Western Dental Riverside lied about accepting my insurance and billed me for xrays that did not exsist and I did not approve Riverside California

I called western dental and gave them all my insurance information when I made appointments for my 2 sons. They assured me that they accepted my insurance. When I brought my 2 sons in for their checkup, they told me they had not yet verified my insurance but since it was just a check up and all insurances covered checkups 100% and that it wouldn't be a problem. They also tried to get more out of me by telling me they could fix my son's cavities that same day. I told them to wait. They then asked me to sign a contract under the chance that I did not have insurance (which I knew I had).

I soon recieved a bill for the checkups of $548.00 with more xrays than I knew they took. When I called them to resolve the matter the office manager kept changing her story from "we dont accept your insurance" to "your insurance will only cover $80.00 for a checkup. I told her they had three chances before the appointment to let me know they did not accept my insurance and each time I was lied to. She said it was not her responsibility what someone else had done. She said that if I didn't join their "plan" right away they would make sure I was responsible for the full amount. "If you pay us $80.00 by December 20th we will not bill you for the full amount" It sounded like blackmail to me.

I called Western Dental headquarters to file a complaint. The woman half listened, told me she would mail me a form and I never recieved it. I got the same response for the Dental Association. I filed a complaint with the Better Businees Bureau which Western Dental never responded to.

Now they are sending me a nasty letter telling me that they are going to take me to court, garnish my wages and bill me for the legal expense.
I'm beginning to think it's really true -- there's no one out there watching out for the consumers.

Michelle
Riverside, California
U.S.A.