Mexico Bariatric Center - Warning

Do not lose money!

Someone lost money by trusting Mexico Bariatric Center, the Weight Loss Center, providing a deposit, and then Mexico Bariatric Center gave additional information which raised clear warning signs. This caused us to dig deeper and ask more questions, and when we found out that our suspicions are likely correct, it was already too late to get back the deposit.
Unlike other bariatric surgery centers which give you a deadline where you can still get your deposit back, Mexico Bariatric Center does not return deposits under any circumstances!
We initially created this website to prevent others from making the same mistake, and educate those looking for bariatric care, so that this is the last time someone loses money at this Weight Loss center.
Unfortunately, while researching the Mexico Bariatric Center (and its parent company - Sourcis, Inc.), we realized that the dangers may be much greater than just money. Due to the efficiency that Mexico Bariatric Center has in making reviews "disappear", it became extremely important for us to try to protect as many people as possible. In a form of poetic justice, we followed some of the advice on Sourcis Inc's website to make our website better for searches (SEO). We will not be surprised if Sourcis Inc takes down the advice-page after they discover our website.

This warning is about Mexico Bariatric Center, not Mexicali

This website is a warning for Mexico Bariatric Center. Not about Mexicali Bariatric Center. Those are two totally different medical centers.
Mexico Bariatric Center with Hospital Mi Doctor and Dr Alejandro Gutierrez is in Tijuana, and Mexicali Bariatric Center with Almater Hospital and Dr Wilhelmy is in Mexicali. Please don't confuse the two.
We highly recommend the Mexicali Bariatric Center, Almater Hospital, and Dr Wilhelmy, and we do not want to hurt their business in any way.

Who Are They

Mexico Bariatric Center is owned by Sourcis Inc from California. We are not even sure Mexico Bariatric Center is a real entity, as the only address we found for Mexico Bariatric Center was the same address as Hospital Mi Doctor. From what we can tell, Sourcis Inc and Mexico Bariatric Center provide referrals for Mexican medical services and set up the hotels and transport.

General Bariatric Surgery Information

This website not only tells you why you probably do not want to be treated by Mexico Bariatric Center, Hospital Mi Doctor, and Dr Alejandro Gutierrez, but also will provide very important information about Bariatric Surgery in general, no matter where you are treated.

Information about Mexico Bariatric Center, Hospital Mi Doctor, and Dr Alejandro Gutierrez

These are pages specifically about Mexico Bariatric Center (owned by Sourcis, Inc.):

Disclaimers

It should be obvious - this website is not affiliated with the Mexico Bariatric Center. We are also not affiliated with any other weight loss, medical facility or bariatric company. This website contains only our opinions and speculations, based on the limited research we have conducted, and was created to be a service for the public. If you find any inaccurate information, please let us know. We have not received any funds from any weight loss, bariatric, or medical facility in order to create this website. We reserve the right to fully promote such companies in the future, but only after we have researched that the medical facilities do not have the warning signs listed on this website.
This website was not created by the person who applied for care at the Mexico Bariatric Center. It was created by friends who saw the emails and conducted additional research. We stand up for one another.


Deposits are Final at this Weight Loss Center

Most medical centers require a deposit to reserve a date for surgery. Many of them will return your deposit if you cancel the reservation up to one or two weeks before the surgery date. This is because they start reserving hospital and hotel services, and they need to cover those expenses if you cancel. Until you pay the deposit, these medical centers have no problem giving you all the information about the medical services provided, including the entire surgery "information package".
Mexico Bariatric Center, on the other hand, made it clear that they will not refund a deposit under any circumstances. It doesn't matter whether they already paid money to other companies, or whether they had any other damages. They do inform you that the deposit is non-refundable, but what they don't tell you is that you will learn critical information after you give them the deposit.
After the deposit was paid, they sent the name of the hospital (which "surprisingly" does not appear on their website), they recommended to bring $1,000 in cash (why?), and said that companions can only be with the patient at certain times of the day. This immediately caused us to be suspicious and dig deeper. What we found out was mind-boggling. They were asked more questions, but they did not respond. The deposit was requested to be refunded, but they said that they will not refund the money under any circumstances.


Reasons the money should have been refunded:
  • Barely any time passed since the deposit
  • The deposit was based on partial information, and the full details were only disclosed after they received the deposit
  • The only thing that happened since the deposit was that they gave information about the surgery
  • No services were provided and no third-party expenses occurred
  • There was still plenty of time until the surgery date, so they could have easily filled up the reservation time-slot with someone else

Possible reasons why the money was not refunded (these are speculations):
  • Too many people may be cancelling once they find out the full information about Mexico Bariatric Center
  • People fall for the sunk-cost fallacy, and continue with the surgery even with all the possible dangers involved
  • Deposits may be their main source of income
  • It is hard for US citizens to sue in Mexico
  • Most people just give up

Do your research!

We highly recommend that you do your research and ask the questions listed on this site before paying a deposit or schedule surgery at Mexico Bariatric Center.
Hopefully, this will be the last case where someone loses money to Sourcis Inc. or takes risks with Mexico Bariatric Center.


The System

In order for the Mexico Bariatric Center to be successful in keeping your money, there are a few basic techniques that can be used. In this section, we will categorize those techniques, so that you can be aware of the pitfalls.

Withhold Information

Mexico Bariatric Center only provided the important information after receiving the deposit. The information to be withheld does not appear on the website. One example is the name of the hospital where the surgery takes place. There are pretty bad reviews online about this hospital, so disclosing this information up front may prevent a potential customer from paying the deposit. Another example is the companion policy (or any of the policies during the process). If you know that your companion will not be able to be with you at all times, you may be concerned about the treatment, especially if the hospital may provide bad service as mentioned in the reviews. Another example is the fees you may be charged. If the surgery cost is all-inclusive, there is really no need to be bringing cash with you. The customer can be told to bring a lot of cash only after the deposit is paid.

Never Refund the Deposit

The customer is bound to find out what is wrong with the service. This website is one source of information for such discovery. If the customer paid the deposit and cannot get it back, you now have the customer in your grasp. Due to sunk-cost fallacy the customer may even decide to continue with the procedure, even with really bad reviews online, mainly because of the amount of good reviews. If the customer continues with the procedure, you'll get even more money, especially if you add hidden fees.

Obtain Good Reviews

With all of the bad reviews, mainly about the quality of the hospital, how can there be so many happy customers? How can customers not notice the filthy conditions at the hospital? We did find possible evidence of many purchased reviews on Yelp's hidden reviews: On 11/7/2019 there were 7 five-star reviews in a single day and on 11/6/2019 there were 14 five-star reviews in a single day! This is pretty strong evidence that these reviews were pre-ordered. Other "dumps" of five-star reviews occurred on 6/24/2019 (7 reviews) and 2/20/2017 (5 reviews). Yelp probably noticed the weird "dumps" of five-star reviews and decided to "hide" them.

Use Moderated Forums/Reviews

There are public forums that allow users to freely talk about the bariatric treatment. The problem with such forums is that you can get negative reviews as well as positive reviews, and this can even cause happy customers to realize that they've been had. The solution to this is to make sure you point your customers at forums that you can control and that allows you to delete any bad post. Some of the reviews we've seen - talk about how they posted on the "official" forum, and that Mexico Bariatric Center deleted these posts.
There are some places, like BBB, where the company can simply respond, and then complaints are closed. Simple reviews are completely ignored when evaluating the rating on BBB.

We have also found an interesting website with only 5-star reviews - Obesity Help. The last review was in December 2021, so perhaps they don't feel the need to add any more reviews.

Appear to be in a Different Country

If you live in the US, it is very difficult to sue a company in Mexico. You also would not know about local laws and consumer protection services. Can a company keep a deposit if there are no services rendered and no damage was caused to the company? Can the company keep a deposit if the customer cancelled within a day or two? Many countries have protections in place to protect consumers, but you would not know about the protections in Mexico. Fortunately, Sourcis Inc. (which owns Mexico Bariatric Center) is actually in California, so we can actually work with US laws.


The Issues with Mexico Bariatric Center

In this section we will list the issues we have discovered with Mexico Bariatric Center, based on the online reviews. While we are unable to check out this information ourselves, you can conduct your own due diligence and decide whether you wish to proceed with treatment at the Mexico Bariatric Center. We are not responsible for the information herein, as it is almost entirely based on online reviews. When there is an issue that we actually encountered ourselves, we will state that.
You can read the review for yourself, by clicking on the name of the reviewer. Note that our quotes are excerpts from the actual review. You'll have to follow the link to see the actual quote. If the business posted a reply, and we felt that the response negated the review, we did not use that review. This was our personal opinion, so please feel free to follow the links and judge for yourself.
If you feel like reading through everything, you can also see all the reviews on Mexico Bariatric Center on a single webpage at: Mexico Bariatric Center Reviews.

Unsanitary Facilities

Many reviews talk about how filthy or disgusting the facilities were.
Bruce Kepford writes: "the "hospital" was visibly filthy from top to bottom. My sheets were dirty the first time I saw them. The door jambs were visibly filthy, the floor was disgusting, the bed frame looked like it had never been washed or dusted. One night nurse came in to treat my wound and brought a tube of ointment with her. It had been used in other rooms before. I know this because it was half gone when she walked in. She put her gloved finger on the end of the tube to get ointment, then applied it to my would and THEN put the same gloved finger back on the end of the same tube to get more ointment, then back to my open wound. So, this told me that she had cross contaminated that tube with God knows how many other patients. Yuck. Danger."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Christin La Rue writes: "There was no hot water in our bathroom. The shower was full of thick green mold. The shower doors were broken off and unusable. The floor drain is held by duct tape. The mirror fell off the wall and sat on the floor. We had no handsoap (luckily I brought sanitizer to Mexico with me). The air conditioner was BROKEN. It was so hot they opened the window for us for our entire stay. Unfortunately there is ALOT of construction and traffic noise 24 hrs p/day so sleep was impossible. The trash was overflowing and never changed over a 4 day stay. Needles, bloody bandages were on the floor. The toilets in the waiting area were dirtier than most gas station bathrooms. The one in our room was about the same. I came home with two of my incisions infected. They were red and swollen in about a 3" radius each. Two weeks of doxycycline before they cleared up. Nothing was sterile at this hospital. Nurses did not wear gloves for wound care."
  • baribetty writes about her partner: "his incisions bled through his gown after surgery, they would not give him a clean gown and told him he should just put on his street clothes. So, he wore a bloody gown for 2 days as the waist band on his sweat pants would’ve been super uncomfortable. bandages/tape on floor of recovery room from previous patient. Less than ideal bathroom cleanliness in room Broken toilet for the entirety of his stay (he requested it to be looked at, at least 6 times before just pleading for it to be turned off at the Water so it would stop running so he could sleep. There was urine and vomit in his toilet for his whole stay."
  • Martino Starace writes: "it’s very DIRTY, my sister who had her surgery there was neglected her entire stay. Her room was disgusting, blood on her bed and the floor, that wasn’t even hers. She got sick from lack of nauseous medicine and vomited on her bed and they just laid another sheet on top of her vomit!! Dirty needles were left on her bed there was not even a needle waste disposal in her room. She came home with an infection and we have the labs and pictures to prove it."
  • Ellie J. writes: "The showers in the hotel and the hospital had mold growing in them and were clearly not cleaned. The hallways and carpeting in the Hyatt smelled like mildew badly. The nurses left needles and equipment all over my room. They left a cup full of the blood they drained on my nightstand for hours until I asked them to move it. Then they dumped it down the bathroom sink."
  • Andrea M. writes: "Blood was transferred around my bed and door knob when my IV was adjusted which made sense why I saw blood on the bed switches and wall upon arrival. I used flip flops in the shower, it just didnt look too clean."
  • Joe G. writes: "Quick tips: Bring towels and shower shoes (bathroom pic posted). I performed a brief cleaning session after finding old blood stains on the bed which later was explained by their handling manners when dealing with patients. While cleaning up an IV mess, they allowed blood to leak carelessly on the floor and onto the bed. No clean up from them afterward."
  • Cassaundra Rippon writes: "The location is dirty, run down and unsanitary."
  • Ivan C writes: "Disgusting ,dirty, nightmare!!"

Infections

It's very difficult to get good results if the facilities are unsanitary.
Flavina L. writes: I have been home 2 days and i have to have an emergency surgery due to a life-threatening infection. Which is most likely caused by my room that i stayed in this hospital that was filthy upon arrival. Blood on the sheets and floor that was present upon arrival. It was mortifying. Not to mention the used needles they left on my bed, there was not even a needle waste disposal box in my room. I vomited on my bed and they covered it with another sheet without even wiping it up. Just disgusting. I doubt they even sanatize their surgery instruments.
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Anonymous writes: "I had veins damage, I almost bleed to death and was very close to death when I returned home, filled with infection, swollen organs and gaping hole in my new stomach which described by the ** GI team as the shoddiest surgery ever. There was alot of scar tissue and mesh that had to be removed to successfully revise the surgery. In addition, the quality of sutures was not much better than fishing line."
  • Darlin P writes: "I had surgery and ended up in the hospital back in the U.S. with pneumonia, most likely from improperly sterilized equipment my Dr. said, and having to have a blood transfusion because they lied to me and told me that all the blood that I was pooping out and throwing up was normal. I ended up having to receive 4 pints of blood because my blood count was at a 5 when it should have been at a 12 and even after the 4 pints I was still only at a 9. The social worker at the hospital told me that have have several people return with complications who go there to have procedures. YOUR LIFE ISN'T WORTH IT!"
  • Jo M. (an RN) writes: "My internal surgery site turned into an infection and went septi and required me to spend 5 days in the hospital after returning home."
  • baribetty writes about her partner: "His (incisions) were open and we changed the gauze every day. It’s a little scary looking and you’re left wondering, “is this normal? Are these infected?”"
  • E G writes: "My incisions got infected."

Was it a success?

Even without the infections, there were several reviews talking about the surgery not being done properly.
Janet B writes: "I am unable to eat or drink without pain. In the US, it was discovered that my esophagus was damaged and now I will have a feeding tube for the rest of my life. They won’t take my calls since I told them I’m having complications."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Mirna B. writes: "My former husband had surgery at Mexico Bariatric Center in 2013. He suffered a pulmonary embolism and died the following morning!"
  • Mya Curvz writes: "After surgery I felt very minimal restriction as if nothing was done at all. Now 7 months post op I have only lost an additional 15 pounds while following a scheduled nutritional diet. I called and informed Tatiana of the issue and requested a correctional revision. I was denied and told that I would have to pay full price AGAIN in order to receive the initial results that I’ve already invested my hard earned money in."
  • E G writes: "They made my sleeve too big and I didn’t have enough weight loss. I’m going to have to get a revision due to it not being done right the first time."
  • Nienna Klosora writes: "My mother has been in and out of the hospital since November 2016 due to their incompetence!"

Nursing Staff Competency

After the surgery, you would hope that the nursing staff knows how to take care of you, or at least know how to speak English.
Andrea M. writes: "The IV blew my vain twice which caused my blood to seep into the IV and "specialist" needed to find a new vain but messed that up by poking too much in the same place with the needle. Another specialist was called in and he just couldn't find 1. It was decided by I dont know who not to give me an IV my last night in there which made me very happy."
Christin La Rue writes: "Only one nurse out of about 20 spoke English. When I asked for jello, they brought me a pillow. They did not know how to use translators on their phone."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Ellie J. writes: They could not run an IV to save their lives. They blew out a lot of people's veins. Our IV tubes would be red because they weren't working correctly. I woke up out of surgery with 2 men just yelling "move!" At me over and over. I was in soooo much pain and they just wanted me to switch beds. The hospital staff was not very helpful. We would ask a question and they would say "let me check" and we would not see them again. The people of the first floor were treated so well! When we shared stories it was so crazy. I get like a second class citizen. It turns out the first floor had 5 patients and the second had 15. The floors had the same amount of staff."
  • Ellie J. writes: "Every time I would ask for anything in recovery the nurses would say "let me check" and never come back. A lot of us had blood running up our Iv's. They blew out a lot of people's veins multiple times. They finally just removed mine the last night because they couldn't find a vein to use."
  • Pam D. writes: "My roomates IV was leaking and the nurse said he was going to get someone to change it. No one came back for hours. She had to call again, then they changed her IV. Then the next morning she woke up with her sheet soaking wet because her IV leaked again."
  • Bruce Kepford writes: "there is virtually no night nurse staff, there are no call buttons in the rooms and the "nurses" don't speak English. So, if you need help you just yell until somebody shows up and then you are unable to communicate."
  • Joe G. writes: "Back at the hospital; given a sense that I'm watching the nursing staff perform as if they're Privates in the Army fumbling with what their duties required them to do on a daily basis. At shift change in the evening, an odd practice of either miscommunication or bad manners had about five different people coming in and out performing the same check with each saying they were taking over for the previous shift. As they entered in the late hours, prefacing the switching on the bright light and walking in without a care for noise discipline for the sake of a sleeping patient they honored us with a quick loud double bang on the door to announce their assistance."
  • Evan Towle writes: "The overnight nurses _do not speak English_. There is no one to help you communicate anything. They're also unprofessional. The nursing care was awful. It was like everyone's first day nursing. There are as many drivers as there are nurses. Too many guys with no medical training handing out medicine"
  • Pam D. writes: "Hours would go by and nobody checked on me. They only come in to check your vitals every 8 hours."
  • baribetty writes: "Technically MBC contracts with the hospital to use their facility, and the nurses do not work for them directly. They have no skin in the MBC game when it comes to patient satisfaction and it shows. We hoped that tipping would help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference."
  • E G writes: "The night nurses ignored me after surgery."

Medication

You would hope that the medication would be given properly, especially when you are in pain, even if they don't speak English. Perhaps the trick is to feed them.
Flavina L. writes: "I was neglected my entire stay and I was in horrible pain the entire time and constantly denied pain meds. On the last night my husband bought the nurses food and they finally gave me pain meds."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • baribetty writes about her partner: "any time he asked for pain or nausea medication the nurse would say “I will check” and leave the room. Then, he’d wait an hour and have to ask again, only to hear the same response. You’re pretty on your own during recovery. He found that this was also the case for the other patients he drove back to San Diego with after surgery. It was not simply a bad experience, but the standard."
  • Christin La Rue writes: "When we requested pain meds the first 24 hours after surgery the nurse stated it was only allowed every 12 hours and we had to request them. On the third day when a specialist had to come see me, we learned that they were written for every 6 hours WITHOUT request necessary. Both my roommate and I were in excruciating pain the first 24 hours and only got two doses of pain meds rather than four."
  • Martino Starace writes: "Denied pain medicine and was only given medicine after her husband bribed the nurses by buying them food!"
  • Evan Towle writes: "Poor pain management. Poor nausea management. There are effective drugs available for both, and the clinic has them. However, you will not get them. Even if you explain past reactions to anesthesia."
  • Ellie J. writes: "The pain management in the hospital is terrible. No one has checked on me at all."
  • Pam D. writes: "I had a reaction to a medication they gave me. I figured out after the second IV. I told them no more just give me tylenol. That was hard to communicate to the nurses. I was really scared because my heart rate and blood pressure was up. My head was shaking like I was having a seizure. My entire body was having involuntary movements. I don't think the nurses even understood what I was telling them. They just said "that's normal". Those were all side effects of medication. I was so wired from the medication they gave me that I did not sleep from the time I got out of surgery at 1PM until the next afternoon. I was awake all Wednesday night. They tell you there will be someone there to help you if you do not understand Spanish. Not exactly true. My roommate and I had to scream to get the nurses to come to our room to give us our call buttons. When you use them they come to the room turn it off and throw it back on the floor."
  • Christin La Rue writes: "I let them know ahead of time that I brought my cpap and sometimes have difficulties with oxygen exchange after anesthesia. Right after surgery my oxygen level dropped to 80 (normal is 95-100). They gave me a canula (hose that goes under your nose to administer oxygen) but it wasn't giving me enough. So they gave me a full mask. But when night time came and I needed to use a cpap they told me to not use my cpap, but for me that is super dangerous so then they said stop using oxygen....my level dropped to 78! Organ damage can begin at that low of a level. The nurse stated I didn't need oxygen anymore (luckily this was the nurse who spoke english). I asked for a doctor and the specialist came in. They did not have any idea what to do for me. So I decided to wear the canula under my cpap mask. Karla (administrator for MBC came by and said "Don't worry about the canula, the water in your cpap will mix with the air and make oxygen". Ok, first of all Karla is not a medical professional, not a nurse and clearly had no idea what she was talking about and luckily I knew enough not to listen to her."

What's with the Ice?

This must be the craziest thing that pops up about the care at Mexico Bariatric Center. It seems like all the nurses do is to smash bare ice on an possibly unsanitary counter. The ice smashing seems to be very loud, and perhaps everyone has to shout in order to hear anything above that noise. Ear plugs? Ear plugs!
Perhaps you need to somehow bring your own crushed ice with you.
Christin La Rue writes: "Ice was made into chips by the pulling a bag out of the freezer and smashing it with a metal weight (like for fishing) for each cup ...this went on outside our room 24 hrs per day. They picked it up with their bare hands, off of a counter that was not wiped clean first, and put it in a cup for you."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • martin vidrio writes: "Better take plenty of war plugs so don't have to listen to beating of ice all night long."
  • Ellie J. writes: "My roommate and I begged for ice chips for over 6 hours before we got them."
  • Pam D. writes: "We had to ask repeatedly for ice, tv remote and other things."

Room condition

Do you get a nice room? With a view? Quiet recovery after surgery? Is the room bright and cheerful? Yeah, I know we already talked about the sanitary conditions. But there's more!
Ellie J. writes: "My hospital bed was broken. Our tv (yes you will have a roommate) had no remote and I had no pillow when I got to the room. They said they would check on it (which became a theme) we never got a remote. Bring your own pillow and blanket! You'll have very little room for your stuff."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Andrea M. writes: "The facility was bare essentials and no frills I stayed in room 203 and was not comfortable or at ease with noise outside my window, but I did not complain. If it wasnt construction it was a "concert". I highly recommend ear plugs in this room. I was smart enough to bring eye patches because there is a window above my door which allowed 24 hour bright lights to come through. The TV channels were 90% Spanish so I am glad we had our laptop to watch Netflix. The room was VERY cold and the 3 blankets were super thin that they gave me, I was glad it was only 2 nights. I needed to wear my PJ/nightgown because the hospital gown they gave me was like a 4X & I was a XL. So I just used it as a robe when I decided to get up and walk around."
  • Joe G. writes: "if you choose an establishment like this, you can expect no frills and a few raised eyebrows throughout your stay. In what seems to be a questionable neighborhood, in TJ, this place appears to fit right in. Construction sounds adorn your day from sunrise to sunset. As you close your eyes to try and sleep, the random loud conversations in the adjacent apartment buildings reverberate through the thin pained window just big enough to stick your head out if you care to scream at the people that won't shut up. we checked into the hotel to find the recurring theme; no frills. Thankful for the free WiFi, the room was nice enough to not complain. We could've been happier with a bigger bed (two full size beds). Bring eye masks if you can't sleep with light. There's a small window above your door open to the hallway which allows the staff lighting to beam directly into the room. Bring entertainment. You will have WiFi but if you want to watch TV, there's only one channel in English."
  • martin vidrio writes: "The bed was absolutely horrible with holes/rips everywhere and half a sheet that would not stay on. They give you a "pillow" actually really just a couple of pieces of cotton in a case. The case that they give you to put over the pillow is just basically a garbage bag."
  • Amber Todd writes: "In recovery room was so loud and nosey. No hot water. Good thing I brought my pillow and blanket."

You Need a Companion

With all the above issues, you definitely need a companion who stays with you 24/7. Most other bariatric centers we have contacted told us that the companion can stay in the room, free of charge, for the entire time. Obviously, the hotel room would have no extra charge for a companion because it is the same room, right? Well maybe elsewhere. Not in Mexico Bariatric Center and Hospital Mi Doctor.
We received this information from the coordinator, so it is not only based on the reviews.
Click to show (or hide) reviews on this topic.

  • El writes: "Just beware that your companion will not be allowed to stay the night in the hospital and you will have to pay EXTRA for them to stay at the hotel (140$ a night!!!). So after watching their videos and seeing patients have someone accompanying them, don’t think that “luxury” is included in the package. they basically said I can travel alone and be alone, or have my companion travel with me but not be allowed in my room in the hospital when I want and pay 435$ extra for. I sent an email explaining that I will not go ahead with the surgery and I received an email back with no greeting and only one sentence “who is allowing you to have a companion with you at no charge?” After saying almost every other clinic/hospital/doctor in Mexico and that they could see it if they Googled it (respectfully)"

Customer Service

We hope that all the medical issues would convince you. If not, we can talk about the other issues. Customer services seems to be pretty good, until they have your money, and as long as you don't complain. We saw this happen when all of our emails were answered promptly UNTIL we found out some issues and asked some very clear questions. Suddenly, the email was "lost", and the questions were ignored even when they admitted that they received the questions.
Ivan C writes: "Hotel coordinators are thief’s, MBC doesn’t care. Room broken into, trash service and ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS! Everyone who was in my group said they would NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE COMING HERE!"
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Ellie J. writes: "I called my American liaison Kathy and she hung up on me. Not to mention she was very unhelpful prior to the surgery. Some of the ladies that were in my surgery group were actually given information. The liaison in the hotel was rude to the companions and full of it. Everyone in Mexico was really nice until they got the check. No one called my mom when I was out of surgery. They were late for everything. I had to wait an hour and a half to be picked up at the airport. Then every time we were transported it was delayed by at least 45 minutes. Everyone kept trying to blame everyone else "it's the coordinator's fault" "the hospital is separate from us so we don't do that"...so many excuses. Don't expect to be treated like a person...they are just hurdling cattle. My American coordinator Cathy was useless. When I called her for help she hung up on me. When I found out several of the other patients had received a lot of help and detailed information, I felt pretty terrible. The literature for nutrition and recovery has a lot of inconsistent information. One section will say one thing and then you'll get an email saying something different and their website is different from both. When you're in Mexico 10 minutes means 30, 30 minutes means an hour and a half, and so on."
  • Christin La Rue writes: "I called to speak with Mr. Ron Elli in San Diego who is the director. He refused to speak to me, hear my complaints or respond in any way."
  • martin vidrio writes: "I left my discharge papers at the hotel on accident and called the lady with the main 1(888) number and she literally said to me "Oh wow oh wow " 5 different times like I was and idiot and she could not believe I forgot them. She was rude about it was disgusting."
  • Andrea M. writes: Upon entering their office there is a desk that looks like reception, it is not. The youngster there didnt speak English, didnt care to try and really didnt appear to want to help. There were about 3 ladies at any given moment conversing amongst themselves. My companion spoke Spanish and they still couldnt assist. At this center, the the recovery room staff did a lot of fumbling though. A few appeared to be new or not as experienced and made me feel as though they did not know what they were doing.
  • Joe G. writes: On the second floor of the Mi Hospital building, you'll come face to face with a dividing desk of clueless ambassadors posing as if they could possibly answer a question. They know nothing to include the slightest ability to translate a name if you try to ask for a point of contact.
  • Liz writes: "awful patient coordinators - rude and condescending"
  • E G writes: "They give you ZERO post op support. No call, text, or email."
  • Jennifer W. writes: "I'm writing this review because they are not responding to me at this point."
  • Anonymous writes: "phone calls were not being answered, and emails not returned"

Extra Fees

If you thought the price of surgery was all-inclusive, think again. This is another instance where we saw this ourselves in the emails. Of course they only mentioned extra fees AFTER the deposit was paid. Fees for everything from companion in your hotel room to what bags (and size of bags) you bring on the transportation. What was interesting is that other medical centers did not ask for "bag fees" and they even sounded puzzled when asked about it. One of the things Mexico Bariatric Center recommended was to bring $1,000 in cash. This sounded crazy, as you do not want to carry cash with you in Mexico. After we read the reviews, we realized that the cash may be needed to pay for all the surprise fees.
Ellie J. writes: "I was charged for services not rendered. Including CT scan, Covid testing, and more. When I asked about it the accountant said too bad! When I asked for a receipt they told me that it would cost $45. I received a separate bill from the hospital which I had to pay before I could leave."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Christin La Rue writes: "I was charged 450$ in extra fees that they refuse to explain what they are for. You must pay before they will take you to the border."
  • Jo M. (an RN) writes: "There was a planned drive into town for a bit of sightseeing which turned into a pharmacy run were the driver spoke to pharmacist in Spanish and the pharmacists wrote out a prescription and liaddd the counter with medications we all thought were prescribed by our doctors and we paid for them(big mistake) but later found out that the Mexico Bariatric driver set the whole thing up."
  • Brenda B. writes: "when I sent in my paperwork I also sent in a detailed medical history from my family Doctor explaining all my conditions...... so when they say they didnt know about my previous condition it was in my medical history......"
  • Anonymous writes: "The claim to have received 3 of the 4 payments. I had to pay an extra $500 for this missing payment in order to have surgery. After surgery I had my bank (USAA) do an investigation and they determined the $500 was in fact deposited into their account. You had previously said this was above your pay grade to check into this."
  • Martino Starace writes: "They cheated me out of almost 10,000 dollars!"

Will you get a Refund?

Once Mexico Bariatric Center has your money, it may not be easy to get the money back. This is another issue we have seen ourselves, and not only from the reviews.
El writes: "They only pretend to care until you make payments. I was lucky I only paid a deposit. Please do your research and don’t make payments to any facility until you know what you’re getting into!! Basically they now have all my medical & personal info and my “non refundable deposit” with poor treatment in return."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Al R writes: "I am having a major issue where this company will not return money due to me. I have waited almost 6 months for a refund, and still nothing. After many calls and emails, it is still being promised, yet it never comes."
  • LaShanna L writes: "I had a medical emergency the day of my surgery. The center canceled my surgery and I went back to the U.S. for treatment. Per MBC policy, a patient is ONLY to be charged for services rendered. ******************** and one night of hotel stay was all I received. When I asked for a refund ********* ( account manager) stated a refund of $3500 USD was approved. I was charged close to $500 for hotel and over $400 for transportation. I HAVE DOCUMENTED PROOF stating those fees are not accurate.A few weeks prior to my surgery date I had to postpone for personal reasons . Accounting charged a $300 rescheduling fee plus $200 for hotel and transportation. I asked both ********* and ******** ( the company supervisor) how a $200 fee increased to almost $1000. Also, lab fees were only $100. Im assuming that is where the other portion of the $2000 refund MBC is also refusing to return. I sent numerous emails to *********, ******** ( company supervisor) AND the *** ****. All refused to return any of my emails after I repeatedly asked to discuss terms of my refund. I have now proceeded filing with small claims court for breach of contract. **FYI, those of you who read the cancellation policy will notice a refund of 35% will only be given even if you are deemed medically inappropriate for surgery. They updated that policy on 8/29/2022. Which was 3 weeks AFTER I filed my complaint. Another patient has the same complaint on their website."
  • Jennifer W. writes: "I asked if there was an opening for surgery 4th of July weekend. Yes was the answer but only one and that this would possibly be gone by the next phone call. So before I could read through the 13 page waiver she encouraged me to sign a one page form and put a 500.00 dollar hold to save the surgery date. I made the booking on June 11th and on June 13th I phoned as well as wrote that I wished to cancel the surgery date. Immediately I received a phone call from Brian form Sourcis telling me that they had already paid the money for the remainder of the loan for surgery and that I would be responsible for this money. because of the timing of my cancellation in relation to the surgery date I would not be reimbursed my 525.00. I booked and cancelled in a 36 hour period. This company offered no services, counseling except to book an appointment that would certainly be filled by another caller. I feel foolish and hoodwinked and wonder has this experience happened to others. Meanwhile we are out a large amount of money for zero services."
  • Anonymous writes: "Their cancellation states 8/12 weeks for refund. It is approaching 13 weeks and I'm still having to request my money."
  • Brenda B. writes: "Never got to have the surgery!!!!! 4 days before flying to San Diego the co ordnator called and said I was mis quoted on the amount of the surgery and they required $2000 more dollars, I had financed the surgery and paid for the flights for me and my companion, I didnt have another $2000 $ said i would have to cancel surgery...... they called back a hour later saying they would only charge me $1000 extra.....I explained again i did not have any more money.... then 2 days later after flights were canceled ( and i lost my money on those as well) they offered to do the surgery for the quoted price.... but I did not trust that i wouldnt wake up to a $2000 dollar bill for extra fee's (which i know has happened to some patients of Mexico Bariatric Centre) After all said and done they were to refund me my money I had paid - $500 deposit and as of now I have only received a 1/4 of the money and they have now gone back on their word and not refunded all the money they said they would,.,.... they have called offering to try again,,,,,"
  • Chelsea wheatley writes: "I was scheduled for a surgery March 19th however the surgeon cancelled a week before the procedure due to medical risks they were not comfortable with ..."I paid over 5k the day before they cancelled me. Here we are in April and it has been hell with this company I have called them numerous times regarding my refund they told me every time they would call me back they never do . I have left Elizabeth their accountant emails and it has taken forever to hear back . The customer service along with the miscommunication is horrendous . I am still waiting for my refund but finally they process it and they keep part of my money though this cancellation was not even my fault. I literally think this is a scam, all they want is your money if you can’t get the surgery or change your mind they treat you like a minority. It’s a money scheme to get your money and if it doesn’t benefit them then they don’t help you or treat you how a customer should be treated."
  • Anonymous writes: "it would not make sense that I am charged for Post-op tests since there was NO operation, nor should I be billed in full for transportation that I only used in part. What is more, the Nutritionist's fee is listed as $250, when on the Refund Policy it is clearly stated as $150. This of course is not to say anything of the fact that MBC is attempting to withhold 35% of the total $5000, a seemingly arbitrary number that is nowhere mentioned in their refund policy"

Your Reviews are Deleted

Since Mexico Bariatric Center may be deleting posted reviews and seems to work to hide others, there may have been MANY more negative reviews that are now lost. When someone complains, and the review is deleted, the reviewer doesn't always have the strength to post the same review elsewhere. They may just give up. This even happened in our case, due a fear of retaliation, and that is why the person who submitted the application is not involved with this website. The company already has sensitive information about you. Do you really want to complain? This website is possibly just the tip of the iceberg.
Pam D. writes: "I relied on the good reviews that I found on their Facebook page. So while I was in Mexico waiting for surgery , I had a little more time to look at the MBC facebook page. I started to notice a bad review here and there and then those reviews disappeared. Since I have been home I have noticed a lot of bad reviews get taken down. Then you get banned from their Facebook page . That is a big red flag. I am sure some people have a good experience . Buttttt if you have any issues that is where the problems begin."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Yvette Montoya writes: "I have posted on Mexico Bariatric FB page to ask questions about it and others that may have experienced this, but it’s clear that they only allow posts that make them look perfect. I post, they remove it. It would’ve been nice to see all people’s posts prior to my decision on going there."
  • Ivan C writes: "They will take all and any negative posts down on fb groups or Google reviews."
  • Ivan C writes: "Many posts are bots or fake profiles of people who work there!!"
  • E G writes: "They also removed me from their group when I shared my experience and continue to ignore me."
  • Ellie J. writes: "Since I posted this, I was blocked out of the Facebook group. Yet another part of their services I am not getting."
  • Jennifer W. writes: "I wanted to get onto the face book page to look at other patients experience and see what they were saying. I was only able to get onto face book after I put down the money."
  • Christin M. writes: "I understand that there are quite a few good reviews, but in reviewing them upon my return home I realized they are from 2019 and 2020. Perhaps the hospital was in better shape then, I don't know."

Summary

Should you use the services of Mexico Bariatric Center?
Pam D. writes: "I just know I was afraid and did not think I was going to make it back home to my family."
Click to show (or hide) more reviews on this topic.

  • Jo M. (an RN) writes: "There are many other honest, safe, cleaner and Supportive wt loss programs in Mexico and I encourage you all to consider them."
  • Flavina L. writes: "My experience was a living nightmare. Please do not trust this hospital."
  • baribetty writes about her partner: "If you go with MBC, you should have low expectations and be willing and comfortable advocating for yourself."
  • Anonymous writes: "through this proverbial Yo-yoing of back and forth, it was at this time that I was sadly beginning to realize the unfortunate caliber of business Mexico Bariatric Center is"

How can you help in raising awareness to Mexico Bariatric Center

If you have been affected by Mexico Bariatric Center, or you have lost money from Mexico Bariatric Center, here are some suggestions on how to complain and to raise awareness. While we cannot guarantee that your issues will be resolved, you may be able to help prevent others from running into the same issues.

Reverse Charges

Always submit a dispute on credit card charges. Even though it may not work, since the company has the opportunity to convince the credit card company not to intervene, if many charges are disputed, the credit card company will probably refuse to continue to work with Mexico Bariatric Center and Sourcis Inc.

Online Reviews

Do not post your review on forums moderated by Mexico Bariatric Center, as it may be deleted and you may be banned from the forum. If you want, you can use private messaging to other members of the forum instead of posting on the forum. Note that the deposit needs to be paid before someone can join the forum, so it may be too late to prevent loss via the forum.


Here are links where you can post your review, and the review probably will not be deleted:

Official Complaints

Here are authorities with whom you can file a complaint about Sourcis, Inc. from 193 Blue Ravine Rd Ste 140, Folsom, CA 95630-4757:
  • California Attorney General: Handles complaints about deceptive or fraudulent business practices.
  • California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation: Under the California Consumer Financial Protection Law, they handle consumer complaints about a financial service provider that may be using unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices.
    You can also call them at (866) 275-2677
  • California Department of Consumer Affairs: Protects and serves California consumers through oversight, enforcement, and licensure of professionals. DCA's Correspondence Unit (CU) receives and reviews consumer complaints regarding a wide variety of issues that are either unregulated in California or regulated by other state or federal agencies.
    They will provide helpful information to help you make informed decisions in the marketplace, and refers complaints to the appropriate state or federal agency, when applicable.
    You can also call them at (800) 952-5210
  • FTC: Helps fight bad business practices.
  • Better Business Bureau (BBB). To file a complaint (not the same as a review). Note that complaints are easily closed by the BBB.


We could not find Mexican authorities with whom you can file an online complaint about Mexico Bariatric Center or Hospital Mi Doctor (Av. Salvador Novo 1060, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana, 22320 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico). There are Cofepris, Profeco, and Conamed, but it does not seem like any of these have an online complaint system.
If you find a good online complaint system in Mexico, please let us know.

Unofficial Complaints

Here are other companies that will help you submit a complaint against Sourcis, Inc., Mexico Bariatric Center, and Hospital Mi Doctor:

Promote this Website

If you are a professional with access to active websites, having a link to our website on your website will cause Internet Searches to find this website. If you want us to link back to your website, let us know and we will add you to a list right here.


Questions to ask any Bariatric/Weight-Loss Center

Before you decide to give a deposit to a Bariatric Center, we suggest that you ask them these questions in order to make an educated decision.
  • Pricing:
    • What is the price of the surgery? How much is the deposit?
    • What forms of payment do you accept for the deposit and for the full payment?
    • What extra or hidden fees are there (including bags for transportation, covid tests, or expected tips)?
    • Will/can the hospital charge me separately?
    • Until when can I get a refund, including the deposit?
    • If I have to cancel at the last minute (medical issues, etc), how much do I get refunded?
    • If I have to modify the date at the last minute (medical issues, etc), how much money do I "lose"?
    • If the surgery center has to cancel or modify at the last minute (surgeon is sick, hospital change, etc), and I am not okay with the change, do I get a full refund?
    • How much cash should I bring with me?
    • What medications do I need to bring with me (Gas-X, Omeprasole)?
  • Complications:
    • If there are complications, who covers the cost? Is there complication coverage I should be purchasing?
    • If a CT scan or other scans become necessary, how much will it cost extra?
    • What is the fee for a hiatal hernia?
    • What is the fee for sleep apnea (if you have sleep apnea / CPAP)? Should I bring my CPAP? Does the hospital know how to manage with the CPAP?
    • What BMI is required? How much will it cost for BMI over that amount?
  • Companion:
    • How much does a companion cost (both for hotel rooms and for staying in the hospital with me)?
    • Can the companion be with me 24/7 besides the surgery? If not, when must I be alone?
    • What accomodations in the hospital room (or hotel room if relevant) are there for the companion?
    • What hotel meals (for the companion) are including in the cost?
  • Hospital:
    • In what hospital is the operation taking place?
    • How many nurses are there for how many patients?
    • What percentage of the nurses speak English well?
    • Who will be the surgeon (full name)? Is the surgeon board-certified?
    • Are there extra pillows and blankets?
    • How many patients in a room? If more than one, how many TV remotes in the room?
    • Are compression stockings used during and/or after surgery? Do I need to bring my own?
  • General information:
    • Is the hospital and the drive to the hospital in safe locations in Mexico?
    • Which hotel will we be staying at? What days?
    • What dates are available for surgery?
    • How long before the surgery am I supposed to be on a pre-op diet? A liquid diet?
    • Who is the coordinator at the hospital and in general?
  • Arrival and departure (arriving at pickup location by plane):
    • Where will the driver pick me/us up (terminal/door/how to get there)?
    • By what time does my/our flight need to arrive?
    • How long is the drive from/to the airport?
  • Arrival and departure (arriving at pickup location by car):
    • Where should I/we park my car
    • Where will the driver pick me/us up (in/outside the parking lot)?
    • How long is the drive from/to the parking lot?
  • General arrival and departure questions:
    • At what time will I/we be picked up?
    • What is the cell phone number of the driver?
    • What is the schedule on the first day (arrival at hotel, hotel to hospital for checkup, back to hotel)? Are we driven back and forth?
    • Is there a wait before we can enter the hotel room? If so, where would we wait?
    • What time will the driver take me/us from the hospital back to the US?
  • Questions for Mexico Bariatric Center or other surgery centers you may suspect:
    • Is the hospital cleaned regularly?
    • Do the nurses wear gloves at all times?
    • Are the toilets cleaned regularly?
    • Is Hazmat disposed of properly?
    • Are there working TV remotes in every room?

Warning Signs for any Bariatric / Weight Loss Center

If you asked the questions in the previous section, check whether the answers raise some red flags. Here are some things you should watch out for:
  • Pricing:
    • A deposit that is higher than $500
    • Not willing to accept the remaining payment in a cashier check on the day of the surgery
    • Fees for weird things, like the size of the bags or the amount of bags being transported
    • If the deposit will not be returned even if you cancel more than two weeks before surgery
    • If the hospital has its own separate charges
    • If there is no refund if you have to cancel at the last minute (they pay less for the hospital or for the hotel, so you should be able to get something back)
    • If changing the surgery date at the last minute, means that you have to pay the full amount again
    • If you do not get a full refund if the last-minute change is caused by the surgery center
    • If you are asked to bring large sums of cash with you
    • If you will be asked to purchase different kinds of medication in Mexico
    • If you are given important information only after you give a deposit
  • Complications:
    • If you are expected to pay extra for any complications and there is no complication coverage
    • If the hospital does not know how to deal with CPAPs
    • If you are expected before surgery to have a much lower BMI than your current BMI
  • Companion:
    • If the companion cannot be with you at night or can only be with you during certain hours of the day
    • If you have to pay extra for the companion to be with you in your room or in the hospital room
    • If there are no accommodations for the companion in the hospital room
  • Hospital:
    • If there are many patients per nurse
    • If the percentage of English-speaking nurses is less than 50%
    • If you cannot confirm that the surgeon is board-certified (see Mexico certification for Mexico doctors)
  • General information:
    • If the hospital location, or the drive to the hospital is not safe, on the government travel advisories website
    • If you cannot obtain the cell phone number of the driver, even after giving the deposit
    • If there is a long wait before you can enter your room at the hospital

Here are some Bariatric / Weight Loss Centers in Mexico we Recommend

If you are on this site, you are probably interested in bariatric Surgery in Mexico and not in the US. We also are not listing places where the price quote was high (in our opinion). These are some Bariatric Centers we have researched, and they made a good impression on us. While we have not used the services in these locations, we will list them so you have a starting point for your own search. We did use Mexicali Bariatric Center (unrelated to Mexico Bariatric Center), so that recommendation is based on our experience.
We are not currently affiliated with any of these hospitals/surgical centers, though we would consider promoting them in the future only if we had the opportunity to fully investigate a location.


How to contact us

To contact us, please visit our Contact Us form.