Consumer complaint received 2023-09-26
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL (CA)

I am a XXXX man. My dental and medical expenses are covered by XXXX XXXX 

In or around XXXX, I went to XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. My previous dentist did not take my insurance, XXXX XXXX and so I was looking for a new dentist. I found XXXX XXXX XXXX when I was driving around XXXX. At the time, due to the need for a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I was in extreme pain and was seeking assistance as soon as possible. I went in as a walk-in appointment to XXXX XXXX XXXX that same day. 

When I went into XXXX XXXX XXXX for assistance, I informed them that I have XXXX insurance coverage. While I was in the procedure room and in the examination chair, the dentist informed me that XXXX XXXX XXXX did not take my insurance. The dentist then stated that since they did not take my insurance, they wanted to see if I qualified for credit. The dentist did not specify XXXX XXXX, nor did she provide me with an estimate of how much the procedure would cost. The dentist then left the room, leaving me in the procedure chair. When she returned, she stated that I qualified for a {$3000.00} credit line with XXXX XXXX. After I was informed that I was approved for the line of credit, the dentist immediately started working on my teeth without further explanation. I was not informed of the cost of the procedure, nor did I knowingly sign any contract for the credit card. The dentist conducted the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

About XXXX days after the initial procedure, the filling fell out. I called XXXX XXXX XXXX to inform them that the filling fell out and I needed immediate care. The same dentist told me to come in for another appointment and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The dentist did not explain if there was going to be a secondary charge for the second appointment. 

When I got home after the second appointment, I noticed a giant gap in the filling. I called XXXX XXXX XXXX  and requested that they remedy the situation, and XXXX XXXX XXXX informed me to come back in for a third appointment. That same day, I went back to the XXXX XXXX XXXX, and they did an Xray of my teeth. At that point, the dentist stated that they would have to remove my molar next to the filling. I stated that I did not want to get rid of a perfectly fine tooth. The dentist stated that removing the tooth would fix the gap issue in my filling. I expressed concern and stated that her suggestion did not make sense as to how removing a molar would fix the gap in my current tooth because it would make the area bigger. The dentist from XXXX XXXX XXXX stated that if I was not willing to remove the molar, there was nothing else she could do, and they refused to assist me further. 

After the third appointment, I received the XXXX XXXX  card in the mail. A few days after the card came in the mail, I received the first bill to the XXXX XXXX  card. This was the first time I learned about the cost of the procedure and the balance of the debt. Upon seeing the balance, I immediately contacted XXXX XXXX by phone to dispute charge of the credit card. I informed XXXX XXXX associates by phone that the procedure was not done properly and there was still a gap in your tooth. XXXX XXXX informed me that they would investigate. I reached out multiple times via phone to follow up on the investigation, however, I did not receive evidence of an investigation nor results from said investigations. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX  charged me for dental work that was improperly done and entirely unbeneficial to me. After my experience with XXXX XXXX XXXX, I went to another dentist, XXXX XXXX XXXX, for a consultation. XXXX XXXX confirmed that the tooth was still unrepaired, and that my filling was not done properly. XXXX XXXX also informed me that the removal of my molar was not necessary to remedy the gap in the filling. As of XX/XX/XXXX, the tooth remains unrepaired, causing me pain daily. Food particles are consistently stuck in the gap of the tooth, causing me constant discomfort. 

In my most recent account statement, it appears that XXXX XXXX cancelled the dental charges. However, XXXX XXXX continues to charge me late fees and interest on the cancelled balance.