I'm so TICKED at my dentist!!!!

[Kristilyn1]

Okay, back in early May I had two of my wisdom teeth out. They confirm your insurance ahead of time and I had to pay like $300 out of pocket at the time of the procedure, no problem. I get a notice in the mail postmarked JUNE 3 that I still owe $98, apparently the amount that my insurance didn't cover. Again, this happens--I'm disappointed but not upset in the least.

Okay, I got lazy and didn't pay the bill the first time in the month I paid bills (I pay bills twice a month). Today, I sit down, write the check and put in the mail. I GET my mail today and in an envelope with NOTHING ELSE, is a credit card slip from my dentist charging me the $98!!!!

First off, where do they get off just charging my credit card without permission----almost 60 days later.

Second, how dare they just DO IT WITHOUT CALLING ME!!!

Third, since the first I heard of this $98 was less than 30 days ago, shouldn't they at LEAST give me 30 days to pay it? It's not like I possibly could have known that I'd have this amount to pay after insurance kicked in, THEY are the ones that confirmed how much would be paid, not me!

Fourth, wouldn't a note in either the original bill or the envelope with the credit card slip with some sort of explanation be in order?

I left a message for them, FREAKING out on the phone, but I guess I need to know, can I get them in trouble for this? I mean, GEEZ, don't you get a chance to pay a bill before they decide to pay it for you? And, where do they get off keeping my credit card info on file for them to use whenever they want!?

Anyone have this happen to them?

Kristi

[aggie94]

Oooooh, I would be STEAMED. 30 days to pay a bill is NOT unreasonable. In fact, it's standard.

The only thing I can think of is that in one of the "standard forms" you signed when you became a patient, there's some kind of agreement that says you authorize them to charge outstanding fees to a credit card you have on file with them. But this would presume that you actually GAVE them a credit card to put on file, not just charged something on a card there once assuming they would think it's OK to keep using that same card.

I'd definitely ask them, when you talk to them, what authorization they think they had to make that charge without your prior approval. They might say they had prior approval, in which case I'd definitely ask for a copy of whatever it is you signed, if you did.

I'd then b*tch them out for not having the courtesy to contact you and not even waiting a month before deciding for themselves that you were a deadbeat and they'd better go ahead and collect while they still could. :mad:

[HejazSunKat]

What Eva said, plus I would probably switch dentists. That would tick me off big time too. :mad:

[Grace]

As crappy as that is, my guess is you probably signed some form that has some small print authorizing them to do this. Most doctors/dentists do now because they get stiffed so often (I realize that you wouldn't do that, Kristi, but I look at people's credit reports every single day and the number one type of collections that show up on people's credit are medical collections). Anyway, I'm quite sure they'll reverse things for you.

Oops - editing to add that I see Eva already said the same thing - sorry! :o

[Chefzhat]

Slight hijack - Hi Grace! I was thinking about you earlier today!

[landk]

I've only had two dentists in my lifetime and I love them both. Neither of them would do this but I know new dentists these days are doing this because of lack of payment. I agree that you might have signed something stating that they would charge your credit card if payment is not made by the insurance company. I know it sucks but unfortunately that is what dentists are turning to. I guess I wouldn't be happy either seeing a slip that they charged my credit card without any explanation (which is the reason why I feel that something was possibly signed before hand). Keep us posted on what the dentist office has to say to you about this. Is this under an HMO?

[Grace]

Originally posted by Chefzhat
Slight hijack - Hi Grace! I was thinking about you earlier today!

Hi Debie!! You were??!! I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing..... ;) :p

[mbrogier]

Of all the doctors I have ever gone to, not a one has ever done this. I would ask if you signed something like that. If you did, tear it up. There are standard forms to bill insurance, etc. Maybe I should read those a little more carefully.

Since you already sent them a check, I'd be just hacked off enough to call the credit card company and cancel the charge. :o :D I'd fix them.

[LonghornGal]

Guess I'll be lone dissenter here.

Many of us work 5 days a week. I get paid on Thursday for the week prior. Imagine having to wait 30 days to get paid. Now imagine that payday came and your check was shorted. Wouldn't you want to get paid on time? Now it's almost a month later, a holiday coming up, and still no check. How do you feel? Do you want to be paid?

Now yes, it could have been handled better on their part. A phone call would have been reasonable, a letter also. But they'd already sent a letter with the bill. Does it say anything in the letter about the amount being automatically charged?

They could have handled it better, but "freaking out" in your message does not make anyone want to talk to you in person to work out a satisfactory solution or to change their policy in the future. You'll probably get a more satisfactory response and cooperation from their office if you can keep your cool.

I'd suggest calling again on Tuesday, staying calm, and asking them to please void and return the check, as it will be an overpayment. That way you don't have to pay to cancel the check. Then inquire about the credit card charge and how it was authorized. If in fact they did act without permission, you have something to work with and can call the Better Business Bureau.

But then again, what the heck do I know about anything. But I do deal with customers of all sorts, and when everyone remains calm and open to discussion we come to much better solutions than we do when one side has their emotions ruling the conversation.

[Betty Spaghetty]

Check to see, if they use a service to secure your credit card number, there is such a thing on the Internet. Did you give them your
credit card number? This service is paid by the year, like $90 a year.
I saw it while trying to look a number in Yahoo. Sorry, I don't have
the site address.

[LonghornGal]

Before you call again, think about your goals and their goals.

you
a - not pay twice
b - not have them charge account w/o notifying you
c - do a and b with the least hassle

them -
a - keep good customers
b - get paid in a timely manner by all customers
c - maintaining a good reputation in the community to help attract new patients.

A possible solution that would attain both of the sets of goals:
a - they send back your check. (your a goal)
b - they explain the "Why" behind the charge and how to prevent future unknown charges. (your b goal)
c - you explain you didn't know about the 98 until the bill on June 3rd, and that you had timely payment intentions, as evidenced by the check arriving at their office next week (their b goal)
d - they offer you a discount on your next services (meets their a and c goals, and your c goal for not finding a new dentist and getting records shipped and insurance forms and all that)

[syzygy]

Kristi, I'm late getting to this discussion because I've been away on vacation, but did want to add 1 more thing into the mix. Did you get an EOB from your insurance saying that you did indeed still owe the $98? I bring this up because often the Dr and insurance co have a contract that says they (dr) cannot charge more than a certain set amount and must eat the difference between what they would "normally" charge and what the insurance co covers. It has happened to me more than once that a dr's office has billed me for the difference between what the insurance paid and what they (dr's office) charged, and the insurance co EOB says I don't owe the difference (or the insurance co says I'm only expected to pay a certain amount even though the dr's office asks for more).