Complaint Review: Betsy Grier

DON’T GET RIPPED OFF BY BETSY GRIER - DO NOT USE HER FOR YOUR CHILD!!!!!!

We went to Betsy for our child even though she seemed expensive.  We did not know the industry well and wanted the best for our child. Because we heard Betsy was the most expensive, we also assumed she was the best. When we spoke with her about money - the first conversation she has with you after taking you as a client - we told her we were concerned about money and wanted to know how much this would cost.  We were then informed that her minimum charge was $3000, but that this amount usually covered testing for most kids. We shared that anything over that was beyond our budget. She acknowledged our concern and had us sign the papers to begin.

Imagine our surprise when the FIRST BILL was MORE THAN $3000! (She gives you a bill at the end of each month of service with no updates)  And we were not close to having testing completed! Because we signed her papers, we were legally on the hook for the entire bill with nothing to show for it!  After the first month, we were in a nightmare of trying to get the testing completed so our money was not wasted.  Over the next month or two, we did everything we could to control expenses, while trying to get a written diagnosis. (Setting appointments with Betsy is challenging which stretches out the process)  Her "additional" testing and behind the scenes charges more than doubled the expected amount of $3000, and not once did she inform us what to expect financially. Be aware, she adds services to the bill you do not know are happening.  These hidden charges are impossible to predict and Betsy just acts offended when you question these unapproved or unexpected services.  And another trick of hers is to write the bill with higher prices and then show discounts to her services.  Then, when you question the amount, she claims to have already discounted the services as much as she can.  In the end, we paid her incredible bill of OVER $6000 in full and took our report. Without her "discounts", the bill would have exceeded $8000.

After surviving the nightmare and paying her outrageous bill, we took Betsy’s report to multiple special needs educators and other professionals in the field.  Every one stated that Betsy’s diagnosis and report were “acceptable” but not as well done as others they had seen. One established psychiatrist who provided medication for our other child agreed to perform a test to determine if the diagnosis was even in the ballpark.  After the hour test, he laughed and stated he did not even believe the diagnosis was correct. When we asked the various professionals how much something like this would normally cost, EVERY PROFESSIONAL replied by saying that a normal charge for this level of testing was about $1500.  When we shared our experience and expenses incurred with Betsy, some had never heard of Betsy and were simply appalled at her charges.  Only one professional stated they knew Betsy professionally and had never heard anything negative, but that person was still SHOCKED with the amount Betsy charged for her testing and diagnosis. Another who knew of Betsy said they did everything they could to save families from going to her.  They openly described her as unprofessional and extremely overpriced.  And finally, a school administrator stated to us that Betsy was so distrusted in the education community that she wasn't even allowed on the school's property and understood that other schools had taken the same action.  That is about the worst thing someone in education can say about a psychologist who claims to be trying to help children.

Another important note, our insurance covered less than 1/3 of her bill because her charges are so far above the norm.  This says much about her charges since we have excellent insurance that covers almost everything.

Save yourself thousands of dollars and find someone other than Betsy Grier to provide services for you!  In my opinion, there are comparable or better professionals in the Columbia area for substantially less money.  Don’t get ripped off!