Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Oh I forgot to tell you...

Last Friday the Red Lobster gift card arrived; the general manager of our Port Charlotte Florida one is a woman of her word!
We had had a problem with their server there, her attitude and how she had served us, and so I had called a few days after our lunch and  I explained what had transpired and suggested that the server needed to be retrained and this was the resolve besides the assurance that the server would be spoken to, yep that is how to do business even when you aren't a stand alone small one.
In the olden days the customer was always right, but these days, at times, they seem to treat us customers as if they are doing us a favor taking our money! Dear businesses, without customers you have no BUSINESS! And believe me when I say that, since I have been a business person with two turnkey businesses and even a service business years ago and also a consumer like everyone else, so I know this to be true from both sides of the story!
And so I was relieved that I was heard with my concerns, and the gift card was a nice little touch, less than what our bill was for that uncomfortable meal, but a nice gesture just the same.
Thank you Red Lobster, well done.

Moving on...

Last night, I did something rash, well not rash, but done on the spur of the moment.
I finally got dental insurance, minimal, but with Humana and a PPO.
Goes into affect May 1st for x-rays and cleaning.
It is a preventative policy basically.
Oddly enough that toothache that I had had weeks ago went away, and so I imagine it was food caught in an area that finally dislodged through my constant flossing and using one of those dental picks, mouthwash, battery toothbrush and relentlessness with Anbesol applied whenever I felt the need, oh and yes even extra strength Tylenol ingested!
All better, and now whenever I am home and eat I rinse and brush and use the pick, which is easier for me with my limited hand motions these days.
So I feel I can go to the dentist with a better outlook?
I have to wait six months for the remainder of the insurance to kick in for major work for things like root canal or what have you.
The minimal part is it only pays 50% and some items 28% discounts for other things, but I can cancel at any time.

Hubby was annoyed that I went with Humana, since I have had so much aggravation from their RX.
I thought that separate divisions would/could be separate and better or just different?
Their specialty RX is okay for my needs, it's mail order that causes issues for me.
Any-who, I called today to get some names for dentists that accept their insurance.
I could not go online because even though they already were paid for the first month I have no ID number yet and so I called their customer service!
Well, all I wanted was to give someone my zip code to find out which dentist that accept their insurance were available to make an appointment with, since it sometimes takes weeks to be fitted in, right?
They kept asking me my name, address, date of birth and then would say they would have to transfer me to another department, since they did not know or have that information!
After, four different toll free numbers were given to me in case we got disconnected and we inevitably would and I would call and go through the same baloney again!
I finally called the very nice agent I spoke with last night, he had given me his direct toll free number and extension, and he found two dentists offices within a few miles from my home.
One had two women dentists and the other had one female dentist there, sounds like reverse discrimination to you maybe, but I thought I would ask for a female, since I mostly seem to get along well with them. I know, guilty.
Anyway, I called the first office since the two women were there or so I was told!
Ha, no women worked in that dentist office only a male doctor, who has been in practice for thirty years! Oh but not there, Punta Gorda and Miami, here just a year and no women ever worked in his office.
Odd.
I started to make an appointment, but cancelled.
Confused and exhausted I decided to wait until tomorrow to try again.

My arms, hands and oddly enough both of my pinkies have been really acting stiff and numb.

So I called my chronic care nurse Carla on the speaker phone.
We chatted for quite some time.
I mentioned that I was considering going back to one of the local neuros, since it was that ones billing department that was a problem, not the doctor, at all.
She is a little over a mile from our home and with gas prices soaring and my other neuro one hundred miles round trip this seemed like checking out this doctor again wouldn't hurt and Carla said she would call. This incident that happened with the doctor was back in April of 2009, so eight years ago, almost exactly.
She had seen me in the hospital and was the one who had put me on my first time of IV Solu Medrol for three days. At the time I had no insurance and she said don't worry we would work something out. But her billing department did not get the message. I had tried to set up a payment plan like I had with the hospital, and they billed me for the whole amount. I asked for them to speak with the doctor to verify our conversation and they refused. They finally offered a discount if I paid one very large lump sum, which I did under duress, needing monies for other bills at the time but we did cut back and managed. Shortly after I was sent a certified letter stating that the doctor wanted nothing to do with me! I had no recourse.
CRAZY!
Anyway, she is a good doctor who I think had a very bad billing department who did not let/want for me to talk to her.
A few years ago I answered an ad for a trial on another MS medication, and coincidentally it was her practice conducting the trial, now I remember I had received a letter from her office.
Again CRAZY!
When I called I was baffled by the whole thing and declined the offer due to fear of me being that 1%again with negative reactions to new meds.
   
Share those blessings please and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

 

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