Careington International Corporation
Reviews and Complaints

You probably went to a general dentist and most general dentists do not perform root canals now days. They are done by a specialist. It's like you going to a general MD and asking them to perform heart surgery on you. Did you search for an Endodontist in your area? It's your responsibility to check with any local dental office to find out what they do. Clearly you didn't ask the correct questions. If you're unhappy with Careington, they do have a 30 day money back policy. Call the number you got when you joined and ask for a refund. Then you can pay full price for your root canal :) Peronally, I have used Careington for 10 years and have saved $1000's on my family's dental care.

you took 75.00 from my checking account t with out letting me know ... thus leaving me at risk of checks out, returning to me as bad...I would like to stop any business with

would like my money returned to my account...

this company has been debiting my checking account, I do not know this company... they need to stop immediately and credit my account or come forward and tell me what they are.

I'm curious how you would go about scheduling any surgical procedure? Most insurance cards state that it is the responsibility of the patient to check to see if a doctor is accepted with any plan prior to scheudling any procedure. How is this any different? Do you go in and have the procedure done before asking if they accept Careington.

I purchased Careington on a Friday after a tooth was bothering me. This was a tooth that had new fillings over the course of forty years so I knew it was probably going to need more than a new filling. Turns out I needed it pulled and follow-up with a bridge. Although there were several other options (crown, etc) I choice the bridge after spending time talking with the Careingotn rep where he explained each procedure, benefits, and costs.

Too many people complain that they are not charged properly...according to the plan. They dont take into consideration what else is needed other than tooth extraction, etc. Would you have a filling replaced without anethesia? Do you have surgery without also paying a hospital and a surgeon? I was pleased with the way everything went especially since I signed up three days before visiting my dentist.

In this persons case according to what they state, the Dentist would be at partial fault because the Dentist admittedly opt-in to Careington and should of opt-out if they no longer wanted to continue with Careington program. HOWEVER where I would put a blame also on Careington is that it seems they do not hold these providers in a real contract and that is a BIG PROBLEM because if Careington did, then that Dentist couldn't get away with over charging as he would have a set contract with Careington but it seems Careington has customers paying into these plans with NO SECURITY TO THE CUSTOMER!
Furthermore Careington should be responsible by taking the time to update their lists PERIOD as its so unprofessional when you call supposedly active providers and they KNOW NOTHING about Careington, in fact it makes Careington appear suspicious! Tell me how hard it is for a big company like Careington to simply pick up a phone and contact these so called providers on their own lists that they are giving to customers?

Realistically everyone does not have the same exact experiences with Careington or really any Company at that matter. I have had bad experience with Careington though mines is much different then this person. But in these times of increasing identity theft it is not hard to believe that a fraudster could get your information and sign you up for something you know nothing about while using it at your expense. Not saying that is what has happened to this person but it isn't an impossible assumption either.

1. Careington not only markets a "discount dental plan" but also insurance products that are only available to employees of certain employers i.e. Humana, Blue Cross and a few other small companies you may have heard of.
2. There are 1000's of dentists in the network. They SHOULD notify careington corporate if they decide to opt out of any program, but that's the dentists fault - NOT Careington.

Your issue IS with the dentist. Not Careington.

My issue with Careington is that they can be misleading and unfair. my bad experience with Careington was that i had contacted many so called "participating providers" in/near my area that Careington themselves originally searched for me from their own lists and these supposedly "active providers" when I spoke to them said they do not accept Careington or any discount plans out there PERIOD, just INSURANCE ONLY which I was told over and over again. I reported this problem to Careington as I don't see why I should continue to pay into a discount healthcare plan for this long and finally when I need to get a much needed check up, no doctor accepts it. Furthermore Careington does not really update their listings of "providers" and I know this based on what Careington's own representative told me on the phone that the doctors themselves would have to call them to be removed from their lists which I think is nonsense when I the customer already found out for myself and Careington that these doctors do not accept any discount plans as I stated before; some doctor offices even added that they don't know Careington discount plans! So why would these doctors call Careington to remove themselves from a list they did not know about in the first place? Did Careington sign doctors up without their knowledge? I don't know but its obvious that something is fishy with Careington! I lost lots of money, Careington said to me I can not get back any money that I paid into their discount healthcare plan all these years even though I got absolutely no use out of it! That is clearly a rip off no matter how you look at it. I would not recommend this company. For those on here who use Careington and are fine with them then you must be the few lucky ones! For the rest of us we were screwed and that is the truth! I am not a person who rush to call a company a scam but I would not be surprised if Careington is found out to fall in that category though I personally see them as sneaky from my experience.

Your dispute is with your dentist, NOT the Careington program. If you had body work done on your car and the shop "over charged" you would you file a complaint against your insurance company? No. You would work it out with the body shop. Go to yahoo and google and write a review about your DENTIST.

Has to be a bogus post. Careington is a GREAT company.

Bogus post.

Curious as to why do you conclude that "the plan was bogus" or whether you may be venting anger at the situation that has not resolved in your favor? As far as I can tell your explanation says that the Careington discount pricing for the dental services actually worked as intended. The problem that you wrote about is that you wished to enroll the Careington representative to negotiate a dispute regarding a missed appointment fee. Of course neither Careington nor any other benefit plan representative can do that since missed appointment fees are always an issue outside of the jurisdiction of the benefit plan. These missed appointment fees always raise tensions between patients and providers but this is solely a business choice of the provider and has nothing to due with the benefit plan.

I am defending Careington because I believe that they've earned public respect through years of exceptional consumer service in the PPO discount plan business. My role is to provide independent advice to those using an online insurance exchange, and I would not hesitate to recommend Careington as the best PPO discount pricing option available for those without dental insurance. Careington is, IMO, one of the 'bright stars' in the very contentious health care industry.
Tony Novak
OnlineAdviser services

Really? You became a member over a YEAR ago and now you post a negative review? As an independent sales rep, we always recommend that members have the dental fee schedule with them when they visit an in network dentist. If one runs into a problem with billing, then you can call the Careington member services and the Provider Relations section will get in touch with that dental office and try and sort things out things for you. Almost always, it's the personnel behind the counter that don't know how the discount program worked. As far as billing cycles- when you enroll in Careington you have the option of being able to use the plan immediately or on the 1st of the following month. If your initial payment was on 8-25, then your next payment would be due on or about the 10th of the next month ( depends on what day the 10th falls on)- that's just the billing cycle my dear. Even utility bills aren't billed from the 1st to the 30th of each month. This issue could have easily been solved if you had called someone at Careington.

If you continue to read the paperwork that outlines the fees you will see everything listed.
For example if you go to a doctor for surgery, you arent just charged for the surgery. You also will be charged for the hospital for their services, the anesthesiologist, as well as your surgeon. Why would you expect anything different for your dentist...unless of course you want a cavity filled without the area being numbed first.

"On 9/23/2011 I checked my account looking for a refund from Careington and to my surprise I found they had charged me another $11.95 just 2 weeks and 1 day after I had paid $11.95 + $20.00 processing fee." That's because you enrolled and selected to have your membership effective IMMEDIATELY. NO one "pro-rates" the monthly fee if you join in the middle of the month. You paid for the remainder of Sept. and then paid again for Oct. YOU should have selected the box to have your membership become effective on "the 1st of next month".

Orbach, I have a very similar complaint with Careington Dental and was wondering if you ever received the refund that was promised to you from Careington. I put up a web page letting the world know what Careington Dental is really about. http://www.caringtondentists.com I will keep this page up until I get resolution. Please let me know if you received your refund or not. Thanks

PS On a brighter note, Careington's track record of returning fees for cancellation requests has been impeccable, in our experience. It might take up to a full month's billing cycle before you see the refund processed. I've recommended Careington discount networks to those without insurwance for more than 15 years and find them to be "top tier" in fairness and customer satisfaction.

You have learned the hard way that neither Careington nor any other preferred provider network can offer assurance that a dentist will honor a PPO fee schedule. The PPO's practical response to a dissenting provider is limited to removal of the dentist from the network. This doesn't help a consumer with a prior dispute. A consumer will likely ultimately prevail in a fee dispute with a preferred provider by citing the PPO agreement but we hear of many similar disputes inside of dentists' offices regardless of the specific PPO network used. We anticipate that these types of disputes will become increasingly common in both the dental and medical fields as health plans are increasingly being pushed to lower member costs by reducing compensation to providers.
Tony Novak
OnlineAdviser services
onlineadviser.org

Our experience with Careington over last 4 years has been pretty positive. Our dentists have been competent and trustworthy with us - they accept and recommend Careington. FWIW.

Its a SCAM. The discounts don't exiist. The Dentist within the network have devised a plan to come together amd create a false plan the works for them, and not the consumer/patient. The plans petitioners are "labeled", as targets when your walk through the door, and given "The Plan" prices for dental work, which are Inflated, in turn hugely discounted to appear as if your paying less for service, which in all actuality, your paying regular price for that treatmemt.
Its a Dentist Racketeering conglomerate. The perfect skeem..

My 2 cents while researching on the net bout dental insurance vs discount dental plans. I read a lot, watched Youtube videos, etc. My 83 year old mother been using these kind of plans for years and is content with them and the fees are real. I talked to her at length the other day and she still stands firm on her stance. I also found out my sister in law been using for years also with nothing but positive things to say. My brother has it too, and he just told me he needs 2 crowns for $400 something each. He said that like he didn't even know what they cost. I told him on average they are around a grand and he should throw a party. I read every review here, and the one before the last sums it up, I believe that one. What it comes down to is the dentist. Work finding a dentist going backwards. Call a few dentist that have a good reputation and ask if they take any discount dental plans, and if so which ones, then again work it backwards from there till you can find the discount plan you need. Careington is one of the main ones, and agents sell theirs under another name to make money. Dentist probably figure they charge one person 1000 with NO insurance, one 700 with, and one 600 or same with a discount dental plan, they probably figure it all comes out in the wash, why turn away money. It all depends on the dentist, you gotta find the right one! Call first, do a little homework, it should pay off. If you don't want to go to a specialist, find a dentist that does root canals, if that is what you need. The dentist who refers you to a specialist probably is to lazy to do one or may know you have a discount dental plan and don't want to accept the discount, or who knows why. Root canals need to be done right! if they aren't the nerve in the tooth will become infected ALL the nerve must be removed. I once had one done in Canada, the dentist I thought did a good job, but seemed to be going a little quick. Years later it got infected and I bout lost my tooth. I had to have a RETREATMENT from a specialist, crown, etc. my tooth survived. Try to never have any of your teeth pulled VERY IMPORTANT! once a tooth is pulled and NOTHING is left in it's place, the one above or below it will start to come out cause it has nothing to meet against. From what I gather insurance is a pain and I've read nothing but bad things bout it, pretty sad! The discount dental seems to be an alternative that can make all parties content.

I worked there. It is a scam. They taught me to steal, and then stole from me. After I was pressured to sign up a disabled person that trusted me to help her, I quit. Been a month and they still have not paid me a portion of my base hourly pay. I can still hear the woman I signed up in my head. Feel guilty about it all the time. Business as usual there.

I read the other reviews BEFORE I BOUGHT CAREINGTON and saw you need to do some legwork. FIND A DENTIST THAT WILL HONOR THIS PLAN and will give you their CURRENT price schedule IN ADVANCE so you know what you will save.

In June of 2016, I went to a new dentist and was told I needed crowns - 2 to 3 – and was looking at about $1200 per tooth and that each tooth would take 2-3 visits and about a months time to complete the process per each tooth so, they were talking months of dentist visits – eeeeh! – at a price that was higher than I could afford.

I looked online for dental insurance and found they wont cover crowns for a year and max out at $1000 a year so it was pointless to obtain. Then I found Careington who covered immediately. However, the dentist I saw DID NOT TAKE CAREINGTON so, I went to the Careington website and entered my zip code to find a dentist who did.

NOTE: BE SURE TO CALL THE DENTIST OFFICE DIRECTLY TO MAKE SURE THEY STILL HONOR THE PLAN before setting up an appointment. Once I found a dentist I liked, I purchased the Careington plan, and since it is immediately active for use, saw the new dentist at their next open appointment.

Having to search for a dentist who honored the Careington Plan turned out to be a blessing in disguise because this legwork was how I found a dentist at WOODBURY SMILES in Woodbury, MN who not only took CAREINGTON but also offered state-of-the-art, CEREC crowns that are made on site and installed in one single office visit!

The real kicker was I could also go with a step-up for a more durable crown on these molars and not have to worry about cracking like I would with regular crowns.

I was THRILLED to get my first gorgeous, state-of-the-art crown in ONE office visit – yippee! The tooth looks - and feels - as though it was made by GOD HIMSELF!
It is that beautiful. Thank you Dr. Mitchell!

I was VERY IMPRESSED with the high quality service, the super high-quality materials and workmanship and, most importantly, the fact that, thanks to CAREINGTON, I was able to receive all this amazing work at a price that actually came in UNDER the quote that I got from the other dentist for run-of-the-mill crowns. Now that’s what I call truly AMAZING!

Thanks to CAREINGTON, I not only saved money and got a MUCH BETTER product and EXCELLENT SERVICE but, most importantly, I saved my smile.

I am sorry you did not have the same experience because my experience has me saying "THANK YOU, CAREINGTON and THANK YOU, WOODBURY SMILES!"

This company is a fraud, the prices that are shown on the Schedule 501 are only if a regular dentist dares to do the procedure, in other words, if you neighbor or friend can do the extraction of the root canal, then Careington will honor those fees. If you are referred by your dentist to see a specialist like a Periodontist, Orthodontist or Surgeon, then you have to pay 80%. And they only pay 20%.
Basically, the company is a fraud and a liar, and it should not be in business.

I purchased a Carrington Dental Plan for 2015. My dentist said it was a good plan when you don't have insurance. I probably saved a little over after deducting costs. I'd estimate that it was probably $100 or less. My problem with this plan is they have a web site with alot of information, some was close to accurate and some was not. I knew it was not an insurance plan, and I was satisfied with the plan. Today I noticed my credit card was charged $129 from Carington, a couple weeks ago I got an email telling me that my plan would end December 31, I glanced at it and deleted it because for 2016 I have a dental plan with my Health Insurance so I wasn't renewing it. I called and spoke to a less than professional customer service woman. When I ask why they renewed my plan without my request I got a very smart answer, "You approved it when you signed for it last year it's in the fine print under terms and conditions." I cancelled it today and will not ever use them again, I did not ask for a life-time agreement. As I said I was satisfied with the plan, but I despise nasty customer service people.

Careington is generally a pretty good discount plan. It works in most situations. you will save money. I have found that it doesn't work so well in one area . . . and that is when getting a crown. The dental group I go to will tack on an extra $360 (which they claim is the dental lab fee) on the Careington crown price . . . bringing the cost up to the national average for a crown. So a loophole takes away your savings. But you will know about the extra cost before they proceed so you don't actually get blindsided. Otherwise, plan works pretty good.

Your negative issues should be with the dentist & not Careington. I am writing this in April of 2015 & have used Careington with a wonderful local dentist for the past two years with no problems & great savings. Do your due diligence first to find a dentist that accepts it. If you have issues with the dentist not charging correctly, report him to Careington & find a different. Just yesterday I had a porcelain crown put in. With x-rays, nitrous, & core build up I paid $659 & saved over $500 from the usual cost.

Wow. After reading both pages of comments I don't know what to think. It seems to be a kind of marketing war and how do I know which group to believe? I can see where other dental insurance companies might hire paid posters, as has been suggested of the positive reviews, to post negative ones.

On Monday I will call a few local dentists, and get them to give me prices for this and some other plans I have been considering. I this one gets the lowest quotes I'll return and let y'all know.

CAREINGTON is a fraud, the prices that are shown on the Schedule 501 are only if a regular dentist dares to do the procedure, in other words, if you neighbor or friend can do the extraction of the root canal, then Careington will honor those fees. If you are referred by your dentist to see a specialist like a Periodontist, Orthodontist or Surgeon, then you have to pay 80%. And they only pay 20%.
Basically, the company is a fraud and a liar, and it should not be in business.
I am reporting this company to all agencies!

This company should not be in business!

Plan paperwork relates it is not insurance. I tried it for a year and was not impressed. Dental group was overpriced, wouldn't recognize a retired federal dental plan and pushed this non insurance. It has an automatic renewal charged to your credit card. Careington wants you to email them that you cancel this non insurance. I called them and told them I no longer wanted their non insurance. I will contest charges if they charge account. Bad service and a permanent place in my pocket. Why do all these bad companies congregate in Texas. Let me digress, this company pulls a vacuum. They do not have the right to repeatedly charge my credit card, that is just bad business and not forthright. I see them as arrogant crooks.

What I have learned through experience is the dentists on the Carington plan charge 1707 for a cap and the Carington 500 plan covered about $700 of that. I was treated badly and the dentist took off a perfectly sound cap and made impressions for the wrong tooth. When I went to another dentist who was not on the plan the total cost of the cap was only about $1000. So dentists who are on the plan just charge you more. It would be cheaper and you will get better dentists if you don't use the Carington 500.

Ok, so I am currently checking out this discount plan. I wish there was someone on here who have used this before. It currently shows that my dentist is on this discounted plan. So, prior to purchasing their C500 plan I am contacting my dentist's accounting department to see if they are in fact on this discounted schedule. I will hopefully write back with the results. If it is true that my dentist is in network then it will be dramatically discounted from the regular fees. Also, I will be covered right away. I also am looking into Delta Dental's discount and insurance program. The discount program is like the Careington and then they have separate more expensive coverage. But there is a waiting period for major work. I also don't know where Aeria got a free trial because I have not come across anything like that with Careington. Maybe you went through a referral website to get that plan and maybe it was the website who offered the "free trial". So maybe try contact them. I am currently trying to find coverage fast right now because I am having tooth pain.
Also, on a side note to Aeria, you should try you local health department for dental work. If you are disabled most likely you can get free or close to free work done. I have gone to my local health department and they said if all else fails it costs about half of a regular dentist. Hope this helps and good luck.

I joined the Careington Dental plan as a "FREE TRIAL" on July 5, 2013. I changed my mind after seeing some complaints about them, and since no one was available over the weekend, I had to wait until Monday, July 8, 2013 to contact them. I called them on Monday, July 8, 2013, and cancelled my membership "free trial". I told them that I wanted ALL of my money back -- not just what they took for one month. They should NEVER have taken the money BEFORE the 30 days were even up! But they took $31.95 right away! Then, they told me that "IF" I put it in writing and gave me the email to send it to, that I would be refunded the $20 processing fee. So, I did that immediately, and they only gave me back $11.95, KEEPING my $20, when they NEVER HAD TO PROCESS ANYTHING, because I canceled the next "business day", so there was NOTHING to "process"! I called them and told them that what they told me was not true, and that I wanted my money back ASAP. I actually spoke with the same person, and she LIED to me and said that "they do not have to give the money back to you, even if you put it in writing". I said, "You told me that IF I put it in writing, that it was their policy to give me my money back!" And she denied everything! I asked to speak with her manager, and she was even worse than the first girl I spoke with. These people are SCAM artists! And I don't appreciate people like 'Randy in Portland" who tells people that they are "stupid" for trusting these people. It is easy for someone to say that to people that have done it and have not gotten their money back. But, if people were saying "wonderful" things about the company, then I'm sure "Randy in Portland" would NOT say the awful and "stupid" remarks that he is being very judgmental about! It is so easy to point fingers at people AFTER the fact. He should just keep his trap shut! There are those of us who are good people, and this dental plan did not look "too good to be true"... it looked "reasonable", and that is why I went for the "FREE TRIAL" --- HOWEVER, as it turns out, it is NOT a 'free trial" at all, because if it were, then they would HAVE to give you ALL of your money back! I didn't even go anywhere near 30 days! I canceled the next business day (with the weekend in the middle), since I joined the 'free trial' on a Friday and canceled on the following Monday, which was the next business day. I WANT MY MONEY BACK! Isn't there any way that ALL of us people could sue Careington Denal Plan and get our money back, PLUS money for all of the harassment, mental and emotional stress and anguish that we've been put through? I am permanently disabled, and my only income is disability. So I have no insurance. That is why I thought to give this a chance. I will never trust thugs like these guys ever again --- AND, I still want my money back!

How stupid are you people? Did you not negotiate the price of the services up front with the dentist? Do you think that Careington is unaware how many idiots like you want to "sign up" for 2 weeks so you can get a cheap trip to the dentist? From the sounds of things, you toothless ###s hadn't been in years. Did you think that someone else would be your advocate/handholder? Grow up! You're not "smarter than everyone around you" you're lazy whiners who didn't cover your bases. It's an awesome program in the hands of a thinking adult, and another reason to complain about being "victimized" in the hands of a fool!

This plan is a scam. I went to the dr. twice with my son. The doctors office was not familiar with the plan even though they were on the list. I called and they said all they need is in the book. When provided used their number there was no answer. I didn't receive a discount for either Dr's visit. I tried to get 3 prescriptions. I could not get the discount even though the store was on the list. When I called to cancel. My bill was due on the 10th and it was the 11th and they removed the 29.99 payment on the 8th. I am very disappointed and would not recommend these plans to anyone. The don't care why you didn't receive your discount. They just say it will end at the end of the month which is not a full month. They billed my on the 8th is going to cancel on the 31st. Not a full month. I hate these companies that spend their time scamming you out of your money. Oh and by the way I did go to the dentist. There was no discount the bill seemed more expensive.

I bought carrington through Maxdental.com ( Jerry w. crater ) and cancelled within a just a few days days since i was VERY unhappy, i never used it and he still kept 20.00 dollars! 20 dollars for nothing! Thanks Jerry!

The posted sampling was from a standard Market Conduct Review that was initiated ten (10) months after the Florida legislation became effective. Careington did satisfy all requirements noted by the auditor. If the consumer has concerns with Careington please contact our Member Service Department at [protected].