Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/24/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 4/8/22, I received a statement from Temeku Chiropractic saying I had a balance owing of $1,758.15. It stated on the statement balance due was by 4/15/22. This was turned over to collections and I received the first notice from AMS collections on 3/29/22. The statement due date was not even until 4/25. I contacted Temeku on 4/19 and spoke to ******, the office manager, to discuss the letter from the collections company stating that I owed $1,758.15. She said that was too bad because she would have charged me the cash price instead, but it was already sent to collections and there was no way she could retrieve it back from AMS collections. I was never notified that I had an amount owing. They were informed that they were to let me know when the amount was close to $5k as my auto insurance would only cover up to that amount. They never did nor did I sign any contract stating that I would be responsible for any amount owing over the $5k which they were aware of. They have tried to say they have tried contacting me which is not true. In December they wanted me to come back in so they could charge me excessive amounts and make sure the bill was far over $5k. They had no problems getting ahold of me via text when they wanted me to come back in and accrue additional charges. AMS charged me $219.18 interest when the amount was not even yet due. I talked to them and they said it was an error and they would remove the interest. When I asked them to send me the statement showing the charges they did and the description of the charges were “whited out.” They said it was “proof “of charges therefore it could no longer be disputed. I requested a copy of my entire medical file and the same statement dated 4/8 shows the description. Also, there was no correspondence that they sent letters out or called noted in my medical file nor a signed contract. It is sad that a company that is supposed to help people is so unethical. Wawanesa paid them $4,821.85 and I paid $15 for records

  Business Response

  Date: 06/08/2022

  Good Afternoon, 

  We would like to address the complaint filed by Ms. ****** *******. 

  This patient was initially brought into our office with her partner due to injuries sustained in an auto accident. At the time of service, Ms. ******* was being represented by an Attorney. Upon completion of her first visit, Ms. ******* signed a lien agreement with our office and her attorney, with the understanding that IF her case was dropped, or she released her attorney, she would be financially responsible for the charges incurred while treating at Temeku Chiropractic. Both the patient and the Attorney signed that agreement. (We can provide a copy should you request one.) 

  We began billing the auto insurance for the patient's Med Pay payments.This is done in an effort to help the patient pay for services and allow her to receive the most from her settlement. We did receive payments in the amount of $4,821.25 with the understanding that her med-pay cap was $5,000 and any treatment above that would be added to her lien. That left a remaining balance of $1,758.15. In December, the attorney ******* called to inform us that the patient had requested to have the case closed, and no longer wanted representation. At that time, Ms.******* signed a release with the attorney with the understanding that she would no longer have any financial support from the firm she had hired, and that she would be responsible for the remaining charges. I want to note that we asked for a copy of that release, but due to Attorney/Client privilege they could not provide that for us. 

  Upon learning this information, we attempted multiple times to contact the patient regarding the bill. We drafted a statement with a due date of 02/18/2022. However, the mail we sent to her home was returned to us 'undeliverable'. We left voicemails on several occasions and never received a return call. If necessary we can obtain outgoing call logs from Verizon. Once we received the returned mail, and never heard from the patient, we had no choice but to submit the remaining balance to collections since the initial 'due date' had long passed. *We can provide a copy of the initial statement and due date should that be requested*

  It wasn't until the patient received a call from AMS that she began contacting our office in regards to the bill. We informed Ms. ******* at the time that once submitted, we could not retrieve the account from AMS without receiving a penalty and fee. We explained to her several times that had she contacted our office, we would have made payment arrangements and lowered the bill as a courtesy since she would now be paying out of pocket. 

  We have never actually spoken to Ms. ******* herself. Only her mother, Lisa. Who, in an attempt to voice her anger over the situation, has left multiple derogatory and false claims on every review site that we have, including Facebook and Yelp. Reviews such as hers, can be detrimental to a small office like ours. Dr. ***** is kind and well respected in our community and is always open to resolving situations through positive communication. Our staff is well loved for their dedication to their patients and we pride ourselves on the professional way in which we handle tough situations and would have never spoken to Ms. ******* in the manner which she stated.  Our charges for treatment were well within a reasonable amount given the amount of treatment and care performed by our doctors to aid in her healing. 

  If you have any further questions, please reach out to our office. If you should require any of the documents we have listed, please let me know and I will be happy to send them to you. 

  Thank you for allowing us the chance to respond.  

   

  Warm regards,

  ***** ********* | Billing & Case Manager

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/08/2022

     I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Again, the statement due date that was included in the complete copy of my medical file, and charges incurred were not due until 4/15/21. This statement was from Temeku Chiropractic, and it stated that the amount was due by 4/15. They submitted the information to the collections agency several weeks prior to that date. In reference to a "partner" he had nothing to do with my case. I contacted them several times to try and reach a resolution and they were  not willing to work with me at all. I contacted them two days after the due date on their billing statement (I provided a copy of that statement when I filed with the BBB). I contacted them several times trying to reach a resolution. 

  
  

  I never received a copy of the lien contract which should have been provided at the time of signing.  When providing the address they asked me for my physical address which was on Exa Ely.  If mail is sent to this address it goes into the "black hole." I have a private mailbox that was used and all of my mail was sent to that address as it was the mailing address. They said they did not need a mailing address as the paperwork was sent to the attorney. The attorney had the correct address which she could have provided to them as they were in contact with one another. Per the documentation, I was contacted by text to come in to the office since it had been awhile yet they could not get ahold of me?  The reason I contacted them after they turned it in to the collection agency was due to the fact that that I was not aware of any chargers owed to Temeku Chiropractor.   I contacted them as soon as I was aware of the charges. They said they had left several voicemails which I did not receive nor did I have my voicemail set up to receive messages. 

  
  

  It was my understanding, that they would only seek payment if a cash settlement was reached and balance owing was more then what my automotive policy covered in terms of benefits.  I contacted Wawanesa who was also surprised in regards to the  excessive charges. I also had personal health benefits through Blue Cross that included chiropractic which could have been submitted by Temeku Chiropractic. Blue Cross could not cover these charges as they were never billed and it was too late to do so.  A representative from Blue Cross even contacted Temeku Chiropractic and spoke to ****** who identified herself as the office manager to try to assist me with a resolution which fell on deaf ears. This response is from ***** ********* who I never had an opportunity to talk to as I was only able to talk to ******. 

  
  

  I contacted Temeku Chiropractic on several occasions in regards to monies owed not my mother.  They informed me that it was too bad that I had not called earlier as they would have charged me the "cash price," and not the excessive charges that they are trying to bill.  They were also aware that my auto policy only covered up to $5,000 in medical payments, and they were to let me know if the charges reached or exceeded that amount which they never did.  They did ask me on a regular basis," How much does your auto policy cover?" Legally, how can you submit something to collections that is not even due yet?  In the complete copy of my entire medical file, there was no documentation of phone calls or letters that were sent out to me showing or stating that a balance was owed. 

  
  

  Yes, I did file two poor reviews and they were not false.  They are 100% true which is my right and I only stated the facts and nothing else.  This is why I also contacted the Better Business Bureau so that their actions can be reviewed.  I also have filed many positive reviews in regards to other businesses, but in this case it was not warranted.  I was not treated professionally and they told me they could not help me and I had to deal with the collections agency. They never tried to resolve this issue or work we me in any manner at all. I was never even given an opportunity to rectify the situation.  The charges are not reasonable and they went up dramatically after I received a text that they missed me and wanted me to get back on track with my treatment.  I did not receive any relief from my pain and I feel I was a $ to them versus a patient. Positive communication was never a factor as they refused to work with me and pretty much called me a "liar" It is very unfortunate that a professional business would treat someone in this manner. I would be happy to speak with Dr. ***** to explain how I was treated when I contacted their office trying to resolve this matter. It is very disheartening to be treated so poorly as in most cases the office would work with the patient to come to a resolution. 

  
  

  Thank you so much for your time and assistance in this matter.

  
  

  Warmly,

  ***** *******