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Dentist harassing me for payment!

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    #62
    samsemtex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 935 ✭✭✭samsemtex


    davo10 wrote: »
    "My dentist called me at the end of last year/start of this year to arrange an appointment saying i was entitled to a free appointment under my PRSI entitlements. I think this was because they have changed the system and in future i wont be entitled to have my PRSI cover my dental work. "

    You obviously had the mental capacity to understand this as you posted it, so you knew from the very outset it was time limited, you not your Mum, you.

    No I knew time was limited to have an appointment made. I didnt know there was a limit on when it had to be taken before. I didnt know anything about a march 31st cut off until I made this thread.

    Christ almighty, I have never seen someone get so defensive about something that has nothing to do with them. You come across as an incredibly dynamic and charming individual who is in no way condescending by the way.


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    #63
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    Stercus, based on your argument the original contract ended when the initial appointment was cancelled and a new one formed when the second appointment made. If that is the case then the second "contract" was formed after the December 31st cut off date for PRSI dental treatment approval and the patient would not be able to avail of the scheme, i.e he would revert to a private patient.

    I am telling you there is something more to this, if it happened like the OP is telling it the dentist would have just been able to send off the PRSI form for payment and there would be no issue whatsoever.


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    #64
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    OP I'm not defensive but I think you are not telling the readers the whole story, it doesn't make sense if it happened the way you describe. Tell us the whole story, what was said at the desk the day you had treatment?


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    #65
    keithclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    davo10 wrote: »
    Keith I still suspect he was told, and you crossed out an equally important part of the story, he understood he had to take it up within a certain period. He has been economical with the info and only acknowledged that the treatment may have been after the scheme ended when he was prompted. Also it is very possible that the Mum was not told treatment was free, I think he's a chancer.

    I'm more inclined to believe the op came on here looking for advice and I believe him because I don't think he would gain anything by lying because the advice he would recieve would be useless.

    I also have no agenda, where as you and another person on this thread seem to be trying to scare the op into paying due to some sort of solidarity with your fellow dentists:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=59464390&postcount=7

    Dentists shouldn't be offering a service saying its definite that someone does not have to pay when they might have to.

    For example I had a windscreen cracked last week, called my insurance and the 'own risk' was 250 euros. I priced it in Germany and it was 240 euros.

    I went with the Insurance option because they provided a loan car with that price and it didn't affect my no claims, but the Glass company made it very clear that 250 euros was on my own risk and I would have to pay this, they also cleared it with the Insurance company first.

    Thats the way its supposed to work, that is not what happened with the OP.


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    #66
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    davo10 wrote: »
    Keith I still suspect he was told, and you crossed out an equally important part of the story, he understood he had to take it up within a certain period. He has been economical with the info and only acknowledged that the treatment may have been after the scheme ended when he was prompted. Also it is very possible that the Mum was not told treatment was free, I think he's a chancer.
    davo10 wrote: »
    ...
    I am telling you there is something more to this, if it happened like the OP is telling it the dentist would have just been able to send off the PRSI form for payment and there would be no issue whatsoever.
    davo10 wrote: »
    OP I'm not defensive but I think you are not telling the readers the whole story, it doesn't make sense if it happened the way you describe. Tell us the whole story, what was said at the desk the day you had treatment?

    So OP and his mother are liars? No dentist or dentist's employee ever makes a mistake? You know all this?


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    #67
    cojomo2
    Registered Users Posts: 3,216 ✭✭✭cojomo2


    davo10 wrote: »
    OP I'm not defensive but I think you are not telling the readers the whole story, it doesn't make sense if it happened the way you describe. Tell us the whole story, what was said at the desk the day you had treatment?


    What about the possibility that the OP is telling the truth, the dentist fcuked up, but is too proud to acknowledge this and is chancing his arm to get paid anyway?

    Or even that the assistant fcucked up, but is denying this to the dentist to save her ass, and instead saying she never confirmed to his mother that the new appointment would be free, when she mistakenly did?


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    #68
    Papa_Lazarou
    Registered Users Posts: 1,863 ✭✭✭Papa_Lazarou


    When i was getting my teeth done a few months back my dentist also gave me a call to say if i made the appointment back then that i could get my free check up and the discounts off the fillings etc etc. My appointment was made before the cut off date but wasnt to take place for two months after it. Ended up having to re-schedule twice and still got the free check up and discounts.


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    #69
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    papa the cut off date for approvals was December 31st, the end date for treatment was March 31st, your experience is the way it was supposed to be, OP had an appointment during this period but cancelled it, he missed the end date and is now complaining about having to pay.


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    #70
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    i say make the dentist sing for it! they offered you a service telling you that it was covered by prsi and then on realising their own mistake they try to bill you for the service you never asked for to begin with? what a bunch of chancers these dentists are!

    were there not reports of this happening all over the country with dentists who were feeling the pinch after their prsi cash cow went to slaughter?


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    #71
    Sofa King Great
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭Sofa King Great


    Davo, Can you even consider the fact that the assistant did in fact tell the OPs mother that the appointment would be free of charge?

    If this is the case why would the OP have to pay?


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    #72
    keithclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    davo10 wrote: »
    papa the cut off date for approvals was December 31st, the end date for treatment was March 31st, your experience is the way it was supposed to be, OP had an appointment during this period but cancelled it, he missed the end date and is now complaining about having to pay.

    Davo:

    Your point is that you believe the OP is lying.

    I am merely giving information based on what he has told us. If he is lying then what you say is correct, if he is not then the Dentist is in the wrong.

    I think it would be best if you gave an opinion based on what the OP submitted or not give an opinion at all, its just not very constructive at the end of the day.

    This is also the consumers forum and not the dentists forum, you'll find a slightly different crowd in here !


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    #73
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    Can you accept that the OP had a period of time to take up treatment offer, he didnt and the mum was very unlikely to be told that if treaqtment was done after 31st October, it would still be free. Obviously we only have one side of this story and OP did not give us all the facts voluntarily.

    Foggy, that's a blinkered view, the losers in this are the hundreds of thousands of PRSI paying patients who are now recieving nothing for their contributions. The medical card scheme has just gone the same way, people will always have to go to a dentist.


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    #74
    Sofa King Great
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭Sofa King Great


    davo10 wrote: »
    Can you accept that the OP had a period of time to take up treatment offer, he didnt and the mum was very unlikely to be told that if treaqtment was done after 31st October, it would still be free. Obviously we only have one side of this story and OP did not give us all the facts voluntarily.

    OK, clearly you have been sniffing the auld laughing gas there fella.

    IF the op was to prove beyond reasonable doubt that his mother was told that the appointment was free why should he have to pay??


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    #75
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    We are not here to consider the veracity of any poster. This forum is intended for discussion of consumer issues.

    If somebody receives advice on the basis of misrepresenting the facts of a particular situation, obviously the advice is of little value in that particular case -- but the general principles of consumer rights could still be usefully discussed.


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    #76
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    Agreed Keith, but the giveaway for me is the first line of his OP, he was offered "free" treatment, he understood there was changes ocurring and that time was of the essence, he made an appointment, a third party cancelled it and he undertook treatment after the date.
    He missed the boat and should pay. Do you not think to yourself, why would the dentist bother if it happened like OP says, he would just put it down to experience, take the hit and move on. For the dentist to follow him for this amount, there is something more to this.


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    #77
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    Sofa and P, if he can prove as you put it "beyond reasonable doubt" that his Mum was told it would be free then the dentist takes the hit, so prove it.
    I question the veracity of his claims and their accuracy, OP what was said on the day of the appointment?
    Keith, I know this a consumer forum. If it happened the way he is telling it, I would never follow him for the money, I might be a bit annoyed with my receptionist for not pointing out the problem of an appointment being rebooked for after the cut off date, but I would not follow him.
    The fact that the dentist is suggests there is more to it.


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    #78
    tenchi-fan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,339 ✭✭✭tenchi-fan


    If the dentist took it upon himself to invite the op to a free consultation and ADVISED HIS CLIENT that it would be covered under PRSI, then allowed the consultation to go ahead without advising the client the procedure would no longer be covered, the dentist gave incorrect advice and therefore should not chase the client for the payment.

    It's the same as any other professional service. If a financial adviser took it upon himself to advise a client of an incorrect tax saving - even though the adviser was not qualified to offer tax advice - the client would be in a position to claim his loss back from the adviser.


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    #79
    davo10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,926 ✭✭✭davo10


    tenchi if the patient was told that treatment was free but time limited when it was booked, what is your opinion then if he had it after the date.


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    #80
    me_right_one
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,043 ✭✭✭me_right_one


    davo10 wrote: »
    Ah, so things are not quite as you made them out to be. You have wilfully misled the readers of this thread and slandered your dentist making him/her out to be greedy and you a victim.
    You were offerred free treatment and had 3 months to avail of it, by your own admission you rescheduled your appointment for a date after the cut off point for PRSI treatment under the old scheme, every PRSI patient in the country knows about changes to the dental scheme. This is your fault and you are responcible for the situation, so apologise to the readers of this forum for being full of s**t and pay up.

    ROFL. Yea, knowing about that was the most important thing on my little to-do list:rolleyes:

    Jaxton Raspy Elk wrote: »
    So OP this is the story from your posts.

    1. Your dentist office rings you to tell you the PRSI scheme is closing down and if you want a free checkup (free to you, the dentist gets paid by the PRSI) you need to come in in the next 3 months.
    2. You make an appointment within the 3 months.
    3. Your mother changes this appointment for you to a date outside the 3 months window. Your mother communicates to you that it will still be free. Did she actually ask?
    4. The dentist sees you and carries out treatment that takes up the dentists and staffs time. The fact that the dentist doesn't find something wrong with your teeth or do some unnecessary treatment annoys you cause the dentist didn't do anything for the money. (which you didn't pay)
    5. The dentist does not get paid by the PRSI on your behalf.
    6. The dentist send you an invoice for the money owed.
    7. You get cross that the dentist wants to be paid for his/her work and would dare to chase you for money.
    8. You feel the dentist wasted your time even though by your own admission your time is worth SFA compared to the dentists.

    I think this is fairly cut and dried, you own money. Either pay up or don't draw attention to the fact you dont pay your bills. Tell the dentist you will pay 10 euro week for 7 weeks.

    Are you lads having a laugh? When the OP rescheduled the appointment, they were absolutely assured that it WOULD be still free. From the horses plaque-free mouth! Are you dentists or something? If you are, perhaps you should take up writing novels, you both seem to be good at making stuff up. Or open a chippers. You could earn a bomb selling those chips on your shoulders. No need to wrongfully bill people then!


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    #81
    me_right_one
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,043 ✭✭✭me_right_one


    davo10 wrote: »
    Agreed Keith, but the giveaway for me is the first line of his OP, he was offered "free" treatment, he understood there was changes ocurring and that time was of the essence, he made an appointment, a third party cancelled it and he undertook treatment after the date.

    ....After checking and being assured that it would still be free.

    davo10 wrote: »
    Do you not think to yourself, why would the dentist bother if it happened like OP says, he would just put it down to experience, take the hit and move on. For the dentist to follow him for this amount, there is something more to this.

    Yes,there is something more to this. Greed. Pure, pig-minded greed.

    davo10 wrote: »
    Sofa and P, if he can prove as you put it "beyond reasonable doubt" that his Mum was told it would be free then the dentist takes the hit, so prove it.

    Prove the receptionist didn't make a mistake and is trying to cover it up. Prove the dentist isn't chancing his arm. Prove E=MC2, the OP is still right.

    davo10 wrote: »
    tenchi if the patient was told that treatment was free but time limited when it was booked, what is your opinion then if he had it after the date.

    If he was then told that the actual date he would be having it on was still going to be free, despite its date, and by none other than the dentists own secretary, I'd believe what the dentist was telling me.

    davo10 wrote: »
    I question the veracity of his claims and their accuracy, OP what was said on the day of the appointment?
    Keith, I know this a consumer forum. If it happened the way he is telling it, I would never follow him for the money, I might be a bit annoyed with my receptionist for not pointing out the problem of an appointment being rebooked for after the cut off date, but I would not follow him.
    The fact that the dentist is suggests there is more to it.


    ..........exactly:D



    EDIT: I just cant believe the venomous bias there is in this thread in favour of the dentist. A child could tell that the OP is right. Once upon a time, dentistry was a noble profession, with trusted, intelligent people at the helm. Looking back at the closed-mindedness and mudslinging going on, it seems any lowlife toerag can be a dentist now


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    #82
    Magenta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭Magenta


    me_right_one wrote: »
    Are you dentists or something?

    The penny has dropped... make sure you pick it back up before the big evil dentist gets it :rolleyes:

    I have to say the amount of suspicion towards dentists and anyone in the medical profession in this country is ridiculous. Do the maths, a 5 year degree costs a lot more time and money than whatever pissy little Arts degree half the country has done, dentists, doctors etc spend a lot of money on their equipment etc and believe it or not are as much entitled to make a living as anyone else.
    If you felt someone owed you money wouldn't you ask for it?

    I still think the OP's mother might have made the mistake. Who is more likely to be wrong, a dentist/dental receptionist who deals with PRSI probably every day, or your average Joe Bloggs?


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    #83
    me_right_one
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,043 ✭✭✭me_right_one


    Magenta wrote: »
    The penny has dropped... make sure you pick it back up before the big evil dentist gets it :rolleyes:

    You must've missed the lecture on sarcasm in dentist college

    Magenta wrote: »
    I still think the OP's mother might have made the mistake. Who is more likely to be wrong, a dentist/dental receptionist who deals with PRSI probably every day, or your average Joe Bloggs?

    Ah, thats it. You were at the arrogance/head-up-your-hole lecture.


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    #84
    Magenta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭Magenta


    me_right_one wrote: »
    You must've missed the lecture on sarcasm in dentist college

    Ah, thats it. You were at the arrogance/head-up-your-hole lecture.

    I'm not a dentist.


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    #85
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    Magenta wrote: »
    ... Who is more likely to be wrong, a dentist/dental receptionist who deals with PRSI probably every day, or your average Joe Bloggs?

    Probability can not be used to predict the past.


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    #86
    btkm8unsl0w5r4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,538 ✭✭✭btkm8unsl0w5r4


    me_right_one wrote: »
    .
    EDIT: I just cant believe the venomous bias there is in this thread in favour of the dentist. A child could tell that the OP is right. Once upon a time, dentistry was a noble profession, with trusted, intelligent people at the helm. Looking back at the closed-mindedness and mudslinging going on, it seems any lowlife toerag can be a dentist now

    Woah dude, thats really rude, and your out of order with Magenta. I had problems with you on the dental issues forum before, you really hate dentists for some reason. You are calling people names and cant seem to debate a point without resorting to swearing, name calling or calling whole professions into disrepute.


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    #87
    Horse_box
    Registered Users Posts: 357 ✭✭Horse_box


    Going off the OP's posts, he should not have to pay a cent

    He is coming here for advice on this matter, he would gain absolutely nothing from lying


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    #88
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    Oh, for heaven's sake!

    This is a simple matter, and has nothing to do with the fact that a dentist is involved.

    The OP availed of a service which they believed to be free and they claim that they were told it was free. They were later billed for the service. This is the issue, regardless of the service provider involved.

    I'm closing this thread, as it is turning into complete nonsense, with little or no practical assistance offered to the OP.

    dudara


This discussion has been closed.
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