I am very disappointed in the emerging Kennett Dental practice; they have forgotten about their clients and their client's needs and have traded it for an insensitive business model. It used to be a caring practice with patients first and a friendly office staff. My complaint is two-fold; first, about how their office staff interacts with patients and second, about the motivation of their doctors.
Let's discuss the office staff first. I went to my appointment today and was asked to sign their new payment agreement which included terms for payment prior to service and missed appointments. When I inquired into the one-sided terms of the agreement, in relation to missed appointments, I was told that the missed appointment charge applied to all appointments, regardless of the reason, not canceled 48 hours in advance. I told the receptionist I was inquiring because my wife had just received a bill from Kennett Dental for a missed appointment because my wife was suffering from a contagious eye infection in her only eye that has remaining sight. Immediately, the person snapped back that my wife had missed 10 appointments and she had the records to prove it. The alleged claim of 10 missed appointments is not true. It became obvious to me that the reason for requesting my signature on the new agreement had nothing to do with my visit, it had to do with them collecting their $25 missed appointment fee for my wife. It was a trap. I felt like they were laying in wait to make their point about my wife's missed appointment. The late payment is not late. The person became confrontational and implied that I did not have a right to question their policy. She just kept repeating to me that this is their new office policy forgetting the previous long-term relationship and upcoming planned dental work. It just seems nonproductive to intensify the conversation over $25 with a long-term client that has spent thousands of dollars and have planned upcoming work for an additional $2500. But that was not the approach; instead, the choice was to let me walk out the door over $25.
I understand there needs to be a consideration for a missed visit. But the manner in how this was handled shows the lack of respect for existing clients. There was no consideration for the years involved in the practice. No consideration that the infection was her only sighted eye. No consideration for years of being a patient. No consideration for the upcoming planned work of over $2500 for my wife. They did not even ask if she had recovered from the infection in her only eye with sight.
I also question whether the new business model is now influencing their approach to dental care. Let me explain, I chipped a tooth and asked for a recommendation. The chip is very small, the size of a fork tine and barely noticeable. The recommendation was to provide caps for my three front teeth. I asked the dentist what the cost would be and he told me that he did know and I would need to talk to the office staff. In following up with the office staff, the recommendation would cost $5000; literally, the most expensive option the dentist could have recommended. Once I understood the cost, I elected not to schedule the procedure. Again, I believe the recommendation is about money, not what was best for the patient. After 6 months, the chip remains without issue and in my opinion did not require the exotic recommendation.
I cannot recommend Kennett Dental; they have lost heart, their office staff becomes confrontational over small issues and the motivation of their medical staff may be suspect. Sometimes new management needs to look at how the existing practice established itself, grew relationships and increased business. I can tell them one thing, the new callous business approach may gain them temporary profits, but people are smart, it is a small town and their reputation will suffer in the long run. read more
