Told I was free to go but now asking for payment (consult)

[BraceFace2o1o]

Sorry for the long post ...

I went to a local orthodontist to get a second opinion. When I originally booked the appointment the nurse/receptionist said it would cost £95 which I was fine with as I really needed to hear someone elses opinion and was willing to pay.

My appointment was yesterday. I had no idea what the £95 included as I forgot to ask when I booked the appointment, I did assume it would include a little more than just a chat! but that's all I got, which was fine as it put my mind at rest and they were all very friendly. I didn't get any x-rays or impressions and got to talk with the orthodontist for about 20 minutes, so a pretty expensive 20 minute chat.

After the orthodontist left the patient coordinator saw us out to the reception area where I waited in a short queue waiting to pay the £95. I saw the patient coordinator have a quick word with the nurse at reception but I don't know what was said. The patient coordinator then went to go back into the consulting room but whispered at me something along the lines of "you're free to go" with a waving hand gesture and I said "oh my thank you!" and she put her thumb up and went. I couldn't believe I could go without paying, it seemed too good to be true and wanted to double check so continued waiting in the queue. I then spoke to the nurse/receptionist and asked if I needed to do anything even though I was just told to go by the patient coordinator. She couldn't find my details and then found them and said nothing was coming up and did I need to book an appointment to go back, I said no and she said well if you've been told you can go then go . She did not say I had to pay either. So that's 2 people there who said I could go without paying.

Today I receive a phone call from another receptionist saying I didn't pay my bill yesterday which made me feel bad as if they thought I just walked out without any intention of paying! I explained that the patient coordinator and a receptionist both said I could go without paying and she just said the other receptionist made a mistake. I asked to speak to the patient coordinator who said I could go but how convenient that she's now on holiday until September! so I was unable to talk with her.

So they are now wanting the payment even though 2 staff members told me otherwise and I am absolutely fuming. I am not trying to get out of paying, I had every intention to but being told I was free to go by 2 staff members is out of order and to now be saying I owe them the money. I can understand one staff member making a mistake, but 2? I think it's unfair. I even had my mum with me yesterday at my appointment and she confirms what the 2 staff members said to me.

What would you do in this situation? I know I will end up paying as I should imagine they will send me letters with the bill and eventually threaten me with court and the bill will have added court costs and cost me a lot more than £95.

[BellaBraces]

First up I would get a friend to phone the practice and pretend to be a potential new client. Get them to ask all the questions you forgot to ask about what is included in the £95 consultation fee. (I had one free consult with one dentist for Six Month Smiles and the dentist I eventually went with charged £55 which included digital X-rays. Another one I considered charged £40 for nothing but the consultation. So £95 seems a bit steep for nothing but a consultation but may be the going rate in your area, I suppose.)

If your friend's call reveals that the consultation fee should include something other than you got then I would write to the practice saying that you did not get all that was included, you were told to go by two people and would they please explain why they are now seeking to charge you.

If your friend's call reveals that you only get a chat for £95 and you do want to use that ortho then write to complain, send them the money and say that as you are going to use them you hope they will set at least some of it against your treatment as a gesture of goodwill. If you don't want to use that ortho then write to complain, ask them to explain in writing why you should pay when 2 members of staff told you to go and tell them that you are not going to use their services because of this incident.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Hi BellaBraces and thank you for your reply. Although I didn't really have a consultation as such, I think that is a good idea and will get a friend to phone them and ask about what's included in an initial consultation. I think the going rate in my area is about £100 but that does normally include x-rays and impressions (my first consult with my current orthodontist cost £130 and included everything). I am going to assume I didn't get the x-rays and impressions because I'm already in braces and I was only seeking a second opinion from their orthodontist. But saying that I do believe they actually booked me in as a new patient for an initial consult (like a patient who has never had braces) because when I first got in the consult room the patient coordinator started saying how she would discuss their prices and treatments available etc, I had to correct her and say I'm already in braces and have been for 20 months and that I was actually there to have a second opinion on my current treatment as I should be getting the braces removed in the next few months and a few things were bugging me.

I knew that they would make a charge and I was made aware of it when booking the appointment, although being honest I was a little shocked at the price for just a second opinion/chat. I totally forgot to ask if anything else was included. A part of me thought perhaps they'll do an x-ray to check my roots and that's why it's expensive, but maybe that isn't what a second opinion is about as I have never done anything like this before. Maybe a second opinion is just that, a quick look in the mouth and a chat.

[anngie27]

Back when I was considering second opinions, I found that there were the ones that were free consultations (which just involved talking and looking in my mouth) and those that were charging $95 or $125 for just the talking and looking in my mouth.

I chose to go with the ones that didn't charge for the initial consultation or chat.
It happens to be expensive enough for the second visit in which the impressions and x-rays are done with.

[ArchWired28]

When I started my ortho treatment, I was informed that if I pay in full (Care Credit also qualifies), I would get a 5% discount. However, when I came to pay, they told me that only cash or debit card quality for a discount and what was told to me was a mistake. I was upset because I was already mentally prepared to pay less, but what can you do. I think you should make very clear that you were not trying to avoid paying and that you left because you was told so by 2 staff members, and after that if they still insist on the fee, pay it. There was no dishonest action from their side as you were informed about the fee in davance, just a mistake. Mistakes do happen. You are free to never deal with them again if you don't like how they treated you this time.

[jem]

Firstly can I say it is good to see you back on this board and pleased to hear your treatment is nearly finished. When I was thinking last year about starting orthodontic treatment you were one of very few people from the UK and your posts were amongst those which helped me decide to go ahead. So thank you.

When I went for my initial consultation, I was told it would cost £80 which I paid in cash to the receptionist before I went in to see the ortho. My ortho took photos which she showed me and spent some time advising me, before passing me to he treatment co-ordinator to show me the different types of braces. Because she did not take x rays or impressions at this appointment, the ortho told the receptionist to refund me £40 ( which I paid on my second appointment when I did have the x rays and impressions done). This sort of decency very much encouraged me to go with this ortho and she has been very good.

I am sorry to hear you have been charged an apparently high sum for such a brief period of advice. If correct, it is somewhat in contrast with my own orthodontist's approach. Nevertheless, for professional people, their most valuable commodity is time and it is easily lost by giving lots of small periods of time without charging. Orthos in the US only give free consultations in the hope of getting the work and the cost is factored elsewhere into their overheads- so their patients in active treatment actually pay for other people's free consults.

The ortho you saw for your second consultation has given you the advice you needed at the price you agreed to pay and this has enabled you to move forward. So you have got the outcome you were looking for. I don't think it would be right to complain about the level of charge just because the ortho was able to advise you quite quickly.

Where I would be upset- and I think this is your main complaint- is the inference that you were trying to get away without paying. I suspect that this arises out of a misunderstanding/lack of communication between the ortho's staff. I think that the ortho probably told the patient co-ordinator to tell you there was no charge, but this was not communicated to the reception/admin team whose job it is to make sure the ortho's work gets paid for.

I don't think there is anything to be gained by getting other people to call the ortho. If I were you I would write to the ortho explaining carefully what happened and expressing your disappointment at the embarrassment you have been caused. Say that you were happy to get the advice you received and were always perfectly happy to pay (and enclose your cheque for £95 to prove this) but say that you have been very upset by the implication of dishonesty and you would like an apology.

I think there is every chance you will get your apology and your cheque returned. I think this was probably just a c**k up at your ortho's office and the ortho will not want to leave you unhappy because that will not be in the interests of the goodwill in his practice.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get on.

[starfish88]

That sounds like really good advice! I agree you would probably get your money returned in that scenario! I'm more the 'tell them where to stuff it' type but I'm not sure that would be best! hee hee

[Ness817]

Most Orthos in my area, give fee consultations, some include the 8 pictures of you mouth and x-rays. The one I went to was so nice and honest, that I canceled my other two consultations that I had set up later in the month. Good business practices go along way. A few other places, seem more .... wanting you money and over promising.

If I was told there was no charge, than I would not pay. I would wait til the employee got back from holiday and have a chat with all parties. If at that time, they wanted their 95, then I would pay. But all parties should be heard and understood. A simple conversation for 95, can easily been written off by the office, and probably was. Fees are sometimes there, just to say they can charge you.