An honest review of this place:
This is a long story, and I will stick to the facts as much as I can.
Earlier this year, my wife needed gum graft surgery. We met a Dr. Gerczuk from the office. He and his staff provided us an estimate of the cost. The doctor said the surgery will be split into 2, half for this year, and the other half for next year, and the total is $4400. My wife and I thought that our insurances should be able to cover all of it because it's split into two. In fact, $4400 was only for half of the surgery. No one in the dental office said anything about it or made it clear to us. We were ONLY told it was the total. We did not find out about it until the day of the surgery.
On the day of the surgery, I wasn't present with my wife in the dental office. I found something was strange with the invoice when I picked up my wife after surgery. I went to their office immediately on the next business day. I confirmed that the $4400 was only for this year, and my wife and I would have to pay a significant amount of money from our pockets. I told the coordinator in the office there that it was not acceptable and there was clearly a miscommunication from their end. They claimed it's how they submit estimates. I replied that if I KNEW $4400 was for this year only, my wife and I would NOT have agreed to do the surgery, and we would have chosen another periodontal office. I also said we would like to come back for the remaining of the treatment next year, if they can help us with this $4400 payment. In addition, I made it clear that I do not want this type of miscommunication to happen again.
The coordinator went to Dr. Gerczuk to discuss my situation. He told the coordinator that he agreed to absorb half of what the total minus the insurance coverage. And guess what, their miscommunication again! Any normal person would agree that "total" is equal to $4400. But no, it was only $4200, which belongs to the surgery, and the remaining $200 was root planning which was "attached" (in another word, necessary) to the surgery, took place two weeks after. When I discussed with the coordinator, I always referred $4400 as the total, and I was never told their total was different from mine. I did not find out about the discrepancy until last Friday, when they were about to finalize the pay arrangement. When I told them about the discrepancy, they said the coordinator would call me the following Monday to discuss before the bill is issued. I never got any calls. When I called back the day after, the bill was already made and mailed out. They basically filled out the number on the bill WITHOUT my consent! I don't own any business, but I can't see in any way that this is an appropriate business practice.
Now back to the money issue. When I heard that their total was $4200 instead of $4400, I told them that was not what I agreed on when I discussed with the coordinator. Leaving the $200 out just doesn't make any sense, because the sole purpose of this pay arrangement is for the dental office to cover half of what I need to pay out of my pockets, and my wife and my insurance quota already maxed out from the surgery. We couldn't get a penny from the last $200 dollars from our insurances. The doctor kept insisting on he only agreed to $4200, not $4400. They claimed it was in writings which they keep as record. If they were in writings, why was I not informed CLEARLY what exactly the total was? For what I know, they could've written anything they wanted, and told me something completely different, as long as it is ambiguous. This is just classic. I told them before I did not want any more miscommunication, and here it is, again.
I am not going to comment on the doctor's technical skills and knowledge. I am sure he has enough experience. The staff was polite and respectful. I appreciated that. However, I strongly disagree with how they conduct business. It is their negligence (miscommunication), but I am paying for their mistake. If this is how they do business, my wife and I want no part of it. I made it perfectly clear to them that my wife will not go back for the second half of the surgery because there are plenty of other periodontal offices who are more than happy to treat my wife. In addition, we will never go back for any future treatment from them.
For anyone who just read this, this is my experience. You don't have to take my word for it. If you already love that clinic, don't let me stop you. However, just a word of advice, think twice before you visit this clinic. You are the only one who can protect your own money. They definitely won't do it for you. Also, record every single conversation you have with anyone in the office. This is for your own benefit. read more
