Dr. Brian Bonanni Gotham Lasik Vision - SCAM, RIP OFF - New York, New York

I decided to go in for a consultation with Dr. Brian Bonanni on November 21, 2011 for Lasik Vision Correction Surgery at Gotham Lasik in New York, NY. After a very thorough consultation he said that I was a good candidate for the procedure. I explained to him that I was very eager to have the surgery done, and that I wanted it done before the New Year. I paid my deposit of $2,000 for the procedure on that day, and we set a surgery date of December 14, 2011. When that date came around, I was told that I would have to be rescheduled because his new laser was not installed yet. I explained to him that I was moving overseas to London, and that I needed to have it done as soon as possible.

He rescheduled me for another day a few weeks later and when that date came around he explained to me that his new laser still hadn't been set up yet. I told him that this was unacceptable, and that I wanted a full refund of my deposit.  He then offered to perform the Lasik procedure at another Lasik Center in Queens. I agreed, because I had already paid my deposit.

On the day of my surgery I paid the remaining $3200 balance before he began. The total cost of my surgery was $5200 dollars. As I laid on the table he attempted to fit the laser flapmaker onto my eye and it would not fit. After several attempts he explained to me that he needed a different size attachment that would fit my eye because the current device was the wrong size. He said that he would be unable to perform the procedure that day, because the attachment he needed was not at that center. I was very confused by this, because at the consultation he used numerous machines to measure my eye and did a very in depth eye exam. He already knew my eye measurements, so why would he not have the proper device that would fit my eye in the first place? Rather than argue, I agreed to be rescheduled a month later. He told me that my procedure would be done at his new office with his new laser that was state of the art. Since he was unable to perform the surgery that day, I thought he was going to refund the $3200 dollars that I had just given him before the surgery. He did not. I didn't make a big deal about it since he was rescheduling me a month later.

As the next appointment was approaching, I contacted his office to confirm that the procedure would be happening because I had not heard anything from his office. I didn't even have their new address. I was told that the Doctor would be contacting me, and he called me a few hours later. The first thing he did was apologize and then he informed me that he wouldn't be able to perform the procedure because his new laser still wasn't set up yet. I was slightly disgusted, because I felt he should've called me and told me that. Why was I initiating contact with his office, when they knew all along they wouldn't be able to perform my surgery on the date they promised. He rescheduled my appointment again for the following Month.

A month later I called again to confirm my appointment the day before the procedure because I had not heard anything from his office. Once again, he apologized and told me that his new laser still hadn't been setup yet and continued to give me excuses. At this point I was very frustrated, because if his laser was not ready then he should have NEVER taken my money in the first place! During the consultation he never explained that he was waiting for a laser or gave me any indication that something could delay my surgery. If he did, I would not have given him a dime! Because I told him that I wanted it done before the New year! He offered to reschedule me again for the following Month, and I accepted the appointment because I had already paid him in full.

When the next appointment came around, I got the same excuse! The laser had arrived, but the technician had not setup it up. He said that it would be setup in a few weeks. I explained to him that I gave him several times to get this right, and that I wanted a full refund. He apologized and thanked me for being patient after numerous delays and agreed to give me a full refund. This was in March of 2012.

It has been over a year and I still have not received a refund. He has not contacted me, nor has he answered any of my emails. I did a google search of his name, and found other customers who were also waiting for a refund from Dr. Brian Bonanni . I am disgusted and appaled by his actions. I will be consulting an attorney next and I plan on suing him for the full balance, my attorney fees, and interest!

Be very careful if you do business with Gotham Lasik or Dr. Bonanni. This conduct in very unethical and extremely unprofessional. I have given them a year to make things right, and they have failed to do so! I also plan to file a complaint with the medical board because his conduct is unethical! If he could not perform the surgery when he promised then he should not have taken my money in the first place. He should have been honest about the possibility of delays instead of promising me a date that he knew he could not make!