Is it hopeless trying to get a refund from CFA for canceled IVF?

[Anonymous]

Happened in July. I have been begging and prodding for five months now. Plus, they continue to bill me for earlier appointments in the year that I already paid for and/or should have been covered in the IVF fee (estradiol testing, for example). IVF ended at retrieval (there was a problem) and I was told I should have at least $1444 (the cost of transfer) coming back to me, and possibly more since we didn't use the lab services for monitoring the eggs/embryos. But I cannot get any finance person to respond to me other than a polite "we'll look into it". Do I have to cut my losses here? I hope not, because I was planning on putting it toward a second IVF at another clinic.

[Anonymous]

It took me months and multiple phone calls to get back a $20 co-pay overpayment for a consult. There have been many posts on this board about how terrible the CFA Finance folks are. All I can say is keep trying. Ask for the Finance manager or Office manager instead of talking to the Finance person. You could also try going in person, but I am not sure that would get you anywhere. I don't think the REs there are any help with these issues. Hope someone else can chime in with something that has worked.

[Anonymous]

CFA is VERY bad about these issues, I wonder if someone actually suing them would snap their heads into place. If you can do it at small claims court it could be less hassle than chasing them down. Not sure if you can take it to small claims or not, but if you can, I'd do it, then you'll collect within a month.

Don't let them keep hundreds/thousands of dollars.

[Anonymous]

I had a similar hassle with SGF, do not let them get away with holding your money.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what you've already done, but it sounds like this is well past the point of phone calls. If you can, insiste on an appointment with someone to sit down and talk face to face, write firm (but not nasty) letters to both the finance person and your doctor (including all the documentation you have that indicates how much of a refund you should have gotten.) Make it clear that if you feel you must, you will get a lawyer involved.

Don't let them blow you off -- it's too easy for them to do that if you're just dealing with someone on the phone, but harder if you're in their face (again, firmly but politely, and have all your documentation)

[Anonymous]

The only way I've ever been able to get a billing issue resolved with CFA is by getting someone on the inside (e.g. Doctor, nurse, sympathetic front-desk person) to call the finance folks on my behalf. They are horrible, horrible horrible. It's like beating your head against the wall.

[Anonymous]

Get your doctor involved!! I had a similar problem and I kept complaining to Dr. Sacks. It got resolved after he intervened. That is way too much money for you to just forget about it.

[Anonymous]

Contact BBB.

[Anonymous]

Keep posting here or on yelp and their marketing staff will get on it!

[Anonymous]

Have you let your physician know about this or have you contacted their Administrator?

[Anonymous]

CFA monitors this blog, so keep posting, go in there face to face as someone recommended, and file a case in court--preferably small claims if you can but if you have to go to District Court, do it--they will have to give you the refund because it can't be worth paying a lawyer to fight you.

[Anonymous]

Be carefeul about starting a lawsuit, even in small claims court. Lawsuits are expensive (even the small ones). The filing fee alone is a couple hundred dollars. I'm not saying that you shouldn't think about that option, just don't jump the gun until you have thought it through. Once you go down that road, it is hard to turn back. Once an entitiy becomes a defendant in a lawsuit, it is serious, and they will defend the suit vigorously. I doubt they will just "give you the refund." Even if you are entitled to the money, once you start a suit, everything changes. Believe me, I speak from experience, and not a good one.

[Anonymous]

Previous post sounds like a CFA troll to me, but if not, PP, can you share more of your experience without revealing your identity? We know CFA staff do troll here.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP and not a CFA troll. I'm not even sure why you would think that.
My experience in small claims court did not involve CFA. My husband and I sued someone we had hired to provide landscaping services. The company didn't perform all the services pursuant to the contract, and we wanted some of our money back. It was a HUGE HUGE HUGE pain in the ass. It was expensive, time-consuming, and not worth it at all. We ended up "settling" for less than we thought we were owed. If I had to do it over again, I would not. It was not worth it. My sister is a lawyer and tried to discourage us. She said it is always more of a pain in the ass to sue for small sums of money, particularly against a business.
So . . . I am not a CFA troll! I'm just someone who doesn't want the OP to go down a precarious road without thinking it through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP and not a CFA troll. I'm not even sure why you would think that.
My experience in small claims court did not involve CFA. My husband and I sued someone we had hired to provide landscaping services. The company didn't perform all the services pursuant to the contract, and we wanted some of our money back. It was a HUGE HUGE HUGE pain in the ass. It was expensive, time-consuming, and not worth it at all. We ended up "settling" for less than we thought we were owed. If I had to do it over again, I would not. It was not worth it. My sister is a lawyer and tried to discourage us. She said it is always more of a pain in the ass to sue for small sums of money, particularly against a business.
So . . . I am not a CFA troll! I'm just someone who doesn't want the OP to go down a precarious road without thinking it through.

Very sound advice! I am a lawyer and have practiced in small claims court and district court. What the PP says is true. Suing someone does not equate to getting paid. OP, I think you should get your RE involved. Exhaust all your options internally at CFA before you think about suing.