Smile Center

I am filing this complaint due to failure to resolve billing issue after numerous contact attempts via phone and email. I was seen by the Smile Center Oct 13,2016 to start the process of my immediate dentures and extractions. I received my quote at that appointment and paid my share of $4,946.65 to get the process started. I received a 5% discount on that total as well. The total quote came to $8,397.00.

All procedure went on without a hitch. My extraction surgery took place Nov 21, 2016 with no issues. All insurance payments went through with no problems. Now we fast forward to 2017 when I was ready for my final set of dentures and where the issues started to occur. On April 19,2017 is the date my finals were inserted. I received my first EOB May 5th 2017 in which Dr Kent's office sent my Tricare Health insurance the claim instead of my Metlife Dental Insurance for my final dentures in the amount of $2,308.00. Of coarse they declined to pay as it was considered a preventative/restorative dental procedure not a medical one. That is when I called the office to speak with someone from billing to resolve the issue. Most times I called I would get a voice mail saying the office was closed and call back during business hours. I was calling after 9am during the week when they were supposed to be open. When I finally did get through, the ladies at the front desk would say the billing clerk was either busy or in a meeting and would take my number and name and call back. They never called back. I then resorted to emailing them. My first email to them was May 13th in which I explained they billed my health insurance and gave them the correct info of my insurance so they could resubmit. ( Mind you when the work started I had Metlife Military Dental Insurance. They switched us over to United Concordia May 1, 2017 and that was clearly stated in this email and correct updated info included).

I received another EOB on July 6, 2017 from yet again my Tricare Health Insurance that Dr Kent's office resubmitted for the same previous amount of $2308.00. I contacted by phone again and this time the billing clerk said she had taken care of it over the phone and resubmitted to the updated insurance company I gave her. I did receive a EOB a couple weeks later from United Concordia a EOB stating that although I am currently enrolled with them that the procedure was done prior to our switch over date of May 1st so It would need to be submitted to Metlife for repayment. So I emailed them again since I couldn't get through by phone on July 14th and July 27th with copies of the EOB from United Concordia and asked them to please resubmit to Metlife to resolve the issue. I have heard nothing since. So I called Metlife today Nov 9, 2017 to see if there was a submission and the last one they have on file is from Jan 9, 2017. I then called and was told that Kristy the billing clerk was in a meeting and she would call me back. I'm still waiting. This is very frustrating.