Dentist forgot to bill me -what now?

M

Male Doon

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I would welcome any feed-back on the following minor (but annoying) situation. I had root-canal treatment last September (cost 450 euros). I paid the "second" installment of 200 euros in October and I took that to be the end of it, However, I got a phone call from the dentist this morning to say that on checking their records, they discovered that I had'nt paid the first installment of 250 euros.(Apparently, an entry in their books for a payment of 25 euros for a routine visit I paid around the same time in September was mis-read as the payment of 250 euros). Up to today, I hadn't realised that I owed them anything.
So what to do now? Pay the 250 euros straight away? Tell them, "sorry, too late"? Ask them to agree to a compromise payment of say, 200 euros? Escape to Brazil and hope that I never again have any dental problems?!
 
Quite simple really.

If you owe them for a service they provided, pay them.
If you don't owe them, don't pay them.
 
You need to pay the amount in full, or else they will start up legal proceedings. Happened to a friend of mine who thought they were covered under their PRSI, heard no more until a year later when they got the bill for €600. He ignored it, and the next one was from their solicitors.
 
Ìn my opinion , this was the Dentist mistake , so why should you pay for their error .

I would suggest that you bring this to their attention as you have genuinely paid the 2nd instalment and probably € 25 off the 1st instalment .

If he does not agree to compromised amount , I would explain to him that you are unable to pay this fully at once and agree to monthy instalment amounts instead .

Also remember that this Endodontic Root Canal Treatment is tax allowable , so make sure your Dentist signs form Med 2 and send to tax office with your returns
 
allthedoyles said:
so why should you pay for their error .
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OP should pay for a service that they recieved. There is no dispute that the money is owed, just that the bill was slow in coming.

OP how did you not relise at the time that the dentist have under charged you by 50%?

And if you had over paid them and found out a few months later, would you expect a refund?
 
The answer is obvious. You pay for the service you received, incidentally that cost is not bad for a root canal. I'm sure in view of the delay , you might be able to negotiate payment in installments if there is a cash flow problem.Personally I would think that it is very short sighted not to pay the dentist!!!!
 
allthedoyles said:
Ìn my opinion , this was the Dentist mistake , so why should you pay for their error .
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The work was done last September, and they are asking for money now. Not unreasonable. And I presume it was a shared error, as OP paid the second instalment and should have been in a position toknow that no first instalment was paid.

I would suggest that you bring this to their attention as you have genuinely paid the 2nd instalment and probably € 25 off the 1st instalment .
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Are you making things up? OP acknowledges that none of the first instalment was paid.

If he does not agree to compromised amount , I would explain to him that you are unable to pay this fully at once and agree to monthy instalment amounts instead .
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OP has not claimed an inability to pay, just a normal reaction of being disappointed to be confronted with a forgotten debt.

Also remember that this Endodontic Root Canal Treatment is tax allowable , so make sure your Dentist signs form Med 2 and send to tax office with your returns
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Should the claim be based on €450, or such lesser amount as OP decides to pay?
 
Thanks, everyone for the replies...looks like that trip to Brazil to avoid the dental police is a non-starter! I have a "filling" that if I didn't pay up (an option I didn't intend taking, by the way!) that the dentist's fingers would immediately twitch as he reaches for his legal gun.
Guess I'll bite the bullet and put a big white smile on the dentist's face by paying up!
 
Don't forget that if you are on the higer rate of tax, you will only get tax relief at 20% now on the payment you make this year.
 
Just pay up.
Joe1234 said:
Don't forget that if you are on the higer rate of tax, you will only get tax relief at 20% now on the payment you make this year.
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I think this is incorrect. Just make sure you get the dentist to fill in a Med2 showing the treatment was in September and you will be able to claim relief at your marginal rate of tax.
 
michaelm said:
Just pay up.I think this is incorrect. Just make sure you get the dentist to fill in a Med2 showing the treatment was in September and you will be able to claim relief at your marginal rate of tax.
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It is when the payment was made that determines the year that the tax relief applies, afaik. It also works the other way, of course. I know someone who is due to get dental work done later this year and has already paid the dentist so as to have it included as 2008 expenses.
 
Postscript: I rang the dentist to confirm that indeed I hadn't paid the 250 euros and that I would forward cheque, which I have now done. (I asked him could he do anything to ease the pain but no joy...!)
 
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