Loan company waives more money owed by patients at men's clinic

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A loan company has forgiven a significant debt owed by men who attended a Metairie clinic before its sudden closure. At least one man claims he was never treated there.

Spring View Medical Clinic in Metairie promoted a treatment for a rarely discussed health problem. A New Orleans man, who we’ll call “Bob,” says he visited the clinic in October 2022 for ED treatment.

“I said, I might as well try this,” he explained. “They said it was free to get an evaluation, so I decided to go get an evaluation.”

Bob signed up for twelve treatments and took out a $6,000 loan through Momnt Technologies, a financing company affiliated with Spring View. But before his first treatment, he said he was afraid of cancer and wanted to cancel.

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“I ended up never going back,” he recalls. “They called me once and I told them that due to my medical condition at the moment I have to postpone this type of treatment.”

Bob says he contacted Spring View and Momnt to cancel the loan, and even sent medical records to Momnt to document his health problem.

“I had to send them my medical records and stuff like that to tell them, hey, something happened to me. This even deterred me from undergoing the treatments,” he said.

According to Bob, Momnt informed him that he needed to resolve the issue directly with Spring View. But months later, he started receiving bills from Momnt, despite never having received treatment.

After repeated attempts to resolve the problem, Bob filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Atlanta, where Momnt is headquartered.

“This company has a pattern of complaints,” said Taelore Hicks, head of media and public relations at BBB Atlanta. “In short, the pattern of complaints includes issues with reimbursement, contracts, exchanges and billing.”

Bob’s experience is not unique. In the past three years, 40 complaints have been filed against Momnt on the Atlanta BBB website, some of which involved medical clinics owned by Wasatch Men’s Group, which also owned Spring View in Metairie.

We discussed the Spring View Medical Clinic extensively for almost a year and a half. It closed abruptly last June and dozens of men have since asked the FOX 8 Defenders for help.

Some reported paying upfront for treatments, while others received loans for services they never received. The complaints prompted an investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General’s office into Wasatch Men’s Group.

“We’ve received several complaints that they took money and basically ran off,” Mike Dupree of the attorney general’s office said last year.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says the investigation is ongoing. Attorneys general in multiple states are also investigating Wasatch after discovering a network of more than 40 clinics operated by the group.

“When you see multiple states and multiple attorneys general coming together like this, it shows that the investigation is expanding,” said FOX 8 legal analyst Joe Raspanti. “It reminds me of the fact that the investigation is gaining momentum and will receive even more attention in the future.”

Previously, only one man had his Momnt loan forgiven, following intervention by the Illinois Attorney General’s office. Now Momnt has also waived Bob’s loan.

“We’re very happy that we were able to help him,” said Hicks, adding, “At Better Business Bureau we would say this is absolutely a success story.”

Hicks says BBB employees contact Momnt for every complaint received and strive for a resolution.

One complaint filed in May reported that a patient went to Edge Brook Medical, another Wasatch clinic, for ED treatment and funded $6,000 through Momnt. After just six treatments, the clinic closed without warning.

In a similar case from October 15 on the BBB website, a patient at Maple Grove Medical Clinic in Maryland, another Wasatch clinic, was offered partial debt forgiveness of $5,000 by Momnt because he did not receive the full range of services that he had financed. .

Although Hicks could not say why Bob’s loan was fully forgiven, she explained, “Based on their response, they said they did an investigation into his account and determined he was eligible for a refund, which they gave him gifts.”

In a statement, Momnt said: “We are committed to resolving disputes and meeting our obligations to our consumers. Every dispute is unique and is taken seriously. We investigate all claims thoroughly and take appropriate action based on the results of the individual investigation.”

The company declined to comment on specific accounts.

Back in New Orleans, Bob says he feels vindicated by the loan forgiveness, but he is angry about the process. “It’s terrible,” he said, adding: “I would really like to use some words that I can’t use on TV… to express my anger.”

Bob says he wants to raise awareness about the clinic, where he believes he and others have been billed high for unfulfilled treatments.

Last year, Momnt Technologies sued Wasatch Men’s Group in federal court and won a $24 million judgment. Court records show Momnt claimed to have received hundreds of complaints from men who said they had not received promised medical services.

If you have a consumer complaint that you would like us to investigate, please call the Fox 8 Defenders, staffed with volunteers from the National Council of Jewish Women, at 1-877-670-6397. Or click here to complete our form online complaint formwhich is the easiest way to reach us.

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