ComplaintsforWestern New York Dental Group

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 08/02/224 I went to WNY dental on Jefferson rd for my appointment the hygienist did all the exrays but then did more exrays I tried to tell I just them done two months ago when I broke a tooth. That visit cost 54.00 and they would not pull the tooth I had to go to urgent care to have it pulled. On 08/02 the hygienist would not listen and then refused to clean my teeth which is what my appointment was for I was going to let this go but am extremely upset about spending 54.00 and then 107.00 dollars and am fed up with WNY dental. Today I get a message stating I’m over do for my appointment I’m at my whits end and not sure who to turn to. Hope you can help I feel a refund is do

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Hello, Our Practice Manager was unaware that Mr. ****** was upset regarding his visit and copays, this is the first we are hearing of this.  On 5/21/24 he had a dental emergency with a cracked tooth.  In order to diagnose treatment, the Doctor needed an Xray.  We then referred the patient to our Oral Surgeon for consul to extract.  The patient decided to go elsewhere.  The next visit was for dental hygiene, the patient was diagnosed with more extensive prophy, which requires a copay, per his insurance.  The patient was referred to MCC, where he would have possibly not had to pay a copay.  We understand if Mr. ******* is upset but he has a dental plan that requires us to collect copays on certain procedures.  If he would like to discuss further, please call the office to speak to our Practice Manager.  Thank you

  Customer response

  08/28/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  This is no acceptable as I went in for a simple cleaning and never received that cleaning. You may close the case if you want but they will just take advantage of someone else.
  Thank you for trying to help. I am not looking for a refund I am looking for them to admit the Hygienist just out to grab profit however she can.

  
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I went to Western New York Dental Group on Wednesday, 5/15/24 at 9:00am for a regular dental cleaning. I have a lingual bar (permanent retainer) on my lower teeth. I have had this retainer for almost 3 years. During my appointment, my hygienist knocked off my retainer. They gave me a referral to my orthodontist, who charges a $75 fee for lingual bar replacement/repair. I had my lingual bar replaced by my orthodontist today, 5/20/24, at 11:30am. Western New York Dental Group refuses to reimburse me for this, despite the fact that it was their hygienist who caused this issue. The practice manager was also very rude and condescending on the phone, and basically told me that they will not reimburse me, and tried to pass off blame on my orthodontist. However, the lingual bar has been in place for almost 3 years. Western New York Dental Group also claims that their instruments are "not strong enough" to knock off a lingual bar, however my orthodontist very clearly stated that their instruments are the exact same, and are more than enough to remove a lingual bar if they are not careful. Ultimately, I am seeking reimbursement for my orthodontic fees ($75.00, I have attached my receipt below) and an apology/admittance of fault.

  Business response

  06/07/2024

  Hello,

  Our Practice Manager will be reimbursing Mr. ***** the $75.

  Thank you
  

  Customer response

  06/10/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  ****** *****
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  For Western New York Dental Group Getzville, NY 2430 N Forest Rd Suite 200, Getzville, NY 14068 After I had one tooth filled at your office a few weeks ago, I felt pain with that tooth . I called the office and was seen by another Doctor , who told me the tooth was filled too high and he drilled down a lot more, which I believe it was on Monday 11th, . After this, the pain got worse and was seen by him on Friday again the same week. He told me it could be in need of root canal , but later he found that the tooth could be injured by grinding and drilled down a little more. When I got home, I felt all the filling had fallen off and the tooth was almost half of its biological/initial height. I had to again put in the temporary filling by myself and was back to square one . He did say would call me on the following Monday, which he never did. I was charged $ 120 on 03/15/2024, which was addition of the payment for filling a week ago. I went to see another dentist who told me that I would need a crawn for that tooth . The worst , I sent official compliant to their office manager via writing, she never got back to me. The attitude spoke about everything here.

  Business response

  05/09/2024

  Hello,Our Practice Manager will be reaching out to discuss the charges and next steps.Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  01/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We took our 15 year old son to WNY dental for ********** for his teeth. We were told our insurance would cover everything and nothing would be out of pocket. My son decided to stop using his the ********** but for some unknown reason WNY dental continued to bill our insurance company for months without providing any treatment. Now refuses to remove the hooks from his teeth until we pay a bill they decided we owe of around $1300. Again after originally saying we would pay nothing out of pocket. As of January 14 we have received 3 notices just this month along with a bill and a letter stating how they will now keep adding fees until the balance is paid. In a perfect situation I would llike the threatening letters to stop along with this bill, and the hooks removed from his teeth.

  Business response

  03/13/2024

  Good afternoon, Our Practice Manager spoke with our Orthodontic department regarding this account and complaint.   Regarding the money due, the patient had dual insurance and all that was collected was a total of $4627.80, leaving a pt balance of $1272.20. According to the original contract it looks like the patient was told that based on two insurance they should have no patient portion.  However, the contract does contain notification that any unpaid insurance portion becomes patient responsibility. The fact that the son stopped wearing his ********** is on the patient and if the patient has attachments on his teeth insurance can continue to be billed. We never refused TX for removal of the attachments and the letter notifying them states that they need to call for an appointment.   There has also been a number of phone calls to the parents regarding the case and no follow up/through from the parents. Please let us know if anything else is needed.   Thank you 

• Initial Complaint

  11/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I have been charged a fee of $100.00 for a missed appointment that I did not make, agree to, confirm, nor acknowledge. I have made multiple attempts to call and resolve the issue with the provider and they have not responded.

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  Hello,I spoke to our Practice Manager regarding the No Show fee.  We do have a signed financial policy attached to your record.  We did make this appointment at your last hygiene visit and we have record to show that.  We send out Solution Reach, our confirmation platform, messages to all of our patients with appointments to confirm, we have record that these were sent. Our Practice Manager has record of trying to reach you, but I've asked her to call one more time to speak with you regarding this charge.Thank you.

  Customer response

  12/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I have called WNY Dental multiple times, was told I need to speak to Kim, but she is never available and never calls me back. I did not make an additional appointment with this company and specifically asked to NOT make any additional appointments because I wanted to change dentists as I was not happy with their services. This seems retaliatory for me telling them I would be changing dentists. They also do not follow New York State laws regarding charging for a no show. This appointment was not made by me, nor confirmed by me. They also have a 1-way messaging system that does not allow for you to respond to deny or cancel an appointment so I was confused when i saw a message since I asked them to not schedule any appointments for me going forward, and I saw no need to waste my time to call their office to see what was going on. If anything, the fact that I did not confirm the appointment should be enough for them to know I didn't want an appointment with them. Pleas ask WNY Dental to provide written document showing that I personally requested an appointment, or confirmed an appointment. They will be unable to produce any proof that I made an appointment. What they are doing is illegal as they are not following state laws regarding a no-show charge policy.  Regards, **** **********

• Initial Complaint

  11/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This place is a total mess. At one of my visits, the dentist and assistant acted completely unprofessional-discussing personal topics while working on my teeth and mocking my clothing in front of me. Upon another visit, they told me that my previous filling they had completed was done wrong and now I had another cavity and complications which were painful for me. However, they did not actually have a doctor on duty due to short staffing. How does a dentist office not actually have a dentist on duty?! I paid for an appointment only to find that there wasn't an actual dentist there to handle my problem, which, in fact, was not really my problem at all but negligence on their part when they did the last filling. They (sort of) apologized and said that a dentist would call me to follow up immediately within the next few days. I never received such a call. I actually never received a call AT ALL. At that point, I was so frustrated that I decided to switch dentists. I made a call and canceled my my 6 month upcoming appointment; whomever I spoke to was incompetent, and the appointment was never actually canceled. Therefore, they are trying to charge me $100 for a missed appointment when they absolutely have no right charging me for anything. They are a negligent practice who screwed up my mouth and never even bothered to follow up. Their staff is unprofessional and under qualified, and they've already stolen enough of my money.

  Business response

  11/20/2023

  Hello,

  We apologize for the miscommunication on our behalf as well as the terrible experience you had in our WNY Dental Group Orchard Park practice.  The feedback is greatly appreciated so this does not happen again.  It will be used as an opportunity to bring to staff attention to become better.  The Practice Manager has adjusted off the $100 fee as well.

  Thank you. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I went to Western New York Dental on Ridge Road West in Stoneridge Plaza Greece, NY to have dental partials made on July 10th, 2023. I paid to Dr. Meaghan B***** Dental office $950.00. Once the dental partials were made, I was given an appointment to return to pick them up. After getting fitted & went to leave, I was told I owed $950 again, but I didn't have the money so I gave them $500 for which later I found out I did NOT owe. I talked with the the Billing manager, name Jennifer who said she released the $500 funds back onto my *** Card on 7/25/23. I contacted the *** Bank who said the $500 funds never were released back to *** bank card. I repeatedly called Western NY Dental in regards to my refund, and now they don't answer their phones, just recordings. I am requesting a full REFUND of my $500 from this Dental office, and I plan to never go there again. due to this unethical, un professional experience with their staffing. *** Fraud Team is also investigating this matter.

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  BBB received the following response from the customer on behalf of the business: My complaint, Case#********-*****, has been Resolved by way of Western New York releasing the $500.00 back to my *** Bank card on August 1st., 2023. I believe the BBB is the reason this occurred so quickly, and thank you for your help.

• Initial Complaint

  07/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  During December 2022 I received a bill from WNY Dental in the amount of $362. My father (****** *****) sent a check to WNY Dental on 12/10/2022 to cover the full amount. Despite being cashed by them (please see attachment), the payment was never applied to my account and each time I called, I was told there was no record of the payment being made. I was going back and forth with the office trying to resolve the issue and during this time my daughters had an appointment. When my mother (****** *****) brought them to the appointment she was told they could not be seen unless she paid the bill. Not knowing what to do, she paid the bill for a second time (see attached) and figured we would work it out with the office later. Now nearly 8 months later I am still fighting to get a refund for the bill I paid twice. Amy (the office mgr.) said she would "look into the issue" and reach out to me within a week. It has now been more than 2 weeks and Amy does not return my calls or emails. I know that she is reading my emails because I send them with "read requests" which notify me when she opens and reads the email. I do not appreciate being ignored by Amy. I would like a refund IMMEDIATELY!

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  Hello, Our Account Representative looked into the payment made.  This payment was made on their orthodontic bill.  We did try and reach out to the patient to discuss, there was no answer, so we are just waiting on a return call. Thank you

  Customer response

  09/11/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.   Regards, **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  WNY ****** is charging me a no show fee of $100 for an appointment which I am sure I never made or confirmed. They are claiming that I confirmed this appointment in December, which is 100% incorrect! The December appointment was for my daughter. I only confirmed that appointment on text. Screenshot attached for your reference. If I had this appointment in May, I should have received a reminder on email or text which they had always sent for our appointments in Nov and Dec last year. I never received any confirmation or reminder about this May 2023 appointment and now they are telling me that it will go to collection, I don’t know if I should pay my hard earned money for something which is not even my fault. Please do the needful.

  Business response

  05/24/2023

  Hello, I had our Practice Manager look into this complaint. She did find that it was our mix up, his daughter had an appt in December and he had his appointment in May, both appointments were confirmed via solution reach 2 seconds apart so what we think happened was he thought he was confirming his daughters December appt when in fact his confirmation went to both appointments. I’m going to go ahead and take this charge off because he received no other notifications on this in a five month period because of that confirmation. Thank you 

  Customer response

  05/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.   Regards,  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I’ve undergone Invisalign treatment from Dr. F******** over the last 3 years. The treatment was delayed multiple times due to covid and production issues that which we accepted as things happen out of their control. Today 2/23 I had my final appointment scheduled for 10:15 and they called to inform me it was at 8:15 and I’d be charged $100 no show. I advised I could bring the appointment card with me at 10:15 but they said they were booked at that time, I’d be charged the $100 either way. I won’t be paying this and would like the $100 charge dropped.

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  Hello, Our Practice Manager, Amanda, has reached out through email, there is a zero balance on the account.Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you

*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. ↩