ComplaintsforAffordable Dentures-Albuquerque, P.C.

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went there to start the process of getting my top teeth removed and dentures was told by the dentist that they would put me in temporary dentures after the teeth extractions and permanent after my mouth had healed. Got teeth removed and got the temporary dentures and planned on getting implants done for the top set but they didn't submit a claim to my insurance for the part that I hadn't paid for so had to put the implants on hold until they submitted and got paid for the remaining balance after I paid my part. I call and would get no response or return of my phone call from them trying to figure out what was going on. So last Friday I called because I decided to get my permanent dentures and find somewhere else to get the implants done, now I'm being told 12 months later that the dentures I have are the only dentures I am getting. Keep in mind not only did the dentist tell me these were temporary in front of 2 witnesses because I had my mom and my husband there but the nurse told me the same thing in front of my husband when I complained these dentures were causing me pain. She told me to wait because the permanent ones that I would be getting would fit and I would get those when I got the implants. The girl I spoke with on the phone who is a very unpleasant individual would not give me her name and also hung up on me when I asked. Also I have witnesses to the phone call that I had with her as my father and husband were here and the phone was on speaker the entire time.

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  I will get my staff to review this patient's file and ledger with me tomorrow. I can provide generic information regarding clinic policy, treatment guidelines, and treatment limitations placed by insurance companies. Once I review this patients treatment history and ledger, I can address her specific complaints in detail.

  We have our own onsite lab and we make sure everyone of our surgery patients has either and immediate partial or complete full denture ready for them to wear home the day of the extractions. We schedule a post operative and follow up visit 2-3 weeks after the extractions. We place a soft liner material to make the healing dentures fit better and to adapt them to the changing mouth. The patient will then contact us as needed over the next 6-9 months if they need another reline or adjustment. When the patient is done healing and the gums are done shrinking we do the following steps based on their insurance status:

  No insurance: about 90% of my patients have no dental insurance so they can take advantage of my New Denture Wearer Package where for one fee they receive the healing dentures, all the soft liners, all follow up care and a new final set made from scratch based on what package they purchased (either economy, economy +, premium, or ultimate fit). They keep the first healing set as a back up set.

  Insurance:  the 10 % of the patients who have insurance either private or Medicaid, cannot take advantage of the package due to the insurance rules. Under contract, they will only allow one set made every 60 months. Therefore, I make the healing dentures like I normally do but we make these ones with premium teeth vs starting out with the economy teeth given to the package people. I do not charge the patient or the insurance anything for any follow up care, soft liners while they are healing, or any adjustments for the first 6 months post surgery. After the 6 months, we use the premium healing teeth and do a lab reline to permanently adapt the dentures to the healed mouth. The insurance will cover this. 

  Now, if the insurance patient has implants placed by my clinic before the six months healing is done, I remake the set with just a lab fee since we cannot use the healing dentures to accept the titanium caps that allows us to snap on the implant supported overdentures. I do this as an added benefit since these patients ae incurring additional fees with the implant placement. 

  At the beginning treatment planning appointment, the patient can waive their insurance to take advantage of the package or to get Ultimate Fit quality dentures vs the Premiums dictated by the insurance fee schedules. The disadvantage of this is that they will not get the benefit of reduced extraction prices dictated by the insurance fee schedules. So, they pay more for the surgery without insurance but they get more denture product(s). 

  Sorry if this is confusing. Again, I will see what Ms ******* situation is and report back the details once I have them. Thank you.

  **** * ****** *** **** ****** *****

  Owner, Managing Dentist Affordable Dentures & Implants Albuquerque

   

   

  Customer response

  06/21/2023

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

  I was only told these were temporary and I would get permanent dentures after healing. And when I posed a complaint about how they felt the nurse also told me they were just temporary and the permanent pair would fit better. Never was I told that this was only if I got implants or not at all due to insurance.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  I had my insurance specialist for my clinic review Ms. ******* treatment plan and her ledger. It seems as though she has insurance though ***** ****** of Georgia. Therefore, since I am under contract to be a provider under ***** ******'s provider network, I am under obligation to follow the rules outlined for their providers. It seems that for Ms. ***** she will fall under the protocol set forth for those patients having insurance: immediate dentures with the Premium quality teeth made to be placed at the time of extractions, then post operative visit where we provide all adjustments/evaluation of bite,esthetics/then an chairside soft reline material is placed to assist in retention and healing, unlimited visits for up to 6 months and or till she is done healing, then a same day laboratory rebase to permanently adapt the immediate dentures to long term dentures. 

  All of the above treatment is offered and accomplished with a fee filed, as a courtesy, to the insurance company. We never file or charge for any future services during this healing process except when it is time to do the lab rebase/reline. ***** allows us to file for that service. Once the denture has been converted post healing, she will have a 3 year unlimited warranty against breakage or cracking during normal usage. If she still has ***** ******, she will be free to have a new set made through her insurance once it is post 5 years after they were made. 

  Ms ***** is due for the lab reline/rebases of her Premium dentures. 

  We have filed with ***** ****** as a courtesy to Ms ***** for all extractions and for the immediate dentures. We did not charge her nor her insurance for the an exams, initial consultation, pre-operative panoramic radiograph, and any or all post operative visits, adjustments, or soft relines. My clinic provides all of these services free to assist our patients through the difficult transition from natural teeth to dentures. We are one of the few clinics that so this at no cost. So far, we have received a payment of $688.00 on 2/8/23 and another payment of $547.00 on 6/20/23. We are still waiting for another payment from Delta. Ms. ******* current outstanding balance is $1,623.10. We will reconcile her ledger once ***** has paid their part under contract. We will reach out to Ms. ***** once we receive this last payment so that she can pay the reminder of the balance if necessary. Again, we have only charged for the extractions and the immediate dentures. We used the fees set by ***** and the estimated patient part and estimated ***** part was agreed to once Ms ***** agreed to treatment. These are all reduced fees from our standard fees.

  Clinically, Ms ***** is due for the permanent reline at her convenience. She can get this done with us same day or with any provider in the ***** Network.  

  (by the way, the previous response from me was informational only regarding the office policies and may have not pertained to Ms ******* situation).

  Thank you, 

  ** ******

  Customer response

  06/27/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I have paid over 1000 already and have the proof that I have. Also this is not what I was told during my initial exam or the follow up and they knew I had insurance during both exams because I made sure they knew.  Also the only reason the insurance has not paid is because they made a mistake on the claim paperwork according to my insurance. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Affordable Dentures and Implants overcharged my husband for a dental procedure. I had paid the complete patient’s portion of a procedure costing over four thousand dollars in October, 2022. When my husband went to their office for the next step of the procedure in January, 2023 they asked him to pay $2,125.27, which he did. This request by their office was a mistake because I had already paid the entire patient’s portion. When my husband and I went to their office 2/20/2023 they refunded me $1,537.74. My complaint is that they told me they would refund the remainder of my over payment when the insurance company pays them. I have never heard of a practice demanding that the patient pay the cost of the entire procedure, (including the insurance portion) months prior to the procedure being completed. I do not believe that this is a fair business practice, and would like to warn potential patients that this company has treated us unfairly. I need help please to get the remainder of my over payment of $587.53.

  Customer response

  03/13/2023

  I filed a related complaint on February 20, 2023. They overcharged my husband for dental work. The original complaint was because they did not refund the entire overpayment. They refunded part of the overpayment, reserving payment for any amount due by Insurance. They told me that they would refund the remainder of my overpayment when the insurance company pays them. The NEW COMPLAINT is that the Insurance company has now paid them more than expected, and they refused to refund the money to me. I have the EOB from the insurance company showing exactly how much they paid. Since I had already paid the entire balance, they owe me the money the insurance company paid them. I spoke to ***** yesterday, who is supposed to be reviewing the entire account. She requested proof of payment for a prior procedure done in February, 2021. Since they don't answer their phone, and don't return messages, I went to their office this morning. I provided her the proof she requested, and she refused to look at the information I took her. We are talking about a refund due of over $2,200.00. Not a small amount of my money they are holding. I decided to wait in their office until they would respond to me. I took her the information at 8:15am. She ignored me all day until they were ready to close at 1:00pm. When they asked me to leave, I told them I was patiently waiting for my refund. I was very polite, did not cause a scene, did not speak to any other patients, just waited until she would have time to process my refund. I told them I would wait for my refund, and they called the police to have me removed from their property. In the hour and a half we were both waiting for the police to arrive, they had plenty of time to review my account and process the refund. They refused to do anything. When the police officer arrived, they told him that they do not deny they owe me money. I do not know what to do, I just want the money due me now. Please help me. Thank you.

  Business response

  03/29/2023

  Good afternoon. My apologies on responding so late to the original complaint and to the "part two" complaint filed by Ms. ***** on 3/13/23. I will first type in the response from my staff in narrative form describing the best they can the details of this situation. I will then write my summary and subsequent disposition of this complaint.

  "  ******* ***** has been a patient since 2/2021. Since this date, the clinic has had tremendous turnover with insurance/ front desk staff (6 people). Unfortunately, this has lead to to errors in accounting and delays/misfiling of third party payment forms. We have been vigorously trying daily to remedy and correct all errors. Ms. *****, ********'s wife, came into the office to try to get the errors in her husband's account straightened out. After spending some time speaking with our current insurance coordinator, *****, Ms ***** was asked to be on stand by till ***** had a chance to set up a conference call with the insurance specialists that are employed by our management company, ********** ***** ***. (ACI). Ms. ***** graciously agreed and left. On Friday, March 10, 2023 Ms ***** walked into the clinic unannounced and without an appointment demanding that we immediately pay her the amount that was owed to them. ***** explained that her other co worker was out  that day due to a family emergency and that she could not get the ACI rep to meet with her due to not being able to pull away and do the conference call. ***** asked Ms ***** to leave and to be on standby the next week for a final word on what the resolution/refund would be. Ms ***** refused. Ms. ***** sat in the waiting room all day till the closing time of 1:00 pm. We ignored her sitting out here and just focused on treating our scheduled patients. Once the patients were all dismissed, we asked Ms ***** to leave but she refused to unless "we paid her her money". We finally had to call the police and ask their assistance having her leave the clinic so we could all go home (almost 90 minutes post closing).  "

  There are a few factors with this case:

     1. Mr ***** had work done by another office. He was not comfortable with what they did for him so he returned their appliance and they refunded his co pays to him. The other office did not, however, refund the insurance company the fees paid to them which would have freed up funds for Ms ***** to get work done with us. The crew I had working for me at that time did not do what they were supposed to do and contact the insurance company to check on benefits before we proceeded with Mr *****'s treatment. That started everything off on the wrong foot and led to his ledger being inaccurate. 

  
  

    2.  Treatment was done in different calendar years with different procedures without consolidating and reconcilling his ledger on a yearly basis. 

  
  

    3.  Turnover with my front desk/insurance staff. 

  
  

     4.  I am part of a national network and we have to go through ACI for any complex insurance issues, refunds, ledger reviews, etc. so nothing can be done on demand without external review.

  
  

  We made mistakes in billing and all we were asking was for time to get the insurance billed/filed correctly, get the payments paid to the correct entities correcly, and to have ACI due their review to ensure it is all correct. Then we would issue the refund to all parties involved (the insurance company and/or Mr. *****). We never denied that a refund needed to be made. We finally spoke with ***** at Delta Dental to make sure all was legit (we spoke with her the morning of 3/13/23 and we had the zoom call with our insurance specailist at ACI) and it was detremined that we owed Mr. ***** $2,162,20. My clinical coordinator called him and had him give his ok to process his refund. We issued his refund on 3/13/23. We feel the ledger is now balanced.   Mr. ***** will be in very shortly where we will complete his treatment. 

  As far as Ms. *****'s stunt on 3/10/23 it was shocking, stressfull, unnecessary, and scary. We, as a group, are all on eggshells ever since our two doctors that were at our Tyler, Tx practice were shot and killed by an upset patient last year. It is felonious in our state to abuse healthcare workers physically, verbally, or psychologically pursuant to N.M.S.A 1978, 30-3-9.2. We take the protection of our staff very seriously. 

  
  

  Thank you, 

  ** **** ******

  Customer response

  03/29/2023

  Complaint: ********
  I am rejecting this response because:  The response from Affordable Dentures failed to mention how rude, disrespectful, and completely unprofessional their office manager is.  I have had trouble with their incompetence from the beginning.  They asked ******* to make a payment of over $2,100.00 when he was completely paid in full.  It was like a nightmare trying to get that refunded.  They finally refunded $1,500.00 of it.  Then due to circumstances, not their fault, the insurance company paid them again.  This caused an additional problem, which was very simple to see that they were overpaid again.  The day I sat in their office waiting for them to respond, yes, they did completely ignore me.  I did not cause a disturbance, did not bother any patients, just patiently waited.  The whole problem was totally unnecessary and could have been avoided if they would just look at their records.  After they called the police, and filed a Criminal Trespass order on me, I was prepared to file a Civil Complaint.  They had plenty of time in the 90 minutes that they waited for the police to arrive to have solved the problem.  At that point they were mad and not going to do anything just to prove a point.  I was not shocked when they called early Monday morning to process a refund.  They still did not refund the entire amount that the insurance company overpaid them.  They still owe us money.  Now we are talking about hundreds not thousands.  ******* has an appointment to finish the procedure next week.  I can only hope that at his appointment they will have reviewed their accounting and will refund the remainder.  The facts in their response are mostly correct, but the rest of it is just excuses.  The manner in which they talk to people is completely disgusting.  I will close this complaint when they complete their accounting and refund the remainder of our overpayment.
  Regards,
  **** *****

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

  Business response

  05/03/2023

  There is not any overpayment. The consumer would need to contact Delta Dental.

• Initial Complaint

  11/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had taken my dentures in for repair and was not provided an written estimate of repair so when i went to pick them up they told me it would be 185.00, which before it was 50.00 so i didn’t have the money. After around 2 months I called to make sure they would be ok til i got the money and the lady said yes. I went to pick them up and was told they threw them out and would have to charge me to make another pair of dentures.

  Business response

  03/24/2023

  Good afternoon. I'm very sorry that you all have not received a response from my clinic regarding this complaint made by Ms. ******. If it is ok, I will re-write the response from my front desk team regarding the interaction with her. I had not seen this patient for a while and all interaction was with my staff. The office/product policies are approved by me and are stated on our website and provided to the patient verbally and in writing upon request. The response in in narrative form and is follows:

       " on 02/09/2022, ***** ****** brought in her full lower denture for a repair. After Dr ****** reviewed it, it was deemed fixable as a simple repair. Since the type of denture she purchased was past her warranty period, Ms. ****** was advised that there would be a repair fee. She was told it would be $170.00 plus tax (7.875%) for a total of $183.39. We always collect the repair fee from the patient before it is taken back to our onsite lab. Ms ****** said that she was not prepared to pay for the repair right then at drop off but asked if she could pay when she picks it up (later that day). We asked Dr ****** is this is ok and he said yes so we took the denture back to the lab for same day repair. Ms. ****** did not return back later that day to pay for her repair. We made several calls to Ms. ****** over the course of the following weeks to let her know that her repair was done and to ask when she would be in to pay her bill and pick up her denture. Ms. ****** expressed her concerns that she would not be able to come in to pick her denture up and pay her bill any time soon. After telling Dr ****** about her situation, Dr ****** offered to discount her bill to reflect the cost of the materials and labor for the repair. We contacted her on 02/14/2022 with this new information. Ms ****** stated that she still did not have the funds to pay her bill and that it would "be some time before she would". She said that she would let us know. No other attempts from us were made regarding this matter."

  
  

  "Fast forward to 05/26/2022. My office manager instructed me to try to contact Ms. ****** again about her denture repair since the lab still had it on their shelf ready for pick up. We reached out to Ms ******. We mentioned the discount again and asked what is her status regarding her denture repair. During this conversation, Ms ****** became very upset and proceeded to express her concerns about the office, our policies, etc. Ms ****** said that she did call the office about a month ago but did not provide details. I apologized for bothering her and Ms ****** replied, "you are bothering me *****" and hung up on me.  We did not attempt to contact Ms. ****** again after this interaction. "

  
  

  "After 6 months, all items that are in the lab are discarded since they would not be clinically accurate anymore due to the significant time left out of the mouth. If the patient eventually reaches out again, new impressions, mouth models are needed and we will need to start over. Ms. ******'s denture was part of the August lab purge. "

  
  

  "Ms ****** walked into the clinic on 11/07/2022 to pick up her denture. We reminded her of the prior interactions made with the office and told her that she would need to start from scratch if she were to get a new denture. She asked why this was done and we told her about the policy and that we assumed that she had abandoned practice and her denture since it had been so long since she dropped it off and the time elapsed since last contact and with her choice of words the last time she spoke with us. She left upset and threatened us with the BBB".

  
  

       This concludes the written narrative provided to me by my front desk staff. This is an unfortunate situation that could have been easily remedied. In hindsight, I should never have gone against my policy about pre-payment but I trusted Ms ****** to pay upon pick up. My staff is consistent with our policies and with following up regarding situations like this one. They did attempt multiple times the first week after the drop off but as you read they were told by Ms ****** that she was not able to pay. My staff only reached out again since it had been three months but as you read Ms. ****** responded rudely and crudely. I think it  made sense that we did not bother this person again. I also think it is reasonable for us to assume that Ms ****** would never be contacting us again and that she got services from one of the other discount denture practices in the city. We were very surprised to see her. 

  
  

      For the record, the denture was made on 06/28/2021. It is our economy style with a 6 month unlimited warranty. We have a national call center that any patient can call with any complaint, concerns. Our call center has agents that can mediate any concerns such as the service you provide. This number is: *************. Ms ****** could have spoken with us or with anyone from our group at any time regarding her situation. Again, sorry for the lengthy delay in responding to this complaint. 

  
  

  Sincerely, 

  Dr ******

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The end of April I called Affordable Dentures to see if they could repair a broken bottom denture, they said "Yes", so I made an appointment then they wouldn't see me w/o a CareCredit account. I got the account and Affordable claimed I needed a full set and made a mold but would NOT listen when I said there was a problem. They "fixed" the problem by removing the bottom back teeth and I was told to give them time to get used to them. May 3, I called CareCredit for my 1st payment due date and file a dispute. May 20, I had an "adjustment" appt and the receptionist yelled at me for filing the dispute. She said if I didn't like them I could return the full set and get a refund but give them time to get used to them. I gave them 3 weeks and still could not use the bottom denture. I called Affordable multiple times requesting a return call, they never did. Jun 13, I saw my regular dentist and learned the bottom denture was made wrong and "bounced" when I chewed so I had him make a replacement. Jun 14-23, I called Affordable and no one answered or returned my calls. Jun 24, I mailed Affordable's dentures back to them. Jul 20, I went to Affordable, per their request, to sign a form for a refund from CareCredit. Jul 22, I called Care Credit and was told I'd receive a letter 7-10 days after Affordable confirmed my return. Sep 1, I called CareCredit, Affordable never confirmed my return of the dentures so I filed another dispute. Sep 6, I called CareCredit then faxed a timeline and my refund letter to them Sep 7, CareCredit sent a dispute to Affordable and Affordable has 14 days to reply. Affordable Dentures has had my returned dentures since Jun 25, the "refund" letter since Jul 20, and had not notified or responded to CareCredit request for a refund.

  Business response

  10/25/2022

  Thank for bringing  this to my attention. I will have my management company, ACI, review and assess and assist in resolution. ACI resresentatives and my clinical coordinator will work together to resolve this issue.

  Dr H*****

  Tell us why here...

  Customer response

  10/27/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  this issue has been cleared BY ME working with Care Credit.  I do not feel Affordable Dentures honored their "guarantee" of a "refund" if I returned the dentures.  They made it sound like "they" were going to do the refund which actually went through Care Credit.  Care Credit kept me informed of the status of my dispute which was constantly delayed by Affordable Dentures NOT replying to their request for information in a timely manner.  Per Care Credit, my dispute is now closed and I am awaiting a refund from Care Credit.  This dispute took over 3 months to be resolved.

  I feel Affordable Dentures did not live up to my expectations of replacing dentures or the service they claim to be able to do.  I only needed the bottom denture replaced, which Affordable Dentures told me they could do, then claimed I needed a full set.  They led me to believe "they" would refund me if I gave the dentures back, this is not true, the refund comes through Care Credit.  The tech(s) did not listen when I said there was an issue with my dentures, then made then incorrectly.  The receptionist YELLED at me for filing a dispute which is poor customer service.  What Affordable Dentures "said" they could do, and what they did, were at extreme opposites.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My 6 month old dentures had a broken tooth. I live approximately 140 miles from Albuquerque Affordable Dentures but was going to be in Albuquerque that day so I requested to drop them off to have the tooth fixed. I purchased the Ultimate Fit, the highest quality denture beside implants I could buy these came with a 7 year warranty. I was first told that I needed to pay $140 (this was an approximate as I did not write down the number they gave me), when I asked why, my dentures were only 6 months old and I had a warranty, I was told I was out of warranty. I stated they are only 6 months old, was put on hold then told that they would repair them but I needed to make an appointment. I explained I live 140 miles away and just wanted to drop them off to be repaired, I would make an appointment to pick them up after they are repaired, for the next time I was in Albuquerque. I was told that they do not keep them overnight. This is a lie, as they still have my initial denture bottoms that broke a part of the back, I left them to be repaired and forgot them on the tray the day I received my ultimate fit dentures. So I stopped by the office, the women at the front desk were yelling at my husband, so I went to the window. My husband said he would wait outside to speak to the dentist, and I stated I would wait there. I sat down and waited approximately 1 hour, ( I did not ask for a rush, I did not ask to interrup Dr. H*****, I simply was doing as he requested after all the problems getting my ultimate fit that I paid for in 2019, he stated, "if you have any more problems, tell the girls you want to speak to me directly." I was then told that We were pushing the issue, that we had threatened the dentist and that Dr. H***** refused to see me and he would not do anything with my dentures. They also stated they called the police. I filed a complaint with the dental board, then 2 days later I receive an appointment via email. I do not trust them and want a full refund.

  Business response

  07/25/2022

  Good morning and thanks for reaching out to me.  My practice is part of a large national network of affiliated practices (Affordable Dentures & Implants) and we share a management company, Affordable Care Incorporated (ACI). ACI has a team of individuals who provide the services similar to what you all provide in regrards to patient complaints/concerns.  They act as an intermediary to insure that all issues are resolved with clarity and fairness.  Ms. **** has already put in a concern to ACI and ACI and I are hashing out a solution to her problem.  Ms. **** has also put in a complaint to our Dental Board in which I have retained counsel to assist me in my defense.  All concerns/ complaints are without merit.  The heart of her complaint is the repair of her broken lower denture.  Our company prides ourselves on customer service and in honoring the warranties on all of our products which are the longest and best in the nation.  However, the actions of Ms. **** and her husband precluded us from providing her with the warranty service.  Without getting into too much detail and potentially running afoul of HIPAA laws, Ms **** and her husband ended up threatening me and my staff and terrorized us.  They walked in at the end of the day without an appointment and demanded to see me personally (I was in back to back surgeries) and when they found out I was not available, they blocked our cars with their truck and said that they were "going to wait for Dr H***** when he leaves".  They did not allow my office manager an opportunity to offer a resolution to the repair problem and escalated things till we had to call the police (we filed a police report).  There is a statute in New Mexico that states "threatening a healthcare worker is a crime: NMSA 1978, 30-3-9.2" Earlier this year, two of our doctors who were at our Tyler, TX practice were shot and killed by an upset patient so we do not take any threats lightly.  Their behavior supercedes any obligation we have to them as their doctor or with their product warranty.  They are barred from being within 50 yards of our practice.

   

  Again, ACI and I will figure out a resolution IF there is a refund to be had.  Thank you again for your communication.

   

  Sincerely,

  Dr Gary H*****

  Customer response

  07/25/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
    The information Mr. H***** has submitted is not at all accurate.  Please ask for the police report.  You will see that not at any time did we threaten, nor did we block any cars at any point.  The police report they supposedly have would show this.  I question its existence as I waited inside to speak with Mr. H*****, understanding that he was busy not being insistent, for over an hour.  this was not at the end of the day as stated, there were still patients coming in when I left after being told by the office manager that Dr. H***** refused to speak with me and would not be doing anything with my dentures.  I sat in the waiting area; I never said a derogatory word to anyone, nor did I terrorize anyone.  The women behind the counter called me to the window, started yelling at me, I asked them several times to not be rude, I hadn't been.  I also had to ask them to quit yelling at me.  When they did not stop yelling at me, I raised my voice this was the first time I raised my voice.  My husband waited outside as he also asked them, "Why are you yelling at me, you need to stop," but they did not, and so the situation did not escalate he went outside, and yes, he said, "I'll wait in the truck to talk to the Doctor," no more no less but this is what they consider threatening.  Like I told the women at the window, "do you hear what you're saying?  My husband said he'd wait outside so because he said that; he is threatening?  What is the threat, the threat is that we were told to speak to the doctor directly, so that's what we want to do, does that make since?"  If we had blocked any car, much less cars an officer would have spoken to us or at least one of us, would they not have.!  What we did is what Mr. H***** told us to do, which was that if we had any more problems to speak to him directly.  AGAIN, we were trying to follow his directives.  These accusations are absurd, and I want a full refund, they do not honor their work.  The law in New Mexico states that patient abandonment is not legal, and reason to suspend or revoke a dentist's license.  The only thing that is accurate is that I did not have an appointment; I was merely trying to drop off my dentures to be repaired.  He states that I did not give his office manager a chance to resolve the problem, I did nothing but give them chances to resolve this problem as well as the previous problems.  Again, I did not ask them to rush or go out of their way what-so-ever.  When H***** states, he does not want to go into too much detail, maybe he should go into some detail, especially accurate detail not made-up absurd accusations, which there is no way they can substantiate.  I live 140 miles away and since I was in Albuquerque already, I tried to drop off my dentures to repair a broken tooth, they have a problem with me coming in without an appointment.  I expect to receive the services I paid for with some reverence of honesty, integrity, customer service and civility.  Now Mr. H***** offers NO resolution and the only resolution that I will accept is a complete and full refund, in a cashier's check, and according to the corporate refund policy, they will receive the dentures they made at that time.  I will trade them for the cashier's check.  I will not leave the dentures with them and put trust into these people that make up accusations because they do not like that a customer showed up without an appointment, therefore I will not give them the dentures until they have a cashier's check for the total amount, I spent with them.  I would not have allowed them to do something so permanent as remove 19 teeth had I known the lack of professionalism and lack of compassion or understanding when a customer lives over 140 miles away, may not always dictate they make an appointment to merely drop off a defective product to be repaired.  I ask for a copy of this so-called police report, this will show whether or not they were threatened and terrorized, especially the kind he falsely claims.

  Updated 7/26/22: In addition to my response is the following:
  Mr. H***** stated that AGI is hashing out a resolution with me, again completely inaccurate.  This office has not contacted me back, not once.  I have filed with the dental board and have all intentions of perusing this complaint.  Mr. H***** also states that we can not come within 50 yards if the business in an attempt to make it seem like we have  some sort of restraining order on us.  We did not see any police, I wish we had, nor have we been served with any restraining order.  This shows the character of this business and Mr. H*****.

  Regards,
  
  ******** ****

  
  

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Again, My managment company, Affordable Care Inc, (ACI) has a team of three indivduals who are acting on the practice's behalf regaarding her request for refund for all monies paid when services were started in 2019.  ACI has access to all accounting records and treatment records regarding Ms. ****'s treatment.  Again, patient's actions and treatment of the caregiving team whether it is verbal or physical supercedes any obligations the attending doctor(s) have to the patient per the Dental Practice Act.  Also, any product warranties expressed either written or verbal are subject to the doctor's discretion.  No one is expected to tolerate any abuse from any patient at any time.  The police info is:  June 27, 2022 at 1544, incident number: **********.  The police arrived after Ms. **** and her husband left.  The report filed with the police is true and accurate.  There is no "restraining order" in place since it would require a hearing before a magistrate.  The police advised us to notify them if they are to come within 50 yards of  the premises or if we receive any threats either  verbally or written and any threats/retaliation either real or implied. 

   

  Ms. **** will be receiving a letter of dismissal from the practice shortly as is required by the Dental Practice Act. 

  Any further information regarding Mr ****'s request for refund should be directed to ACI (Ms. **** has already been in contact with them).  

  Customer response

  07/28/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
       I agree that at no time for any reason is anyone expected to tolerate threats neither verbal nor physical, this includes patients having to ask several times for his office staff to quit yelling at my husband or myself for no reason.  Again, this complaint is all about me wanting to drop my lower dentures off to repair a broken tooth, yes without an appointment as I live over 140 miles away.  Was told by Mr. H*****, when we spoke to him about all of the troubles we had, including insisting that I bring CASH to pay off the total charges for my ultimate fit dentures when I came in for my appointment to pull my teeth and receive my initial set total CASH to bring was $3541.88, down payment they accepted my VISA was $1000.00 (immediately after initial consultation), with a total cost of $4541.88.  I was told that no other form of payment would be accepted.  Anyway, when my husband and I spoke with Mr. H***** during the second to last visit, HE told us that if we had any more problems, to speak to him directly, so this is what we tried to do.  At no point did we threaten, neither verbally nor physically, we merely asked to speak to Mr. H***** directly.  (If this goes to court, we will subpoena the recordings from Home Depot, since we were parked almost directly under at least one of their cameras, since Affordable Dentures is located at the north-east end of that parking lot.  These will show that at no time did we block any vehicle(s) as he states.  These will also show that at no time was our non-verbal demeanor aggressive or threatening what-so-ever.)  Now, just to show that we neither threatened nor terrorized anyone, as Mr. H***** claims, I am attaching an email I received dated two days after I supposedly terrorized and threatened him and his staff, for an appointment for me on July 11, 2022, this is dated June 29, 2022, when I was in Albuquerque over 140 miles from where I live and supposedly terrorized and threatened them on June 27, 2022 (at the end of the day Mr. H***** Stated in his first response).  I will be requesting this referenced police report which according to the report number and time Mr. H***** refers to has a time of 1500, (sorry I cannot bring up his response to quote the time while writing this), this would be 2:00 PM, not the end of the day, and I can guarantee that nowhere in this report does it say the officers witnessed us blocking in vehicle(s), so if we were, as Mr. H***** stated, they would have seen this, one would think, plus we will get the security footage if we go to court, since a subpoena is required, per Home Depot Corporate.  Also, the ACI that Mr. H***** refers to does have my complaint, and has yet to contact me back, they state they will call within 24 to 48 hours, i contacted them over 2 weeks ago.  The lady that is supposed to handle my complaint is Natasha **** T*****, direct number is ###-###-####, I have left several unanswered messages.  Mr. H***** also states that a refund is at the dentist's discretion, not at all how he makes it seem in his first response.  That would mean that it is up to him, Mr. H*****.  A man who tells his patients one thing then if they follow his directives, considers it a threat and terrorizing.  

       All of the information I have provided (he has only provided a number he states is a police report number) shows that Mr. H***** and his office staff were upset because I did not have an appointment when I asked to merely drop off my dentures to be repaired.  Again, I did not ask for them to rush or go out of their way by any means.  I merely wanted them to stand behind their product and its warrantee.  I remember stating to the office manager, when she took my dentures that she asked me to place in this little blue carrier and said, "they will be ready after 4 tomorrow," and I replied, "no rush, it will be a while before I am back in town."  Then when I stated I wanted to wait to speak to Mr. H***** directly his office manager practically threw my dentures at me then went into the back.  I waited there over an hour in his lobby, not aggressive, not complaining, not saying a word to his other patients, just sitting there patiently waiting until he had the time to speak to me directly, per his directive.  My husband waited out in the truck, not wanting to escalate the problem since Mr. H*****'s staff were already yelling at him.  He had to ask several times, "why are you yelling at me."   I requested to speak to him directly because, #1- I was told my dentures were out of warrantee and I would have to pay $140 for the repairs, the first time we spoke to the office manager, #2- I was told that I could not drop off my broken dentures because they do not keep dentures overnight, #3- The office manager told my husband that they had to get another Xray before they repaired my dentures because my x-rays were not current, and #4-  He has the rudest most unprofessional staff (well the ones he has at the front desk, answering calls as well as  his office manager), I have had the misfortune to encounter.  Again, I agree that no person should have to endure threats nor being terrorized by anyone, and NO person should be subjected to the outrageous unsubstantiated accusations that requesting to drop off dentures to be repaired without an appointment is threatening and terrorizing to anyone.  These accusations I take personally and very seriously, no one should be able to falsely claim they were a victim of threats or terrorization in order to show discontent for not making an appointment to drop off something that is warrantied for repairs, especially when they live over 140 miles away.

  I want a full refund, $4,541.88.  This because I paid a health care provider for a plan and product along with the products warrantee.  I was sold on the misleading false bedside manor he must show to all during the initial consultation, but once he gets your money, he forgets his obligation to a patient also a customer that purchases his product.  He can call the police after I leave and tell them whatever he wants.  I believe I have shown that Mr. H***** changes his story if the situation calls for it and the more, he tries to cover up his actions as a health care provider who should not be allowed to continue to misrepresent himself nor his products to people that entrust him with their oral health and care.  He tries to cover up his discontent for not making an appointment in order to not be disciplined under the Dental Health Care Act according to Source: Section 61-5A-21 NMSA 1978, *********************************************************************, "A.  In accordance with the Uniform Licensing Act [61-1-1 to 61-1-31 NMSA 1978] and rules of the board, the board and, as relates to dental hygienist licensure, committee may fine and may deny, revoke, suspend, stipulate or otherwise limit any license or certificate, including those of licensed non-dentist owners, held or applied for under the Dental Health Care Act, upon findings by the board or the committee that the licensee, certificate holder or applicant: (11) is guilty of patient abandonment."  Patient abandonment includes not following through with an agreed upon plan of care, which he did when stating he would not speak to me, nor would he do anything with my dentures, but tries to cover this up by sending me (a person that supposedly threatened and terrorized him and his staff) an appointment 2 days after the supposed threats and terrorization.

  Also please note, no resolution was offered by Mr. H***** again.

  Best regards,
  ******** ****

  Updated 7-29-22

  Please add to my response to the complaint listed above.
  I have called the Albuquerque Police Department and given them the incident number listed.  No report was filed by the officer but they gave me a number if I want to get a copy of the 911 phone call.  So again, Mr. H***** is giving false information to the BBB and trying to get out of his obligation and patient abandonment.
  
  ******** ****

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

• Initial Complaint

  06/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In september of 2019, I purchased dentures with a two year warranty. on june 8, 2021. affordable dentures wants to charge me $170.00 to fix my dentures. they claim they are only a one year warranty. I found out last year, they changed their warranty to only be for one year. I purchased these dentures while they were still a two year warranty.

  Business response

  06/23/2021

  This patient has reached out to our National call center to issue this same complaint. We have conflict resolution agents that aid the patient and the clinic to come to an agreement. This patient is being taken care of. Thank you,

  Dr Gary H***** 

  Albuquerque 

*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. ↩