GREAT patient care by the dentists.
RUDE treatment by the support staff.
You can do better than this place, parents!
As the parent of two children, it always blows my mind how a business that caters to pediatric patients can turn around and treat the adults like crap. That was my family's experience here. And boy - you do NOT need to go through the same thing.
When showing up for my child's appointment this week, we had to knock on the door for entry. This is pretty standard stuff, as most dentists who have reopened due to COVID are doing this. The doors are locked, so you either have to call or knock. At my adult dentist, simply standing at the door is sufficient. Apparently here there was a sign posted telling people to CALL, but in our defense, the signage nor the process is clear to the clients who arrive. Now, perhaps this information should be conveyed ahead of time via phone, but it was not.
So, we knocked, and upon doing so the receptionist opened the door and yelled at us. No exaggeration here - totally rude, opened the door, said something we could barely discern, then closed the door on us.
One question in response: REALLY?
Once inside, we were pressed for payment from a past appointment. Again, pretty standard stuff, but as my wife was attempting to contact me re: the best card to use for this payment (as it is during this unprecedented pandemic), the receptionist proceeded to talk loudly at her while she was on the phone with me, saying "Just swipe it, m'aam. Just swipe it.". When she did proceed with swiping it, the card reader was not working, and the receptionist - again, rudely - pulled the card FROM her hand, and walked across the front desk area to try another point-of-sale payment machine. Surprise - it did work, so...maybe there's a known issue with the one at the counter? Hmm...
A few days later we called and spoke with the "manager" there, who then got SUPER defensive when we proceeded to explain what had happened to us. Claimed we pounded on the door as if "they were being evicted". TOTAL LIE. The best part? This guy wasn't even in the building when this happened. So, he must have been told that by the receptionist, who clearly was having a bad day (bad LIFE?), and had to embellish what really happened, in a sad attempt to justify her terrible behavior.
So listen up, POW DENTAL EMPLOYEES: It's NOT ok to treat your customers like this - basically like GARBAGE. Yeah, we ALL are stressed out over COVID, and many of us are not working at all, so just be glad you are able to remain employed. But when you are dealing with the public, dealing with PARENTS, you need to realize that you have no idea what hell we have had to deal with just to make it to your office on time. We are already frazzled as hell, just in getting to your business. And if MULTIPLE PATIENTS are not following your "proper door procedure" (what the manager told me), well then, perhaps you need to improve the signage, or communicate this protocol via email PRIOR TO PATIENTS ARRIVING FOR TREATMENT!
The lessons or takeaways here? It's simple:
1. Be NICE to the parents who arrive for dental appointments. We are already stressed the hell out, knowing that you have to treat our child, and not knowing how she/he will respond. Kindness goes a long way.
2. If someone isn't doing what it is that you need them to do, perhaps it's not OUR fault, and maybe it's that you didn't communicate the expectation properly. We are aware you are seeing fewer patients as a result of the health crisis, but you cannot simply try to jam us in, and then get us the hell out of there. It may take a few minutes longer than expected. Sorry.
3. When someone is trying to PAY YOU MONEY, don't be rude if someone has to check their online banking first. Money is tight for damn near everyone right now due to COVID. How about some freaking compassion? Your services are not cheap (as a 'Premier Partner' w/ Delta Dental, your provider's fees are higher than others, with a higher cost-share), and we are all not independently wealthy.
4. As a manager, when someone calls to complain about being treated rudely, do not then get super defensive right out the gate, because that's not a good look. All you should be doing is sitting on the other end of the phone quietly, being receptive, and assuring the person who is making the complaint that this will never happen again, and that you will talk to the employee in question, saying you are sorry. Sure, we did eventually get a tacit apology, but after having to argue our case. We didn't make this stuff up, Chief! Your staff was SUPER rude, and you then responded with a matched response. Customer service 101, guys. You just...don't...do that. EVER!
So yeah, we are done with this dental provider - and that's a damn shame. Our dentist was truly awesome, took such good care of our child, and he/she LOVED HIM. But because we do not wish to be treated like garbage, we will take our business elsewhere. How sad. read more