Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by Single Dad In Diego
There may be nothing more stressful as a parent than having kids that are sick. You are usually left searching the internet for symptoms to see if it is anything serious and you know that after a certain age, kids HATE going to the doctor. Maybe there is a better way. Let’s look at one option in this Heal App review.
So what exactly is the Heal App?
I’m sure we have all heard of the days when doctors made house calls. The Heal App promises to marry that old-school idea with 21st-century technology.
The Heal App promises:
- A doctor that comes to your home
- An “unrushed” experience
- No endless time spent in waiting rooms
- A relatively low cost (even if you do not use insurance)
- And best for parents….no visits to a “scary” doctors office
That all sounds almost too good to be true. And in this Heal App review, I will show you why it was just that for me.
So I got started with the Heal App because my child was sent home with a 103-degree fever. I usually do not worry about that because I just figure that is the body’s way of fighting off a bug.
Soon after he developed a cough that lasted for days and just did not seem to be getting better. As I pondered packing him in the car to go to our pediatrician, I thought about an app that I had previously heard about called Heal.
Not only did this app promise to get a doctor to my home to examine my child, but it also promised that I could use it as well for things like my annual physical.
A doctor on my time and at my location for a pretty low cost? Sign me up. So I set out to get started with the app and in this Heal App review, I can share my experiences both good and (mostly) bad.
Step 1 In Heal App Review: Setting up the appointment
Setting up my appointment could not have been simpler. I downloaded the app, answered some basic questions about me and my sick child, and then I was taken to a booking page to get my appointment set up.
After setting up my appointment I received an email and text confirmation of the appointment time. I also received an email talking about what to expect.
The cost with my insurance was my $75 co-pay but even without using insurance the cost was around $150 (your costs may vary based on what type of appointment you are booking).
So I was all set and so far it seemed as if this was going to be smooth sailing.
Oh what could have been…and why this Heal App review will now take a less than positive turn
My appointment was set for 10 a.m. At around 7:45 that morning I had a missed call. I literally called back about 5 minutes later.
I listened to the voicemail that was left and it said I needed to call them back or my appointment would be canceled. So I dutifully called back.
I was on hold for about 10 minutes and then got an automated message saying everyone was busy but leave a message and we will call you back. So I did.
I then waited about 10 minutes and, with no callback, I called them again. Same result.
I then got the email that is shown above saying they had made “multiple attempts” to contact me. I needed to call them back or they would cancel my appointment.
So since I was having no luck with the phone I figured I would try responding to the email. No response, well not from a human being anyway.
So not long after all this, I received this email saying that my appointment had been canceled. Mind you, I did not cancel my appointment, they canceled it for me.
So to sum up:
- My appointment was unilaterally canceled
- I tried to call them twice and email them once to respond to their initial question
- I did not, nor have not to this day, heard from ANYONE at Heal about this
Now the only silver lining, they did refund my $75 promptly but I would have much preferred to pay the $75 and have the doctor visit.
So it would seem there is a real disconnect between what is promised and what is delivered. If you look at their Yelp page you will see tons of 5-star reviews; however, all the 1-star reviews are from customers like me who have an issue with their customer service. To sum up this important part of this heal app review, it would seem if you can actually get the doctor to the house, this is a pretty good service.
So would I try again?
Maybe….but I’m not sure. I guess what bothers me the most is that I NEVER received any calls or e-mails back. Now I’m assuming they want patients so they make money so there is no reason for them to just arbitrarily cancel appointments.
Is there any chance they canceled mine because it was with a 6-year-old? Pediatrics is a specialized field so maybe their doctors are simply more comfortable with adult patients.
It seems pretty far-fetched to be sure but I cannot really come up with any other reason for their rather poor customer service.
You never get a second chance at a first impression
So I guess the summary of this heal app review is that you really have nothing to lose trying the Heal App (except maybe wasted time). If this was an emergency I would have taken my son to the ER, but since this was pretty routine it seemed reasonable to try the app, and when it did not work as promised I just took him to his pediatrician.
I so want a service like this to work so I may give it another try but they have really soured me already so the deck, at least for this customer, is really stacked against Heal.