Cancellation Fee for appt

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Okay I got a bill in the mail today $350 for a cancelled dental appointment. I told them I wasn't secure in going because our insurance with DH starting a new job was not ironed out.

The dental office argued with me and said no. I said that the paperwork had not yet been ironed out we weren't in the system and while it would be backdated to the day he started (2 weeks ago), I would feel more comfortable when the treatment was preapproved.

So I refused to go, called the day before and cancelled. They said they would be forced to charge me a cancellation fee, I said fine. They sent the bill and it was $350! WTF!

Now I called my dental company up and it turns out that they ARE NOT participating in my new dental plan anyway so we would have had to have paid the entire thing out of pocket! They were lying! I would not have known until after I had the work done, and we're not talking cheap, but 2 crowns!

What can I do to argue about the cancellation fee?

[scfr]

Wow - $350 seems so excessive! I can understand $25 or even $50, but $350, come on! Normally my approach is to negotiate costs calmly, and so I would probably call them up first and ask them if it was a typo ... Did they perhaps mean $35?

If they playhardball and demand the $350, then I'd play hardball right back at them.

Ask them for a copy of the paperwork you signed off on where you agreed to pay a $350 cancellation fee (they probably don't have it but if you did sign off on that you're probably stuck). Or, I'd ask them where on the appointment card it says they will charge a $350 cancellation fee (it probably isn't there). Then, I would let them know I am prepared to contact the organization for my state that oversees dentists and/or the BBB, and if they don't back down I would go ahead and contact those organizations ASAP and file complaints.

Good luck and sorry you had such a bad experience.

[DebbieL]

$350 is a ridiculous cancellation fee. Most will allow you to cancel for no charge if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance. Most dental visits don't cost that much even if you do go. That is highway robbery, and no way would I pay it. I would also switch dentists (and make sure they knew why). Thieves!

[neatdesign]

Forget the BBB -- contact the consumer news reporter at your local television news station. A lot of news stations have investigative reporters who will look into these sorts of bogus charges and try to help you out.

The threat of their outrageous billing practices being publicized to the local community might just be enough to make the dentist's office back off and give you a more reasonable (or at least common sense) cancellation fee, like $25-$50.

Whatever you do, please keep us posted on this one -- and good luck!

~ Jenney

[Scanner]

Tell them you'll take it up with the Dental Board by filing a complaint if they don't remove the charges.

Yes, a nominal cancellation fee is fine but actually in this case, it's not fine - you cancelled the day before. We require 24 hour notice at my chiropractic office - that's it.

I don't charge a cancellation fee but have tossed around the idea a few times - the most I'd charge would be $35.00

[JanH]

Wonder if they tried to tie the cancellation fee to the charges they didn't get to make for your work? That sounds real fishy. Maybe you could argue that they never stipulated the amount of the fee and that it seems to be outside the realm of most cancellation fees. They should have told you upfront the amount of the fee. I'd flee that place.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

The cancel fee was because I cancelled and it was for the hours I "booked". Thus it was not a set fee for cancellation. Over the phone I requested them to mail my signature agreeing to this cancellation fee. Also I had a credit for $20.80 which they never returned to me from over 1 year ago. How nice.

I will be mailing them an letter tonight regarding my non-payment. I will also be filing a 30 day demand letter for a consumer deceitfulness. I am now also calling my dental insurance to say they "billed me for hours serviced." Can I submit it? Since they did not bill me a fee but rather of hours worked.


Think it would work to get them to back down?

[JanH]

I had a bill from a doctor for my son's surgery which wasn't something I owed. I couldn't get it straightened out with the office, so my insurance company called for me and got it done in one call. Maybe your insurance company would get involved even though it isn't one on your list.

[disneysteve]

I'm curious what their cancellation policy is. You called the day before and cancelled your appointment. What more do they want? Our office doesn't charge a no-show fee, but if we did, it would be just that - a charge for patients who fail to show up for their appointments. We would never charge people who had the courtesy to call the day before and cancel.

[DebbieL]

Please keep us posted. No way would I pay that outrageous bill. Call the news station if you have to as someone else suggested.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Well they are a bad place I found out later from our new insurance. They have had problems with telling multiple clients they were in net-work when they are not. They are just being bitchy because I wouldn't walk in without checking insurance, apparently they've done this before.

So frustrating. I think it's because I called the day before, not the 24 hours exactly.

[JanH]

How do they ethically get away with that? Isn't that some sort of false whatever if they tell people they are in and actually they aren't. Seems the people who oversee dental practitioners should know about them. Definitely the BBB should!

[neatdesign]

I'm telling you -- GO TO THE PRESS!!! Exposing their horrible business practices will bring them around. I'd be really shocked if it didn't. I mean, really -- $350 for nothing!?!? You'd have to be a total doofus not to see how outrageous that is. And you know how local news reporters just LURRRVE a good story!

ps. I agree as well with filing an official complaint with your state dental board.

~ Jenney

[LivingAlmostLarge]

They say MA does not require a signature or notice to charge a cancellation fee. Don't know if that's true or not.

[PrincessPerky]

Don't believe them, try a news station cause they wil pay for the lawyer to find out, if not try google search to see if MA requires a signature.

[poundwise]

Exactly what is it that would obligate you to pay a fee? Did you sign any paperwork that speaks to this fee and its amount? If not, I doubt that you are legally liable.

Even if there is an obligation in some fashion, unless that figure is spelled out, or language that defines that figure is used, such as "the maximum allowed by law" then they will not be able to hold you to that figure and most likely cannot legally collect that amount.

Now, if they have given you notice, especially if it is in some paperwork you signed or initialed, that states that they charge something like "a fee of 50%" or similar, then you may up a creek.

In any case, I would push the issue - now and hard. Otherwise, they can add interest and/or can hand it over to a collector, put it on your credit report, etc. Get this dealt with immediately.

[m3racer]

I have to disagree with everyone here. 1) It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that the health care provider is in-network...not the Dr's office. The Dr's office can check for you but that is out of mere courtesy.
2) If you did not cancel your appointment within the appropriate time frame that again is your fault.
3) Every Dr has a right to set their own policy regarding cancellations and penalty fees. DebbieL you are incorrect with your ignorant comment that most dental visits don't cost $350. How do you even know what the OP was having done. The bottom line is you're wasting the Dr's time and affecting his/her production by being irresponsible regarding your own health care. If you were that uncertain about your insurance you shouldn't have scheduled the appointment.

[Daylily]

Ummm... hello.... It's okay to disagree on this board but I don't think we participate in derogatory comments.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by m3racer

1) It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that the health care provider is in-network...not the Dr's office.

2) If you did not cancel your appointment within the appropriate time frame that again is your fault.

3) Every Dr has a right to set their own policy regarding cancellations and penalty fees.

The bottom line is you're wasting the Dr's time and affecting his/her production by being irresponsible regarding your own health care. If you were that uncertain about your insurance you shouldn't have scheduled the appointment.

Calm down. You're scaring the children. If you want to discuss, fine, but no insults are necessary.

1) The office should know if they are in network or not and inform patients accordingly. Insurance companies are not well-known for having up to date provider directories. Many, many times patients have been told by an insurer that a doctor was participating only to find out upon contacting the doctor that he was no longer participating. The final word needs to come from the doctor's office, NOT from the insurance company.

2) It doesn't sound like the OP was ever properly informed of what the cancellation policy consisted of or what the penalty was for cancelling. Personally, I find it quite unreasonable to charge a huge fee for a patient who had the courtesy to call the day before to cancel. I don't know what more the dentist's office would expect of patients. Stuff happens. People get sick. Cars break down. How much more notice can they demand than calling the day before?

3) Yes, a doctor has the right to set his/her own policy, but he/she then also has the responsibility to properly and fully inform his patients about the terms of that policy.

[Like2Plan]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Calm down. You're scaring the children. If you want to discuss, fine, but no insults are necessary.

1) The office should know if they are in network or not and inform patients accordingly. Insurance companies are not well-known for having up to date provider directories. Many, many times patients have been told by an insurer that a doctor was participating only to find out upon contacting the doctor that he was no longer participating. The final word needs to come from the doctor's office, NOT from the insurance company.

2) It doesn't sound like the OP was ever properly informed of what the cancellation policy consisted of or what the penalty was for cancelling. Personally, I find it quite unreasonable to charge a huge fee for a patient who had the courtesy to call the day before to cancel. I don't know what more the dentist's office would expect of patients. Stuff happens. People get sick. Cars break down. How much more notice can they demand than calling the day before?

ITA! Disneysteve, you are the voice of reason.

3) Yes, a doctor has the right to set his/her own policy, but he/she then also has the responsibility to properly and fully inform his patients about the terms of that policy.

A Dr can set a policy, but doesn't it have to meet some reasonable standard? For example, what if the dentist policy was a cancelation fee of 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 (because he's got college loans to pay off).
As you pointed out, the Dr did not properly and fully inform his patient of his terms and LivingAlmostLarge didn't agree to them. Even if the $350.00 was considered reasonable, I would think it would have to meet some legal standard for a contracts:
ie , I thought that in order for a contract to exist three conditions had to be met: 1. You have to get something. 2. There has to be consideration (money or something of value) and 3. There has to be a meeting of the minds (ie you both have to agree to the terms). I wonder what Judge Judy would do with this one?