I want to share what happened to me yesterday, by showing you the letter i wrote in complaint to the BU dental School. I copied this directly from my email to them.
Let me start by saying In july i had my top 5 remaining teeth out in preparation for a full upper denture. I absolutely hate it. My taste is gone, im a disabled 53 year old man with back issues and numerous back d surgeries etc limiting my mobility, i walk short distances with a cane at best. Well after being told what an implant denture with no palate covering would cost privately, I sought out a dental school. Not only is it supposed to be a lot more affordable and a payment plan offered ( according to your site) i would be giving students a chance to learn. A win win for sure.
In August i called the number listed on the website for the prosthodontics department. xxx-xxx-xxxx per your site. I spoke with avery nice lady, and i explained my issue and that i was interested in a full upper denture with implant to remove the palate, she even joked withme about how much they cost privately. She stated you could certainly help with that and set me up with an appointment she said for the 5th floor on september 11th. She sai needed to contact my dentist and have them forward the latest Xrays to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or else id have to pay 205 dollars for a co pay , but if they emailed the xray in jpeg format i would only have to pay 75 dollars. So my dentist sent them over. Well as per instructions i made it into boston parked over in 710 albany and walked the two blocks to get to the school. not fun, but i did it. Im then told, no i'm going to the 4th floor, and i had to pay the full 205 regardless. So i paid it, went to he fourth floor where i met your very nice staff, Doctor Lee and the 4th year whom i apologize i do not remember his name, were nice. The 4th year was very...abrupt, but im okay with that too.
So i explained my situation and the fourth year says "no, we don't do implant dentures anymore, were backed up to patients waiting since 2021 , the prosthodontics office is closed" I was stunned, i had come all this way from XXXXXXXX, to get here, paid 200 dollars and was basically told sorry everything you've been told is a lie. He then tells me that even if they were open, its very bad to get implants as they push too much on the jawbone. And he tells me the cost would be over 3k per implant anyway. Which is basically the same as the private practices quoted me, Yet your website says 1460 dollars . Your website also says implants keep the jawbone intact, no mention of it being worse for you. So at that point they got the faculty advisor to come over she basically told me what they already had , that no implants were being done, sorry and gave me the numbers for Harvard's prosthodontics depart and Tufts as well. The faculty dentist and 4th year told me the people who answer the phones dont understand clinical things, and as such they cant be responsible for the screwup.
So now i'm out 200 bucks for the privilege of being told, that all i was told previously, was a lie. sorry guy. have a nice day. Id recommend you do a few things.
change the website and remove the fact you say you are doing implants , when you most certainly are not.
Train your phone staff to listen to what is being said and advise them no implant or prosthodontics patients!
If you cant help people don't charge them for it, and make sure the people who quote pricing know what the heck they are supposed to quote or not quote.
\** FYI< I also requested they return the 205 dollars to me since no care or service was ever rendered.*