This former client describes feeling cheated and taken advantage of during a vulnerable time in his life. He ultimately found help at another program.
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Jones and Ramirez v. Narconon Redwood Cliffs, Narconon International, ABLE, et. al.
Plaintiff searched the internet and found a purportedly independent referral website whose representative told her to contact Mike DiPalma at Redwood Cliffs. DiPalma misrepresented the program's success rate, medical and counselor staffing, effectiveness of the New Life Detoxification (sauna) as being “scientifically and medically proven.” The contract Plaintiff signed warranted that the program was not religious in nature, and did not mention Scientology. Feeling unsafe, and not getting drug rehab treatment, but Scientology instead, Plaintiff's son Jimmy left Narconon with other patients, walked into town, found lodging, and made plans to return home. Narconon staff "camped outside their hotel room, followed them around town, and repeatedly harassed Jimmy and the other patients. Jimmy and the others were forced to ask local police to get NNC staff to leave them alone."
Narconon Survey Response #317
This former client would like to prevent others from being scammed by Narconon. She claims that Narconon had no qualified staff while she was there; a physician had to google information about high blood pressure and did nothing. She was lied to, but ultimately was motivated by her circumstances to get clean after leaving Narconon.
Narconon Survey Response #302
This former client of Narconon Tahoe left after 30 days due to bullying, overcrowding, and stealing, among other things. This person's relationship with a sister is severely strained since the $30,000 paid by her was essentially a waste, and her time immediately after leaving Narconon was extremely stressful, but this person is managing to put her life back together now, thanks to a battered women's shelter shelter and A.A.
Narconon Survey Response #141
This former client of Narconon at Lake Tahoe paid $34,000 for a program that included bedbugs and other disgusting living conditions, unqualified medical staff, and lying and incompetent non-medical staff. This person says that people who wanted to leave the program were dropped off at a convenience store and had to call the police to collect their personal belongings, and is concerned for the people that she became close to who are still there.
Narconon Survey Response #251
This wife of a former client of Narconon Vista Bay says that the claimed 76% success rate played a big role in her and her husband's decision to attend, because they wanted him to succeed. After a few days, her husband told her that things were "weird there" and that things didn't seem right. They reached the conclusion that the phones were tapped, that they had been lied to about numerous things, such as medical supervision, and left after 15 days. She now thinks the 76% refers not to a success rate, but a failure rate.
Complaint to BBB, Narconon Vista Bay, June 2, 2010
According to the parent of a former client, Narconon Vista Bay failed to disclose their no refund policy, connection to scientology, and had their son sign the no-refund portion separately while he was in an impaired state.