On Tuesday November 18th I received a call from Darcy, the office manager for Dr. Richard A. Caldwell of 825 High Street Worthington, Ohio 43085. She left a message requesting me to call her back immediately. I did so and received a threat that if I did not pay an outstanding balance of $11.00, that I would be turned over to a collection agency. This of course outraged me as they had cashed a check from me in the amount of $11.00 the very week before!
On that statement that I sent with my check the week before I wrote on there that I was having financial troubles and that I would promptly pay her in the next month, which would be December, but well before Christmas 2003. I told her that I was 29 years old and that I had seen Dr. Calwell since I was 4 and had never, nor had my parents, ever beaten him out of so much as a nickel.
When she proceeded to harass me that she needed the $11.00 that day I then told her that I could pay her next Tuesday (one week later) as I would not be paid until Friday night (I am a third shift worker) and my check therefore could not be deposited until Saturday morning (November 22nd). I told Darcy that I would gladly mail her the check that Saturday morning and that she would not receive it until probably Tuesday. She then proceeded to tell me yet again that that would not be good enough, and that I needed to tend to this delinquent bill this week. I never asked her to forgive that debt even though it was a small amount. I am not that type of person.
I told Darcy that I didn't appreciate being harassed at my home about $11.00 when she has a statement with their address on it, with a note from me stating my financial troubles and my promise to pay it the first week of December, which was also signed and dated by me. She said she wasn't harassing me.
I told her that when you have a statement with a promise to pay and a signature, that I tried to pay her the following Tuesday and she refuses, and then threatens to turn me into collection after they just cashed my check, that I was in fact being harassed and that they should all go screw themselves, and then I hung up on her. No swear words or cussing were said in this conversation.
Considering they can't legally, in Ohio anyway, turn me over to collection when they are still accepting and cashing checks from me, especially a check as recent as November 4th I was worried that they, being unreasonable still might do it. So I counted out my change! I have a 2 foot clear Coke bottle bank in my living room filled with pennies. I counted out $11.00 and rolled them myself and put them in a big zip-loc bag. I then drove over there to Dr. Caldwell's office the very next day at 2:45 P.M. On Wednesday October 19th to give it to Darcy.
When I arrived she was talking to someone and I waited quietly and patiently. When the other patient left I stepped forward and dropped the bag of pennies on her desk. She got extremely angry and called for Dr. Caldwell. I told her I had no desire to see him as my wife and I were through with being his patients. I told her I wanted a receipt and my dental records for me and my wife. She ignored my request and got a dental assistant to get Dr. Caldwell who was with a patient. He came up front with an attitude and as I leaned into the window to look to the right and talk to him, he yelled at me to Get back here! Meaning out of the waiting room and through the one way locked doors. I thought since we used to have a very friendly rapport that he wanted to talk in private and possibly apologize to me for the harassment that his office manager, Darcy, gave me.
I was wrong, in fact he escorted me to his private office in the back corner of his building and slammed the door, now mind you all of his operatory chairs are full right now so right away anyone with ears could tell he was already upset and his blood was boiling. He proceeded to take his gloves off and throw them in the trash can and started in on a tirade of swearing. He said Pete you are a f*k-up and a pathetic loser that will never amount to anything. I don't give a goddamn who you are or who the f*k your family is. You don't talk to my staff that way. Your financial problems are not my f*ing concern and just because you have f*ed up your life and have mismanaged your life doesn't mean sh*t to me. I pay Darcy to do a job
This is where I interrupt him to explain some things he was wrong about such as the fact that I am paying him his money, he has no right to threaten me with a collection agency and that Darcy has a signed document stating that he will be paid in a couple of weeks and that I tried to pay her by next Tuesday but that wasn't good enough, but all I got out was Darcy is before he cut me off and leans within 4 inches of my face and tells me Shut the f*k up you little shit! I proceeded to roll my eyes and look into his as he started againIf you want something to complain about I'll give you something to complain about..." and he gripped my left leg with his right hand and squeezed it extremely hard just above my knee.
I was shocked that after 24 years of service with a smile he would actually assault me and try to intimidate me all over $11.00! As he was squeezing harder and it began to hurt like hell I told him Take your hand off of me before I make you a one-eyed dentist. He then took his hand off of me.
I got up after this altercation and opened his office door which he then proceeded to grab and slam open loudly and hard. The patients in his operatory chairs were craning their necks around to see what all the commotion was about and his office staff were standing in the hall at the other end listening intently as they could hear. I walked out and of course they did not have my dental records or my receipt available. I was told by him to Get Out! So I did and I immediately called the Worthington Police as soon as I got to a pay phone. However, the operator at the Worthington Police station told me that I should go to a hospital and that unless their were physical signs of the assault they would not be sending anyone out to take a report.
After consulting with my attorney - I have been informed of the Worthington Police departments negligence. I would very much like it if someone would investigate this hack of a dentist and delve into his outrageous and inexcusable mood swing accompanied by assault on a long time patient. Just for the record my parents and wife who also used to see him have informed me that he has a high turn-over of dental assistants and hygienists. This may be evidence of his temperament.
Either way none of us will be seeing this dentist again and I still need my receipt and dental records as with his attitude I fear to go back in, and I am suspicious that any delivery of our records to a new dentist will have false statements about us and hate notes' in our file that will jade us with any new dentist we seek out for treatment. I certify with my signature below that all the above is true and accurate and you would want to steer clear of this past retirement aged, quick fused, outrageous tempered dentist.
P.S. Two of the fillings he put in my wife's head fell out within a year!
Peter
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.
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