My wife and I live out-of-country, and we do not have dental insurance. We called around to several different dentists, inquiring about prices for a cleaning. We were happy when we called Dental Dreams because they told us that we could get basic x-rays ('butterfly x-rays', they called them) and a cleaning for $105. So, we set appointments.
When we arrived, we were greeted and then asked to fill out the typical forms. Some of them seemed to be strangely worded in regards to their privacy policy, so I had to read them several times and ask questions. Be careful with the forms if you choose to go here. While we were filling out the forms, another woman left screaming and cussing at the staff. I kind of dismissed it as an irrational outburst. I then paid for the service, but he charged us separately; I'm not sure why. The card was rejected the second time, indicating that it was a duplicate charge. So, I had to pay with another card. Kind of inconvenient...
After that mess, we were called back within five minutes. It is a typical dentist office setup. It appeared clean and maintained. I sat in the chair, and the hygienist explained to me that he would take a full set of mouth x-rays and then the dentist would come in and do a physical check and make recommendations for further treatment. I asked him when the cleaning would be done, and he told me that there wasn't a cleaning included in the $105 cost. I was confused and told him that they told me that over the phone. He went to the desk to check, at which point the dentist came in. I explained it to her, and then the hygienist returned. He told me that the cleaning was not included in the cost. I told him that I was not happy about it, and the dentist also said that she was "a little p----- off too". It seems that I am not the first person this has happened to.
I got up and told them that we did not want the service. I got my wife from a nearby room, and headed for the front desk for the refund. The manager stopped us and asked what was wrong, and I explained the situation to her. She apologized and told me that the $105 service with cleaning and basic x-rays was only for children. She said that they had promotions for adults in the past for the same service, and then she went to look for a poster about that promotion. I'm not sure why. She then said that she could not find it, and then disappeared back into her office, not reemerging the rest of the time we were there. It is strange that they offered the same service that they told me on the phone in the past, but now it was not possible. That, in and of itself, shows that they mistakenly or deliberately gave me the wrong information on the phone. However, they refused to take accountability for it.
The same man that took our payment at the front desk handled the refund to my cards. I also asked him if I could have back the forms that we filled out or if I could watch him shred them because I did not want them to keep our information. He said, "No problem." After he finished the refunds and ran around a little, he gave us our receipts showing the refunds. I asked him about the forms, and he told me that he shredded them already. I asked him why because I told him that I wanted to see it, and he said, "Oh, sorry." I put my cards back in my wallet, and we walked out the door. All things considered, we will never go back there again.
From the way that they spoke and conducted themselves, I got the idea that they try to up-sell people on additional services. I'm glad we were able to figure this out before they began the x-rays. I would have been beyond furious if they surprised us with this after the fact.
I would not recommend this dentist office. Overall, there was a total lack of accountability, integrity, and care. There are far better places in Rockford. read more