I want to say, the provider Dr Brunsvold was lovely. But the women at reception make this place unbearable, and I see that it is sounded in other reviews a similar sentiment. On the 9th we took our child to an appointment, she has pretty bad vision, the provider recommended contact lens, explained the benefits and I said let’s give it a try. She explains that she will grab a trial pair check their fit and bring our daughter back in a week to check in. I’ve wore contacts for the past 20 years, nothing is out of the ordinary. She exits the room and shortly returns to say they don’t have my daughter’s prescription, but she will order some in and we will “reschedule the fitting once they are received.” All is well, we leave and by the end of the week they called to get my daughter in the books for a contact lens fitting in July. To my surprise on Saturday we receive a bill from their office it has three items Eye exam $229 Refraction $29 Contact lens fit, evaluation and follow up $99 Says $99 is due June 30. I call Saturday, receptionist is rude..the exchange is not well but I chalk it up to she is having a bad day. Second attempt to fix the bill was today and I spoke with Rhonda, Rhonda clearly hates her job. She explained I was billed because they knew I was coming back. I am hesitant but accept this because we do have a July appointment. I explain I’m not paying for a service that didn’t occur until the service has occurred and the due date on this bill is 30 June. She said “that’s fine.” End first call. My husband and I decide that doesn’t even sound ethical. We find a new location and schedule my daughter there. However, we still have a $99 charge for a contact fitting at Central Montana Eyecare that never occurred. I call back and explain we will not be back for our July appointment and would like an updated bill since a contact lens fitting was never done. Rhonda doesn’t like this, the goal post begins to move from her original statement, I’m met with things like “Well the process started.” I explain that no process was started they didn’t have the prescription needed for a trial pair and had to order, she can check we have an appointment for a fitting in July, why would we have a second appointment if the fitting was done? Rhonda continues “well you verbally agreed to the contact lens” This makes me laugh because what does that even mean, they are trial lens that would exist with or without my child wearing them, we are not charged for a trial pair of lenses if that was so what if it took 3 different brands to get it right? We are charged $99 a pair? Sounds insane and I’ve never heard of this. She finally says she will need to go talk to the dr and will contact me back but would not be debating this. I said “it isn’t a debate, I have a bill for a service that was not rendered, the service I’m being billed for had a July appointment scheduled because the office didn’t have the materials needed to perform the service on the 9th of June. But when you go back to the dr to explain I hope you explain in great depth that the appointment in July is no longer needed because we are taking our daughter elsewhere because the receptionists lack the professional fundamentals required to work at their current positions.” I explain “I can come in and discuss this with anyone else besides a disgruntled receptionist, because I’m not understanding how I’m held financially responsible for a contact lens fitting that didn’t occur when nothing outside my daughter’s annual eye exam took place. I won’t be paying it and let’s hope you can find a way to draw the same conclusion.” Rhonda is the office manager from what I hear, makes sense the professional standard is lacking. I called around and spoke with 4 other practices in the area to better understand why I could be charged for trial lens ordered, they all stated their processes and that I wouldn’t have been charged because the contact lens fitting never took place and that the billing error should have been fixed regardless. Shocker.
