In the newest episode of TrustDALE Investigates, Emmy Award winning investigator Dale Cardwell highlights the wide range of ways consumers might find themselves short-changed: a taxi service operating without a license; unsolicited callers cheating the elderly out of thousands of dollars; a landscape subcontractor never doing the work.
Take the story of Kiersten Olterman. She said her dental office didn’t refund her for a medical procedure that was never performed.
“I’ve been calling them every week,” she said. “I call them. I go up there every week. I’ve asked them in person. I’ve asked them on the phone. And every time they say, ‘Not a problem. We’ll send you your check. Not a problem. We’ll send you your check.'”
The dispute stemmed from a $450 procedure. According to Olterman, she scheduled an appointment, but the office canceled and said the doctor was no longer with the company. They rescheduled, but by then, she didn’t need the work done anymore.
She said she asked for her money back, but was given the runaround for months.
“I feel totally ripped off, especially the fact that we’ve been great clients of theirs and patients for the past three, four years,” she said.
As you’ll see in the episode, the story ends happily for Olterman, but not for the office’s employees. The business filed for bankruptcy, and closed, only to start again on the same location under a different name. Some former staffers said they’re still owed money for work.
“Apparently, there’s no money in the account,” former employee Shemeka Brown said.
TrustDALE Investigates airs Thursdays at 7:30 ET on the Law&Crime Network.
[Image via Law&Crime Network screengrab]
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