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Hi everyone. Yes, thanks, bigsister is fine and thanks so much for everyone who has mentioned us and been sending their thoughts. First in line for us to think about and send good wishes to is Tamisu, hope it all goes as well for you. Then shortly after it will be TC's turn. You are in such good hands, no need to worry on that score. All your medical needs will be well met. Agree with sister gillian that for the first 18 hours, felt quite 'ropey' and wondering how I would be able to leave the hospital in a few hours time but just a short while later, felt fine and virtually no pain at all - just a bit of discomfort more than anything else. Have to say here though that probably one of the reasons why I did feel rather rubbish early on could be cos the bottle of pain relief put up to go through the drip didn't go through so had nothing for a number of hours! Wishfull mentioned the hospital food and to be honest, think I would prefer the x-ray barium to the awful Soup they serve up - it really is that bad - no wonder they had to invent some decent chocolate to make up for that c**p! Have started this afternoon with a bit of pain/discomfort which goes from chest-neck, gillian has been same too and not sure if it is because we have been troughing down the soup a little bit quickly - think it feels a bit like an air lock? Thought we hadn't done it too quickly, but on reflection, may be we need to take it down a gear. Agree with gillian that the sexy surgical stockings are a real plus and worth the 4.000 euros alone and will certainly be wearing mine well after I need them - they are driving my partner wild with desire! (Pity for him about the no sex rule until you're down to size 10 then - he'll just have to look but no touching!) Have done an injection myself this morning, no problem, can barely feel a thing. We flew into Charleroi which was fine going but the journey of about 1 hour back is not quite as good and unless money is a real object, I think on reflection, I would have preferred to pay a bit more and fly back from Brussells which is only 10 mins away. Don't think they seemed very well organised at Charleroi as there were very big queues at various stages and they took ages to go down, and although me and gillian managed, we felt we could have done with not standing around so much in one go. Think we may have requested a wheelchair had we known. Also for info, remember reading on forum that taxis don't run early in Vilvoorde but when I was checking out of hotel around 4.15am, the receptionist asked me if I needed a taxi. I queried this and told him I thought they didn't run this early but he confirmed that they did. If anyone thinks of any question at all, please do so and if any of us can answer, I'm sure we will asap. Thanks again to everyone for being kind, hope other recent bandsters inc TL & Miss Flump continue doing well, being an inspiration to us and keep posting with their progress for a little while yet, good luck with your fills! Love to all & thanks again, bigsister x

Hi I hope you don’t mind me posting like this, but I wondered if any of you might be able to help. To introduce myself, my name is Henry Austin and I am a North American Correspondent for Look magazine in the UK. Please see our website at www. Look.co.uk We are a large weekly women’s magazine, similar in style to People in North America and we pride ourselves on ensuring the welfare of people who are good enough to entrust us with their stories and experiences. My editors have asked me to find a young lady between the ages of 19 and 31 who has lost a large amount of weight after having a lap band. While maybe slightly unrealistic they asked for about 250lbs. We were hoping it might be possible to interview them and produce a feature for our magazine. Please rest assured that if someone decided to go ahead, everything would be treated with the utmost care and sensitivity. They would remain in control of the procedure throughout and I would not do anything without your prior agreement. As with everyone I write about, I would also guarantee to read everything back to you before publication to ensure both accuracy and your happiness with the piece. While I’m sure it is not a prime consideration, it is my duty to inform you that we do compensate everyone for their time in speaking with us or indeed make a donation to the charity of church of their choice. This is usually $1000, although this can rise at the editor’s discretion. If at any point you have any queries please by all means e-mail me at henry.austin@yahoo.ca and I will be happy to answe them for you. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and may I wish you all, all the best for the future. Kind regards Henry

Hi gang I am due to be banded in 9 days and have already done almost a week on the liver reducting diet. In this time I have had no alcohol, but with 2 Christmas dos lined up for next weekend, I was wondering what effect this would have on the liver. I do not want to undo all the good work I have done so far, but if alcohol does not make a difference, I would at least like one last drink before a life without it completely. Another query, do those who have followed a low fat diet prior to surgery have less pain and recover sooner than those that dont? Well done to Foxy too and thanks for the info regarding the hotel and what they provide, etc. I've booked the Frederik package too and he has said I can pay the entire cost the day prior to surgery. I'm hanging on til the last moment to change my Euros now. Could have kicked myself when I wanted to change at 1.17 and the lady told me rates were on their way up again and I should wait :tongue2: It's no wonder there is so much pain post-op as I have just seen a stomach operation on TV and they don't look that gentle with you..... I am now starting to panic big time..... Sal

Thank you - I had checked there yesterday but couldn't find where to go - but after your email I tried again and put in a query and I think I found what I need "How to File a Utilization Appeal". Thanks again. I was hoping to find some blogs on people who were denied but wasn't successful - any ideas?

I think you get something like 20%, I'm the same, I gave it to my tax lady. However what I didn't know, which was helpful, was that my husband as the bigger earner, was allowed to claim it on his taxes. I'm self-employed so it wouldn't have made much difference to my tax return. Also, make sure you have a proper receipt from your clinic as the tax department will flag you and ask for a copy of the receipt. (I originally got a statement, and not a bill) It is the amount we are claiming that brings it up for a query. But I was asked for it, and faxed them the invoice and I got a letter saying all was well. My accountant warned me that would happen, so I didn't freak out or worry about it. At least we get something back! Mary

This is by far the most common query that newbie bandsters have. I had it and didn't know the answer at the time. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and asked my doctor about it, and I think this is a sound explanation for what is going on inside of you. Don't let it get to you - it IS temporary! Most of all, don't let it cause you to give up!! ****************************************** It is highly likely that you will hit a plateau or regain a few pounds in in the weeks after the op. My theory on this is: * In the pre-op weeks, we saw big numbers as weight loss because we had switched from a solid to a liquid diet and most of the loss was not fat but simply emptying the digestive system. At any point in time on a normal eating regime, an average person will have 10-15lb of food in various stages of digestion in their alimentary canal. Us fatties probably had 20+! Real fat loss at that stage is probably only 2-5lb, the rest is fluids and undigested food. However, we believe the big numbers and get disappointed when they don't continue. * During the operation, they put you on an IV saline drip, which boosts your Fluid levels and Water weighs MUCH more than fat. This can take several days to a couple of weeks to get out of your system (see next point). * The internal swelling from the operation all contributes to fluid retention, which is boosted by the IV drip. Until the swelling goes down, you're going to hold onto that fluid. * As the swelling goes down, you start to move from liquids to mushies to solids. You will probably notice that you don't poop for quite some time post-op, which is a combination of the constipation-causing painkillers, the fact that you are eating MUCH less in volume, and that you are now re-filling your digestive system from it's previously completely empty state. This means that as you lose fluid weight, you are regaining solid food weight, and all the actual fat loss is disguised by those two. Some people will retain more fluid, especially if they're eating salty canned Soups (I know I did!), so they will see a gain. Others will lose more fluid than they are gaining in food weight, so they will see a slight loss. For others it will be equal or will go up and down day by day. In the meantime, in the background, I believe that if we stick to the diet plans, we are still losing real fat at the steady rate of 2-3lb a week - we just can't see it and judge it accurately because there are too many other influences. Once you get back to solid foods, a "normally full" digestive tract and get rid of the extra fluids, your scales will be much more accurate and should be showing a steady loss of 1-2lb per week.

I think that was me, Sunwyse, and I'm going to go find it, copy/paste it here and put it in the post-op forum as a new thread as well, as this is by far the most common query that new bandsters have in their post-op period. I wish the doctors would warn us to expect this, so that people wouldn't get the 3 week post-op blues about it.

Will do. Maybe its normal for us not too lose too much on the first fill. I have a call tomorrow with my dietician. I will query everything with her on why the weight loss has slowed down so I will keep you informed.

Hi GregandDebra, Do you have private health insurance? If so, the costs usually go down to about 4000. Might be just as well to take out private health cover, wait the exclusion period (6-12 months) then try again. Otherwise, I can help with your other queries. The weight comes off at different rates, depending on how hard you work. It's not just an easy way out, you still need to actively change your diet and increase your exercise. Foods like ice cream, cakes and biscuits just slide right through the band so if you eat these all the time, you may not lose any weight. But if you work the band well, it works for you. I was banded in March and I've lost 27kgs since then, by eating well and exercising. That's almost a kilo per week. There are many others who have lost more than this -- the bigger you are to start with, (generally) the faster you will lose. It will slow down once you get closer to goal. Every day I am thankful that I had this surgery -- without it, I would be even heavier than when I started and even more miserable. It cost me 6000 (my surgeon is a little more expensive than most) but it's worth every cent to me. Any other questions, just let me know. Annie.

Though i have gained a lot of info on pregnancy with band but please help me with these queries i got banded on 28th june and have lost 34 pounds and i am now at 188 pounds ... is this a good weight to try having a baby ... i am going in for a pregnancy because of the other complications which i have how many of you went and had a baby at my current weight and how many of u delivered safely without complications what happens to band during pregnancy and has anyone resumed their weight loss journey after the band .. what if one has to have a cs cant a lot of morning sickness give rise to a slipped band anyone had any complication with band during pregnancy which led to some surgery can one have whey Proteins during pregnancy PLEASE HELP

:crying: You're getting a lot of good info on this question. Seems like many people have had the same query. Here's a website for all Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins and everything for Bariatric Surgery patients that have had the BY-PASS. Their requirements are strict. Since I had planned that route before now registering for the band, I still use my notes and UCLA class training: The best one is a 42gm tube of liquid you can put in Water and there is feedback on each items on the site: www.bariatricchoice.com (includes prices)

Hi Chel :tt1: Sorry but there is a lot in your post I am unable to answer but are you aure going abroad is not an option? I have my band booked in Belguim for the 19th of December which involves flying out there on the 18th (depending where in the country you are eurostar may be a cheaper and more convenient choice). Depending on your term/holiday time this may involve minimal time away from class, certainly no more than 1 day more than in the uk. It will also mean christmas dinner will amount to a spoonful of mash pots and gravy and a spoonful of custard if u are really lucky lol :thumbup: as you can see I'm having an exciting christmas dinner heehee. Best of luck in your research, I'm sure there will be plenty of people here can help you with your queries. Vicki xx

ok .. just a query ... which type of band do u people have ... i just want to see if i have the same band because i havent had a fill but i still feel a lot of restriction ..so maybe just maybe i too have some fluid in my band

Hi Girls, I REALLY would appreciate your feedback / experienced input here. I'm just trying to figure out why my band has progressively gotten tighter in the 8-10 weeks since my last clinic visit. I had perfect restriction to begin with & gradually it tightened to the point where I can't even drink a cup of tea! HERE'S MY QUERY FOR YOU.. in your opinion, would being de-hydrated tighten the band? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE / PERSONAL EXPERIENCE / THEORIES :shades_smile:

hi there! i haven't had surgery but am seriously considering a private consultation with Dr Kennedy. i heard that the operation is no longer available in this country on NHS and has to be done in england - some newspaper article i read online that was published in Feb 2008. not sure if this has been changed though! seriously considering going private here but not sure what the cost is and if payment plans are available? would love to know if you have seen Dr Kennedy and can answer any of my many many LOL! queries!! my doctor supports me which is great and has referred me for a consultation in belfast, but this could take upto 6 months alone! angie xx

Hi Cori, Thanks girl!!! Your messages are always so encouraging and uplifting -- I really appreciate it :teeth_smile::smile: Wow! I've been lurking around on the Make Me Heal buttocks augmentation forum and there is a whole "booty" subculture out there, that I just cannot relate to. Some of these ladies want and are having HUGE backsides done -- cartoonish might even be a better description. I'm not sure what this is all about or why someone would want that, but surely this will be a passing fad. After unsuccessfully attempting to sift through that section of the forum in search of helpful information, I finally gave up. I did post a query to a Dr. on a different section of the forum and hopefully I will hear something back. A huge booty is definitely not for me -- all I want is what I had when I was back in college when my body was at its best -- just a small, lady-like, gently-rounded curve, and that's it. I trust my Dr. 100%, but I still wish I could find some additional information on this procedure as it always gives me peace of mind to know as much as I possibly can about something before I do it..........

There really isn't anything "off-topic" on this board :biggrin2:For me, no-bake cookies have cocoa, oats, milk, vanilla, splenda and some kind of binder (butter or crisco-ish.) I mix it all up in a bowl, do spoonful drops on waxed paper, and then let them "dry" either on the counter or in the fridge until they firm up a bit. There are some good recipes at cooks.com. Just query no-bake cookie.

Hi guys. I've read a couple of threads recently and some people have mention x-ray after banding? Is this common practice? I was banded a couple of weeks ago and have a follow-up appointment in 2 weeks time. No x-ray was mentioned. Is it only some consultants who will x-ray or has everyone else had one. I'd be grateful if someone could get back to me on this so as I can query this at my appointment. Thanks xx

I am 4 months post op. The band has done little as yet. My weight has not changed from the initial loss on the liquid diet. The company I have used, say that I can only fill at the rate of 1 mil per fill, every 4-6 weeks. I am upto 6 mill now and they also say that it won't work properly until 7 mill is in there. (It's a 14 mill band...I am a 6' male). Until I had the 6 mill fill I could eat a meal almost as normal, occasionally getting the 'something stuck' feeling if I ate too fast. Since the 6 mill fill I get a 'something stuck' feeling after only 2 mouthfulls of anything other than sloppy food. I have now discovered what I will have particular trouble with, chicken and bread, these seem to stick more than anything. Because of this I give up eating the meal and am hungry again within an hour or two. Before the 6 mill fill I would get this feeling occasionally and after it had cleared (2 minutes) it would not come back during that particular meal. My query is this: Am I waiting for food to pass through the band therefore causing a back-up and the 'something stuck' feeling? If so when that feeling clears the food must have passed through the band.....surely that's not the idea? Is my band set too high????

Thats Ok Argon. I love the fact she is looking for aftercare. You can't imagine how I have been jumped on for mentioning aftercare. Seems there are a few sensitive people out there that don't like me reminding potential bandsters to ensure they have good aftercare. The perception of after care on people starting their research is much different to the reality. Can't imagine why there is such pressure for me to be quiet, unless of course, they represent a particular clinic. Anyway, Argon I think or hope we have helper this person on the start of her queries.

hi cosmo... have you seen the wii fit thread in the exercise and fitness folder? if not, there are lots of user reviews there. i tried it out, but decided not to buy it. seemed fun, but was worried the novelty would wear off. but that's just me, it may be the perfect thing for you. annie... re: not telling anyone... i decided not to tell many people; just my ex-gf, my sister and her wife. my reasoning: i didn't want to deal with explaining myself or my decision. and i didn't want to answer questions from friends and family like, how much have you lost? it may just be a rationale, but i wanted to do this for me. now it's simple to make a statement like that, but embedded in it is a whole of psychological drama and turmoil re: "fitting in", being normal looking, why can't i just exercise "self-control?" answering those questions for me is enough work, especially since my responses vary from day-to-day. answering such queries from others could, in reality, amount to a full-time job. there may come a time when i decide to "come out" about my banded status, but that time is not now. good luck with your process.

Sorry - I posted this twice - once in the wrong forum!:confused2: Hi Guys. Im new here today. I had a band with WGA on 11th April. I have just submitted my formal complaint to the healthcare commission - here's a copy of my letter. Should any be considering using this company - I would strongly advise against it....:cursing: Dear Sirs, Re: Complaint/WGA GASTRIC BAND FRIDAY 11TH APRIL I am writing to inform you of my complete disappointment with the overall level of service I have recently received from The Hospital Group under their Why Go Abroad Company regarding a gastric band procedure. I visited the offices of The Hospital Group in Manchester earlier this year to discuss having a Gastric Band fitted. The consultation went ok and the staff were very helpful and friendly. I was provided with all the information regarding the two different packages I could choose from, the first being with The Hospital Group, and costing £8000, which included a year’s worth of aftercare and band fills . The second package was the ‘Why Go Abroad’ offer. I was advised that WGA was an economy package which cost £4950 and that the only difference with this package was that it the aftercare was only for 5 weeks, and didn’t include any band fills, just an X ray, and a final consultation to be discharged. I was advised at the initial attendance by a lady named Lisa that anytime I had any queries regarding the procedure, I could contact her, (even if I decided to go onto the Why Go Abroad package) and she would assist me as best possible. I was even given a mobile number to call her on should I require. I didn’t book for the procedure initially as I was still very apprehensive given the fact that it was such a huge decision. Lisa, rang several times to discuss the operation and any queries I may have, and on some occasions, to see whether I was ready to book, however, I was still very unsure at this time. After a lot of thought and discussions, I eventually decided to go ahead and I rang and booked my place. My surgery was booked for April 11th in Birmingham with WGA. Not very long after I had booked and paid for my operation, I thought of a few questions I hadn’t previously asked and decided to make use of the mobile number I had been given for Lisa. She seemed very surprised that I had rang and seemed reluctant to speak to me as I was (and I quote) “only on the economy package” (I don’t think a helpline was included in this option). Obviously I was shocked by this remark and felt very let down by it. She did eventually answer my questions, albeit very hurriedly, and made it abundantly clear she was very busy and didn’t seem to have the time for me anymore. My operation came and went very quickly. I was barley in hospital 24 hours for the entire procedure and I felt very rushed – like I was on a conveyor belt. The following morning, I was obviously in pain from the operation, however, was told at 6:15am that I was being discharged as my bed was needed for someone else. My Husband wasn’t due until 7am and I wasn’t even offered as much as a drink whilst I waited, despite previously being nil by mouth for 36 hours. Before I left, I was however provided with my ‘aftercare package’ which to my surprise was just a letter merely advising that there were 2 follow up appointments and pain relief included in the aftercare pack. There were no follow up appointments arranged, and no pain relief provided. My husband had to go and specifically ask for pain relief for me so that I had some for when I got home. A week or so after the procedure, I decided to contact WGA myself to arrange an appointment for my x ray to check that the band was ok – which I arranged without any problems – Only complaint here was that I had to travel back down to Birmingham, when I was previously led to believe that only my operation would be carried out in Birmingham – all following appointments would be in Manchester. Following my X ray appointment I rang WGA several times to try and book an appointment to be discharged but with no success. I was met with a number of reasons for this namely either that my surgeon was on summer leave, that I had to go to Birmingham (even though I was assured my follow ups would be in Manchester), or that I had to wait to be called back. My calls were never returned, and I was not offered a discharge appointment. I finally decided enough was enough after several attempts of trying to arrange a discharge so I contacted WGA complaints dept and spoke to Sarah with a view to advising her of my situation and attempting to speed matters up to obtain a discharge appointment as I hadn’t had any joy at all from the appointments department. She seemed to have a “couldn’t care less attitude” and was very blasé about the entire thing. She wasn’t interested in anything I had to say and merely stated that ‘they only accepted complaints in writing’. At this point I wasn’t even making my feelings about the matter official and it made me feel like she had simply switched off from listening to what I had to say and switched on to ‘auto pilot’ mode giving me an answer that didn’t even relate to my query. I finally seemed to make some headway this week and was offered a telephone discharge on Friday? How can I be properly discharged over the telephone? My wounds/scars are supposed to be checked, and my band felt to ensure it is the right position. I was desperate to be discharged as I am unable to have my band filled until this step is complete and at the moment, it is doing nothing for me at all. I didn’t need to worry however as I never received the “telephone discharge” call. I waited in all evening, by the phone but no call came. After this telephone call was arranged I was told I could go ahead and book my band fill with Obesity Care – which I did for Monday 16th June 2008 at a further cost of £125 which had to be paid for at the time of booking. My situation now is that I won’t be able to have my band filled as I have not been discharged – and I will probably be £125 more out of pocket. I felt that as soon as I made the decision to go ahead with the procedure, especially on the WGA package, no-one seemed to feel the need to make any further effort with me whatsoever as I had already been ‘reeled in’, and unfortunately this situation continued after my operation. I have received no customer service or after care at all with my so called ‘package’, despite it apparently including 5 weeks after care, and a further consultation in Manchester which, not surprisingly, has not even been provided to me. I am disgusted that I paid the sum of £ and received literally nothing more than a ‘no frills package’. I specifically chose to go private for this procedure as I was under the impression that paying privately got you not only a quicker all-round time scale, but a little peace of mind that things would run more smoothly, and that I would be taken care of in a more personal and professional way. I was sadly mistaken. I am aware that I opted for the ‘cheaper’ of the two packages; however, it shouldn’t mean that I have to sacrifice my right to decent customer service and after care. I honestly expected to receive the basic element that I paid for and I feel utterly appalled that this is not the case. I am disgusted by the entire experience I have encountered with this procedure at the hands of The Hospital Group/Why Go Abroad and in some ways, feel that I have wasted money that I could not afford to throw away. I paid an extremely large sum of money for a product that I have not received. Had this money, for example, been used to purchase a car that turned out to be faulty, or, a new bathroom/kitchen suite that did not meet the advertised requirements, I can assure you that such products would have been returned immediately and a refund demanded. Unfortunately however, in these circumstances, this is not the case as the ‘product’ I have purchased cannot be returned and I feel I am simply expected to ‘shut up and put up’. I feel completely let down and cheated by everyone concerned in this matter. I would therefore be obliged to receive any advice/feedback from you in response to all of the above, within the next 14 days. Yours sincerely,

Hi Guys. Im new here today. I had a band with WGA on 11th April. I have just submitted my formal complaint to the healthcare commission - here's a copy of my letter. Should any be considering using this company - I would strongly advise against it....:cursing: Dear Sirs, Re: Complaint/WGA GASTRIC BAND FRIDAY 11TH APRIL I am writing to inform you of my complete disappointment with the overall level of service I have recently received from The Hospital Group under their Why Go Abroad Company regarding a gastric band procedure. I visited the offices of The Hospital Group in Manchester earlier this year to discuss having a Gastric Band fitted. The consultation went ok and the staff were very helpful and friendly. I was provided with all the information regarding the two different packages I could choose from, the first being with The Hospital Group, and costing £8000, which included a year’s worth of aftercare and band fills . The second package was the ‘Why Go Abroad’ offer. I was advised that WGA was an economy package which cost £4950 and that the only difference with this package was that it the aftercare was only for 5 weeks, and didn’t include any band fills, just an X ray, and a final consultation to be discharged. I was advised at the initial attendance by a lady named Lisa that anytime I had any queries regarding the procedure, I could contact her, (even if I decided to go onto the Why Go Abroad package) and she would assist me as best possible. I was even given a mobile number to call her on should I require. I didn’t book for the procedure initially as I was still very apprehensive given the fact that it was such a huge decision. Lisa, rang several times to discuss the operation and any queries I may have, and on some occasions, to see whether I was ready to book, however, I was still very unsure at this time. After a lot of thought and discussions, I eventually decided to go ahead and I rang and booked my place. My surgery was booked for April 11th in Birmingham with WGA. Not very long after I had booked and paid for my operation, I thought of a few questions I hadn’t previously asked and decided to make use of the mobile number I had been given for Lisa. She seemed very surprised that I had rang and seemed reluctant to speak to me as I was (and I quote) “only on the economy package” (I don’t think a helpline was included in this option). Obviously I was shocked by this remark and felt very let down by it. She did eventually answer my questions, albeit very hurriedly, and made it abundantly clear she was very busy and didn’t seem to have the time for me anymore. My operation came and went very quickly. I was barley in hospital 24 hours for the entire procedure and I felt very rushed – like I was on a conveyor belt. The following morning, I was obviously in pain from the operation, however, was told at 6:15am that I was being discharged as my bed was needed for someone else. My Husband wasn’t due until 7am and I wasn’t even offered as much as a drink whilst I waited, despite previously being nil by mouth for 36 hours. Before I left, I was however provided with my ‘aftercare package’ which to my surprise was just a letter merely advising that there were 2 follow up appointments and pain relief included in the aftercare pack. There were no follow up appointments arranged, and no pain relief provided. My husband had to go and specifically ask for pain relief for me so that I had some for when I got home. A week or so after the procedure, I decided to contact WGA myself to arrange an appointment for my x ray to check that the band was ok – which I arranged without any problems – Only complaint here was that I had to travel back down to Birmingham, when I was previously led to believe that only my operation would be carried out in Birmingham – all following appointments would be in Manchester. Following my X ray appointment I rang WGA several times to try and book an appointment to be discharged but with no success. I was met with a number of reasons for this namely either that my surgeon was on summer leave, that I had to go to Birmingham (even though I was assured my follow ups would be in Manchester), or that I had to wait to be called back. My calls were never returned, and I was not offered a discharge appointment. I finally decided enough was enough after several attempts of trying to arrange a discharge so I contacted WGA complaints dept and spoke to Sarah with a view to advising her of my situation and attempting to speed matters up to obtain a discharge appointment as I hadn’t had any joy at all from the appointments department. She seemed to have a “couldn’t care less attitude” and was very blasé about the entire thing. She wasn’t interested in anything I had to say and merely stated that ‘they only accepted complaints in writing’. At this point I wasn’t even making my feelings about the matter official and it made me feel like she had simply switched off from listening to what I had to say and switched on to ‘auto pilot’ mode giving me an answer that didn’t even relate to my query. I finally seemed to make some headway this week and was offered a telephone discharge on Friday? How can I be properly discharged over the telephone? My wounds/scars are supposed to be checked, and my band felt to ensure it is the right position. I was desperate to be discharged as I am unable to have my band filled until this step is complete and at the moment, it is doing nothing for me at all. I didn’t need to worry however as I never received the “telephone discharge” call. I waited in all evening, by the phone but no call came. After this telephone call was arranged I was told I could go ahead and book my band fill with Obesity Care – which I did for Monday 16th June 2008 at a further cost of £125 which had to be paid for at the time of booking. My situation now is that I won’t be able to have my band filled as I have not been discharged – and I will probably be £125 more out of pocket. I felt that as soon as I made the decision to go ahead with the procedure, especially on the WGA package, no-one seemed to feel the need to make any further effort with me whatsoever as I had already been ‘reeled in’, and unfortunately this situation continued after my operation. I have received no customer service or after care at all with my so called ‘package’, despite it apparently including 5 weeks after care, and a further consultation in Manchester which, not surprisingly, has not even been provided to me. I am disgusted that I paid the sum of £ and received literally nothing more than a ‘no frills package’. I specifically chose to go private for this procedure as I was under the impression that paying privately got you not only a quicker all-round time scale, but a little peace of mind that things would run more smoothly, and that I would be taken care of in a more personal and professional way. I was sadly mistaken. I am aware that I opted for the ‘cheaper’ of the two packages; however, it shouldn’t mean that I have to sacrifice my right to decent customer service and after care. I honestly expected to receive the basic element that I paid for and I feel utterly appalled that this is not the case. I am disgusted by the entire experience I have encountered with this procedure at the hands of The Hospital Group/Why Go Abroad and in some ways, feel that I have wasted money that I could not afford to throw away. I paid an extremely large sum of money for a product that I have not received. Had this money, for example, been used to purchase a car that turned out to be faulty, or, a new bathroom/kitchen suite that did not meet the advertised requirements, I can assure you that such products would have been returned immediately and a refund demanded. Unfortunately however, in these circumstances, this is not the case as the ‘product’ I have purchased cannot be returned and I feel I am simply expected to ‘shut up and put up’. I feel completely let down and cheated by everyone concerned in this matter. I would therefore be obliged to receive any advice/feedback from you in response to all of the above, within the next 14 days. Yours sincerely,

In the part I, I had discussed briefly about how most of the small businesses go about selecting a product, whereas a successful small businessmen would be careful and would evaluate the product based on various aspects listed below before making a choice. I will relist all the important factors, which one should consider before buying an ecommerce product (www.ritecart.co.uk) or software for their company. 1.Ease of configuration 2.Ability to Scale 3.Useful latest features 4.Available marketing tools with the product 5.Ability to analyze data (analytics, not only google analytics!!) 6.Reports 7.Integration (with other modules, Like epos with near realtime online/offline synchronization of data and other packaged application ) 8.Customer Service 9.Technical Support 10.Technical Implementation Aspects 11.Build vs Buy Ease of Configuration- Integration Integration is one of the key non functional requirements; one should look at, before choosing ecommerce software (www.ritecart.co.uk). Some of the key questions would be how easy is it to integrate with third party software? Does the ecommerce provider have the pluggable modules provided like Epos (Online electronic Point Of Sale) and Accounting package? Palindrome Software Labs (www.palindromesoftware.com) has been very successful in marketing and selling its RiteCart enterprise product, which has ecommerce, epos, accounting and other pluggable modules. Major sales in the RiteCart enterprise have been the epos and ecommerce combination. RiteCart (www.ritecart.co.uk) has n tier architecture for its epos module. Epos module has online/offline synchronization with the order management, warehouse management and ecommerce module As I said earlier, ecommerce solution should be the tool for business to enhance its marketability, sales and in no way should limit it. Customer Service Any online retailer will understand how important customer service is to maintaining the success of a business. In choosing an eCommerce package, as a consumer, customer support is all the more important. Make sure that eCommerce software provider does provide with the elements you need to keep an online business operating at its peak level at all times. Does the vendor offer notifications regarding product updates or enhancements, personalized service, and technical support? Is there an option for an online help with live chat and IP2IP calling (www.supportnow.biz)? Keep in mind that the eCommerce solution provider should offer the same individualized service that one would want to give to his customers. Technical Support In the same vein, one shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get someone to aid you if there is a problem with your online store—so make sure the service providers have experienced, reliable technical support and are committed to fixing a coding error or bug quickly. Quality counts; be assured that your ecommerce service provider (www.palindromesoftware.com) has people behind and are equally committed to quality and the customer experience as you are. Technical Implementation Aspects This is one of the most neglected factors by the ecommerce customer community. Remember, Ignorance is not always bliss. it is important to understand that the product development technology plays a vital role in defining product features, customization, support and ease of product usage. It is fairly common these days to use a scripting language to build products because that is the easiest way to build a product for the product supplier!! I encourage customers to ask some specific questions, to name a few ·How can I customize the product behavior? Does it use XML or Property files? ·How can I change my query? Can I change without looking into the code? ·How can I change the content? ·Can my Home page flash dynamically pick up product images, price and other details from my database ·What language is used for development for product? Scripting language like PHP and others are a huge no, no. Make sure that your product is built using a software language like Java or .NET (most preferred ones) ·Can I add more modules to my product? How simple is it? Is the development Object Oriented Our product RiteCart (www.ritecart.co.uk) is built using robust MVC/Struts framework, which is modular, extensible and configurable. Technologies used in this product are Java, XML, BSH. Build vs. Buy Over the period of time, this has become one of my favorite customer questions. Build or Buy? I usually answer this by asking a question- how much ROI do you expect out of your ecommerce investment and product? Building is an expensive option (not from cost point of view but from ROI Point of view). You can build your solution using one of these options 1.Build with a good reliable vendor onsite (with or without an open source solution) 2.Build with a good vendor offshore 3.Build with a small vendor onsite/offshore 4.Go for your own development with some open source tools Point 1, 2 &3 are feasible but one should ask himself the following questions, is the cost feasible? Will the vendor understand all the functional needs of the ecommerce solution? How long has the vendor been in the ecommerce solution market? Will the solution be ever built? Will it work as per expectations? Can the software vendor be relied upon? How much time will it take? What impact does it have on my business if it is not delivered to my satisfaction? Finally for option 4, if you decide to pursue an open-source application to manage your store, make sure to thoroughly research and examine your options. Is the project continuously updated, or has it been stagnant for a long time, with very few updates on the project and very little news as to where it is headed? Several open-source solutions are released every year. However, very few have the longevity that you will need to be used as a foundation for your online store. Examine the programmers behind it, and others who use the program. Buying option is a much easier option. One can feel and see the solution. One can make sure that he has got everything in the product he needs. Also, he can be rest assured that the company has the required functional, technical and support expertise to support all of his needs. Finally, look at the company that’s behind your eCommerce solution (www.ritecart.co.uk). What have they done in the past? Are they a growing enterprise, likely to continually make improvements to their firm, and pass on those benefits to you? When considering a package, make sure that the company you are dealing with is credible, with a solid reputation to back up any claims. See where your customer and technical support will come from. Is it in-house or out-sourced? Do they have a solid, supportive community in the form of a forum, blog, or network of satisfied eCommerce businesses (www.ritecart.co.uk)? Examine the philosophy behind the company. Ask for references or email others, who’ve used their services in the past, and see what they have to say about the different aspects of the company you may be working with. These are the people who are going to help you build your business and make it a success; so choose wisely. Ritecart product (www.ritecart.co.uk) is sold in two flavors (Lite & enterprise). If you are looking for ecommerce software, Please request for a quotation from our Sales team. We have got the right product for you tagged with the right price!!! Author is working as a Senior Retail Analyst with Palindrome Software Labs (www.palindromesoftware.com).