I went to an “affordable” dentist. He had a service for payment plans through something called Care Credit. I am now wondering if it is a scam. I have already paid off Care Credit. The dentist, however, did a different procedure than was paid for. The procedure was less expensive. When I mentioned the difference in cost, he said he’d give me office credit for the rest. But, I don’t want office credit. I have bills to pay and want my own money back. Do you have recommendations on how to get it?
Fleur
Dear Fleur,
I’ll start with Care Credit. It is a legitimate business and would likely not approve of the ethics your dentist used. In fact, they pay the dentist in full up front and take all the risk of you paying them back.
What your dentist did was unethical and you should get a refund of the difference between what you paid for and what service he provided you immediately. I’m also a bit concerned that, based on how it was worded above, you had to point out the price difference to your dentist. If this is true, then I highly recommend that you find a new dentist.
You can have both an affordable dentist as well as an ethical dentist. However, let’s focus on your refund. I would start by confronting him. If that doesn’t work, let him know that you will be contacting the dental board.
Those on the dental board can completely derail his career so that should perk his ears up. An additional step to take would be to write some online reviews on Yelp! and Google Reviews. About two-thirds of patients who are looking for a new dentist will check online reviews before deciding.
I’m sorry this happened to you.
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