Aspen Dental is not just a local dental cleaning. Nah! It’s a big company that manages over 1,000 dental offices nationwide, with more than 25 locations in Massachusetts. They cover everything from basic checkups to dentures, and they are famous for their flashy ads, which you see here and there. But recently, we saw some backlash going against them just because they claimed something and didn’t deliver on it. And since it is a big company, sure enough, they had to be held accountable for this, and that is precisely why the Aspen Dental Lawsuit is a thing now. Let’s now see the details.
The Massachusetts Lawsuit: “Free” Stuff That Ended Up Costing You
Let us turn the calendar back to December 2021. That’s when the Massachusetts Attorney General intervened and revealed that something was off. They accused Aspen Dental of using a tricky bait-and-switch tactic. Like when you see an offer that is awesome, and then a bill of something you did not expect comes out, you get the idea. Exactly the same thing.
Aspen was giving away free dental exams, x-rays, and even cancer screenings. Isn’t that just what the doctor ordered? However, when the people showed up, they had to pay for the services that were “free.” Additionally, if they didn’t, a few of them were sent to collections. It was a big deal to be in debt for something you thought was free.
But that’s not all. While Aspen claimed to accept all kinds of insurances, the reality was different because they didn’t accept MassHealth, which is one of the health insurances in Massachusetts for those with low income. So, people who thought that their insurance would pay for the services had to handle unexpected expenses.
Thus, the court intervention took place next. Aspen was instructed to refrain from boasting that they take all insurance if the message was not very reasonable. In the following year, Aspen chose to resolve the lawsuit by agreeing to hand over $3.5 million. Of this total, $750,000 will be used to settle claims of mandatorily billed patients. The remaining portion likely includes legal and other expenses.
Besides, there was another statement made by the court that Aspen would be banned from mentioning words like “no hidden fees” or “free services” in their advertising if such words were not a true reflection of their offer. Such a request was nothing out of the ordinary, was it?
Another Lawsuit Comes Up
Just as the situation in Aspen seemed to be well in hand, out of nowhere, a lawsuit came up. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, yet the lawsuit came surprisingly. It was not about bills. Nor was it about false free offers. However, it was about a person’s important details. Yes, the online world is causing issues again.
This is the story behind it: If you had a slot in your schedule to go to AspenDental.com from February 2022 to January 2025, the businesses you never knew about might have got hold of your personal data via Meta (Facebook) or Google and similar with a tracking pixel that is actually a spying tool sticking on the website and following your every move.
When users found out about this, their response was mostly disbelief and anger. Then we see claims for a class action lawsuit. The claim is that the company, without the user’s agreement, had shared its private details with the big tech firms. This is unethical.
Aspen’s standpoint is that “We are right.” To be honest, companies don’t frequently accept their mistakes. Yet, they took it upon themselves to pay the charge, which is a staggering $18.7 million. By the way, it is much higher than the Massachusetts lawsuit.
