Received a charge after inquiring reduced fee?

[JoeyJoeC]

My girlfriends mother went to the dentist. At the end, she asked if she would be entitled to the reduced payment for being on benefits.

 

She was told by the dentist that she didn't have to pay, and instead had to fill out a form and send it off.

 

(Apparently this is not usually how it works, she is supposed to pay up front then claim back?)

 

She has now received a Penalty Charge Notice for incorrectly claiming for the reduced amount, even though they also mentioned in their letter to her that they cannot confirm if she is illegible or not.

 

My girlfriend sent them a letter disputing the charge since her mother was only inquiring about the reduced amount, and simply followed what she were told to do.

 

Apparently there is a back log on their post, and it won't get read for another few weeks, although they are getting additional charges for non-payment.

 

What should they do?

[rebel11]

Hi JoeyJoeC

 

Write a Formal Letter of Complaint , mark it as such, send it to the dental practice manager, explain what has happened (asked for a reduction, was told it was free), how you have been let down (given wrong information - resulting in a fine plus charges) and what you want them to do (pay the fine plus charges). You can e-mail it or send it Recorded Delivery.

 

You've written to the NHS, which is good. Let us know what they say.

 

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/dentists/Pages/dental-faq-best-practice.aspx