Misunderstanding at the dentists's

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I had my cleaning and check up this morning. I went to pay and the receptionist said $137, so I wrote a check for that. When I handed it to her she said it would be $147 because I was paying by check. I had only brought one with me, so I gave the rest in cash. It was accounted for on the receipt. I've heard of a fee when paying with a credit card, but never a check.
 
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I asked the search assistant and here is what it said...

"Search Assist:
Dentists may charge an additional fee for payments made by check to cover the costs associated with processing checks, such as bank fees or administrative expenses. This practice is often referred to as a "convenience fee" and can vary by dental office. Always check with your dentist's office for their specific payment policies."

Maybe it's an additional inconvenience to have to turn a physical check over to the bank?

I can scan a check on my phone and send the image of it to my bank for deposit in most cases. There's no charge for that.
 
debodun said:
Inconvenience fee to cover their expenses while they wait for the check to clear.
OMG - they have to drive almost a mile to the bank.
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I see your point. I've never had to pay an additional fee to pay by check (that I can remember).

I would have asked them what the fee exactly covers.

I get charged an office rental fee (when billed) after seeing my doctor. I guess Medicare doesn't cover it.
 
Thats odd. It doesnt cost to deposit a check. I could see a fee for a credit card since they get charged a fee.
My dentist gives a 10 percent discount if you pay on the day of treatment with a check or cash.
That way he doesnt have to pay for months of sending you bills and theres that credit card fee..
He doesnt charge extra for credit card payments so Im sure he has that padded into the bill.
Some people take a few months to pay.
 
Coconut said:
@debodun,,, Why did she Not tell you that when you were writhing out the check?

I have not used a check for a long time. I use my card. I did not know some places charged extra for that.
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She was fussing with the copier and wasn't paying attention to me then just spoke over her shoulder. Only when I handed her the check she noticed it.
 
If someone pays in cash (the actual greenish gray stuff) the dentist will have to take that to the bank. If all they want to deal with is plastic they should say so up front. I always pay my current dentist with plastic, but if I decided to use a check for some reason (like when my card had been hacked) and he charged me extra because it was inconvenient, I would probably decide it was more convenient for me to find another dentist.

We first moved to this town right after 9-11 and everyone had flag decals and "we support our troops" in their office windows. I had a lot of trouble finding a family doctor who would take us and one receptionist told me straight up they never take anyone with military insurance. I said, "You should take that sign down then because you can't claim to support our troops if you refuse to give them medical care." Loud enough for everyone to hear. They probably thought I was being immature.
 
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Della said:
If someone pays in cash (the actual greenish gray stuff) the dentist will have to take that to the bank. If all they want to deal with is plastic they should say so up front. I always pay my current dentist with plastic, but if I decided to use a check for some reason (like when my card had been hacked) and he charged me extra because it was inconvenient, I would probably decide it was more convenient for me to find another dentist.

We first moved to this town right after 9-11 and everyone had flag decals and "we support out troops" in their office windows. I had a lot of trouble finding a family doctor who would take us and one receptionist told me straight up they never take anyone with military insurance. I said, "You should take that sign down then because you can't claim to support our troops if you refuse to give them medical care." Loud enough for everyone to hear. They probably thought I was being immature.
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As a Veteran.....thank you and spot on.
 
Nathan said:
Additional charge for writing check~additional charge for using credit card...either way an opportunity to gouge the customer.

I wanted to set up auto-pay for my water bill, their website said it would be a $5 fee per month. My thought: never mind, go ahead and print and mail me a bill and I'll write a check and mail it back. View attachment 501062
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5$ per month! gougers!
I pay my water bill online, they do not charge me anything extra.
 
My dentist bill was around $140. The office clerk said she called my insurance and was told the amount they would pay - which was about half of the total - and asked me to pay my part that day. I wrote a check and she was fine with that. No one has ever charged me extra for writing a check. Occasionally some businesses have an extra fee for a credit card, in which case I don't use the card.
 
A friend an I took an overnight trip to Mystic,CT in 2007 and stayed at a B&B. We had separate rooms. When the time came to pay, she was charged extra because she paid with a CC. I wasn't because I paid with a check. She was fuming all the way home about it and maintained that there shouldn't have been a surcharge fee for using a CC. I looked it up on Google and it said this:

Surcharging is effectively banned or heavily restricted in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Puerto Rico.

Maybe the rules were different 19 years ago, or the B&B manager was pulling a fast one. I suppose my friend could have disputed it with the CC company.
 
Nathan said:
I wanted to set up auto-pay for my water bill, their website said it would be a $5 fee per month. My thought: never mind, go ahead and print and mail me a bill and I'll write a check and mail it back. View attachment 501062
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My electric supplier was the same, $5 for auto pay using my credit card since I refuse to grant access to my banking accounts. Many months it's the only check I write.
 
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