one turned a routine visit into a billing nightmare. Dozens of patients have complained to the Florida attorney general that they're asked to sign financed treatment plans the very first day.
Action 9's Todd Ulrich took Francis Sganga's complaint to corporate managers for answers.
Sganga is 94 but still enjoys riding his motorcycle and is ready for battle, claiming a dental chain took him for a ride.
Sganga went to a Coast Dental office in New Smyrna Beach for a toothache, then claims the dentist gave him an $11,000 financed treatment plan.
“I couldn't understand it. You have to be a dentist to know what they're talking about,” Sganga said.
Instead, he signed a $2,000 plan for two extractions and deep-cleaning treatments because the dentist found gum disease.
According to Sganga, he agreed to the deep cleanings, but he didn't expect a 30-minute treatment to cost $1,500. He claims when he challenged it, the clinic gave him a detailed bill listing 34 separate charges for the quick procedure.
He fired off complaint letters to the governor's office and the attorney general.
“I nearly croaked. That's when I got on my white horse,” Sganga said.
Ulrich contacted the Florida attorney general's office. In the past three years, it reviewed 57 Coast Dental complaints. Many involved what consumers' dental plans actually covered and it's sending complaints to company attorneys.
Dr. Bill D'Aiuto, vice president of the Florida Dental Association, urges caution with any major treatment plan.
“They can take whatever financial arrangement or treatment plan was given and go home, talk to a loved one,” D'Aiuto said.
Coast Dental told Ulrich that its full terms were disclosed to Sganga. The dental facility said the cleaning lasted one hour and he gave the company a very good review the first week.
He said that's not how he felt when he got the bill.
“To foist as much stuff on you as they can for the money,” he said.
Coast Dental also said Sganga's complaint with the Division of Consumer Services was dismissed.
Coast Dental did not comment on how its deep-cleaning procedure compares to other practices.
According to the Better Business Bureau, Coast Dental does not have a current rating because the company is responding to unanswered complaints.
Coast Dental has 18 BBB complaints filed by Floridians over the past 12 months and 58 filed over the past 36 months. This involves all of Coast Dental’s locations statewide.
Coast Dental written response:
Action 9's Todd Ulrich took Francis Sganga's complaint to corporate managers for answers.
Sganga is 94 but still enjoys riding his motorcycle and is ready for battle, claiming a dental chain took him for a ride.
Sganga went to a Coast Dental office in New Smyrna Beach for a toothache, then claims the dentist gave him an $11,000 financed treatment plan.
“I couldn't understand it. You have to be a dentist to know what they're talking about,” Sganga said.
Instead, he signed a $2,000 plan for two extractions and deep-cleaning treatments because the dentist found gum disease.
According to Sganga, he agreed to the deep cleanings, but he didn't expect a 30-minute treatment to cost $1,500. He claims when he challenged it, the clinic gave him a detailed bill listing 34 separate charges for the quick procedure.
He fired off complaint letters to the governor's office and the attorney general.
“I nearly croaked. That's when I got on my white horse,” Sganga said.
Ulrich contacted the Florida attorney general's office. In the past three years, it reviewed 57 Coast Dental complaints. Many involved what consumers' dental plans actually covered and it's sending complaints to company attorneys.
Dr. Bill D'Aiuto, vice president of the Florida Dental Association, urges caution with any major treatment plan.
“They can take whatever financial arrangement or treatment plan was given and go home, talk to a loved one,” D'Aiuto said.
Coast Dental told Ulrich that its full terms were disclosed to Sganga. The dental facility said the cleaning lasted one hour and he gave the company a very good review the first week.
He said that's not how he felt when he got the bill.
“To foist as much stuff on you as they can for the money,” he said.
Coast Dental also said Sganga's complaint with the Division of Consumer Services was dismissed.
Coast Dental did not comment on how its deep-cleaning procedure compares to other practices.
According to the Better Business Bureau, Coast Dental does not have a current rating because the company is responding to unanswered complaints.
Coast Dental has 18 BBB complaints filed by Floridians over the past 12 months and 58 filed over the past 36 months. This involves all of Coast Dental’s locations statewide.
Coast Dental written response:
Coast Dental has provided affordable and friendly dental service to almost 400,000 Floridians in the past three years, and that number continues to grow.
Coast Dental strives to provide excellent patient care and customer service and was gratified when Mr. Sganga gave us a perfect score on his patient satisfaction survey, wrote “Well-Pleased” in the comments section, and gave our team members autographed copies of his book when he returned for his follow-up visit.
Our dentists are skilled and caring health care providers. They provide a high standard of care, diagnosing the full condition of a patient’s mouth and creating a personalized treatment plan based on the clinical findings of the dental exam and x-rays. They take the time to answer their patients’ questions, and provide a detailed proposed treatment plan outlining each recommendation and the associated costs. We even ask “Was your treatment clearly explained” and “Was your treatment completed to your satisfaction” on our patient surveys. We also ask “Would you return” and “Would you refer a friend to us.” On all of the questions, Mr. Sganga gave us the highest marks possible.
When a patient informs Coast Dental of his/her coverage with a dental insurance carrier, Coast Dental must charge the fees contractually determined by the patient’s insurance carrier. During Mr. Sganga’s initial visit in January, he was given a proposed treatment plan and the anticipated cost for the dental services. When Mr. Sganga returned in March to receive the dental services, he was correctly charged according to his insurance plan, and he paid on the same day that he received the services. There were no changes between the proposed cost and the actual cost.
Patient satisfaction is the top priority of every dentist at Coast Dental. Out of 378,000 patients helped in Florida in the past three years, there have been 57 concerns forwarded to the AG. That’s a fraction of one percent (0.01%). The Florida AG confirms all of the concerns have been closed satisfactorily.
Our dentists are dedicated to improving the quality of life for thousands of people by creating beautiful, healthy smiles that allow our patients to eat, speak, and smile with confidence. It’s our pleasure and our privilege to make a difference in so many lives.
Source: http://www.wftv.com/news/news/action-9-investigates-claims-high-pressure-sales-d/nn7GQ/
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