ComplaintsforOrthodontic Experts of Des Plaines

• Initial Complaint

  08/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My daughter *************************** had an appointment here on Friday August 30, 2024, at 220pm. Once we entered the building to check in for her appointment for her braces adjustment we paid the monthly charge. I refused to sign the receipt until we were seen since the waiting room was packed. We proceeded to go to the back and have her adjustment done. When we entered there, I had to look for a chair to sit since the gentleman next to me was laid across three chairs sleeping/snoring with his hands in his pants. I mentioned it to the young lady who started to work on my daughter's braces, and she instantly got an attitude. She accused me of recording which I was not and then I asked to speak to a manger. The office manager here brought me in her office and asked what the issue was. I informed her of the man in the work area who was sleep with his hands in his pants and the rudeness of the girl who was doing my daughters braces. The office manager was very combative speaking over me and accusing me of being a problem even after repeatedly telling her my issue wasn't directly with the staff we'd been coming here since February 2024 and never had an issue. Once the conversation was over, I asked to have my daughter's records so we can transfer her care somewhere else. As I was leaving her office, I closed the door behind me and the office manager jumped behind and stated that I assaulted her, and she was going to call the police. I went back to sit at the service area and waited for the officer. The officer refused to ask for any footage to prove the office manager was lying, they didn't finish my daughter's treatment and refused to g I've me any information so I can call corporate and make a formal complaint. I was then asked to leave by the officer because the office manager lied, and they didn't finish the service I had already paid for.

  

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  The patients parent has reached out to our operations team and the issues has been amicably resolved. Orthodontic Experts has agreed to continue treatment for the patient in another Orthodontic Experts location. The parent was in agreeance with this resolution.
  
  Best,
  **********

• Initial Complaint

  04/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I'm reaching out because I escalated a dental care issue to my insurance and while the disposition has been to my favor the dentist continues to refuse issuing me a refund of the total amount I have paid. Please, note that I have followed up multiple times without any success. The dentist employees mentioned to the insurance representative that they will speak to their billing department to issue a refund but they never did. I'm attaching the disposition which includes a third party and a consultant opinion on the matter. I'm also attaching the last emails I have sent to the dentist without getting any response back. The disposition letter has been communicated on February 14, 2023. I have been trying to get the refund without any further escalation and that is why I have waited this long to reach out to you. I'm looking forward to your assistance to get this refund as soon as possible. Looking forward to hearing from you.

  

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  Hello ***********************, 

  Thank you for providing your feedback. I would like to preface that we have previously communicated to you our position in the matter, and we are happy to explain further our position. We have complied with the insurance's decision which was deemed in your favor. We have further taken your feedback under consideration, and we are sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the results and resolution provided to you. During our in-person meeting we explained to you why further treatment will not change your outcome. Our team has provided you with the appropriate treatment and the results are greatly improved from the original records. The next steps were to sign a consent form to remove the attachments and get your retainers to keep your teeth from shifting. At that time, we also advised that is not recommended for you to be without a retainer. Since you declined our services to debond attachments and provide you with a retainer, we hope that you have taken care of this with another provider. It is also understandable that you may be more comfortable to seek another opinion about your treatment, as you are in your right to do so. In consideration of the services that were provided to you, we will not be issuing a refund, as we have provided the services that you originally requested, and the results were significantly improved, and the treatment was finished. Please see the initial and final progress record that we were able to take. 

  Thank you, 

  ***********************;

  ***********************************,SHRM-SCP VP of Operations & Human Resources Orthodontic Experts Office-************ |Mobile************ Email*********************** **************************************************************** www.orthodonticexperts.com Follow Us

  

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  Hello ***********************, 

  Thank you for providing your feedback. I would like to preface that we have previously communicated to you our position in the matter, and we are happy to explain further our position. We have complied with the insurance's decision which was deemed in your favor. We have further taken your feedback under consideration, and we are sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the results and resolution provided to you. During our in-person meeting we explained to you why further treatment will not change your outcome. Our team has provided you with the appropriate treatment and the results are greatly improved from the original records. The next steps were to sign a consent form to remove the attachments and get your retainers to keep your teeth from shifting. At that time, we also advised that is not recommended for you to be without a retainer. Since you declined our services to debond attachments and provide you with a retainer, we hope that you have taken care of this with another provider. It is also understandable that you may be more comfortable to seek another opinion about your treatment, as you are in your right to do so. In consideration of the services that were provided to you, we will not be issuing a refund, as we have provided the services that you originally requested, and the results were significantly improved, and the treatment was finished. Please see the initial and final progress record that we were able to take. 

  Thank you, 

  ***********************;

  ***********************************,SHRM-SCP VP of Operations & Human Resources Orthodontic Experts Office-************ |Mobile************ Email*********************** **************************************************************** www.orthodonticexperts.com Follow Us

  Customer response

  07/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 21548919
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This response is clearly a failed attempt to mislead. The fact that it took the practice over three months to respond speaks volumes about the customer service I have been dealing with or lack of.
  The response is also full of contradictions and falsehoods.The practice claims that they are complied with the insurance decision/disposition which is my favor and yet they mentioned that they will not provide a refund and the results are greatly improved
  The disposition which was in my favor was based on my claim that the treatment is incomplete, and I had issues with my bite. I have escalated the issue to my insurance and sought other opinions because the doctor did not validate the issues I was experiencing and refused to change my treatment. A second opinion and the insurance consultants confirmed and validated my claim and provided a disposition in my favor.
  The insurance reached out to the practice more than once and they agreed to provide the refund, but they never did, and they continued to delay in order for me to forget this case.
  I have paid for a complete treatment and not for the practice opinion which is greatly improved results that the facts and the opinion of other subject matter experts do not back up.
  Im kindly requesting you to look at the facts and the documents I provided and assist with this matter. I want my refund as soon as possible since the disposition was communicated to the practice over a year ago.
  On the other hand, we will continue escalating to the appropriate parties until the practice is complied with the insurance disposition which is providing my refund.
  Your help with this matter is greatly appreciated. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  This was resolved on Friday 08/23/24. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Orthodontic Experts of Joliet have been performing dental services on my wife for the past 2 years. A treatment plan was established with a set payment amount before any treatment was started. The agreed upon out of pocket payment was fulfilled. During the past 2 years, my wife was required to have dental services performed by other dental specialists who informed ******* mistake that was made by the Orthodontic Experts dentist. This mistake have prolonged the completion of the original dental plan, which caused an additional cost of roughly $600.00. The treatment coordinator at ************* alleges that the estimated $600.00 is part of the original agreement. If this were true, then it should have been added to the original contract. The coordinator further alleges that my secondary insurance denied the $600.00 in question. The dentist at orthodontic experts was paid for every visit that my wife made, which caused the maximum allowed coverage to be reached. Therefore, the $600 was denied. The maximum allowed coverage would not have been met if the dentist in question had not made a mistake. *** tried talking to the dentist in question about the billing and treatment about 6 months ago with no prevail. She was very rude to me while defending her work. The treatment coordinator in question was present who passive aggressively asked me to go to the waiting room. The treatment coordinator doesnt know the difference between primary and secondary insurance. My medical insurance has a dental component for emergent situations, but its not actual dental insurance. The dental is separate insurance with its own premium for dental services only. The coordinator dubs this as secondaryinsurance and dubs my medical insurance as primary. She submitted claims to my medical insurance who denied the claim ofcourse, because its not dental insurance. Orthodontic Experts is refusing to complete this last service without further payment. We want the services completed ASAP!

  

  Business response

  06/25/2024

  Thank you for informing us of your concerns.  We have reviewed the account in detail, and we found that your wife's account is being charged the amount that the insurance did not pay. I can understand how frustrating that can be and we sympathize with your concerns. As I am sure you are already aware, the total you are being asked to pay is the same total amount listed in the original treatment estimate. I have attached the original information and the payment plan for your review.  The treatment was also completed; therefore, prompt payment is required to Orthodontic Experts. Your concerns should be addressed and disputed with the insurance company. I can provide you with an *** claim form so that you can file the official claim with the insurance company should you choose to proceed with that option. Please note that our office has sent letters to you to try to resolve this issue. We look forward to talking with you soon. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've had issues with the employee ********** staff at the Homewood location i have been treated rudely & it seems to be a racial issue I went to the Homewood location to get my braces done in April of 2021 I went to a couple of my treatments but ended up catching Covid real bad & was hospitalized for months so i was off work due to my ************************ time once i was able to speak and get half way back to normal i called & let them known my situation & that i had a hardship because of the time i was in the hospital i had been off work going through therapy and trying to recover to get back to work & back on my feet they decided to still dismiss me i went in with the fee they asked me to bring to avoid the dismissal she refused the money & requested more but the letter stated for me to bring $543.00 which i did she still gave me a hard time no compassion at all i went back a while later with $1500 trying to get her to work with me by this time my teeth are shedding and worse than they were before i got the braces put on a while went by again i went with $1900 she still refused to work with me she giving me attitude just was real rude to me made me feel real low never been treated so bad in my life so i decided just to get them removed because by this time their cutting my gums and lips my mouth is bleeding she still refused because i told her i will go else where they dont want to work with me i have to get my teeth fixed they worse than what were before i had the braces put on i cant continue to walk around with my teeth looking like this they look horrible and legally shes not supposed to decline the removal of the braces yet she still did giving me the hardest time i was willing to pay whatever fee for the removal she refused because i stated i wanted to go else where this is a very horrible way to treat people ive tried to get the info to contact their corporate office they refused to give me the info i really need a resolution from her manager please.

  

  Business response

  02/28/2024

  Dear **************,
  
  We have reviewed your grievance in regard to your orthodontic treatment and would like to address it with you. We would like to start by apologizing that we could not come to a common solution for your issue. After reviewing your chart, we see that our team members have contacted you numerous times, last time being in October 2023. Our goal is to help you resolve this matter in the interest of preserving the health of your teeth as wearing appliances for extended periods without proper monitoring can result in negative consequences to your oral health. As previously offered to you, we are still able to remove your orthodontic appliances at no charge to you. Please contact our office at your earliest convenience to get the appointment scheduled.
  
  Best,
  
  Customer Experience Team
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Took my son, *****, for his first, of several, orthodontic consults, which Orthodontic Experts was aware of. They took skull **rays and oral pictures and my son saw the orthodontist and an estimate was given to us. I told them to give me a month to visit other orthodontists for consults before agreeing if we would commit to aligners from them or not. Before going to the second orthodontia consult, I called Orthodontic Experts to have my sons skull **rays sent on to the other orthodontists to avoid my son having to have the same radiology and risk extra radiation exposure to his still growing body. Orthodontic Experts refused to release my sons **rays to the next orthodontist. They said I had to pay them $200 to have them sent along. As a fellow medical professional, a veterinarian, I know this is NOT how this works. My sons **rays are a part of his medical record and belong to him. They are not to be used as a bribery of $200. They are not a reason to have him radiated further for the same exact thing at several other places for consult. I told the next several orthodontists what happened. Each orthodontist secretary called Orthodontic Experts to have me release the record and have the **rays sent over to them. Orthodontic Experts refused to answer my call, never did call me back, and ********* refused sending them at all to the 3rd orthodontist inquiry. I told Orthodontic Experts that as I know this is not ethical, that I would calling my insurance, which I have, and filing a complaint with the BBB, which I am now.

  

  Business response

  02/28/2024

  Dear **************, 
  
  We realize that this response is overdue as we did not know it existed with the BBB. We truly appreciate your feedback and take it seriously, should we have been aware of this previously, your issue would have been addressed right away. We apologize for any inconvenience that the lack of communication has caused. If there is anything that we can do for you to come to a mutual solution, please let us know. 
  
  Thank you, 
  
  Patient Experience Team 

  Customer response

  02/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 19858749
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Did anyone see the initial complaintalmost a year later and now they respond?!?
  A scam all around!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  Dear **************,
  
  
  
  Patient Experience Team

*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. ↩