Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/19/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I engaged Dr. Shelley's services for orthodontics treatment, specifically **********, starting on 1/10/2022 and ending on 2/27/2023 and paid a total of $2,225.
  
  The treatment plan initially outlined was ********** for 8 months. However, after 12 months of undergoing **********, it became apparent that my lower teeth had not moved as expected.
  
  Dr. Shelley's proposed solution was to transition to braces for an additional 6 months. However, due to personal circumstances, I was relocating out of the area. In light of the extended treatment and the fact that my teeth were worse condition than when the treatment began, I asked Dr. Shelley for a partial refund, given the unfavorable outcome and the need to seek alternative orthodontics care in my new location.
  
  Dr. Shelley declined my request for a refund, despite acknowledging that my teeth did not achieve the desired results. This raises serious concerns about the ethics and priorities of Dr. Shelley's practice, as he seems to prioritize financial interests over the well-being and satisfaction of the patients.
  
  I believe that I am entitled to a fair resolution and compensation due to Dr. Shelley's treatment resulting in a further adverse shift in my teeth alignment. Dr. Shelley's refusal to consider a partial refund despite the apparent lack of success in the initial treatment plan is both unjust and unprofessional.
  
  I kindly request the Better Business Bureau to investigate this matter and facilitate a resolution between myself and Dr. Shelley. I'd like to settle through the BBB rather than through small claims court. I believe that such orthodontics practices should not go unchecked, and it is crucial to uphold the standards of integrity and accountability in the orthodontics profession.
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to a prompt and fair resolution.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  I am writing in response to the complaint of our patient to the BBB.  We first met this patient on ******* for a consultation in which we recommended braces or ********** to correct lower crowding.  The patient chose **********, which requires good compliance (wearing the aligners 21 hours per day) and attending appointments on schedule.  This was made known to the patient.  Unfortunately, due to poor compliance in wearing the aligners the appropriate number of hours and missing many appointments, the teeth did not move in a manner we would expect.  To resolve this issue, we made extra aligners on 4 separate occasions at no cost to the patient.  The patient moved to a location far away during treatment and we tried to accommodate this by mailing her aligners and being flexible with scheduling.  On the patient’s last appointment on 2/27/23 the teeth were still not aligned due to poor aligner wear and missed appointments.  Again, I offered treatment at no charge in the form of braces for the lower teeth.  The patient did not accept this option due to living out of state. The patient asked for a refund and I explained that we could not do this due to the lengths we had gone to with expense incurred, as well as the time and effort to make her happy.  I made her a retainer at no charge.  

  In summary, this treatment was not successful due to poor patient compliance and missed/rescheduled/canceled appointments (12 in total over a 15 month period).  The patient left us several bad ****** reviews under various alias names.  We received an extortion email from the patient asking for $*****.** to take down the reviews.  **** ****** ** **** ** *** ************* ****** *** *********  In my opinion, we went above and beyond to make the patient happy with the treatment but it was not possible to achieve success due to factors out of my control that were explained above.