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:12/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 asked explicitly on the phone whether there would be any copayment or additional fees, and was told no, which was a lie.I came in and was informed wed have to pay between 39 or 69 dollars in addition to ************ seems that this is their regular practice.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2025

  To Whom it May Concern:

  My name is Dr. *** Lickteig and I am the owner and chief optometrist of Lickteig Family Eyecare. The individual who left the complaint is not a patient of the practice; however, they are representing a family member who we saw in the office.  The patient's grandson was given digital intake forms before they arrived which provides vital information needed for us to verify the patient's medical insurance as well as disclose our fees with them.  Neither the patient nor their grandson completed the intake forms.  Due to this, we reached out to the patient/grandson via phone to get this information, which we still were unable to obtain.  

  When they arrived for their exam, we once again informed the patient/grandson of completing their intake forms which disclosed our fees.  We tried to explain this to the patient/grandson; however, they would not listen to us.  It was at this point that the grandson become rude and inconsiderate to our front desk staff.  The patient has ******** which is very deliberate in what they cover and do not cover as part of an eye exam.  

  The grandson then proceeded to call other doctor's offices to see if they could go elsewhere which held our office up for 20+ minutes.  Despite all of this, we saw the patient, gave them the same high quality care they we provide all of our patients, and dispensed their glasses prescription to them.  The patient's total out of pocket fees was a $30 refraction fee  of which ******** does not cover.  This out of pocket fee was explained in the intake forms.

  The grandson proceeded to talk poorly to our office and give us a 1 star ****** review.  This all would have been avoided if the grandson would have simply reviewed our forms either before they arrived or when they were checked in.  We hope to rectify this situation in a quick manner as this individual has been harassing my staff members ever since.  

  Attached you will find the notes from our internal system that my staff had with this individual while they were in the office.

  Dr. Ben **************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/06/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I am simply asking you to train your receptionists to be clearer on the phone about your fees. I should be able to price shop with honest expectations about price. I am not upset about your fees, I upset about the dishonesty about them that I experienced. a simple statement: "depending on insurance consideration: between ***** dollars" 
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ********

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  Thank you for sharing your concerns. Id like to clarify some points regarding out-of-pocket costs, as they can vary based on whether an individual has medical or vision insurance and the specific details of their coverage. Unfortunately, without the opportunity to verify insurance coverage prior to the appointment, it can be challenging to provide an exact out-of-pocket estimate beforehand.
  When we confirmed the patient had ********* we provided an estimated out-of-pocket amount of $69. This included a $30 refraction fee (which ******** does not cover, as noted in the Advanced Beneficiary Notice provided in the intake forms) and a $39 retinal imaging fee, which is a standard part of our exams. During the exam, the doctor identified a medical finding that allowed us to submit the retinal imaging fee to ********* reducing your final out-of-pocket cost to $30 at the time of checkout.

  
  Its important to note that the front desk staff cannot predict the specifics of an exam, including any additional tests or findings that may arise, which could impact the final costs. For this reason, we provide patients with a range of potential fees, as we did in this case, indicating that the maximum out-of-pocket expense would be $69.

  
  To avoid any confusion, we always strive to verify insurance details before the appointment. A screenshot from our digital intake system is attached, showing our request to gather this information a day prior to your exam. If the intake forms had been completed beforehand, we could have verified the patient's ******** coverage earlier and provided you with a more precise estimate. At that point, you would have had the option to decide whether to proceed with the exam.

  
  Please note that ******** has strict requirements for notifying beneficiaries of any out-of-pocket costs in advance, and we ensured that this information was provided prior to starting the exam.  Since the digital intake forms were not completed, we gave your paper forms for you to review including how ******** works with eye care services.  Attached is a copy of these consents with your signatures informing us that you understood.  

  
  We value your feedback and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. If you have further questions, please dont hesitate to reach out.

  Dr. Ben **************************