Howard Wax, LMFT

Right off the bat, I had problems with this therapist. His website instructs to download forms to fill out and send in. I tried emailing and faxing them to him, but neither worked. I called and left a message, saying I was having trouble sending the forms. When he called back, he was perplexed as to why there were any problems, like it was impossible for that to have happened. So he took down my information and made me an appt for the following week.
The session was straight-​forward, although it clear he likes to talk about himself. At the end, he made an appointment for the following week, although he had trouble doing so on his phone, with his appointment software.
I showed promptly the following week but the door was locked, so I waited. My appt time passed so I sent him a text. A few minutes later he texts me back, «So sorry Eric had an emergency at the hospital and did not have your number. I will owe you a fee session. MEA CULPA.»
He then texted, «I will contact you Monday to reschedule (this was happening on Thursday right before Thanksgiving).
The whole next week he never contacted me. So today I go to his website to make an appointment. He has a place there where you can check his availability and make an online appointment. He had an opening tomorrow, so I reserved it. A few minutes later, he sends me an email stating that he wouldn’t be in the office then, and could we make the appointment for Friday.
I’m thinking, «what?» He has this appointment system that lists all his available times, surely he would have entered any times that he WASN’T available. So I write him back,
«This is getting frustrating. You told me you’d call the Monday after you missed our appointment and I never heard from you. Now I make an appointment via your website, and you’re not available on a day that it lists? Are you usually this unorganized?»
He writes back:
«First if you noticed new patients are advised not to self schedule. Second I understand that I said I would call you and I did not. However, it appears that you have some issues with my «practice management «and Regret that, the last two weeks have been quite hectic, I really don’t want to disappoint you. Perhaps you may want to choose another therapist who isn’t quite as busy. This last two weeks is not typical but you only know me in this time. Let me know what you decide. I would be happy to assist you with finding a colleague.»
So I reply:
«1. Actually, your website says this: «The appointments listed below are only available to EXISTING PATIENTS.»
I am an «existing patient,» as we’ve already met once, and we agreed to further meetings. So you clearly don’t even know what your website says.
2. Having «issues with [your] practice management, is your words, not mine. I asked if you’re always this unorganized. It sounds like you have reservations about your own practice management if you tried to project that feeling onto me.
3. I don’t care how hectic your schedule is. You’re supposed to be a professional. If you can’t handle simple appointment making, you either need to learn how to do it, get an assistant to take care of it, or get out of the business. Lots of people have «quite hectic» schedules and seem to manage to not screw up appointments and messages three times in a row.
So I think I’ll pass on coming back to you and I will be making a report to [my insurance] and write some online reviews about my experience with you, including Unilocal.A normal person would be falling down backward to apologize and make amends for so many blunders, yet you didn’t apologize once in your last email… it was all excuses. I suggest you see a therapist about that.
He then replies:
«I will also send Beacon a report. Obviously your viewpoint is yours. After 23 years of practice I would suggest that the empirical evidence speaks for itself. None of this rhetoric or Unilocal reviews will help your condition. Your anger is obviously a symptom of your depression. I wish you well in your treatment.»
Is he really still arguing with me? I went to him for depression and this is how he treats a patient… with lame excuses???
So I write back:
«LOL! Empirical evidence! TONS of professional people skip through life performing poorly under the radar. I know lots of doctors with long careers who have their licenses revoked because they start doing wrong and hurting patients. Your cocky-​a$$ attitude will get you there if you’re not careful. I never said this rhetoric would help my condition. This is just a conversation with a thoughtless, uncaring therapist. It’s not a symptom of my depression, it’s due to your poor treatment of me as a patient. I’ve shared this story with many people already, who aren’t depressed and they agree with me. So my depression isn’t the common denominator. You owe me $ 20 for the missed appointment and you can throw in another buck for the gas and parking.»
No reply so far.