Thursday, March 23, 2017

I'M SICK OF NEEDING A NEW DENTIST

To read Part One of this diatribe CLICK HERE, and to read Part Two, CLICK HERE.

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

I shouldn't write multi-part stories. I bore myself.

All righty, then, when last we saw our Fair Junebug, she'd been told that the dentist's office had never accepted her insurance (following four years of appointments), and she learned the insurance company's "customer service" department was worthless, which didn't surprise her in the least because it's common knowledge that customer service was created to make us all insane.

Next step: I called the guy who sold me the insurance. He actually answered his phone. His name is Joseph, as in Jesus, Mary, and the guy who stands around to watch all the hullabaloo surrounding his wife who isn't even having his baby.




Joseph listened to my story and said, I wish I could do something about this, but unfortunately I can't. I can tell you what happened, though. Of course they accepted your insurance. I see this happen all the time with dentists' offices. They open and they want new customers, so they accept all sorts of insurance. Then they become successful and they stop accepting some types of insurance, but they don't tell you until after your appointment.

Joseph also apologized for the response I'd received from "customer service."



I appreciated it that Joseph didn't try to weasel out of the situation, just like Mary's dude. He couldn't stop dentists from doing people dirty over insurance, but he gave me a straight answer, and he apologized.

My response was to call N______ D_____ and tell them what Joseph had said about them accepting and then suddenly not accepting my insurance. The person on the other end of the phone did not say one word. She didn't argue with me. She didn't protest.

I also added the new tidbit of information to my online review of N______ D_____.

Because I had made my next appointment with N______ D______ before I was told they didn't accept my insurance, I waited until the day before the appointment and then called to cancel. The appointment person asked if I wanted to reschedule. No, I said. I will never be back.

A couple of months after the kerfuffle, I received a bill from N______ D______. It was for my final toofer cleaning with them, but it wasn't very large. I paid it and waved goodbye with my middle finger.

Although I'm not happy about what happened with N_____ D_____, at least I can share my story to make other people aware of their actions. I'm also glad that throughout the ordeal of trying to learn what had happened, I remained calm. I didn't scream or curse at anyone, but I'm persistent and I kept asking questions until I learned the truth.



Now, I need to have my teeth cleaned. It just so happens that I received an advertisement in the mail a few days ago about a new dentist's office that opened not far from my home . . .

Don't worry. Not happening. I'll figure it out.


Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug


42 comments:

  1. Good luck! Does your insurance have a site that lists providers that accept your insurance?

    Love,
    Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  2. I dread finding a new dentist. It's not even the new dentist I'm worried about (my oral hygiene is on point) but a new hygienist that is frightening. The hygienists are the one's who are hit-and-miss. One may be too tooth-scrapper-happy, "oh, your gums are bleeding." "Yeah, maybe because you just put a sharp hook in my mouth and shook around like you were having a seizure. I'm less concerned about my mouth than I am about your lack of controlled movement."
    Anyway, my mind can't help but fill in blanks, so I read N___ D___ as Nancy Drew throughout this post. I hope this series has a happy ending.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nancy Drew: I like that. Most of the time I went to Nancy Drew, I had a great hygienist. The last time I was there, she was gone. She had quit.

      Delete
    2. The great hygienist probably didn't get paid. Linda@Wetcreek Blog

      Delete
  3. Whew! Glad Joseph was honest with you at least. Hope the sneaky dentist backed off entirely now on the billing and you find a new dentist you like. I'm overdue and need to get in next month (and I think I will have to go back again this time for a chipped tooth issue). Bumped checkup back due to eye stuff. Hate going. So glad this was resolved, though!! Yay! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, I'm glad it all turned out okay in the end and you didn't have to pay 4 years worth of dental bills. What a scam, eh? Terrible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would NOT have paid four years of bills. No way.

      Delete
  5. I had a similar dental experience when I had three of my grandkids. Their dad's dental insurance was not wonderful, but I found one of those storefront places that took it, and got their teeth cleaned. Six months later, they didn't take it. We went to their regular dentist from childhood, and it took a month's pay to get the job done. Six months later I found another storefront that took the insurance. This was a disaster. They put all three children in the same exam room and in the chair one at a time. The 'dentist' was on something, but not too weird. He pronounced all three mouths healthy and sent us out to schedule the next appointment. We just left. Six months later I sucked it up and scheduled with their real dentist. The gods were smiling; they now take the insurance. And, Laura had a cavity. We've stuck with Dr. Bob ever since. A whole lot of dentistry out there is a scam. I just don't know which ones are, up front.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe the dentist who was on something sucked up a little of his own nitro.

      Delete
  6. A good dentist is a treasure. So sorry you have to go through all this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah, you wrote Part Three after all!

    What an ordeal. Big points to Joseph -- well, both of them, actually -- for answering your question so honestly.

    I think I would have ripped all my teeth out myself to avoid further hassle long before I contacted Joseph.

    And you may have bored yourself, but I enjoyed the multi-parter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bore myself most of the time, unless I can tell myself a joke I haven't heard before.

      Delete
  8. Oh god, dental drama....I'm sick of it too! Your story is unbelievable. The gall of some people!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I guess the 'Left Hand' doesn't talk to the 'Right Hand' in that office. They still want you to continue seeing them even though your insurance isn't excepted by them? I would send them a card with 'The Bird' front and center thanking them for their expert office/accounting practices. That is what I would do... after I burnt their building down, of course.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess I don't have the soul of an arsonist.

      Delete
  10. Ugh! Insurance companies can be such a hassle! I just had a round with mine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We need our insurance, but in addition to paying for it, they expect us to give up our mental health.

      Delete
  11. It amazes me that's even legal. Yuck. So sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What to do, what to do?!?!?!? Floss on, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You've definitely turned a bad experience into an entertaining one, but that doesn't help when you're in the middle of it. I'm incredibly thankful for the dentist I've had for the past half a dozen years. I have elderly, cranky teeth with a persnickety bite, and she has been a godsend. I wish everyone could go to her. Hope you can find a new dentist without too much problem.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, seriously? What a scam. This is just so...unethical.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What an ordeal, Janie! You must have been relieved to only get the one, small bill. Here's hoping you find a good and honest new dental office.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is ridiculous. What is wrong with these people? I cannot stand going to the dentist. A few years ago, I went from an extremely high tech dentist to one who used archaic equipment and practices. I liked the latter dentist a million times better because he wasn't continually trying to sell me braces, teeth whitening, or deep clean treatments. Ugh!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have never had dental insurance. I think it should be covered under our new single payer plan that the Republicans get through the House and Senate before they get Cheeto to sign it into law. If that doesn't happen things will be different after the revolution.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, phooey. At the heart of all of it is the fact that they are always happy to take your money but less happy when they have to pay out. Joseph may have been decent on the phone while the densits' were less so, but I am not a fan of insurers, period.
    Onwards, girl. Keep brushing.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unbelievable.

    "His name is Joseph, as in Jesus, Mary, and the guy who stands around to watch all the hullabaloo surrounding his wife who isn't even having his baby." Now, that's the best piece of writing I've read all month.

    Why is it people always want to receive but never pay... Do you reckon they'd also like to receive that middle finger you showed them um waving..ly?

    ReplyDelete
  20. I hate insurance companies, especially dental. I'm thinking about canceling mine next year because it's right up there with worthless. Sorry you had to deal with this and with the dentist.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You say I owe you four years of dental payments? Sorry, I guess I'll just have to give you my teeth. You can just extract and keep them, okay?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dentists are tough; you either find decent ones or crappy ones and not much in between. Years ago, my mother had a dentist who was double billing the insurance somehow and ended up going to jail for fraud. The same dentist also left a drill bit in her gum while doing a root canal. I'm glad your experience wasn't as horrible as it could have been, though it doesn't sound like it was any kind of picnic. Unfortunately, it does seem to be a common practice that once an office stops taking your insurance, they just don't tell you until you show up for the next appointment. I guess they figure the element of surprise will have you paying at least that one final time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. HO-LY crap! I had no idea they did this. Totally sketchy and immoral. I have a check up in a couple of months and now I don't even want to go. Let's be honest, I didn't want to go before I read about your ordeal.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow! I've been amazingly lucky with my dentists over the years. How awful that you went through that! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I was surfing net and fortunately came across this site and found very interesting stuff here. Its really fun to read. I enjoyed a lot. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information. emergency dentist

    ReplyDelete
  26. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting? I'm pleased I discovered it though, ill be checking back soon to find out what additional posts you include. clear aligner braces

    ReplyDelete

Got your panties in a bunch? Dig 'em out, get comfortable, and let's chat.