Monarch Dental sent the first notice of a refund in Feb 2011. The notice said bring the notice to the office and a refund check would be sent within 7-14 days. 4 months later I recieved the same notice and recieved the same answer but was also told the second notice was a mistake. 3 weeks after recieving the second notice I was told at the office visit that they were still trying to verify if the refund was for the payient or the insurance company. They said they would not give a corperate office phone number or a point of contact to talk to about the notice.

Very disappointed in the managment of this company!

They suck you in with a cheap first visit. Mine cost only $25 for the initial exam and x-rays, and for a sorry, broke grad student without any health or dental insurance, that sounds like a deal.

The first appointment was fine, although I must say it took FOREVER for them to come up with my treatment plan and the cost and everything. I was in a lot of pain that day because I needed a root canal which was performed that very day, and I was thankful for that. They did say that I might need two root canals, at the tooth that they root canaled, and the one right next to it, with a filling, because SURELY its impossible to say what tooth is REALLY the source of my pain (note, the sarcasm). Once they saw that I was willing to sign up for some cosmetic work (having two of my front crowns replaced because they've yellowed over time and have the ugly metal lines at the gum lines and having my teeth whitened and having a night guard made for my lovely night grinding habit), they decided the second root canal wasn't necessary after all, and that instead, the filling had to be replaced with an INLAY, mind you, not a regular filling, but a fancy piece of porcelain that costs more than 3X as much but serves the same functional purpose as a regular filling.

Next time I came in to have my inlay on one tooth and crown on another cemented, it took 3 hrs (!!!). The portion of the tooth that they were going to place the inlay was so, so, so small that, of course, it didn't fit, so part of the long visit, to be fair (to them) was due to them trying to make the inlay fit. However, I noticed there was only one dentist per maybe, about 5-7 other patients total for the entire three hours I was there.

Needless to say, I had a lot of time to rethink that inlay, ended up asking the dentist why he thought it was better, and his answer was simply that "its porcelain, " after which, I politely inquired whether he was, by any chance, offering me an unnecessary service simply because it cost 3X more than a regular white filling. They ended up doing the filling, and finally got the crown on (which, I am happy with, by the way, but the crown, mind you, is more a reflection of the quality of the lab Monarch uses and not the actual dentist or the dental office).

I've canceled the $8000 worth of work that was supposedly given a 40% discount (something they do for people without insurance), but I did this after I got set up on a payment plan and a credit card (on a day that I was CLEARLY not thinking straight because of the pain from the tooth that needed a root canal), its been a month and I've been calling these Monarch people to adjust my payments, given my change in treatment plan and the amount it amounts to needing to be changed from $8000 to $2500(for a root canal, crown, and filling with their supposed 40% discount), and still haven't gotten this taken care of. Looks like once they got your down payment money, and access to your bank account (for your payments), they like...have no need for you anymore.

Also, they "diagnosed" me with needing a deep cleaning, amounting to nearly $1000 dollars, and refused to do any regular cleaning until I get the deep cleaning from them first. Luckily, I didn't get the deep cleaning on the day of my root canal (when I wasn't thinking straight, and almost did), and did seek a second opinion, actually suggesting to another dental professional that they do a deep cleaning. The second opinion was: "Deep cleanings are for people with periodontal disease. You've got crowns that necessitate you get a regular cleaning every three months, but no, not a deep cleaning, because that's for people with periodontal disease."

So, look out for the offering of unnecessary services. If you've got less than perfect teeth, its easy for them to throw in the deep cleaning. If you've got wisdom teeth and you're young, its easy for them also to throw that in, even if they're not bothering you. Both of those things are really big money makers. For those of you with insurance, you might not even think twice about this, as these services, however expensive, are considered maintenance and/or preventative, and likely to be covered, such that Monarch will be getting the money, not from you as an individual necessarily, but from your insurance company (which is the kind of thing that drives premiums up, with less services getting covered).

Also, worth mentioning here is that, they offer 40% to everyone without insurance, which sounds really appealing, especially after such a cheap initial visit, also offered to those without insurance. However, if you look at their break-down for things like crown work, they throw in "cosmetic fees" in twice, one for the porcelain that the lab uses, and the other for the actual, "cosmetic" putting of it on. If you ask me, thats just ridiculous, as a reasonably, cosmetic application that is also functional ought to be a given, with a porcelain fused to high noble metal crown that already costs $1100 without the extra $400+ they throw in for "cosmetics."

So, another words, the 40% discount is really deceptive, as they inflate the cost substantially to an already inflated cost of services, and then take the 40% off. I think the real "give away" for me as to how "money hungry" this company is is when I asked the dentist about at-home dental whitening, hoping for some sort of feedback, and he was like, "well, i dunno about them at-home dental whitenings." I mean, come on...are you really that intent on the $350 (with your 40% discount) that you would otherwise make by having your hygienist whiten my teeth?

This is the WAL MART of dentistry (e. g. poor service, the more customers per the least amount of employees [such as the aforementioned one dentist per 5-7 patients] possible, profit at the cost of ethical practices), only the prices are the equivalent to Saks Fifth Avenue of New York stuff. If you've had bad experiences, and considering the amount of bad about this company plastered all over the internet, please report them to the Better Business Bureau, so the process of holding them accountable for their poor and outright deceptive business practices can begin.

Modern Dental Prof-DFW/DBA Monarch Complaint:

I went there because they had a $50 coupon on their website for new customers that I printed out, so it wouldn’t cost me anything on my first visit. My appointment was on a Friday 5/7/2010, as Fridays are the only day I can get off work without it being a major issue. I was on time for my appointment but had the common sense or intelligence to still ask as soon as I arrived and as I was getting my paperwork to fill out, if they were running on time because I had scheduled a Doctor’s appointment that same day a few hours a part. The receptionist’s response was a nod and yes, they were running on schedule. I was just in for an initial x-rays and consultation. I ended up waiting almost an hour to just get the x-rays. After the x-rays, I was then told there would be another wait for the dentist. At some point I told them I could not wait anymore that I had to leave due to my Doctor’s appointment. They had the audacity to suggest I cancel my doctor’s appointment, which I setup because I was having chest pains. They didn’t ask, nor were they concerned what my doctor’s appointment was for. Regardless, I went to the front desk to ask what I owed. The gal looked me up on her computer and said I owed “nothing”. So I didn’t even leave the coupon with her, just left. Few weeks later I get a bill for $143.00 with $93.00 it says expected from the insurance company. Less the $50.00 coupon, I brought in, I should owe nothing. On the statement, it shows 4 different x-rays were taken and separate charges for each. I can tell, because I was there, they didn’t take all those x-rays. Then, I also notice there is a charge for an “Initial Oral Exam” dated on 5/11/10. That date was for the following Tuesday and I can tell you I was never there on that date. So not only did they make up charges for services (x-rays) never took place but also some bogus made up exam by a dentist ($36.00) that never took place. This is so unbelievable and unprofessional, heck, lets just be real, this is a scam, a lie and illegal as robbing a bank, to make up charges and bill customers for them.

In any event, of course I called and talked to Dawn the manager and she said she would take care of it. She said she would get the $36.00 for the bogus Oral Exam removed. 30 days later, I get another bill only to find out Dawn lied through her teeth. The bill is for the same thing same amount. So I call and talk to Dawn again and she tells me again, she will take it off and it wasn’t submitted to the insurance company yet. Thirty days later a bill dated 8/31 comes in and it shows the $36.00 credit for the bogus charge of the “Initial Oral Exam”, yet the total of the bill does not decrease, it still the same amount of $143.00! So I see that Dawn is not only the mother of all liars, she also responsible for manufacturing the charges and making bogus adjustments. In any event I call again and 30 days later the same bill shows up. The next bill we receive has the $36.00 shown as a credit and also reduces the balance by that amount. So now the balance is $107.00. But we call our insurance company and find out the bill has still never been submitted to them for payment.

My wife has off on Fridays, so I ask my wife to call the home office to see if she can get anyone at the Corporate Office to help us. They then call Dawn and then my wife calls Dawn and Dawn says this time that she will have billing reverse all charges and remove all charges from their system. Well you guessed it, once again our pathological liar, Dawn, does nothing as again we receive a notice stating we owe a past due balance of $107.00

My wife ends up calling 3-4 different times and Dawn lies each and every time. So now the last bill we receive shows that they added the $36.00 for the Oral Exam that I never had, back on to the total, so It now back up to $143.00 and has been sent to their Corporate Office for handling.

So, aside from all the made up charges and lies, the bottom line is I did not receive the service I went in for. Second, if they had submitted the charges to my insurance company, the bill would have been paid in full. Our insurance cover 2 x-rays and cleanings per year, so if they had just submitted it to our insurance company, I would owe nothing. Our insurance would have paid 100%. So I should not owe anything. If you want proof of this, I can mail you a copy of our dental booklet. I’m going to take them to court to teach them how much their greed for $130 is really going to cost them.

Had a root canal done in one office. Great dentist and office staff. Had double insurance and they verified with the secondary insurance that I had already met my deductible.

Had the crown done at another office. Great dentist. Office manager overcharged for the crown. I told her I wouldn't owe that much as I had double insurance, but she insisted and I wanted to get it done, so I paid. She said she would immediately refund the balance if I was correct, but then she wanted to collect the deductible the other office didn't collect. I told her I met the deductible three months prior on a filing. She said she would wait to collect the deductible until she heard from the secondary insurance.

After secondary insurance paid on crown, it proved I overpaid by $70. I tried to get a refund, but she again claimed I owed the deductible for the other office. I showed her the EOB from the filing proving the deductible was met. She said would refund overpayment.

Three weeks went by and no refund. Secondary insurance sent the payment on the root canal direct to me. I called that office and paid the balance. I said I should have a credit, but they informed me the other office had recharged the deductible again. Called the office manager, again. She claimed I still owed yet another $50 for the deductible on the root canal. I reminded her I had shown her the EOB for the filing where I met the deductible and that I had paid the entire balance remaining at the other office. She claimed that was just what was left after my primary insurance paid and I still owned another $50 in deductible. If I paid the balance in full, irregardless of insurance, how can I still owe yet more? I need to get in on this racket.

West Valley has great staff and dentists. Ogden has great dentists, but I'll be staying away because of this office manager. I could take the matter to court, but with time off work and the frustration factor, I can't justify if for $70. Lesson learned.

This office has overcharged us for services ever since we began going there about 9 years ago. The first time I found out was by speaking with my insurance provider on another topic and the representative mentioned I should have paid a specific amount when in fact I paid more. I ended up requesting a review of all charges since we had begun going there to find out we had been overcharged by $1500.00. We did get reimbursed and was told it would not happen again. GUESS WHAT! It happened again! I am just geting done with another dispute that has lasted the past 3 years and the office Manager (Melissa) does not follow through with ANYTHING. Needless to say, after I waited 4 months for Melissa to handle it (as she assured me she would), I had to go above her and have someone else do the research. YES, we were overcharged AGAIN for services in total of almost $800.00! I HIGHLY advise anyone who has used or uses Monarch to review your EOB's that your insurance provider sends after treatment and compare to what you actually paid for the services. Monarch DOES NOT abide by the agreeed rates and fees that they have made with the insurance companies and chooses to charge what they feel is good. Your EOB will have listed what YOUR portion of payment should be for the service. If you use them, do so at your own risk... just remember I TOLD YOU SO!!! J&H Black