How to reduce the chance you ger taken advantage of One of the most discouraging situations I come across involves customers getting ripped off. There are a few main ways in which this happens including being underpaid for the value of the scrap, being shorted on the weight of the scrap, and not being paid at all.
Some dental refiners separate a customer’s dental scrap into categories based on the material the scrap is made of. They explain what the categories are but when it comes time to evaluate the scrap, they put the more valuable scrap into the cheaper categories. A former boss used to coach his employees on doing this to increase their profitability!
Another popular way unscrupulous refiner rip off unsuspecting customers is to fudge the weights. If done correctly, an empty bag should be put on the scale, the ‘tare’ function activated, then the filled back is placed back on the scale. This gives the most accurate weight while keeping the scale clean and reducing the risk of cross contamination. I always show the customer the scale before and after weighing their dental scrap.
One of the most discouraging rips off situations I come across is an outright theft of the dental scrap. When I worked for my former employer someone in the Boston area started visiting dental office and picking up the dental scrap and promising to mail a check. He never showed identification, left a business card or a receipt. Some of my competitors do not pay on the spot as we do. Some leave a small deposit until the refine is completed. To the best of my knowledge, they all leave a receipt for the scrap they pick up. If someone is trying to leave your office with your dental scrap and they haven’t paid you for it, make sure you have a way to get in touch with them and know for sure who took it. Sadly, I’ve met about a dozen people who were taken advantage of. They all had a feeling something was wrong but, in the end, decided to trust the person. If you think you’ve been ripped off, don’t hesitate to call the police. If you have been a victim and the police catch the person, please call me. I have a list of customers who may be victims of the same person.
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