Dentist with Lame Policy Loses $20,000

As somebody that is trying to help small businesses like dentists understand the power of referrals I can sympathise with you. I used to work for a hunting store in a town where there were only two hunting stores. The other establishment was sold to a younger owner upon retirement of the guy that started it up. The new owner was from out of town and for some reason didn’t think that customer service was important in a small town. What he didn’t realise was that every customer he lost walked straight across main street to our store and they were worth a pretty pennt as lifetime customers. A grandfather would buy his grandson his first 20 guage who would in turn grow up to buy hundreds of dollars worth of decoys ammo and clothing.
Customers first my friends, customers first.

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This is a great story! Somewhere along the line dentists and doctors seem to have lost their way in that they believe that their time is much more valuable than their patients. I don’t know how they came to this conclusion. But as consumers, we need to speak up, fight back and not be taken for idiots. Our money is a powerful tool and where we choose to spend it is our leverage. I’m glad to hear you, your girlfriend and your future referrals are taking your business elsewhere.

I would like to share not one but two dentist stories, both occurred within the last year, both related to the same tooth issue, but with different providers.

I wrote about the first one in a blogpost called “No-customer-service”, for details check it out on my blog at planyourbestyear.com. In a nut shell, I complained to my dentist and got a refund of $1,500 on an ill fitting bridge. (I need to write a follow up to this post, as I also fought with the insurance company and just last week got word they are refunding the other $1,500, sending that check to my new dentist.) Woohoo!

The second issue was regarding the dentist who was the 2nd of the 3 opinions I got while having this tooth issue. He is a local guy, who advertised himself as being a ‘holistic’ dentist. To me, that means taking into account the whole person, physically, psychologically as well as medically. I was feeling a little traumatized by the whole bridge fiasco at this point so I was happy and comforted to be in what I thought were good caring hands. I think technically this guy is a good dentist, but his manner on two occasions was rushed and unfocused. At my first visit I paid him $180 for a visit and exam, and because of an inflammation problem, he couldn’t really diagnose the problem so he instructed me to come back for a follow up visit 2 weeks later when the swelling was down.

The follow up lasted 5 minutes at which time his assistant came in to tell him his next appointment was ready for him. He seemed frazzled already and it was only 11:00am. Since this was a follow-up, and I was in the chair for 5 minutes at the most, I assumed he wasn’t going to charge me.

Wrong. He charged me another $85, for what I called an HMO experience, not a holistic visit.

To make this already long story a little shorter, I complained and 2 months later got my $85 back along with my x-rays and records.

In the end, I asked for, and received $3,085 back from 2 different dentists – that’s a good amount of money. It takes persistence, patience and a calm manner (in one case, the office manager told me I was difficult and impossible to please), but ultimately I got what I wanted and deserved. A fair transaction and value for my money.

I hate getting ripped off, and it’s not just the cartoonish sleazy salespeople who are trying to take advantage of us. These characters come in all shapes and sizes, including dentists which by the way, is a huge business.

BTW – My husband isn’t going back to that dentist, so he lost both of our business. Locally, I’m not shy about sharing my experience, along with his name, so he won’t be getting any referral business from me either.
Pat Chiappa´s last blog ..Finance &amp Romance on Forbescom

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