I have been a patient at Bear Creek Dental in Mount Airy, Md. for 20 years.... I have tolerated the front desk and office staff's rudeness and unprofessionalism for years due to the fact that the hygienist was good and she did a thorough job on my cleanings. This week was the final straw. In addition to their rudeness and unprofessionalism I caught them overbilling me as a patient. When I questioned Julie, the office manager, how she arrived at the amount owed, she came across with a very righteous attitude and she proceeded to say that I was responsible for my deductible, which more than covered the 20% co pay. That part was fine. She then tried to tell me that I was responsible for the deductible above and beyond the 20% co pay. Julie was adamant and that is how they bill everyone. It felt like she was getting flustered and started trying to "bully" me and trying to defend her position because I questioned her. I held my ground, telling her she was wrong. She then called Delta dental only to come back with and stating the fact that I was correct and would adjust the bill accordingly. Julie said 3 to 4 times that they weren't trying to cheat me out of my money. Not sure why she felt compelled to continue repeating this statement. When she came up with the new figure I said thank you and hung up. I did the math once I hung up only to find out that she was wrong again. I called her back and did the math for her. She got all flustered again, didn't want to talk and said I'd have to talk to accounting. The following day I received 5 calls within in a 1 hour window of time while I was in meetings. It was Chris calling. I'm guessing she is the ring leader of this circus and why the office personnel feel they can be rude, unprofessional and treat people anyway they feel like. She was definitely leading the charge with how rude she was and the fact that she wasn't listening. She left me a message stating that my appointment was cancelled, sent me an email cancelling my appointment but never stated why it was being cancelled in either message. When I called her the next day and ask her what was going on, she said they were not interested in having me as a patient. Hmmm! When asked why, she said because she didn't approve of how I spoke with her staff. While I was firm in my conviction, my conversation remained professional throughout. I guess she didn't like the fact that I questioned them and didn't except their original answer to me. All this over $25.00 dollars. I ask, what credible business in their right mind, would release a 20 year customer over $25.00 versus trying to resolve the issue. I now know why I have had family members and friends tell me "they would never go to their practice if they had to".
One final note, I've never posted a review in my life. This should put things in perspective with how incredibly disappointed I am in Dr. Hummel. The fact that he has allowed this behavior to continue and dampen his reputation as a professional dentist. Dr. Hummel, you're a good dentist. Do yourself a favor and review all of the 1 star ratings. There is a definite pattern of behavior. You tell me where the problem lies!!! read more