ARC sold me a 5 star accommodation recovery centre and delivered a dump

Before going into rehab I looked at various facilities - first online and then by going for a tour of the facility itself. During my tour of ARC, Vera showed me the men's rooms and bathrooms, the dining area (here she made a point of showing me the coffee machine, slush puppy machine, milkshake machine and vending machine. Only starting that it is best that I bring my own cigarettes as the vending machine is rather pricey), common areas etc. On the way out she pointed to behind the men's section and simply said 'the ladies are through there'. I wrongly assumed that she did not take us to the ladies section only because my husband was with me.

I was quoted R43 000.00 as a cash price and told that, including individual therapy sessions, I would have to budget as worst case scenario R50 000.00.

When I checked in a couple of days later, I found the following: 1. Coffee is only served between 7:00 and 8:30. Thereafter you have to pay R15 for 250ml Coffee ( even this was taken away, among with the slush puppy machine and non-functioning milkshake machine when the owner opened a new establishment. After kicking up a fuss about this we were allowed 4 pots of coffee day VS the two usually set out in the morning - unfortunately on day two we only got three pots as there wasn't any sugar at the establishment to serve the coffee with) 2. Vending prices as follows: (patients or 'guests' are not allowed to bring in any edible goods thus one is reliant on the vending machine) a) R10 for a small packet of Simba b) R17.50 for a normal chocolate bar c) R60 for pack of cigarettes d) small box of Astros R20 3. The ladies section is an old rundown house with years of built up grime and dirt and disgusting Common shower - one shower is nothing but a pipe with a shower head hanging down the wall over a bath without so much as a curtain) 4. Where the men are max 4 to a bathroom but mostly only two, the woman are 3 on one shower and 7 on the other shower 5. Rock hard cheap toilet paper was issued and in ridiculous small quantities for the amount of woman

On the day the coffee and other machines were taken away, the ladies informed management that the prepaid electricity in the ladies dump was running low at 9am already. This was ignored and by night time there was no electricity.

I packed my stuff, by torch light, and moved to an unused section of the'men's side' of the establishment - it so happens that this was the section I was shown on my tour and lead to believe the entire establishment looked like. The next morning the electrify was loaded and I was told to move back to the house. I said that I would not as conditions in the house were just deteriorating and that I will remain in the room that I was lead to believe indicated the standard of the establishment when I was taken on the tour.

Later that evening I was told to phone my husband to fetch me as I was no longer welcome at ARC.

I went back the following morning to explain my actions and was told to take it or leave it. When I invited the ARC representative to go look at the quality of housing for the ladies with me, I was informed that I would not be allowed to re-enter the premises (she confirmed that she had not been to the ladies house in some time) and further confirmed that this was not the first time Vera had mislead people.

I was further informed that it is a safety risk allowing me to stay on the unused side of the men's section - what a joke as the representative herself could not even tell me what the difference is as there is no locked or even closed door or gate between the men's and ladies section and the doors on the ladies house is never closed

Although I realise that my rehabilitation is not dependant on luxury accommodation, I do expect fair treatment and to get what I was lead to believe I was paying for - that is why I did due diligence and requested a tour of the facility.

The shocking treatment from management in this regard lead to me not being allowed to finish rehab and with no option of entering into another rehab as all the cash I had was used for the deposit at ARC.

Turns out that, unlike Vera's'worst case scenario' of R50 000.00, I would have required R75 000.00 for the full period with one one-to-one daily therapy session. Medical aid patients get up to 3 one-to-one sessions per day.

The above is made even more tragic by the fact that, had ARC been ethical, they would have been a top notch facility add they have exceptional the******s.

Unfortunately I believe that my money is worth just as much as the men's as we ell as that of a medical aid so why should I be forced to live in a place below my standard off living with ********* practices such as the rip-off Vending prices and removal of coffee machine to the owners other establishment.

ARC's ********* treatment and attempted bullying of addicts seeking professional help with their disease is sickening v