Wow. I've never been treated so shabbily from a professional office in my LIFE. Had our first appointment today after moving from WA recently. I spoke to their office long ago - at least several weeks ago, if not more - in order to set up a consultation and gave them all of the info they requested at that time. They said they'd call our old orthodontist in WA to get records before our visit, and I made sure to give them all the contact info they'd need for that. The greeting staff was friendly enough, asked all the right COVID questions, etc. The doctor himself wasn't over friendly, but wasn't rude either. The gal who was taking our information down was rude and short from the get-go. The office didn't have ANY of the information I had given over the phone to the office staff, which THEY asked for. All they had was the info I had given in the online health history form on their website, and that's only because that's all automatic anyway - there's nothing for them to enter. So they had NONE of my son's records (we were halfway through treatment in WA before moving to CA unexpectedly), they had NONE of the information on his old orthodontist, none of the information on our insurance, nothing. So I was asking questions like "well where is all of my personal information then, if it's not in the computer." She then flipped the computer screen around and proceeds to tell me "this is what we have" and was extremely rude about the whole thing. I told her I didn't think she was lying, I was only asking where all of that info went. She said the same thing again and was clearly angry with me! I was sitting there astonished and wondering why I was being accosted for simply wanting to understand their office practices, and also wanted to know why no one had gotten records from my son's original orthodontist. Next thing I know, I'm being tattled on to the office manager. What??? What is this - kindergarten? So the office manager asks to see me in her office. Like I'm about to be punished by the principal or something. I started explaining what happened, but she had clearly already gotten an earful from the gal who was treating me like crap - who obviously told her story to the manager first so that she would seem innocent in the whole thing. I have NO idea how or why that assistant was pissed at me, but man - even if she was - she needs to get a grip and learn some customer service skills. Same goes for the office manager. The office manager basically took a stance against me and told me that I was "upsetting everyone in the office" (huh? I had spoken to like 3 people in total and that one office worker was the ONLY one who was upset at anything) and that I needed to "calm down." What the hell? Calm down from what? Asking questions about where my personal information was being stored and why my son's records weren't there and why they didn't even know who his old orthodontist was? This was seriously feeling like an attack.... So I said "pfft. I'm outta here" and walked out. To which I heard someone say something snide. Then the office manager came over to my son's chair and told the dental assistant who was putting on his wire that she needed to "put it back the way it was." WTF?? She was halfway through what the DOCTOR had told her to do!! And the office manager was telling the dental assistant what to do?? Again - I hadn't gotten upset with anyone, hadn't raised my voice, hadn't poked anyone with a stick - NOTHING. That gal taking my information just got pissy about me merely asking questions and that was it - nothing went right after that. STAY AWAY from this place unless you want an office that has incompetent office staff. I'm disappointed but if I have to deal with these people every few weeks I'm NOT going to be treated like this.... I'll find another office with competent practices and staff who won't treat you like crap if their office SCREWED UP and lost your information to who knows where. That's all it would have taken - own up to your stupid mistake, apologize, find the answer, and move on. But my goodness - don't treat your paying customers like kindergarten students simply for asking you to do a competent job. I'll be taking my three sons who need braces elsewhere. This experience today cost them at least 3 patients, not to mention the MANY people that will hear this story, who *could* have heard a much different story if this office had just treated their clients with respect. read more
