ComplaintsforBay Area Smiles

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 30, I visited Bay Area Smiles in Clearwater, FL for a free orthodontia consultation for my daughter and myself. The orthodontist confirmed we were both appropriate for treatment by traditional metal braces, and we were asked to make another appointment for X-rays, as they indicated the X-rays we had from another provider "were not clear enough" to make a judgment, plus they said they needed additional images, so we scheduled another appointment. Nothing was said about payment. When we returned for our X-ray appointment on April 19, I was asked to pay $596 before they would take the X-rays. I was shocked at the cost (X-rays from the other provider we free) but reluctantly accepted rather than walk away and get charged for a broken appointment. Also, I'm a pretty new immigrant to the USA and did not want to get into trouble. A couple of weeks later, Bay Area Smiles called me with the estimated cost for our treatment program. It was almost double that of the orthodontist we ended up going with. Finally, I had sunk almost $600 into an orthodontist I had no intention of going with...and felt duped by the shady practice that began as a "complimentary consultation". I hope to be able to recover some or all of my money.

  Business response

  08/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 12, 2022/07/08) */ ******* and her daughter ****** ****** were given a complementary consult at our office free of charge. The second visit was an orthodontic records appointment for which she was quoted the fee two weeks prior at the initial consult and decided to pay it at that records appointment, which consists of three x-rays a digital model scan, intraoral photos, extra oral photos, cephalmetric tracing and a cephalmetric analysis and a doctor treatment plan. the third appointment which is included in the records fee was another week later was a case presentation by the doctor where the patient is presented the treatment plan and asks questions about their treatment. The patient then decides if they wanna accept treatment so the fee that was paid for was for two separate appointments were not for a consult. She had a total of 3 appointments at our office. The first one was complementary the two additional were not. We do this for every single orthodontic patient and we have for over 25 years and this is our first complaint there will be no refund issued. Our records fee is $299 per patient to cover the cost of the X-rays, scan photos, analysis and doctor and office time. We don't charge for failed appointments therefore her concern is invalid. She could have canceled her records appointment at anytime. Sincerecely Dr Daniel R Bay Area Smiles Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2022/07/08) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) No, I still feel that Bay Area Smiles' "complimentary consultation" policy is misleading. Maybe it is because I am a newer immigrant to this country and don't understand what is normal and customary, but I did consult with two other orthodontists - who also offered free consultation - and both did exactly what they advertised: they examined me and my daughter, took X-rays, and explained their proposed treatment plan, including a full cost quotation and a discussion of payment options. I still don't understand why Bay Area Smiles should be any different, especially with their so-called complimentary consultation policy. I am typically very careful with my money and compare before I buy, but I think that we have to trust our healthcare providers, and I always follow what they say. I paid the X-ray fee, because I understood the process to be free of charge if I did not agree to go with their offer, but I was wrong to trust them. And if I did not agree to pay, they would not tell me the treatment cost. In reality, there is nothing complimentary, because the patient learns nothing from the first visit to Bay Area Smiles.

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