Smile Workshop

Ms***,? I will send all your records as you requested, to see my referencesIf you choose not to come pick up the retainer we made for you, then yes we will refund you the $Thank you, [redacted]

Thank you for the clarificationWe have sent a refund to Estelle Leal in the amount of $Check number It shows it has been cashed.Thank you, [redacted]

Dear [redacted] ,Thank you for your letter concerning your orthodontic experience at our Hurst locationWe sincerely apologize for the way treatment events occurred? As a result of our investigations we found that you initially came in for the crowding of your lower teeth, but felt your top would probably need them tooIt appears you came in on a mail promotion with a $off your total treatmentYour total case price after the $savings was $After review of your account, I see that our office filed your dental insuranceWe do this as a courtesy for all our patientsI see they paid $towards your total case price, which in turn benefited you by lowering your contractual obligation.? I have reviewed your case with our dental directorIn regards to being rushed-- all orthodontic practices are very streamlinedEvery person assisting the orthodontist does the same jobWhile we strive to keep you with the same people, sometimes scheduling just doesn’t allow for thatI do apologize if you feel you didn’t get the time you needed at your appointmentsWhen we begin treatment on a patient our approach the exact same on every ortho patientThe only difference in one patient’s treatment vsanother is the length they are in bracesI see we forecasted your ortho treatment at monthsSmile Workshop protocol is to inform all patients of what to expect in terms of finishing your treatment on timeIf you recall? Length of TreatmentThe length of treatment depends on a number of issues, including the severity of the problem, the patient’s growth and the level of patient cooperationThe actual treatment time is usually close to the estimated treatment time, but treatment may be lengthened if, for example, unanticipated growth occurs, if there are habits affecting the dentofacial structures, if periodontal or other dental problems occur, or if patient cooperation is not adequateTherefore, changes in the original treatment plan may become necessaryIf treatment time is extended beyond the original estimate, additional fees may be assessed.I show that you did sign and acknowledge you understood thisI have reviewed our orthodontist notes during the course of treatmentOn 6/27/Dr [redacted] said, “If the midline looks good, we will debond”You did see other orthodontist because your orthodontist was at a drvisit/ maternity leaveHowever, the doctors you seen did not change your treatment plan at all, they read the treatment notes of your orthodontistOn 8/1/ you seen Dr [redacted] n he suggested you leave the braces on as your teeth were not in perfect alignment(The results were not what your orthodontist Dr [redacted] wanted, and according to her note she would have encouraged you to keep them on as well.)? I do understand your expectations of wanting your braces offHowever, I have to say we planned your case at months, and you advised us to take them off against our recommendation in month I do show that our team did their due diligence in informing youYou signed and consented that you wanted an early debandThe deband letter that you signed clearly states:? That you are releasing Smile Workshop from liability for removal of orthodontic appliancesYou were informed that treatment was not complete and that we recommend continuation of treatment in order to obtain the best outcome(I have attached the consents that you signed acknowledging)Ms***, it is important that you retain your teeth to keep them from moving back to the way they wereYour retainer has been made and you may go in and seat at any timeWe recommend you go on the next ortho day, just in case it does not fitAfter review of your case we do not feel a refund for services is warranted.? Thank you, [redacted] , COO

Thank you for the clarificationWe have sent a refund to Estelle Leal in the amount of $Check number It shows it has been cashed.Thank you, [redacted] ?

Dear ***,Thank you for your letter concerning your orthodontic experience at our Hurst locationWe sincerely apologize for the way treatment events occurred As a result of our investigations we found that you initially came in for the crowding of your lower teeth, but felt your top would
probably need them tooIt appears you came in on a mail promotion with a $off your total treatmentYour total case price after the $savings was $After review of your account, I see that our office filed your dental insuranceWe do this as a courtesy for all our patientsI see they paid $towards your total case price, which in turn benefited you by lowering your contractual obligation. I have reviewed your case with our dental directorIn regards to being rushed-- all orthodontic practices are very streamlinedEvery person assisting the orthodontist does the same jobWhile we strive to keep you with the same people, sometimes scheduling just doesn’t allow for thatI do apologize if you feel you didn’t get the time you needed at your appointmentsWhen we begin treatment on a patient our approach the exact same on every ortho patientThe only difference in one patient’s treatment vsanother is the length they are in bracesI see we forecasted your ortho treatment at monthsSmile Workshop protocol is to inform all patients of what to expect in terms of finishing your treatment on timeIf you recall Length of TreatmentThe length of treatment depends on a number of issues, including the severity of the problem, the patient’s growth and the level of patient cooperationThe actual treatment time is usually close to the estimated treatment time, but treatment may be lengthened if, for example, unanticipated growth occurs, if there are habits affecting the dentofacial structures, if periodontal or other dental problems occur, or if patient cooperation is not adequateTherefore, changes in the original treatment plan may become necessaryIf treatment time is extended beyond the original estimate, additional fees may be assessed.I show that you did sign and acknowledge you understood thisI have reviewed our orthodontist notes during the course of treatmentOn 6/27/Dr*** said, “If the midline looks good, we will debond”You did see other orthodontist because your orthodontist was at a drvisit/ maternity leaveHowever, the doctors you seen did not change your treatment plan at all, they read the treatment notes of your orthodontistOn 8/1/ you seen Dr***n he suggested you leave the braces on as your teeth were not in perfect alignment(The results were not what your orthodontist Dr*** wanted, and according to her note she would have encouraged you to keep them on as well.) I do understand your expectations of wanting your braces offHowever, I have to say we planned your case at months, and you advised us to take them off against our recommendation in month I do show that our team did their due diligence in informing youYou signed and consented that you wanted an early debandThe deband letter that you signed clearly states: That you are releasing Smile Workshop from liability for removal of orthodontic appliancesYou were informed that treatment was not complete and that we recommend continuation of treatment in order to obtain the best outcome(I have attached the consents that you signed acknowledging)Ms***, it is important that you retain your teeth to keep them from moving back to the way they wereYour retainer has been made and you may go in and seat at any timeWe recommend you go on the next ortho day, just in case it does not fitAfter review of your case we do not feel a refund for services is warranted. Thank you,*** ***, COO

Ms***, I will send all your records as you requested, to see my referencesIf you choose not to come pick up the retainer we made for you, then yes we will refund you the $Thank you,*** ***

Thank you for the clarificationWe have sent a refund to Estelle Leal in the amount of $Check number It shows it has been cashed.Thank you,***?

Dear ***,Thank you for your letter concerning your orthodontic experience at our Hurst locationWe sincerely apologize for the way treatment events occurred? As a result of our investigations we found that you initially came in for the crowding of your lower teeth, but felt your top would
probably need them tooIt appears you came in on a mail promotion with a $off your total treatmentYour total case price after the $savings was $After review of your account, I see that our office filed your dental insuranceWe do this as a courtesy for all our patientsI see they paid $towards your total case price, which in turn benefited you by lowering your contractual obligation.? I have reviewed your case with our dental directorIn regards to being rushed-- all orthodontic practices are very streamlinedEvery person assisting the orthodontist does the same jobWhile we strive to keep you with the same people, sometimes scheduling just doesn’t allow for thatI do apologize if you feel you didn’t get the time you needed at your appointmentsWhen we begin treatment on a patient our approach the exact same on every ortho patientThe only difference in one patient’s treatment vsanother is the length they are in bracesI see we forecasted your ortho treatment at monthsSmile Workshop protocol is to inform all patients of what to expect in terms of finishing your treatment on timeIf you recall? Length of TreatmentThe length of treatment depends on a number of issues, including the severity of the problem, the patient’s growth and the level of patient cooperationThe actual treatment time is usually close to the estimated treatment time, but treatment may be lengthened if, for example, unanticipated growth occurs, if there are habits affecting the dentofacial structures, if periodontal or other dental problems occur, or if patient cooperation is not adequateTherefore, changes in the original treatment plan may become necessaryIf treatment time is extended beyond the original estimate, additional fees may be assessed.I show that you did sign and acknowledge you understood thisI have reviewed our orthodontist notes during the course of treatmentOn 6/27/Dr*** said, “If the midline looks good, we will debond”You did see other orthodontist because your orthodontist was at a drvisit/ maternity leaveHowever, the doctors you seen did not change your treatment plan at all, they read the treatment notes of your orthodontistOn 8/1/ you seen Dr***n he suggested you leave the braces on as your teeth were not in perfect alignment(The results were not what your orthodontist Dr*** wanted, and according to her note she would have encouraged you to keep them on as well.)? I do understand your expectations of wanting your braces offHowever, I have to say we planned your case at months, and you advised us to take them off against our recommendation in month I do show that our team did their due diligence in informing youYou signed and consented that you wanted an early debandThe deband letter that you signed clearly states:? That you are releasing Smile Workshop from liability for removal of orthodontic appliancesYou were informed that treatment was not complete and that we recommend continuation of treatment in order to obtain the best outcome(I have attached the consents that you signed acknowledging)Ms***, it is important that you retain your teeth to keep them from moving back to the way they wereYour retainer has been made and you may go in and seat at any timeWe recommend you go on the next ortho day, just in case it does not fitAfter review of your case we do not feel a refund for services is warranted.? Thank you,*** ***, COO

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:This is very unfortunate that an establishment isn't willing to correct a wrong created by your companyI was completely fine with the outcome of my teeth when I debonded on 8/(Hence why I debonded) I have a picture time stamped of what my teeth looked like when I got my braces off and they do not look like that now despite me wearing the ill-fitting plastic retainers every dayThe fact that a dental assistant that works for your company told me incorrect information about my plastic retainers is not my problemShe told me that the plastic retainers did not fit, but it was fine because I was going to get my permanent retainer and she would remake my retainers to fitHow am I supposed to know any different when the assistant who works for your company told me this? I have never had braces beforeI have called the Hurst location MULTIPLE times and never get a responseTo this day, they keep telling me they will call me back in regards to my permanent retainer because they have to check with the labDo you really call that customer service? Is that the model you uphold your employees to when it comes to customer service?Can you provide details of said investigation? Any notes or reports you referenced during this investigation would be greatly appreciatedYou referenced several dates and quoted ‘notes’ that I am not able to reference.I want to correct a few of your claims in the previous email for the record and to ensure we are on the same pageIn regards to my top teeth, I did not initially feel I would probably need them to be correctedI relied on ***’s recommendation as she is the professional.I can appreciate that your goal is to streamline all orthodontic practices but as a patient, I am expressing to you that I felt rushed during the processWith all due respect, that’s not up for debate based on your intention or some copy/pasting of agreement excerptsIn regards to the multiple assistants and doctors who saw me, I completely understand that scheduling variances calls for this flexibility and that is not my concernWhat does concern me is that the points you are referencing by date do not correlate with what I was told verbally during visits*** verbally told me that I was good to debond on the next appointment and I HAD to schedule a mid-day appointment because you could not do debonds in the afternoonI informed you all that I could not do a mid-day appointment and was subsequently told that it was going to be the only way you would be able to take my braces offMy questions is ??" why would I be told this if the intent (according to your reference of Dr*** on 8/1) was to leave the braces on?? I understand that my case was planned at months ??" I understood that when we began treatmentWhat I am not understanding are the several alleged statements you’re claiming I made during the processYou stated, “However, I have to say we planned your case at months, and you advised us to take them off against our recommendation in month I do show that our team did their due diligence in informing youYou signed and consented that you wanted an early deband”.With all due respect, it eludes me how you can claim your team did their due diligence when there are so many discrepancies between your stated intention in the agreement and the experience I’ve had thus far.I also must state that I found it demeaning and ironic for you to reiterate the importance of retaining my teethMy entire inquiry revolves around the fact that I received an ill-fitting retainer and I was told I would be provided with one that fitHow am I supposed to successfully retain my teeth with an inadequate retainer? ? Can you also clarify this statement from your email ??" “Your retainer has been made and you may go in and seat at any time.” I may go in and seat at any time? Does this mean I can go in and get my retainer fitted? If so, please let me know as that is my main desire at this point in our exchange.? I am entitled to at least get the $I agreed to pay for, for the permanent retainerI am very disappointed that an establishment of your stature is letting this issue slip through the cracksMy issue is, is that I was fine with the way my teeth looked when I debonded on 8/1.? Lastly, I want to clarify that I am asking for compensation for the ill-fitted retainer ??" not a refund for services as you reference.I can appreciate that your goal is to protect your businessWith that said, I am greatly disappointed that that goal is more important than addressing a customer’s concerns.? Please follto my inquiry regarding the retainerBased on your responses so far, it seems as though my concerns have gotten lost and trumped by your processIf anything I’ve stated needs clarification, please let me know before simply responding.?
Regards,
*** ***

Ms. [redacted], I will send all your records as you requested, to see my references. If you choose not to come pick up the retainer we made for you, then yes we will refund you the $150.00. Thank you,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:This is very unfortunate that an establishment isn't willing to correct a wrong created by your company. I was completely fine with the outcome of my teeth when I debonded on 8/1. (Hence why I debonded) I have a picture time stamped of what my teeth looked like when I got my braces off and they do not look like that now despite me wearing the ill-fitting plastic retainers every day. The fact that a dental assistant that works for your company told me incorrect information about my plastic retainers is not my problem. She told me that the plastic retainers did not fit, but it was fine because I was going to get my permanent retainer and she would remake my retainers to fit. How am I supposed to know any different when the assistant who works for your company told me this? I have never had braces before. I have called the Hurst location MULTIPLE times and never get a response. To this day, they keep telling me they will call me back in regards to my permanent retainer because they have to check with the lab. Do you really call that customer service? Is that the model you uphold your employees to when it comes to customer service?Can you provide details of said investigation? Any notes or reports you referenced during this investigation would be greatly appreciated. You referenced several dates and quoted ‘notes’ that I am not able to reference.I want to correct a few of your claims in the previous email for the record and to ensure we are on the same page. In regards to my top teeth, I did not initially feel I would probably need them to be corrected. I relied on [redacted]’s recommendation as she is the professional.I can appreciate that your goal is to streamline all orthodontic practices but as a patient, I am expressing to you that I felt rushed during the process. With all due respect, that’s not up for debate based on your intention or some copy/pasting of agreement excerpts. In regards to the multiple assistants and doctors who saw me, I completely understand that scheduling variances calls for this flexibility and that is not my concern. What does concern me is that the points you are referencing by date do not correlate with what I was told verbally during visits. [redacted] verbally told me that I was good to debond on the next appointment and I HAD to schedule a mid-day appointment because you could not do debonds in the afternoon. I informed you all that I could not do a mid-day appointment and was subsequently told that it was going to be the only way you would be able to take my braces off. My questions is – why would I be told this if the intent (according to your reference of Dr. [redacted] on 8/1) was to leave the braces on? I understand that my case was planned at 12 months – I understood that when we began treatment. What I am not understanding are the several alleged statements you’re claiming I made during the process. You stated, “However, I have to say we planned your case at 12 months, and you advised us to take them off against our recommendation in month 9. I do show that our team did their due diligence in informing you. You signed and consented that you wanted an early deband”.With all due respect, it eludes me how you can claim your team did their due diligence when there are so many discrepancies between your stated intention in the agreement and the experience I’ve had thus far.I also must state that I found it demeaning and ironic for you to reiterate the importance of retaining my teeth. My entire inquiry revolves around the fact that I received an ill-fitting retainer and I was told I would be provided with one that fit. How am I supposed to successfully retain my teeth with an inadequate retainer?  Can you also clarify this statement from your email – “Your retainer has been made and you may go in and seat at any time.” I may go in and seat at any time? Does this mean I can go in and get my retainer fitted? If so, please let me know as that is my main desire at this point in our exchange. I am entitled to at least get the $150 I agreed to pay for, for the permanent retainer. I am very disappointed that an establishment of your stature is letting this issue slip through the cracks. My issue is, is that I was fine with the way my teeth looked when I debonded on 8/1. Lastly, I want to clarify that I am asking for compensation for the ill-fitted retainer – not a refund for services as you reference.I can appreciate that your goal is to protect your business. With that said, I am greatly disappointed that that goal is more important than addressing a customer’s concerns.  Please follow-up to my inquiry regarding the retainer. Based on your responses so far, it seems as though my concerns have gotten lost and trumped by your process. If anything I’ve stated needs clarification, please let me know before simply responding. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for the clarification. We have sent a refund to Estelle Leal in the amount of $111.00. Check number 215.3. It shows it has been cashed.Thank you,[redacted]