This is to make you aware of a practice by that I encountered this date with one of the preferred providers of the MetLife Dental Plan. Being fairly new to this area I searched for a close provider and found Gentle Dental 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Dr. Vancouver, WA 98662 Tel 360-254-8860. After my initial consultation and xrays I was scheduled for a cleaning and an extraction on seperate dates. Upon arriving for my 9 am appointment, I was requested to pay in advance $468.00. Gentle Dental advertiszes "Flexible Payment & Financing" Gentle Dental's staff will work with you to make payment arrangements best suited to your needs. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plans PPO insurance will pay for the cost of treatment when you visit a dentist within the PPO Network's list of Preferred Providers (less any co-payments your plan requires you to make). If you choose to visit a dentist that is not part of your Preferred Provider Network, your co-payments will be higher."
When I questioned the office manager concerning the charge, she informed me that I would not receive service (even though I had two insurance plans) unless I paid this amount. I requested a copy of the details and insisted we get my insurance provider on the phone to resolve this issue. I had never had to pay that much for cleaning services. She insisted that I provide my social security number and I informed her that my insurance company had an identification number for me. It took no time at all for the insurance provider to identify me. She began discussing my services and I insisted that I talk to my provider. During my conversation with the provider, we discovered that Gentle Dental was overcharging me for the services, as they have a contract with MetLife and was having me pay more than the insurance provider.in giving them the benefit of doubt rather than accusing them of fradulent practices I wnated to beleive that the staff that puts together the plan does not have the experience or the expertise to provide accurate information. I can say that the staff lacks good customer service skills. I did requested that the dentist, Thomas Firth, DMD, contact me but to this date I have not heard from him.
I came to the conclusion that this company does not care about customer service and does not need my business.
I definately would not recommend this provider.
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