Gentle Dentistry

On the day this complaint was received, I pulled the refund request and asked the patient's billing coordinator to contact the patient for their credit card # The patient initially told the billing coordinator they would not provide the credit card number without speaking to me first I was not available to take the call as I was on a conference call Based on billing coordinators statement that the patient would not provide their credit card #, I sent the response to the Revdex.com The billing coordinator came into my office about minutes later and stated the patient did end up giving her the credit card # and asked me to call him back At that point, I logged back onto the Revdex.com's complaint site, but was unable to modify the response or add anything additional.Once the credit card # was received, the clinic manager was immediately notified to refund the patient The refund was done before close of business that day Patient states he has not seen the refund We are more than happy to mail or fax a copy of the receipt to the patient if that is what he desires, however, once we process the refund, we have no control over when it is posts to his account Only his credit card company can address that.The patient also states that as of this point, he has not received a call back from me The patient has had multiple conversations with his billing coordinator and I had no additional information to provide him He has told the refund would be processed and that we would not be "compensating" him for a delay Further conversations with me would not have changed that decision.In my initial response, I stated the credit appeared in December Upon further review, I noticed that the payment posted in November, but a mistake was made with the write off and it was not caught until December Although this was our mistake, it does not justify the patient expecting "compensation" for dental work paid for by his insurance company We do require all patients who are having services done that may not be covered by insurance to sign a financial agreement that states we will bill your insurance company and give you an estimate of the costs, however, patient is responsible for any costs not covered by insurance His insurance did not pay this claim until November and until that point, there was no credit on the account.Contrary to the patients statement, we do value our patients and are sorry when we lose one However, is not reasonable for the patient to expect "compensation" for issues related to insurance processing or a delay in receiving the refund That would be like us changing a patient every time they cancelled or failed an appointmentWe apologize the patient does not feel he was treated fairly by our company and that he feels the amount of time taken to refund his money was unreasonable We strive to give the best customer service we can and in most cases, our patients are happy with the services and treatment they receive This patients refund has been processed as requested and we consider the matter closed

The customer states in the complaint that the delivery was on the second floor and to the rightWhen the delivery team arrived at the location it was determined that due to the small space that was provided up the flight of stairs and to the right, that it was not safe, for either the delivery team, nor would we be able to assure that neither the item or the building would not be damagedIt was suggested that that the banister be removed, which we would not be responsible to do, and that the customer would sign a disclosure not holding Consumers liable for any damages to the building, since they did not own the entire building, that disclosure did not seem valid

[redacted] did not purchase windows from us.? The former owner of the home purchased windows from us in The manufacture of the windows was sold twice in the late 1990s and then filed chapter bankruptcy around? 2000.? ? There is no warranty for these windowsWe are not a manufacture and never have beenWe tried? to help [redacted] by replacing a piece of glass for $to cover our cost of material and labor [redacted] ? claims that the new piece of glass looks different? than the glass in the rest of the windowsWe acquired? that piece of glass from the company that had purchased [redacted] trade mark from the original manufacture before they went bankrupt.? That is the best we can do to match the windowsOf note that company, [redacted] was purchased recently by another manufactureAlso our labor/installation warranty expired in Also glass coating, as in Low-e, have changed dramatically? over the yearsIt is doubtful? any manufacture is using the coatings technology? todayOur guess is the Low-e coating is less visible with today's? technology? but the green [ iron ] color is more visibleThe new piece of glass may be thicker [ more green] as etching grid patterns in glass weakens itThat may have some bearing on the original? glass breaking in the first place.? ? We do not want any unhappy customers but we have no control over any manufacturing processesOur office manager tried to explain all of the above to [redacted] on the phoneHis reply was to threaten? legal? action and complain to Revdex.comIf he would withdraw his complaint we would consider refunding his $and he can keep the piece of glass he doesn't? like.Tom P [redacted] ?

I am rejecting this response because: Their response is inaccurateFirst off, I asked in December if I could get my refund via my credit card immediately once they finally determined the overpayment amountI was told no I needed to wait days for a checkIn response to this complaint I received a call from Gentle Dentistry asking for my cc which I did comply with in that callTo say I refused fo provide the information is an outright lieOn that call I asked to speak to the finance manager Sherry and was told she would no accept the call transfer requestI asked that she instead call me to discuss the amount owed and she has yet to do soi provided my cell number on the call along with my credit card to process the refund.To say that offering to submit my claim to insurance is a courtesy is absurdI'm given a total for the procedure andAtotal after insurance before agreeing to accept the services, for which I pay the amount estimated to be my responsibility on that same visitIt would be deceptive to suggest that they are doing me a service by submitting the claimI consider it deceptive to overcharge me for the bill I paid in June based on a previously unpaid amount without discussing the amount with me, which is exactly what they didHad I not spoken with my insurance company about why the amount they covered was so low, I would have never learned that they were misrepresenting the amount owed as the amount due for June when in reality it was an amount due from the previous December that was owedIt was explained to me by my insurance company that the dentist who did my work in December was listed as out of network, which is why they didn't cover the full amount estimatedOnce I be out this to the attention of Gentle Dentistry in July, they agreed to resubmit the charges to insurance to get them to pay the amount that was estimated in the first placeIn June, had I been told that what I was asked to pay was a previous balance plus that day's service I could have questioned it then and never would have agreed to pay the amount I was told insurance wiuld coverThis was a bait and switch tacticNow that they had my money for both the June services as well as the December services that weren't covered, I was at the mercy of them doing what they should havw done in the first place and resubmitting the bill to my insurance providerThey deceived me into thinking the full amount was for that day's services I maintain that I have been honest and upfront and extremely patient during the months it took them to get this error straightened outFor the time and effort I've personally put into fixing this issue I feel I am awed something of compensation for the troubles they have put me through and the time they sat on my moneyCleary losing my business isn't a big deal as I am only one customer, but the way I have been treated ought to have bigger consequences, which is why I put forth the complaint in the first placeIn December when they finally decided to process the claim back to insurance and got the money from them, they should have contacted me to ask for my card, if that is their pilicyI was instead emaiied and told to wait for a checkFor them to make this delay my fault is absurd and only further reinforces the idea that I ought to be compensated for my troublesI honestly feel like asking for another $or so is well below what I should expect but their policy clearly is that once they make a mistake and compound it, the customer service stopsFor the record I called Gentle Dentistry back at 3:pm central time last night, did provide my card information to process the refund when I spoke to Monica, and as of a call to my credit card company right now at 4:18pm central time today there has been no refund posted nor one pending

The customer is claiming that " [redacted] ." As stated on the signed sales agreements and related detailed paperwork, the customer supplied Consumers with measurements, Consumers was not responsible for any measurements. The faucet was not purchased from... Consumers and the sink that was purchased by the consumers was not available from Consumers, we do not carry [redacted] products. The customer states that the faucet pop up hits a mirror, that was not purchased at Consumers. The items purchased from Consumers function as intended, and the items delivered are as stated on the signed sales contract. We had offered a refund of $100.00 to help offset some of the expense, that was refused by customer. As stated before the items ordered and delivered from Consumers function as intended, the vanity fits in the space that the customer stated the measurements were and the top fits on the vanity with the proper cutout for the sink they noted they were using and the single hole faucet drilling as noted on the order form. Consumers delivered what the customer ordered, we can not be responsible for items purchased elsewhere and for other existing situations that we are not aware of.

We have contacted the patient. Patient is refusing to provide the credit card #. Per our agreement with our Merchant Services company, the refund can only be refunded to the credit card, which is the way the payment was made. At this point, Patient will either need to provide the
credit card number so the refund can be processed or the credit will remain on his account.We will not provide "compensation" for any delay's in processing. As a benefit to patients, we file insurance claims on their behalf, as a benefit, not as a requirement. If there is an issue with the claim we will work with the insurance company to get it resolved. We did work with them and the claim was paid in December. Up until the claim was paid, the patient did not have a credit on their account. The credit has not been on the patients account for an unreasonable amount of time

Customer was contacted today and informed that the item was in and available for deliveryConsumers will deliver the item to customer at no chargeMessage left for customer to contact delivery department and arrange delivery date

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/19) */
I am responding to your complaint dated February 9, The first issue that was brought up was that the patient felt she was overcharged on the copays from her October 12th and October 21st visitsThe patient has Delta Dental insurance
Delta does not give the providers a fee schedule and therefore, we either have to do a pre-authorization for the work or we have to estimate the co-paysOur administrative staff in the clinic always calls to verify insurance and when they called on the patient seen for the October 12th appt, they were told that the patient was nearing his yearly maximumThey will not tell us exactly what the patient has remainingBased on this information, we collected the co-pay based on no insurance coverageDelta Dental will allow us to submit a pre-authorization which would allow us to know exactly what the coverage would beMy recommendation would be to request this in the future to avoid over paying up frontThe patient was refunded the balance due as was stated in her complaint
The second issue that was brought up was that one of the children was referred out to *** DentalThe DDS that saw the child felt it was possible the child would need a pulpectomyBecause of this, he felt it would be best for refer the patient to a specialistWe are glad to hear the treatment ended up being minor, but because the Doctor felt it could have been more significant, he felt it was in the patient's best interest to refer it out
We are deeply sorry for the frustrations that were experienced by this familyWe value customer service and strive to keep our patients happyIf there is anything additional I can do, please let me know
Sincerely,
Family & Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry
Hutchinson Team
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/02/29) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I would like to start by saying thank you to Family & Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry, for acknowledging my concerns and giving me the courtesy of a response, it is greatly appreciatedThat being said, I do have concerns regarding the response and would appreciate further explanation
I have specific questions/concerns I would like answered and addressedThe rationale as to why I am asking follows
When did billing practices change at Gentle Dentistry?
Justify my having to wait 1/months for a significant ($917.79) refund of money owed to me? This was not money owed from insurance (I confirmed checks were sent to your office 10/and 10/of 2015) but owed directly by the Hutchinson branchFurthermore, why did I have to pursue it; why didn't anyone from your office EVER reach out to me letting me know the overpayments occurred and giving me a timeframe as to when we could expect the refunds
Why aren't you registered with the Revdex.com?
When did you either change your billing procedures, or stop receiving fee schedules from Delta Dental? I have been with Gentle Dentistry since at least 2012, and just as long with Delta Dental, and have never been overcharged upfront, at least not that I am aware of...that is over years of service with bothI have looked back through my Delta Dental claims, as well as my HSA account, and I can't find any irregular charges or extreme upfront overbillingI wish I had been told we could ask for pre-authorization, I would have been more than happy to pursue that route prior to any services being performedThis response is the first time I have become aware that this was an option
Regarding the services provided on October 12, 2015, I am stunned at this responseI have contacted Delta Dental many times over the last few months to gain a better understanding of the process and how it worksI called them again on February 24, 2016, to once again reconfirm the process and amountsThe September 30th visit was my husband's first visit in 2015, and it was for a routine cheand cleaning; insurance paid $This means he had a remaining insurance balance of $for the yearWhether insurance will tell your staff exact amounts or not, based on the records at Gentle Dentistry (I know they are notified as to what insurance DID pay, post visitI have the EOB's and I have confirmed with Delta Dental that the office receives these too), and seeing that his only visit in was for a routine check-up, how could it possibly be assumed he was nearing his yearly maximum of $1,000? I understand your staff can't get exact amounts, but it is difficult for me to believe that your office would have been told he was nearing his yearly maximum with only one visit, which, again, was for a routine check-up??? It also bothers me that even though your staff may not have exact amounts, they would then still bill on the assumption of no insurance coverage at all??? Please, charge me a reasonable estimate, and I would be more than happy to receive a bill for any additional money owedOn October 12, when my husband went in for the work, insurance paid $652.76, patient cost was $163.19! That's a total insurance payment of $for the year, which leaves an available insurance balance of $All said and done, he is STILL short of his annual insurance maximumHow can you justify billing that on no insurance coverage??? We upfront paid $1,and received a refund of $on Feb 5, almost 1/months later! Please explain!?!?
Did your administrative staff also call Delta on the patient seen Oct 21st (my son) to verify insurance? What were they told during that call? Prior to October, he was in on January 29, and insurance paid $He was in again on September and insurance paid $for a total year to date of $His amounts were closer to the yearly individual max of $1,than my husband's! Is that why we were charged $on October 21st? Were they basing that bill on no insurance coverage as well? Of the $we paid, the patient responsibility was $66.09, resulting in a refund of $This refund ALSO took until Feb 5, to collect, and my pursing it
I somewhat understand your position, but please try to understand mineYour company overcharged us by $in October and then HELD our money for over 1/months (Oct - Feb) as it went through the 'approval process'That money should have been in our HSA account, and I shouldn't have had to pursue it to the lengths I didNot ONCE did the Hutchinson office ever reach out to me to let me know what was going on, I discovered all of this on my own by reviewing EOB'sIt scares to me to think what would have happened if I hadn't reviewed themIf I had gotten the refund in a reasonable amount of time, and without my having to pursue it to the lengths I did, this would all be a non-issueIf you want to overcharge up front, fine, that's your business practiceBut then implement a reasonable refund method, and let your patients know what's going onHolding onto money for 1/months, isn't reasonable
Final straw, my husband was seen again on February 4, for a fillingOnce again we were overcharged (please see original complaint for details)Did the office call Delta Dental to again verify insurance??? Were we nearing his yearly maximum even though it was the first visit of 2016??? We paid $upfront that dayIt turns out insurance covered $We had the annual $deductible for a total patient cost of $Shocking, another refund...this time for $Somehow this refund didn't need to go through the 'approval process,' as I was told was the hold up for the previous overpayments? I called Gentle Dentistry at 8:35am the morning of Feb inquiring about the timelineKari called back on Feb at 4:08pm letting me know the credit of $was processedSo days for the Feb charge, vs 1/months for the in Oct, how does that work? Furthermore, why did it take ME calling and pursing the issue, again, to initiate the latest refund? Shouldn't your office be reaching out to their clients and keeping them informed as to what's going on regarding their refunds??? I'm 100% certain that I am not the only one this is happening to, but am guessing I may be the only one noticing, so farThis is why I am so adamant for explanationsI'm guessing that if I hadn't noticed any of this, I would still be out the $1,
In reference to my comments regarding *** and their billing practices, how and why can they reasonably estimate what costs will be and then bill for any additional fees? If they can do it, why can't Gentle Dentistry (I'm told they get the same info from Delta Dental)? I am not going to go into any of the resulting dental work for my son (***) or husband, as that is a separate issue we are dealing with and seeking treatment forI feel that since the main concern of my original complaint was regarding billing issues, I will focus solely on that and handle our remaining dental needs through our new provider
Upon this submission, I understand your company isn't even registered with the Revdex.com (Revdex.com)Why not? Delta Dental has encouraged me to file a grievance, which I am consideringThe Revdex.com has also suggested I contact the MN Board of Dentistry as well as the Attorney General's OfficeI had been hoping for an acceptable response to my previous concerns to avoid pursing this any furtherI hope you will please address my concerns WITHOUT directing blame to Delta Dental, they are not the concernThey did not hold my money from Oct 30, to Feb 5, 2016, and require repeated contact from me to release the fundsThe concern is the Hutchinson Family & Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry and their billing practicesIf you would be so kind, please explain in detail as to why it took 1/months, and MY persistence for reimbursement of $1,029.39? Please see concerns 1-and please explain
Thank you
***
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/03/04) */
On March 3rd I would with the Ms*** on the phone and sent the a letter with the message below
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday regarding your recent experiences at our Hutchinson clinicI apologize for the errors that happened and hope that you will consider giving our clinic another chance
As a company, Family & Cosmetic Gentle Dentistry prides ourselves on creating lifelong relationships that are based on trustWe strive to create a safe environment for our patients with dental professional that provide the highest quality service possibleI am sorry that we let you down and did not meet the expectations we place upon ourselves
With regard to the overbilling you experienced, the clinic manager states that when she verified your insurance, she was informed by Delta that you were reaching your maximum for the yearUnfortunately, she was given this information in error, and we apologizeGoing forward please be advised that you can always request a pre-authorization for the recommended treatmentAdditionally, if you feel the financial you receive is incorrect, the staff member assisting you would be happy to verify your insurance while you are present, upon your request
I sincerely apologize for the mistakes and the delay in sending out your refundThis should not have happened and is not typical of our company policy and procedures
I am enclosing certificates for $These can be used towards the purchase of any non-covered service (teeth bleaching, take home products, etc)We are introducing a new program called "whitening for life"A postcard is included that gives details about this new programWe'd be happy to honor these certificates for this program if you are interested
I do hope you and your family will return to our clinic in the futureIf I can assist you further, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at XXXXXXXX

The Board of Directors of Consumers reviewed the situation and would first apologize for the customer service received and the lack of proper communication, this issue is being addressed internally to not be repeated in the futureWe will be issuing a refund of $for the reimbursement of the extra delivery fee incurred and additionally refund the Consumers delivery fee of $40.00. Sincerely,John B***TreasurerConsumers Warehouse Center*** *** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
Upon receipt of check, we will withdraw complaint
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

Credit issued for toilet on 07/**/No credit needed for flusher as a discount was given on sales contract of $to offset the price of the Special Order item of $See attached sales contract

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved
Sincerely,
*** ***

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for attempting to resolve this issue. I have reviewed Mr***'s chart and would like to provide some additional information. Mr***'s insurance does not cover the cost of a composite filling (white filling) because it is
considered to be "cosmetic" and not medically necessary on the tooth in question (wisdom tooth). A amalgam filling would be covered 100% by the Mr***'s insurance. We would be happy to do the composite filling, but it will be at Mr***'s expense.With regard to discussing his medical issues with his spouse, we do give patients the option of designating individuals other than themselves that we can talk to, however, Mr*** did not list his wife on the form that was completed. We place a high value on protecting our patients privacy and for this reason, we only discuss patient information with the individuals designated on our forms. We would be happy to have our clinic manager reach out to Mr*** to attempt to resolve this issue, however, please understand that we are required to follow the rules set by the insurance company and this particular filling out be at the patients expense if he choses to move forward with a composite filling.If you would like any additional information, please feel free to reach me at ###-###-####. Sheri ***Controller

*** *** did not purchase windows from us. The former owner of the home purchased windows from us in The manufacture of the windows was sold twice in the late 1990s and then filed chapter bankruptcy around 2000. There is no warranty for these windowsWe are not a
manufacture and never have beenWe tried to help *** *** by replacing a piece of glass for $to cover our cost of material and labor*** *** claims that the new piece of glass looks different than the glass in the rest of the windowsWe acquired that piece of glass from the company that had purchased *** *** *** trade mark from the original manufacture before they went bankrupt. That is the best we can do to match the windowsOf note that company, *** *** was purchased recently by another manufactureAlso our labor/installation warranty expired in Also glass coating, as in Low-e, have changed dramatically over the yearsIt is doubtful any manufacture is using the coatings technology todayOur guess is the Low-e coating is less visible with today's technology but the green [ iron ] color is more visibleThe new piece of glass may be thicker [ more green] as etching grid patterns in glass weakens itThat may have some bearing on the original glass breaking in the first place. We do not want any unhappy customers but we have no control over any manufacturing processesOur office manager tried to explain all of the above to *** *** on the phoneHis reply was to threaten legal action and complain to Revdex.comIf he would withdraw his complaint we would consider refunding his $and he can keep the piece of glass he doesn't like.Tom P***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
All the business did was send a copy of my sales receipt, which I have. They did not solve the problem, which is that they sold me a vanity that would not allow the faucet to be installed in the granite that they designed and ordered.I do not even see anything in writing from them regarding my complaint and how they plan on compensating me for my out of pocket expense to make their custom made vanity work in my bathroom
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

We have an agreement with customer to refund money if customer removes numerous online reveiws and complaints.Sincerely,John B***TreasurerConsumers Warehouse CenterPhone ###-###-####

The customer states in the complaint that the delivery was on the second floor and to the right. When the delivery team arrived at the location it was determined that due to the small space that was provided up the flight of stairs and to the right, that it was not safe, for either the delivery...

team, nor would we be able to assure that neither the item or the building would not be damaged. It was suggested that that the banister be removed, which we would not be responsible to do, and that the customer would sign a disclosure not holding Consumers liable for any damages to the building, since they did not own the entire building, that disclosure did not seem valid.

The customer is claiming that "[redacted]." As stated on the signed sales agreements and related detailed paperwork, the customer supplied Consumers with measurements, Consumers was not responsible for any measurements. The faucet was not purchased from...

Consumers and the sink that was purchased by the consumers was not available from Consumers, we do not carry [redacted] products. The customer states that the faucet pop up hits a mirror, that was not purchased at Consumers. The items purchased from Consumers function as intended, and the items delivered are as stated on the signed sales contract. We had offered a refund of $100.00 to help offset some of the expense, that was refused by customer. As stated before the items ordered and delivered from Consumers function as intended, the vanity fits in the space that the customer stated the measurements were and the top fits on the vanity with the proper cutout for the sink they noted they were using and the single hole faucet drilling as noted on the order form. Consumers delivered what the customer ordered, we can not be responsible for items purchased elsewhere and for other existing situations that we are not aware of.

Check issued for $100.00

I am rejecting this response because:
Their response is inaccurate. First off, I asked in December if I could get my refund via my credit card immediately once they finally determined the overpayment amount. I was told no I needed to wait 60 days for a check. In response to this complaint I received a call from Gentle Dentistry asking for my cc which I did comply with in that call. To say I refused fo provide the information is an outright lie. On that call I asked to speak to the finance manager Sherry and was told she would no accept the call transfer request. I asked that she instead call me to discuss the amount owed and she has yet to do so. I provided my cell number on the call along with my credit card to process the refund.To say that offering to submit my claim to insurance is a courtesy is absurd. I'm given a total for the procedure and. Atotal after insurance before agreeing to accept the services, for which I pay the amount estimated to be my responsibility on that same visit. It would be deceptive to suggest that they are doing me a service by submitting the claim. I consider it deceptive to overcharge me for the bill I paid in June based on a previously unpaid amount without discussing the amount with me, which is exactly what they did. Had I not spoken with my insurance company about why the amount they covered was so low, I would have never learned that they were misrepresenting the amount owed as the amount due for June when in reality it was an amount due from the previous December that was owed. It was explained to me by my insurance company that the dentist who did my work in December was listed as out of network, which is why they didn't cover the full amount estimated. Once I be out this to the attention of Gentle Dentistry in July, they agreed to resubmit the charges to insurance to get them to pay the amount that was estimated in the first place. In June, had I been told that what I was asked to pay was a previous balance plus that day's service I could have questioned it then and never would have agreed to pay the amount I was told insurance wiuld cover. This was a bait and switch tactic. Now that they had my money for both the June services as well as the December 2015 services that weren't covered, I was at the mercy of them doing what they should havw done in the first place and resubmitting the bill to my insurance provider. They deceived me into thinking the full amount was for that day's services.  I maintain that I have been honest and upfront and extremely patient during the 6 months it took them to get this error straightened out. For the time and effort I've personally put into fixing this issue I feel I am awed something of compensation for the troubles they have put me through and the time they sat on my money. Cleary losing my business isn't a big deal as I am only one customer, but the way I have been treated ought to have bigger consequences, which is why I put forth the complaint in the first place. In December 2016 when they finally decided to process the claim back to insurance and got the money from them, they should have contacted me to ask for my card, if that is their pilicy. I was instead emaiied and told to wait for a check. For them to make this delay my fault is absurd and only further reinforces the idea that I ought to be compensated for my troubles. I honestly feel like asking for another $85 or so is well below what I should expect but their policy clearly is that once they make a mistake and compound it, the customer service stops. For the record I called Gentle Dentistry back at 3:52 pm central time last night, did provide my card information to process the refund when I spoke to Monica, and as of a call to my credit card company right now at 4:18pm central time today there has been no refund posted nor one pending.