Apex Care

Review: Very unprofessional. We used this company to provide day to day care in our home for my mother while searching for a permanent assisted living home. The agency placed us with an older lady whom we could hardly understand; the caregiver refused to do any light housekeeping for my mother like changing linens and clothing. She refused to clean up after herself and left a mess in my kitchen each day. We reported this to the agency and requested a different person but was told that we still had to pay her for the week that we hadn't even made through yet. They actually sent her back the following day despite our request for another caregiver. Here is the most disturbing part, [redacted] is ONLY interested in placing elderly people in carehomes, she works off of commission and the faster she places someone in a carehome she gets her commission. [redacted], placed my mother in a home without the family's knowledge or allowing even my mother to look into the [redacted] in Roseville that IS under multiple investigations for sexual misconduct and assault (public records by the way that she NEVER BOTHERED TO CHECK). Within the first 24hrs my mother was sexually assaulted by the MALE caregiver in this home. I removed my mother immediately from that home and contacted the appropriate agencies. I am often asked why the agency overlooked such a powerful detail....Its obvious, she ONLY wants the commission and cares NOTHING about the person(s) she is placing and the safety of that elderly person. Shame on you! [redacted], aware of the incident , refused to apologize or return ANY of our calls. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL.Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund for services.

Business

Response:

This client was referred to us to assist with in home care as well as assistance in finding a care home. [redacted] the Senior Care Consultant for the area moved quickly to find placement for this client as she was being evicted from her family's home. Our caregiver, care coordinator and [redacted] all dealt with this highly dysfunctional situation and have voicemail and text message correspondence from the client's daughter and son in law that was very abusive. Some text messages directly to client we were helping stated "I WISH YOU WOULD JUST TAKE ALL YOUR MEDICATION AND DIE." "I SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT YOU IN THAT PLACE TO DIE." She also told us that she fell the night before she moved out and they would not help her and even told their son (the clients grandson) to leave her and not to help. We simply moved quickly to find a care home so the elderly woman could leave the abusive situation per her request and at the insistence of the client. We helped her pack her belonging and took her to the bank because she insisted that her family was using her money against her wishes. The family was aware that she would be moving out and had demanded she leave.The Care Home mentioned in the statement is in good standing with the state of CA. the CCLD which governs the licensing for RCFE's has no major complaints that have not been resolved. We did not receive a commission for this client from the care home as she did not stay and after only a few days of the family coming to the home and having loud verbal arguments the client finally moved back with the family. We charged 572.00 for in home caregiver services. I have no idea where the amount of 4000.00 comes from as our billing only indicated the 572.00 for caregiver services. we have been in business for 24 years and have encountered may difficult family dynamics however this one was extraordinary and our caregiver who has worked for us for over 7 years took a week off after the case because she was emotionally drained. She is in good standing with our company and has never had a complaint. [redacted] is a professional and would never do anything to harm a client, she was behaved appropriately and our out of concern for the elderly clientWe acted out of compassion for the client and to assist her in finding a good care home quickly. This has been reported to APS.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: The caregiving agency is protecting themselves from their own carelessness, unprofessionalism and theft. The company is making false allegations of abuse and has NO proof to substantiate such false and horrible accusations regarding the family members. I would challenge the company to provide proof of "voice messages" they claim to have received. Additionally, the care home in question IS in fact under investigation, prior to placing the client there. There are over 20 complaints filed with the California State on this particular facility, more than half of those reports filed by family members, were SUBSTANTIATED. If the company did the homework in the first place, the family would have never agreed to place in that home. But because the company pressured the client, daily, for the sole reason to receive the commission. Again, neglectful and unprofessional. On 5/31 The caregiving agency, came into the home and packed items that did not belong to the client. They were advised the items were not the clients, and took them anyway. Additionally, they left a big mess of empty boxes thrown around the front of the home, items thrown around the bathroom, and damaging the carpet with grease stains and large scratches on the tile near the front door. When asked to return to clean it, they refused. To make matters worse, the caregiver stole a number of items from the client including a purse, cosmetic items and a wig. When confronted, the caregiving agency took several days to return the clients call but finally agreed to send the items to the home. We are still waiting for those to arrive. Not only was the caregiving agency negligent, unprofessional and dishonest, they are slandering family members and their own client that they did not hesitate to take money from. The allegations they are using to defend their low end business is deplorable and completely unsubstantiated. If the client was so abused and neglected, my guess is she would not have returned to the family members home. The amount in question is for the items that were stolen, the cleaning of the carpets and home, the damage to the door and the remaining balance from the care home that [redacted] promised the client would receive upon departure.

Review: ApexCare did not send my refund in a timely manner per our signed contract. The contract stated that they would refund the deposit 15 business days after being notified of termination of services. The service was terminated on January 23rd at 7:25am via an email to their Regional Director (RD). I followed up with the RD via email on February 10th about the refund but she reminded me that it takes 15 business days. On March 3rd, I remembered that I was supposed to receive my refund and emailed the RD again requesting the refund. They should have sent my refund no later than February 14th. Finally, I have received my refund on March 5th. According to date on the envelope that it was mailed in, it was not posted until March 3rd. This is more than two weeks after they should have sent my refund. I also call they're office on March 3rd to request the refund and requested that someone call me back so that I could speak to them but no one ever called. The RD did apologize for the delay in an email on March 3rd and I do not believe that it's her fault. In fact she and the caregivers have been nothing but professional and responsive to our needs. (There was an issue during the care of my Mom but I believe that was an issue related to the managers of the business and an extreme lack of communication). Apparently, the President of the company and the corporation have been informed of the issue but so far I have NOT received any sort of apology or offer of compensation for holding my money beyond the refund date.Desired Settlement: I would still like to speak to someone who manages the business. They clearly withheld my refund and I would like an apology as well as some compensation for holding my refund of over $3000 for over two weeks.

Business

Response:

We sincerely apologize for the poor service the customer received from our company. It was never our intent to with hold the refund or inconvenience the customer or their family. I have left a voice message for [redacted] and let her know that we would also be sending an apology in writing. I am also enclosing a $50 gift card to Red Lobster as a token of our appreciation for their business and our apology for the poor service she received at then end of the services she received from our company.

Consumer

Response:

Thank you for your assistance in this matter. I have never filed a complaint previous to this and have found this to be a very good resource. I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,