I am so sorry to hear that you are dealing with obviously :crooks.

Do not know how the system works here. But for THAT amount of money...heck how much does a NEW wheelchair cost?

Have you gotten in touch with Medicare? If I understand correctly then the repair company is overcharging medicare? and you?

I would not pay!!!!

But since we got so many members here that know much more then I do....I hope you get help real soon.

Hugs
Lucy

I'm so sorry. Check with the better business bureau and see if they have had complaints with the company. Not sure what else to tell you. One did that to me as well. They told me if my doctor wrote a script for a years worth of supplies I would only be charged one copay. I got charged 12 copays at once but didn't know what to do about it so I ended up paying it but they made me mad so I only sent them 10 a month for a year.
Hugs,
Kristy

Kristy the insurance companies won't allow Drs to do tthat any longer. They actually have to change the daily dosage. I have one medication that I really only take once a day but my Dr writes the Rx that it's taken 4x/day so I only pay one copay for 4 months worth of medication.

Luvbrugs has the bill been submitted to your insurance yet and do they cover DME's? I'd start by resubmitting it to your ins if it's a covered expense and have your physician write a letter of appeal. If it's not covered by your ins then call the company and speak to the manager/owner and tell them that you only approved what was initially discussed. Did you by any chance get the estimate in writing? If so you shouldn't have any issues. If you don't have anything in writing tell them that you have no intention of paying for the extras and that you also won't pay so much for a rental because the problem you brought it to them for shouldn't have taken so long to fix. If all else fails and you are ultimately responsible tell them that all you can afford to pay them is $10/wk and they'll just have to deal with it. You can also file a complaint with the BBB and your ins co. Good luck.

See I knew you would get the help you needed.

Good Luck. Hope it works out.

Lucy

Good luck luvebrugs. Wish I could give helpful input, but I am not savvy on this topic.

I spent hours fighting wheelchair companies when I worked in the pain clinic.

DON'T pay it, not even one single penny. File a complaint with medicare. Make sure you have as much documentation as you can, if you use a cellphone get the records, that will show you the days & times you called. Print out any e-mails you might have gotten. Be a BITC# when you call, don't even try to be nice. The squeeky wheel really does get the grease. TELL them you are filing a complaint with medicare. You can file with the BBB but that's pretty useless I've found out. Don't talk to the person that calls you, demand to talk to a supervisor, tell them, in a very loud, angry voice the facts, don't let them interrupt you, yell over them if you have to, ask to speak to the general manager, district supervisor. REFUSE to give in even a little bit. If you have any pictures of the wheelchair prior to them taking it pull those out. Take pictures right now of the wheelchair and anything they were supposed to fix. Don't offer to pay them anything, they can use that against you. Refuse, refuse, refuse. Tell them you are writing a letter to the editor of your local paper and you WILL be naming names. Get the names of everyone you talk to, even better record every single conversation. Tell them you are writing your congressman, your representative, everyone.

Call your doctors office too and let them know what is going on, they probably can't do anything to help but they can warn others not to use this company.

I hate it when anyone tries to take advantage of someone and OUR tax dollars!!! These companies are scum.

Stick to your guns and do NOT let them intimidate you!
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Tally HO!

I like your advice Tally!!!

Lucy

Me too!!!

thanks so much everyone, we have felt sick all for this stuff, it looks like these people know how to cheat. The day they delivered the chair back to my husband he was asked to sign for it, there was a mexican guy who didnt speak English and wouldnt give the chair back unless he signed, and my husband signed with the commitment that he would call the company for clarification, the paper said what they had supposedly done, but no amounts whatsoever, so my poor innocent husband signed and called them inmediately. The guy at the store assured him he wouldnt have to pay a penny, it was just regular paperwork. Today, i got my magnifying lense, and in the finest print you would ever imagine, it says that he is signing for all the repairs mentioned, and he is fully responsible for them.
Now, i guess we are really lost. I cant believe they took advantage of him in that way. the chair costs 6 grand, and he was billed for 5000 total repairs, it doesnt make any sense that we would ever agree to it, but i guess we cant do anything about it. I dont know if we can still do anything about it, i guess we were professionally robbed.

NO! There are laws to protect consumers from this sort of fraud. Tomorrow morning, at eight am you get on the phone and you call the district attorney for your area. Tell them exactly what has happened, names if you have them. Really play up your husbands disabilities, the fact that they wouldn't release the chair, that has a legal name which I can't think of, basically you can't hold someones property hostage until they sign paperwork. And they sent someone out that didn't speak English on purpose, I'm betting they pulled this before.

Do not stand for this!! Call the district attorney. Write or call the Attorney General and medicare administration. They can only get away with it if you let them. Do not let them. You have logic and the law on your side. Like you said it wouldn't make sense for you to do this.

You can do it!! We're here for you.
Tally HO! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!!

Tally I sure hope that you get through to luvbrugs!!! I WOULD LISTEN TO YOU and hope she does too!!!!!!!!!

FIGHT.....DON'T pay. PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE listen.

Lucy

I would not pay a penny!! I would be raising HELL and burning up the phone lines... Keep records dates and times! They su**!!! Don't give in.. You have only to gain by fighting back!!
Good Luck!!

Kylie

You've received some good advice.

1) If Medicare is paying even part of the cost, contact the Medicare office to report the fraud.

2) Otherwise contact the local DA and/or the state AG's office.

If the above options fail, go public!

I don't know about your area but our local TV stations have special segments for reporting on unfair practices, nonresponsive departments, etc. They have no problem putting the company's name out along with a description of what happened. Then, a few weeks later, they do a follow-up report. (Most companies do the right thing when it's being reported openly.)

If that's not an option, contact your local newspaper. Stories of people/companies taking advantage of handicapped citizens are always welcomed. Again, the company usually takes steps to correct the situation rather quickly.

Do not pay a dime! You need to send them a letter stating why you will not pay. Calling is okay, but writing is the only way preserve your legal options, provide a record, and gain you some time to find assistance with this matter. Send the letter Certified, signature required. Get the letter to them before 1/14 so you are on record with why you are not paying.
Did you sign anything before they took the chair? Was there a written estimate? If you did not, then the estimate was $0. The consumer protection laws in your state very likely do not allow someone to make repairs exceeding the original estimate without notifying you. Even if you did sign something, the cost of repairs is clearly unreasonable given the total value of the wheelchair and the original problem. Request in writing that they provide a more detailed record of the repairs. Request in writing that the old parts be returned to you so you can have them evaluated by another repair company.

You are not powerless here. There are probably many agencies in your area that can help with this, you just need to start calling around to find the help you need with this.

thanks everyone, i will have Chris read all this, he is heartbroken and feels stupid for having signed the paper indicating the repairs. He has MS and reading for him is difficult because of it, he feels worse now that his trust was taken advantage of. We will see tomorrow

There is no need for Chris to feel bad..He did nothing wrong.. Honest people are very trusting!! My Prayers are with you both.. Hoping and Praying for a Happy ending!!

Kylie

Thats what they pulled on me. They made me sign the paper to get the leads and pads and it said you will be responsible for what insurance doesn't pay in fine print. They were the ones that told me to do it that way and then they billed me later. When I got the bill I asked if I could send them back since I don't use it daily and would never have ordered that amount at once if they hadn't told me to and they refused. Its crappy what they pull. They got over on me but I hope you can get someone to help you. That is robbery. I know our local news would air the story. Call them and see if they will help you.

DO NOT PAY . If you do not pay the only thing they can do is to sue you in a small claim court. If you get there I am pretty sure a judge would not part with them.
Be strong. Good luck.
Pat

Chris should not feel bad about signing, it was the right thing to do. When I had an issue with a bill a few years ago, my credit card company said I was absolutely right to sign the slip and leave the premises. I did dispute it in writing and eventually the company withdrew the entire bill, even the part I should have owed.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of doing everything in writing. Don't worry about getting taken to court. Pat is right, if you do get there I can't imagine a judge going with their claim. Don't worry about your credit either, they will need a judgment first.

Yesterdays Houston Chronicle had an article just like this, the lady got supplies and a wheelchair she didn't want, need or order. And medicare got the bill. Until she called the Senior Medicare Patrol. It doesn't say how to get ahold of them though. They are 4700 volunteer senior citizens that have saved taxpayers more than $100 million since 1997. "They can tell when something just doesn't feel right to them" said Anne Gray, who works with the SMP program in Santa Ana, Ca. Article goes on to say that scam artist have stolen about $47 BILLION dollars!! in 2009 alone! No wonder we're broke.

Chris, it is NOT YOUR FAULT. This is something they do deliberately. The scammers know that the average handicapped/elderly person is not going to be able to read that fine print, the delivery guy acts like he doesn't speak english, acts impatient, they brush off your questions..., they know the nice people are going to believe them and feel bad for making them wait and won't read it, even if they COULD. People like me, they don't mess with. It makes me so mad!! Give me their number and I'll take care of them!!!
GRRRRR!

Believe me, stick to your guns. They'll back down and go down the road to pull their scams.

What did they say in Galaxy Quest? Never back down!!!
Tally HO!
My mom says I was a pitbull in another life.

The 1st pitbull I like :-) But you sure know how to show your teeth and I hope luvebrugs listens...You will always feel violated and bitter etc etc if you let them get away with it and take your money.

Lucy

Good job, Tally. Luvbrugs this is the place to go for help.

I found the link and the number:

1-877-808-2468

We are all with you on this. Anytime you feel like giving in or need additional info, we're here to support you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Medicare Patrol

Luvbrugs--I agree with everyone here! Do NOT pay! Do Not back down--pursue it with medicare and your local TV station as well as local newpapers. Bring these people out where others can see them and not get taken either. My prayers are with you and Chris and I know that you will come out winners if you follow everyone's advice and fight these fools and put them out of business as well

(((Hugs)))

Linda