ComplaintsforTrue North Disability Services Ltd.

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We reached out to this company to ask questions they sent us a package of information we went to doctor and he filled out paperwork but told us st send in ourselves which we did we also have a friend that is an accountant and he was looking into the progress for us. Now that we got a refund this company is wanting over $4000 dollars for what they did none of the work our friend did it not them I don’t think we should have to pay this
  

  

  Business response

  12/01/2024

  Hi ***,

  As outlined in our response yesterday, you originally inquired with us on May 15, 2019. At that time, we went through a detailed assessment with you and outlined how we felt you would qualify for the Disability Tax Credit.
  
  On May 30, 2019 - we spoke with you again to follow up and you told us that you had discussed your condition with your physician, and that your doctor told you that you would not qualify, and therefore you did not want to proceed.
  
  You then reached out to us on April 14, 2023. Again we went through an assessment, discussed how your physician was incorrect, and that we would work with your doctor to outline how your condition would qualify for the Disability Tax Credit.
  
  We received your paperwork back on April 19, 2023. There were issues authorizing your account, so we called and left you a voicemail. We followed up the following day and left a 2nd voicemail. Finally the following day, we were able to have you authorized.
  
  Immediately, we completed a 10 year tax assessment to ensure you had sufficient income to claim the credit (as we explained, the Disability Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit). We discussed how prior issues with debt organization would affect your claim. 
  
  On April 28, we had discussed with you that you had a balance owing to the *** in the amount of $3497.6. We explained that if you were approved and received a refund, the *** would first take what they are owed, and issue you the balance. We then asked you if you still wanted to proceed with a claim with True North, to which you told us yes.
  
  We then proceeded with faxing your application along with supporting information to your physician on May 5, 2023.
  
  Your physician faxed us back that day, and advised us to first have you sign your application, and then resend it. We sent you a copy to electronically sign, and you did. We then refaxed your physician.
  
  On May 8, 2023 your doctor faxed us back and stated that you have never demonstrated to him that you are meeting the requirements for Life Sustaining Therapy, and that he does not consider you to be Markedly Restricted in mobility, as per the definition on the *** application.
  
  To that point, the *** definitions are in fact wrong, and have been continuously told be the tax court of Canada to amend this (which to this day, they still haven't). This leads doctors often to believe their patients will not qualify, which in fact they may (as the *** makes the determination, NOT the doctor). Furthermore, as you expressed to us in 2019, your doctor did not believe you would qualify.
  
  Your doctor then asked us to advise you to come in and speak with him, and in fact told us he did not want to work with us and would submit your claim to the *** without going through us.
  
  This is a breach of your tax payer bill of rights, right #15 - you have the right to representation of your choosing in tax related matters. You very clearly inquired with us (not only once, but 2x), we clearly went through multiple assessments, completed tax assessments, prepared documentation to your physician to outline how you are in fact meeting the requirements, and for whatever reason - your doctor did not want to work with a 3rd party. With all due respect, as I have outlined, that is a breach of your rights.
  
  Regardless of your physician submitting the paperwork that we had provided to him and outing how you are meeting the requirements, that does not negate your contractual obligations. Unfortunately you are trying to take advantage of us by avoiding our phone calls and emails, and submitting your application without us. Our client service agreement is very clear and it is to protect both us from people taking advantage of us. It states that should you choose not to proceed with a claim, you will not file on your own for a period of 24 months. 
  
  I am attaching a copy of your client service agreement for your records. We spoke with you multiple times throughout the process such as when we were discussing the outstanding debt that you had to the *** and asked you specifically if you wanted to proceed (as we would never want to put anyone in a position where they may be out of pocket, and also want to be fully transparent with clients). Each and every time we spoke with you to discuss various situations such as that, you advised us to proceed.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  15/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Initial date of first transaction: Apr 26, 2023 was correspondence from True North Disabilities (TND) to submit my form. I am filing this complaint to dispute the 20% fee True North has charged me for services that were not met. Here are the reasons: TND claims that they file your claim and advocate for you but the only thing they actually did was submit the ***** form that I had my doctor fill out for a fee of $30. plus a $5. fee to fax the form to TND. There was not any letter to advocate for me, nor could I access the form on my *** online account. TND said I could view it but the *** told me I could not because it was submitted by a 3rd party. During my dealings with TND I only received emails when I first agreed to their services under the ******** that they would advocate for me with the *** to obtain a tax credit. During the process I never received updates or other correspondence except when I phoned them (dates of emails and phone conversations attached), even though they state in their introductory letter that they do daily checks and correspondence to update the client on the process. I did not hear anything from TND after this so I checked my *** ACCOUNT and saw that the claim was held up with a date of Sept. 17th posted! TND did not inform me of this so I phoned the *** and asked why this was held up. The agent I spoke with filed a letter for me saying that this date was unacceptable and asked the *** dept in charge of disability claims to work on my claim, which they did and a new date of July 26th was implemented. TND did not advocate for this and I spent an undue amount of stress and time on the phone with the *** in order to get this taken care of. Finally, my claim was okayed and on August 15th I was to receive my refund of $5,730.92 (total for 3 yrs retroactive). Then, and only then did I get correspondence from TND. On August 14th they phoned to say I had received a refund then asked that I pay, and then that was followed up with an invoice for $1203.49, this included taxes that I was not informed of. As they did not advocate for me or keep me informed with regular updates, nor did they do anything beyond submitting the doctor's form. They did not supply the services that they advertise and I wish to dispute the 20% fee. I also note that the ********** ** ****** has set up regulations for the amount that these businesses can charge at a rate of $100. for initial service and $100. per retroactive tax year credits. That would make my bill $400. for 3 yrs retroactive plus initial service fee> Although this is in litigation I believe a fair compromise would be a 10% for services rendered (or not rendered). This would amount to a fee of $573.10 (more than the $400. fee suggested by ********** ** ******).

  

  Business response

  15/08/2023

  Hi *********,

  When we first spoke with you regarding our services and had a consultation, we discussed with you at that time our contingency fee of 20%. After our consultation, we sent you paperwork to get your claim started which included a client service agreement, medical release, and authorization form. Like any business in Canada, we are required to charge GST by law. This is also clearly outlined in our agreement which you had signed that applicable taxes would be applied.

  We initially faxed your physician on May 4, 2023 after completing a 10 year tax assessment to ensure you had sufficient income to claim a refund. This package to your doctor was not just an application as you state. This included a detailed description outlining how you are affected on a daily basis and relevant information that should be included within your application, as well as additional details to your physician outlining the requirements to this program, and how you are meeting them (based on our assessment).

  Our client service agreement also states that any fees you may incur by your physician are your responsibility, as they can be used as a tax write off under Medical Expenses when filing your 2023 tax return. Some doctors do not charge to complete applications, where as others do. It is always a case by case basis.

  To say "There was not any letter to advocate for me" is completely inaccurate. You also state "During my dealings with TND I only received emails when I first agreed to their services under the ******** that they would advocate for me with the *** to obtain a tax credit." To confirm, we spoke with you many times throughout the process, both while your application was with your physician and once you had submitted it. On July 21 you had called upset and stated your *** My Account was not showing information regarding your claim and wondered why it was not yet submitted. We had advised you that it was submitted, however the ***'s Progress Tracker (and system in general) was not working properly and tracking the files, but we had the confirmation number from May 17 when your application was submitted.

  You then called again on July 21 and stated you were upset because a friend of yours had applied and was approved within 4 weeks. We stated at that time - we do not control the *** processing times. They are constantly changing, and unfortunately as you know are aware - the *** was on strike for 1 month, combined with a backlog of tax season. As stated, your application was submitted  and the *** had confirmed they had it, and had not yet processed it.

  On July 26, 2023 you had called in again upset because your application was not yet approved, and stated you wanted to cancel our services. You also stated on that phone call that you were told our fees were only 4% (which is of course not accurate).

  Because you are registered for your *** My Account, you get instant updates when there is an update to anything *** related, such as the Disability Tax Credit approval. *** does not notify Authorized Representatives of this. We do check manually daily for updates so that we can provide these to you, but due to the way the *** operates, it would not be uncommon for you to receive a notification directly from them (as this is instant).

  Once you were approved for the Disability Tax Credit, we immediately submitted "Change my Returns" which would then factor in the Disability Tax Credit to your tax returns, which has allowed you to receive your refund.

  I am sorry that you had a negative experience, however we did everything we said we would do. We were successful in getting you approved for the Disability Tax Credit. We worked with you and your physician to have your application completed. We then submitted it to the ***, and submitted the adjustments once you were approved. 

  It is clear from prior calls you were trying to get out of your contract after we had moved forward and even submitted your application to the ***. Stating that we told you we only charge 4% is completely inaccurate, and also contradicts our signed client service agreement which clearly states a 20% contingency fee + applicable taxes. As mentioned earlier, it also states that any fees incurred as a result of your physician completing your application would be your responsibility.

  If you would like me to provide you with these signed documents, as well as the tax adjustments that were filed, we would be more than happy to do so.

  Customer response

  29/08/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   In response to True North Disabilitys letter, I am outlining my reasons for continuing to dispute their claim for a 20% payment fr services that I believe were not rendered.Further to your letter, I did not say that you had quoted a 4% fee as I had said, * **** **** **** ******* ****** * ******* ******* ** **** ** ******* **** *** **** ** *** ***. As for the package you sent to my doctor, you state that you include detailed descriptions outlining how my doctor can fill out the forms. I have been a patient of Dr.********** for 18 years and she has all of my medical information and is very familiar with the disability forms. We met for over an hour in her office to go over the forms and she filled them out with my feedback and medical information. She is not a doctor who would need to be advised as to how to fill out these forms. I had no problem with paying her a fee of $30 to do this, that is not the issue here. ********************** can verify all I have said here. As I stated, there was no advocacy given by TND. I had also requested that you send me copies of the letters you sent to my doctor but you did not supply them.
  And, as to the claim To confirm, we spoke with you many times throughout the process,both while your application was with your physician and once you had submitted it is very inaccurate.  The emails I received from you, dated April 26, and last one on May 17th,then nothing until August 15th when you sent several emails asking for payment. There were no phone calls from you other than the two times I phoned questioning what was happening with my claim (as I had heard nothing from you), and then two phone calls on August 22 and August 26..
  Then the one today,August 29 (included is the ********* email I received after that phone call) from the owner Shane, that I answered against my better *****ment. As it turned out to be a phone call to try to ********** ** *** ****** me.
  I had numerous talks with agents at the *** after viewing my file online and only had information regarding my claim from them as TND did not communicate with me what was going on. On July 26th I phoned the *** and talked to a Disability Tax Credit agent who wrote a request to have my file speeded up. TND did nothing to this effect.To say that WE do check manually daily for updates so that we can provide these to you is not true. You did nothing in this regard and as stated, I contacted the *** many times. Then you claim that Once you are approved for the Disability Tax Credit, we immediately submitted Change My Return This is also ********** as I checked off the box on (page 2 Part A) the ***** government form that said Yes, adjust my previous tax returns for all applicable years I gave my approval to the ***, not you.
  * **** **** ***** **** ***** ** * ******* *********** **** *** ********** ** ****** ** **** ***** ********** ** ****** ** * ****** ** ********* * **** ******* *** **** * ******* *** ****** ** ******* ** * ********** *** ****** I have included some of the main points of this in an attachment, along with the link to the full document. *** **** **** **** *** ***** ******************************* ** *** **** ******** ** *** ******* ********** ***** ******** This is something that clients of TND should be aware of as it very likely affects the extended amount of time claims are being held up. There should be transparency in a company and this is not evident with TND.
  In closing, I believe a settlement of a 10% fee to TND is fair and ethical. This is more than the proposed $100 initial fee, plus $100 for each previous years adjustments, that the Minister of ******** ******* &The Attorney General of ****** are trying to implement. ** *** *** *** ********** ******* **** ******************************* *** ****** ** ***** ** *** *** ** ****
  

  Copy of the ********* email sent by Shane to me today:

   Hi *********,
  To follow up with you on our conversation when you hung up the phone on me, I would like to confirm a few things:
  1)We did exactly what we said we would do - you got approved for the Disability Tax Credit and you received your refund.
  2)You took it upon yourself to continue to call the *** for updates (which they were not able to provide you anything other than a generic timeline which we had already provided to you). As you stated you are upset that it took so long, and as I have told you - we do not control the *** timelines and cannot control the fact that they were on ****** for 1 month and caused massive delays for everyone in the country (not just you). Once your application is submitted, only after the ***'s timelines are exceeded, can you then file a ***** service related complaint, which would then be forwarded to a complaints officer, who would then contact the tax center on your behalf. The *** was not processing any Disability Tax Credit applications while they were on strike. This is one of the contributing factors to your claim taking long to be processed. 
  3)Filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau does not excuse you from your contractual obligations. I am sorry that you feel you were not given updates, but during that time there was simply no update to give. As I have previously stated, your application was submitted, and we were waiting for the *** to review your application. Despite you calling the *** and asking for updates on their ******* ********* line, this would not expedite them processing your claim.
  4)As stated, throughout the entire process you have made attempts to get out of your contract, or negotiate a lower fee (first suggesting 4%, and then 10%). We got you approved for the Disability Tax Credit and you received your refund. We will not be lowering or negotiating your invoice, and if the invoice is not paid within the specified time frame, we will move forward with pushing it to collections.
  If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to ask.
  Thank you,
  Shane N*********, Managing Partner  
  True North Disability Services
  p: ************** *** ***   Direct ************
  f: 1-800-317-0627
  a: **** *** * **** 192 St Surrey, BC V3S 2V7
  www.tnds.ca
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business response

  29/08/2023

  Hi *********,

  Thank you for your response, however we stand by the email I sent you after our phone call today. I phoned you today to discuss your complaint and try to get a better understanding of what the problem was. You had said that you had to call *** multiple times to get updates as we were not providing them to you.

  As previously discussed, your application was submitted to the *** on May 17, 2023. The *** provides timelines in which they TRY to adhere to 95% of the time (which they often do not). Attached is a copy of their estimated 8 week time frame.

  As you *** recall, the *** also went on strike and were not processing disability tax credit applications (or many other benefits and tax related items) during that time period. This then caused a backlog of issues with the *** that they needed to resolve. When you combine that with tax filing season, unfortunately - you end up with delays from the ***'s part.

  While I appreciate you were trying to call the *** to get an update on your claim, there was simply no update to give. When you call the ******* ********* line at **************, they cannot tell you any information other then when they received the document, and the estimated completion date. So the multiple agents you spoke with would have simply taken the date of submission (May 17, 2023) and added 8+ weeks onto that to give you an estimated completion date. I will also note that we had previously provided this information to you.

  Typically, and only once an expected completion date has been surpassed (which in your case, would have been approx. July 12, 2023) can an ***** service related complaint be submitted to the ***. When this is submitted, it is then assigned to a complaints officer, who would then contact the tax center and request an update and inquire as to what is taking so long.

  Due to the fact that the *** as backed up and on strike, they were advising to not submit any service related complaints for an additional 4+ weeks as simply put - they were backed up. You were approved 3 weeks after the ESTIMATED timeframe the *** provides (when there is no strike, and no backlog).

  As stated, multiple times throughout our interactions you have tried to negotiate fees, and even cancel after your application was submitted to the ***. This is not acceptable, and you are simply using the Better Business Bureau "complaint" to try to negotiate your contractual obligation. I am also attaching the "Change my returns" that were submitted on your behalf once approved. While its great that the box was checked to adjust your returns on your application (checked by us), that is unreliable. We know this from years of experience. Quite often the *** forgets to forward that request to the tax center (and even when they do forward it, it takes significantly longer than having someone manually make the adjustments for you).

  In regards to the ****** you have quoted - **** *********** *** ********* ** * **************** ***** and is not active. I am also attaching that for your reference.

  I attempted to call and discuss your concerns today, and unfortunately it was to no avail. Your concerns (before you hung up on me) were the fact that you had to call the *** to get updates and that we were not providing them to you. As I stated on the call, once your application was submitted, there was no updates to give until the *** had processed your application. However, during that time, we received several phone calls and emails from you letting us know you were upset because the *** was taking so long. While I can understand your frustration, you have to understand that *** processing times are out of everyone's control. 

  We did everything we said we would do when we first had our initial consultation:

  We discussed your potential eligibility for the credit
  We went through an assessment
  We sent you paperwork to get a claim started
  We then completed a tax assessment to ensure you have had sufficient income to claim the credit
  We then sent your application to your physician along side detailed information outlining how we feel based on our assessment you would qualify for the credit
  We then reviewed, and submitted your application to the ***
  We then continued to monitor it for updates
  We had many conversations and email exchanges with you outlining your frustrations regarding the time frame
  We then informed you when we noticed your application had been approved
  We then submitted change my returns to factor the credit into your tax returns
  
  It is quite disappointing that you are attempting to leverage the Better Business Bureau to negotiate your invoice (as you have previously tried several times throughout the last several months when we have been working for you). As stated in my prior email, we will not be reducing your invoice as despite what you are claiming, your claims are without merit. I understand that you are upset about timelines, however - those are out of everyone's control. Getting approved for the Disability Tax Credit in 11 weeks is not uncommon (nor is it uncommon for reassessments to take an additional 20+ weeks). That is why we submit Change my Return's to factor it in right away for you, instead of relying on a checkbox that *** or *** not get forwarded to **************, and be at the mercy of their backlogs. 
  
  Thank you

  Customer response

  06/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: my comments are added onto the reply.

  1) You were approved 3 weeks after the ESTIMATED time frame the *** provides (when there is no strike, and no backlog).  The only reason my claim was approved was because I CONTACTED THE *** AND TALKED WITH AN AGENT WHO REQUESTED A DISABILITY CLAIMS OFFICER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MY CLAIM.  YOUR COMPANY DID NOTHING TO HELP.

  2) As stated, multiple times throughout our interactions you have tried to negotiate fees NO, I ONLY NEGOTIATED WHEN I RECEIVED MY BILL ON AUG, 17), and even cancel after your application was submitted to the ***. This is not acceptable, and you are simply using the Better Business Bureau "complaint" to try to negotiate your contractual obligation. I AM USING THE BBB BECAUSE TND DID NOT PROVIDE THE SERVICES IT CLAIMS TO, SUCH AS ADVOCATE FOR CLIENT, COMMUNICATE WITH CLIENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS (********** AT MOST, THIS DEFINITELY DID NOT HAPPEN), SEND A LETTER TO MY DOCTOR OUTLINING WAYS TO FILL OUT THE ***** FORM TO MAKE IT ACCEPTABLE.  *************** SPENT OVER AN HOUR GOING OVER THE FORMS WITH HER KNOWLEDGE OF MY MEDICAL ISSUES AND RECORDS TO FILL IT OUT.  SHE IS WELL VERSED IN DISABILITY CLAIMS APPLICATIONS.  I HAD ASKED TND TO PROVIDE THE LETTER YOU SENT PROVIDING INFORMATION  BUT I HAD ASKED FOR A COPY OF THIS LETER 3X AND YOU DID NOT PROVIDE IT TO ME.  MY DOCTOR DOES NOT HAVE ANY RECORD OF IT, AND GAVE ME THE ***** FORM TO FAX IN TO YOU. 

  3) I am also attaching the "Change my returns" that were submitted on your behalf once approved. While its great that the box was checked to adjust your returns on your application (checked by us), that is unreliable. We know this from years of experience. Quite often the *** forgets to forward that request to the tax center (and even when they do forward it, it takes significantly longer than having someone manually make the adjustments for you).  ALSO ********** AT BEST BECAUSE I ASKED THE *** AGENT THIS QUESTION AS WELL AND SHE VERIFIED THAT MY TICKING OFF THE *** WAS ALL REQUIRED AND THAT THE *** DOES INDEED MAKE NOTE OF THIS.

  4)In regards to the ****** you have quoted - **** *********** *** ********* ** * **************** ***** and is not active. I am also attaching that for your reference.  I AM WELL AWARE OF THE ********** ** **** *********** ANBD IN FACT, BOUGHT IT TO YOUR ATTENTION WHEN I FOUND IT.  I NOTE THAT THE ****** ***** (WHO PHONED ME) IS THE PERSON WHO CAUSED THIS TO BE ******* *** *** ** **********.  THIS IS A ************ ***** ** **** ** ** ******* ** ***** * *********** THAT WOULD PROVIDE DISABILITY CLAIMANTS FORM RECEIVING A FAIR *** FOR SERVICES SUCH AS YOURS.  *** *** *** ****** ** ** ***** *** *** ** ***** ****** ** ******** ** ********  ************  TND WAS ALL TO EAGER TO GET ME SIGNED UP WITH A CONTRACT ON APRIL 26, AND THEN ALMOST NO COMMUNICATION UNTIL I WAS APPROVED AND PAID FOR THE DISABILITY CLAIM, AND THEN YOU COMMUNICATE WITH A BILL FOR PAYMENT.  SO FAR 4 EMAILS, AND 2 EMAILS. 

  5) I attempted to call and discuss your concerns today, and unfortunately it was to no avail. Your concerns (before you hung up on me) were the fact that you had to call the *** to get updates and that we were not providing them to you. As I stated on the call, once your application was submitted, there was no updates to give until the *** had processed your application. YOU ALREADY KNEW WHAT MY COMPLAINTS WERE AND I REITERATED THAT TO YOU BUT YOU KEPT INSISTING THEN LET ME KNOW THAT TND WOULD NOT NEGOTIATE THE *** AND WOULD START COLLECTION ACTION IF I DID NOT PAY.  WHEN I AGAIN REITERATED WHAT MY COMPLAINT WAS, YOU THEN VERY LOUDLY SAID, **** *** **** ****** **** **** ** *** *****.  THIS WAS QUITE FRANKLY JUST AN ATTEMPT TO ********** ** SO I SAID GOODBYE AND HUNG UP.
  We did everything we said we would do when we first had our initial consultation: NOT TRUE
  We discussed your potential eligibility for the credit YES, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FEW COMMUNICATIONS WITH ME, IN ORDER TO SIGN ME ON.
  We went through an assessment NOT SURE ABOUT THAT
  We sent you paperwork to get a claim started ? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE ONE FORM I FILLED OUT ALLOWING YOU TO BE AN INTERMEDIARY WITH THE ***?
  We then completed a tax assessment to ensure you have had sufficient income to claim the credit  NOT SURE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I ALREADY KNEW I HAD SUFFICIENT INCOME, OBVIOUSLY.
  We then sent your application to your physician along side detailed information outlining how we feel based on our assessment you would qualify for the credit  AS STATED, WHERE IS THIS LETTER WITH DETAILED INFORMATION? I REQUESTED A COPY FROM YOU 3 TIMES, AND WAS NOT GIVEN ONE.
  We then reviewed, and submitted your application to the ***
  We then continued to monitor it for updates  YET, YOU DID NOT COMMUNICATE WITH ME ON THIS?
  We had many conversations and email exchanges with you outlining your frustrations regarding the time frame  ONLY EMAILS WAS AT MY INITIATIVE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING.  YOU BASICALLY LEFT ME IN THE DARK
  We then informed you when we noticed your application had been approved  I HAD COMMUNICATION FROM ***, SO YOU "NOTICED" IT HAD BEEN APPROVED?
  We then submitted change my returns to factor the credit into your tax returns  S STATED, THE *** WAS CHECKED OFF BY ME, VERIFIED WITH A *** AGENT.
  
  It is quite disappointing that you are attempting to leverage the Better Business Bureau to negotiate your invoice (as you have previously tried several times throughout the last several months when we have been working for you).  I DID NOT TRY TO NEGOTIATE MY INVOICE THROUGHOUT THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, ONLY WHEN I GOT MY BILL ON AUGUST 17, AND DISCUSSED WITH YOU WHAT I FELT WAS A LACK OF THE SERVICES THAT YOU CLAIM TO PROVIDE.  I EXPRESSED MY FRUSTRATION TO YOU ABOUT THIS MANY TIMES.  AS IT STANDS, I DO NOT ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSE AS VALID, NOR DO I BELIEVE YOU PROVIDED SERVICES AS INDICATED IN YOUR COMPANY'S WEBSITE.  

  I MAINTAIN THAT A FAIR *** WOULD BE A 10% *** FOR SERVICES RENDERED, OR NOT.  A LAST NOTE: YOUR ATTACHMENTS ARE NOT USEFUL AS THEY JUST STATE THE OBVIOUS FROM MY DEALINGS WITH THE ***, AND THE ONE PDF WITH NUMBERS DOES NOT RELATE TO MY CLAIM AT ALL.  WHAT IS THIS ONE?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business response

  06/09/2023

  Hi *********,

  As mentioned several times now - despite you continuously trying to negotiate your fees (and denying that you have tried to negotiate prior to your approval - however our records indicate otherwise) - we will not be lowering or negotiating your fee. As mentioned, you initially tried for 4% during the process of your claim. When we told you no, you then told us you wanted to cancel your claim (after your application was submitted to the ***** Then once approved, you tried to say that you feel 10% is fair.

  To confirm a few notes on your file:
  
  June 19 - you had emailed and stated "Hello, Just checking in to see if anything has progressed with my claim. A friend of mine who applied a week before me had her's approved and she is in much better shape than me as far as mobility so I am hopeful. She did have an orthopedic surgeon fill out the forms for her though, so I wonder if that makes any difference?Thanks for your time,*********"
  
  July 5 - "Any word on my claim yet? Not sure if they contact me via mail/phone, or you?*********"

  July 21 - You spoke with Jade and stated your friend submitted her application in May and wanted to know why it was taking so long.
  
  July 26 - You called in very upset stating that you haven't spoken to anyone from TNDS in a very long time and want to cancel (despite us speaking to you 5 days prior). At this point, you then stated you were told you only have to pay 4%. You also stated that your friend was only approved in 2 weeks, and demanded to know why it was taking so long. Kelsey (who you were speaking with) discussed the delays as a result of the *** strike and back log.

  You took it upon yourself to continuously call the *** as you have stated. This was not a requirement. This was you trying to speed up the process which I can understand, however - I can tell you that despite what you may be claiming, simply calling the *** ******* ********* line would have no affect on speeding up your claim, regardless of how many times you called them. As stated, the only way to take action on a claim that is taking significantly longer than the estimated time frame, is to file a ***** service related complaint to the ***, which you did not do. A *** agent on the ******* ********* line does not have the authority to file an ***** on your behalf. Considering your claim was approved 3 weeks after the current estimated time frame, it would not even possible during that time period to file an *****, have it assigned to a case officer, have them contact **************, and relay the findings. 
  
  When your application was originally submitted to the *** on May 17, 2023, you were also sent an email outlining our estimated time frames (which were in fact very accurate). The reason we provide clients with our own timelines is because after many years of business, we generally have a pretty good idea of time frames despite what the *** posts. The ***'s "Progress Tracker" has not worked for half the year, and is not reliable. To that affect - there are countless news articles from *** ****** *** ************ outlining how *** wait times and processing times are inaccurate. 

  Since you claim to be well aware of the ******, *** ***** **** **** *** ** *** **** ******* ** *** ****** **** ** ******* ** ***** ** **** ********** ****** ********'s with disabilities, as this would severely limit anyone that can provide any service to you in that regard. It is not even plausible to think that a business can operate at a fee of only $100. You keep referring to this, however have yet to acknowledge that the *** was on strike for nearly a month and have publicly stated that during that time period, they were not processing DTC claims. As I am sure you can appreciate, this would cause a backlog which they would then have to sort through once they got back to work, causing not only a delay in processing those claims, but claims that would be submitted for months to come.
  
  I have attempted to phone to discuss your concerns with you a week or so ago, and you rudely hung up on me. You continuously make claims on here that are inaccurate. There will not be any negotiating whatsoever on your fee, nor will we continue to go back and forth at this point. Despite our best efforts to provide clarity on this, you are simply refusing to acknowledge facts. We pride ourselves in our customer service and unfortunately, as stated throughout the process, you have tried to negotiate your fees or cancel our services. Not acceptable.
  
  The terms of your invoice are stated on the invoice.
  
  Thank you
  

  Customer response

  14/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  As i have said many times, I did not at any time ask for a 4% fee.  This is a false statement made by TND.  I have repeatedly ask for a 10% fee as I believe this to be a fair amount considering the minimal amount of time TND needed to work on my claim.  I have also repeatedly requested a copy of the letter sent to my doctor advising her of how to fill out the ***** form but this has not been provided.  It is one of the services tnat TND purports to supply to its clients.  My doctor does not have this letter.  

  As far as the ******* ********** ** ***** *** ****** ** **** * ******* **** ** *** *** ******* ***** ** *** ********** *** ****** ********* ************ **** *** ***** ** *** ******************************************************* ** *** **** ******* *** ** *** ********** *** ***** ** ********************** ***** *** ******* ** ****  * **** ********* ** ******* ******  ******* ** ****** **** *********** ** **** *** ** ***** awaiting to hear from her office.  I may also be seeking legal advice on this matter unless mediation through the BBB is possible.

  At this time I maintain that TND did not do much more than file my doctors report and did not provide continuing support and communication with me as a client, contrary to what they claim.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business response

  14/09/2023

  Hi *********,
  
  I have outlined in a previous response the work that was done on your claim. When I told you that we completed an assessment with you - your response was "did you?". How is it that you think we obtained information on how you are affected on a daily basis, and was able to prepare that and provide that information to your physician? You continuously try and downplay all of the work that was involved, simply to negotiate a fee.
  
  In regards to the ******* ************ ** ** *** **** ****** *** **** ***** **** **** ********** *** ********** ** ******* ** *** ****** * ***** **** **** ****** ******** ** *** *** ***** ********* ******** ******* ** *** ********** ******************* ******* *** ******* 
  Thank you.

  Customer response

  21/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  As I am in contact with ******************************************** in this matter I have been advised by *** ****** to not pay until further notice from her office.  This *********** ** ******** *** ****** ********** *** ****** ********* *** ******* *** ***** ** ********* ******************************************** *** ****** *** ** *** *** ********** ** **** * *** ******* *** *** ** ********** ** **** *** ********* **** *****  Therefore, I will resolve this when they advise me next.  Here is the contact information for her office.
  ******************************************;
  Email
  ******************************************************
  Website
  ************************
  **** ******
  **************** *
  *************************************
  Telephone: ************
  Fax: ************
  * Mail may be sent postage-free to any member of *************************************************** ********
  *****************************************
  *** *****
  ********, *******
  *** ***
  
  Telephone: ************
  Fax: ************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

*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. ↩