Apex Smiles

Billed for services not rendered. On 11/3/15 I visited Apex Smiles for a free braces consultation. During this visit I stated that I was just shopping around for prices. X-rays and molds were taken of my teeth and at the end of the appointment the cost of treatment was discussed. They were unable to provide financing through their business and directed me to a 3rd party website to obtain financing. I had an appointment with an orthodontist the following week and was more confident in their abilities and they were able to offer financing. I called Apex Smiles and notified them on 11/13/15 that I was going to be having braces applied by the orthodontist and not Dr. [redacted]. At that point in time the receptionist told me I would have to pay $750 because they had sent my impressions to an outside company. I told them that I never agreed to have braces , that I had only come for a consultation and that I would not pay this fee. On 1/25/16 I received a letter from [redacted] (insurance) stating that they would not pay my orthodontist because Apex Smiles had billed for full orthodontic treatment ~$6,000. I called Apex Smiles on 2/22/16 to dispute this charge and they said they would contact insurance and have it removed. At this time they again stated I would owe $750 for the impressions. I told them I would not be paying this as I never signed an agreement to have braces performed and told them during the appointment that I was just shopping for prices, although I did say I wanted to have the braces placed before the new year I never stated that I would be using their business. On 3/16/16 my husband was emailed a bill with "limited orthodontic treatment of the adult dentition" $450 listed (for myself). I received no orthodontic treatment, only impressions. I never stated I would be having treatment with this company. Also the price has changed from what they initially wanted. I have been pleased with the care this practice provided in the past and think the staff is kind and knowledgeable. However, I do not think fair to assume a consumer will pay fees for impressions when this was not discussed and the consumer is only having a consultation. I am also concerned that my insurance was billed for full orthodontic treatment.Desired SettlementI would like to have the $450 charge removed from my account.Business Response Ms. [redacted], we apologize for the miscommunication you experienced at our office on 11/03/2015. After the consultation you indicated wanting to get treatment started as soon as possible for which we discussed the duration and cost of the treatment. We provided you with a copy of the treatment plan for limited orthodontic treatment $4500 and then took impression to be sent to laboratory.Unfortunately, the day the impressions were taken the case gets sent to the laboratory and your insurance gets billed the same day as it involves the lab cost. Your insurance company was billed for limited orthodontic treatment for $4500, the same amount as the copy provided to you. You mentioned we billed your insurance company full orthodontic treatment of $6000 is not true.On 11/13/2015 After we received the call from you indicating that you did not want to continue treatment with us. We explained to you that you will have to pay the laboratory cost of $450. Your insurance company was informed that treatment was not done and your insurance company acknowledged it. Though your claim was changed on 11/13/2015, your insurance company sent us check on 02/17/2016 for $119.00 which was immediately returned back to your insurance company and confirmed again that the procedure was not done. Since there was a miscommunication on agreeing for the proposed treatment, the office (Apex Smiles) incurred a loss of laboratory cost of $450. However the staff was told to remove the fee from your account. Unfortunately as an oversight from our staff your laboratory cost fee stayed on your account and was given to your husband as an outstanding balance.We hope this resolves the issue.Consumer Response Apex smiles has removed the $450 charge stating they had accidentally forgotten to remove it from my account. To clarify, they had already retracted the insurance claim prior to this review. I was only concerned about the consultation fee I was being charged. This issue has been resolved. Final Consumer Response