Yes...my trips to the dentist seemed to be all for naught and I have been left with a mess of unfinished business in the upper left hand corner of my mouth. I am furious with the way things were handled at this office. I have only been going there for a little over a year and I thought it was a decent place but I will never set foot in that office again.
When I was told last spring that I would need this extensive dental work and the #'s were first gone over with me, I was given a brochure for a credit plan that is used in lieu of paying the full amount or making payments to the office directly. Apparently, they like to see their gazillion dollars right up front, regardless of the source. Well, naturally I didn't qualify for this, since it is essentially a credit card, and told them as much at the dental office. I actually avoided the whole issue for six months until my next appointment (I only needed the one root canal originally). There was actually no discussion about this whatsoever, nor was I given a suitable alternative. I was given a copy of the work to be done, showing what my portion would be, etc...and the work was scheduled. The only thing I was told prior to starting the work was that it looked like the first appointment, or portion of the work would be covered by my insurance and then after that, I'd be on my own. I went along my way the afternoon of my first appointment with nary a word from anyone, only to be told after my next appointment that I needed to pay close to $1100 for the work that had been done. My jaw basically dropped and I said something akin to 'huh'? I said I did not have that and they proceeded to ask me if anyone had gone over what would be owed at this point in the process. I said no...repeated what was said to me about how the first appointment would be covered by my insurance, and that this was still a continuation of that first appointment. They again asked me if I had applied for the ‘Care Credit’…I again told them no. So, they then asked me how much of it I had at that time...well, clearly the answer was nothing, but I felt in a pinch (and don't do well at all with when I am feeling cornered) so I said I could pay $100...which, of course I really couldn't afford and which led to other bills not being paid. I then told them I would have to pay the remainder in two installments and gave them the dates of my next two pay periods. My next appointment was scheduled for the 31st of October and my first payment was scheduled to be made on the 1st of November. So, I thought I'd be doing ok...could slide in and get the rest of the work done and then worry about the payments later. After I signed their little piece of paper stating I would be making these payments of close to $500 on these two days, she said, 'Now, if something should happen and you don't make these payments...the full amount will be due immediately'. Apparently, the absurdness of this statement was completely lost on her because she looked at me with a quasi-serious expression. Wait, it gets better.
So, on the afternoon of the 30th...late afternoon, by the way, I received a message to call the dental office ASAP regarding my appointment the following morning. I call back and speak to the same woman lacking a good solid base in reality. She says that when we made these payment arrangements she was not aware that I had already scheduled my next appointment and proceeds to tell me that this next portion would be $1100 out of my pocket. She says that would be due before the work could be started. Now, I know you're probably still with me here, but let's back up. My first scheduled payment of close to $500 was scheduled to be made the day AFTER my appointment. Since at this point I didn't even have that...where did she think I was going to come up with the $1100? As far as I knew, the amount quoted me was for all of the work I was to have done. So, I asked her if I was just supposed to sit here with these temporary crowns in my mouth and she said I didn't even have temporary crowns yet. In other words, I've had the root canals done, along with a crown 'buildup'. She said that I could come in and have some temporary fillings put in, but my portion for that would be $149 up front. At this point, I laughed out loud, couldn't help it. I said, yeah...that's what I'll do, completely unnecessary expenses on top of the $2100 you're saying I would owe you were I to have you complete this mess you’ve started. She asked me if I was still going to be able to make the first payment scheduled and I said, no...not all of it. She said I should call her and let her know the next day, otherwise it would get ‘ugly’. I said...sweetheart, it's already ugly, and thanks in large part to the negligence of your office staff, yourself very much included, I have a mouth full of half-completed dental work and no way in which to complete it. So, after not sending any money in on the 1st, I received a delinquency notice in the mail...ooh, scare me. I still owe them close to $1000 and am not concerned as to when it gets paid at this point. Right now, my biggest concern is finding a reputable dental office that will complete this work and hopefully agree to a payment plan, otherwise I imagine I will soon have two gaping holes in the upper left hand corner of my mouth...which would not be good, at all. I wish I would have never started with it, but who knew? Am I naïve enough to think I could escape this without have to pay a cent…of course not…but they did not clearly define what would be due and when before said work could be performed. It is not good business practice to start something with someone you know is having some financial issues without going through exactly what would be required of them. Gee…do you think maybe because I applied for the damn credit in the first place, I might not have $2000 to give you? Think people…think.
