onedef92
05-16-2011, 12:06pm
Customer: Tofu wrap broke tooth and restaurant won't pay dental bill
Posted: May 13, 2011 4:23 PM EDT
Updated: May 13, 2011 11:10 PM EDT
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A Kentuckiana woman said a meal at her favorite restaurant ended up costing her more than she ever imagined.
Colleen Berryman said she broke her tooth on food from PF Chang's on Shelbyville Road, and then got stuck with a $1,500 dental bill when the restaurant's insurance company refused to pay. She called the WAVE 3 and I'm working to get her money back.
When Colleen and her daughter, Helina, eat at PF Chang's, they don't even need to see the menu.
"It's like one of our favorite restaurants," said Colleen, whose daughter agreed. "We don't get to go there very often but we get really excited when we do."
They always order the same thing: tofu lettuce wraps. But their last meal there left a bad taste in Colleen's mouth.
"I remember wrapping it up and I took a bite and as soon as I bit it was like I bit on a rock," Colleen remembered. "And I knew. And I wasn't sure it broke my tooth but I heard it. And I was feeling around and I couldn't find anything and when I was done I had a third of a tooth."
Colleen says she broke her molar and immediately called over the manager, who told her she must have bitten down on an undercooked rice noodle.
"Tell me you could break that big a piece of your tooth off on a noodle," said Colleen while holding up the broken tooth, which she kept for insurance purposes.
That's because Colleen wasn't as concerned about what broke her tooth as she was about who was going to pay to fix it. But she said the manager told her not to worry and filled out an insurance claim form right there at the table.
"He was really apologetic," Helina recalled.
"He put down that there was something hard in my food that broke my tooth. And I'm like, ‘I need a copy of that,'" Colleen said of the insurance form. "And he's like, ‘no you don't, we got it covered.'"
As it turned out PF Chang's would not have it covered. Colleen racked up $1,500 in dental bills for the root canal and crown she needed to repair her broken tooth. But a few weeks later, Colleen got a phone call from PF Chang's insurance company, Zurich American. The agent told her she was going to have to eat those dental bills.
"And I said this is ridiculous. The guy in the store clearly told me you guys would cover the bills, and now you're saying you're not," Colleen said she told the insurance agent. "And he's like nope, if you don't like it get a lawyer. I said I can't afford a lawyer. I said what if I send it to the Troubleshooter in my town? And he said go ahead and I'll use you for slander."
Fearing a lawsuit, Colleen waited more than three months before finally asking for our help. When we went to PF Chang's, a manager at the Shelbyville Road location declined comment. But the company sent the Troubleshooter department the following statement.
"We are dedicated to providing our guests with an exceptional dining experience and maintaining the highest food safety standards. In any situation such as the allegations raised by Ms. Berryman, claims are thoroughly investigated by a third party and we take appropriate responsibility if and when our restaurant is at fault. The investigation of Ms. Berryman's claim found no evidence whatsoever that her meal or anything at our restaurant was to blame for her dental issues. We cannot, as a business practice, take responsibility for damages that our restaurant did not cause."
The statement offered no explanation as to what caused Colleen's broken tooth, so we took her case to the Kentucky Department of Insurance. They have now launched an investigation and are currently awaiting the insurance company's response.
Ronda Sloan, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Insurance, said Colleen did just about everything right in this situation, including reporting the incident immediately and keeping all receipts and documents.
The one thing Sloan said Colleen could have done differently is insist on getting a copy of that insurance form the restaurant manager filled out. Sloan said if you believe an insurance claim was unjustly denied you can always file a complaint with the Kentucky Department of Insurance. You can find can call them at 1-800-595-6053.
Posted: May 13, 2011 4:23 PM EDT
Updated: May 13, 2011 11:10 PM EDT
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A Kentuckiana woman said a meal at her favorite restaurant ended up costing her more than she ever imagined.
Colleen Berryman said she broke her tooth on food from PF Chang's on Shelbyville Road, and then got stuck with a $1,500 dental bill when the restaurant's insurance company refused to pay. She called the WAVE 3 and I'm working to get her money back.
When Colleen and her daughter, Helina, eat at PF Chang's, they don't even need to see the menu.
"It's like one of our favorite restaurants," said Colleen, whose daughter agreed. "We don't get to go there very often but we get really excited when we do."
They always order the same thing: tofu lettuce wraps. But their last meal there left a bad taste in Colleen's mouth.
"I remember wrapping it up and I took a bite and as soon as I bit it was like I bit on a rock," Colleen remembered. "And I knew. And I wasn't sure it broke my tooth but I heard it. And I was feeling around and I couldn't find anything and when I was done I had a third of a tooth."
Colleen says she broke her molar and immediately called over the manager, who told her she must have bitten down on an undercooked rice noodle.
"Tell me you could break that big a piece of your tooth off on a noodle," said Colleen while holding up the broken tooth, which she kept for insurance purposes.
That's because Colleen wasn't as concerned about what broke her tooth as she was about who was going to pay to fix it. But she said the manager told her not to worry and filled out an insurance claim form right there at the table.
"He was really apologetic," Helina recalled.
"He put down that there was something hard in my food that broke my tooth. And I'm like, ‘I need a copy of that,'" Colleen said of the insurance form. "And he's like, ‘no you don't, we got it covered.'"
As it turned out PF Chang's would not have it covered. Colleen racked up $1,500 in dental bills for the root canal and crown she needed to repair her broken tooth. But a few weeks later, Colleen got a phone call from PF Chang's insurance company, Zurich American. The agent told her she was going to have to eat those dental bills.
"And I said this is ridiculous. The guy in the store clearly told me you guys would cover the bills, and now you're saying you're not," Colleen said she told the insurance agent. "And he's like nope, if you don't like it get a lawyer. I said I can't afford a lawyer. I said what if I send it to the Troubleshooter in my town? And he said go ahead and I'll use you for slander."
Fearing a lawsuit, Colleen waited more than three months before finally asking for our help. When we went to PF Chang's, a manager at the Shelbyville Road location declined comment. But the company sent the Troubleshooter department the following statement.
"We are dedicated to providing our guests with an exceptional dining experience and maintaining the highest food safety standards. In any situation such as the allegations raised by Ms. Berryman, claims are thoroughly investigated by a third party and we take appropriate responsibility if and when our restaurant is at fault. The investigation of Ms. Berryman's claim found no evidence whatsoever that her meal or anything at our restaurant was to blame for her dental issues. We cannot, as a business practice, take responsibility for damages that our restaurant did not cause."
The statement offered no explanation as to what caused Colleen's broken tooth, so we took her case to the Kentucky Department of Insurance. They have now launched an investigation and are currently awaiting the insurance company's response.
Ronda Sloan, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Insurance, said Colleen did just about everything right in this situation, including reporting the incident immediately and keeping all receipts and documents.
The one thing Sloan said Colleen could have done differently is insist on getting a copy of that insurance form the restaurant manager filled out. Sloan said if you believe an insurance claim was unjustly denied you can always file a complaint with the Kentucky Department of Insurance. You can find can call them at 1-800-595-6053.