Dear Better Business Bureau,

I have been to a few dentists, and I have to say that this one is by far the worst.  The office had called me and told me it was time for me to come in for a check up and I had explained to them that I had cavities as well, so we set up an appointment. I was contacted 3 times after that to change the time, as well as ask me why I was coming in...one call being from the doctor himself.  When I finally did get there for my 1pm appointment, the office was closed...it seems they were still not back from lunch yet.  Why would you schedule a 1pm appointment when no one is there in the first place?  The receptionist pulled in at 1:15 and the Dentist didn’t get there till 1:45!  I had taken lunch at 1 and only get an hour so needless to say I was not happy.

I hadn’t been there in over 2 1/2 years and informed the receptionist of that. I asked if she wanted my updated information...she never took it.  Then as I am getting Novocain and having my mouth drilled, she wants my insurance card.  After they try and figure out what the copay is, she comes back and they start discussing payment methods with me...still while being drilled.  They scribble some numbers on paper and tell me I owe $562 but can not give me a breakdown of how they came up with that figure. The dentist asks me if I can put it on a credit card and I tell him I don’t have any and wasn’t expecting to pay this much.  He offers no payment plan or arrangement.  A few weeks later I go back for a cavity and the SAME receptionist tells me I only owe $138...what happened to the $562? She has no answer for me and says " this is better for you isn’t it?"   Well of course it is, but again I ask for it in writing so that it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass, and she cannot provide me with that. So I leave thinking my balance is lower then it was.  I get a call a week later from the Dentist telling me I owe $562!  I have no idea what these people do there all day long but they do NOT communicate with each other.

A week ago I get a call from the Dentist saying he is sending me to collections for non-payment.  How am I supposed to make a payment when I have yet to receive a detailed bill?  I called him and tell him I can make small payments but I do not have that kind of money right now.  He then proceeds to cut me off and tell me that is unacceptable since service have been preformed and to put it on a credit card (even though I have told him over and over again I do not have one) or to put it on someone eles card!  I mean, can you imagine a doctor saying that?  I asked him if he could work out a payment plan for me and told me we can go through a financial service like capital one.  So he wants me to take a loan out to pay him back?

At this point I am very upset and annoyed so I decided to call the insurance company myself and find out what they actually did pay.  I am so glad I did.  It turns out that even though I went in March of this year, he did not submit the claim till May.  They paid a portion of the bill and have not paid the remainder because they are waiting for HIM to get back to them with my x-rays and other information.  So, the reason he has not gotten paid from the insurance company is his own fault.  Where he is getting this figure of $562 I have no idea.  And to top it off, my Insurance company said I am only responsible for a $50 deductible…I have already paid $75, so home-boy owes me $25! (I did not include this part in my real letter)

Needless to say, this man should not be a practicing dentist, or at last learn some valuable work ethics because you do not treat people this way.



Sincerely,
Loni Aquilia

(And for the record, for those of you who live in Fairfiled County, the doctor I am referring to is Gary  Boyajan who has offices in Bethel and Ridgefield)