Judy and told her that I would be going with a different company and she was just like "meh sorry I lost your business".  How are we supposed to trust these people with life or death situations when they lie to us and blow us off?  Annoying.  

Long story short: I would talk to Cindy Zimmerman through ALOBariatrics.  She was a sweetheart and answered all my questions, in detail, with real facts and verifiable numbers. 

Oh my goodness, yeah, my sending forms back and forth 3 rimes pales in comparison to all the rigamorole you went through with emails, calls and texts.  Potential patients definitely don't have the time or energy to deal with that kind of crap.  I kind of get the sensation that the American office staff from ALM work from home and are a little disorganized and that it is the folks in Mexico being so excellent that makes the company a successful business.  

I will look into this other company, thank you!

Hi there...just read your notes from 2 years ago. I'm wondering how you are now doing? Did you lose weight after your revision? I had VSG with Dr. Liza Pompa in 2010. Lost about 62 lbs...287 down to 225 then have yoyo'd for several years. I am now 247 lbs. I want to know if Revision will work...also Revision to what???? Is the mini bypass a good option? How do I determine which surgery is the right one? I have been in discussion with Janesa from A Lighter Me. Also discussion with MI Hospital...both in Tijuana. Do you have a recommendation for a doctor AND will I lose weight? I have no complications from my VSG but feel that I'm hungry all the time...constantly....and I seem to be able to consume a LOT of food before feeling nauseated. Help please?

I have heard a lot of good things about both companies but I ended up going with neither (had my surgery in October 2014 with Dr. Fernando Garcia).  Hope you figure it out.

BeLite Weight is an alternative and the surgeon I went to was great. I didn't have any trouble paying for the surgery, contacting the company, sending documents, getting in touch - none of that. Everything went fine. May want to check them out - beliteweight.com.

Thank you all for the feedback.  I am booked with ALO Bariatrics and Dr Lopez in Nov.

I am learning and looking into sleeve with Dr. Lopez @ ALO.  Can anyone tell me the good, bad and ugly with him and his facility? I have read few good reviews but can't seem to find out much at all.  I have read his official web page and other posts that seem to promote him.  I want the real deal, no fluff. Thanks!