Caller cracked tooth on bone in food

Caller cracked tooth on bone in food.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Billy you're on News 96.5 go ahead.

Billy: Okay, how're you doing. I've called the show before. My question is a little bit different. I had a piece of bone in a national product of a stuffed pepper and there was a little piece of gristle and it cracked my tooth.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Right.

Billy: I claimed with the company and they sent me a little package. A bag to send the piece of bone back but I'm afraid that it might get lost. They gave me a UPS symbol to mail back but I don't know what to do really. This is weird. I haven't been-

Attorney Tom Olsen: Billy, what have they offered to do for you by the way once you've sent back this piece of bone that you chipped your tooth on?

Billy: They told me that it was going to be reimbursed but there's no real legal-- there's nothing legal if I send this product off with the piece of bone that's my only proof.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Okay, reimbursed for what? The cost of dental care to fix your tooth?

Billy: I believe so. It's my back wisdom tooth so it cracked and it needs to be extracted.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Oh, man Billy, I feel so bad for you man because dental implants they are a big deal and expensive Billy. Oh, my God.

Billy: I know.

Attorney Tom Olsen: I've had a dental implant. They are five or six, seven thousand dollars.

Billy: Yes sir.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Billy I can understand why you're concerned and I would say at this moment in time I would not feel comfortable sending that back to them until you know exactly what it is that you expect them to do for you. For example-

Billy: Yes sir. That's what I thought.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Billy, I would think what you would do would be to go to a dentist or an orthodontist and say, "Look, here's my situation. What's it going to cost me from start to finish to extract this and put a dental implant?" By the way that's a year-long process Billy and so-

Billy: Yes sir I-

Attorney Tom Olsen: when you find that dentist or orthodontist they should put it in writing. Start to finish, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 now you get into contact with the company and say, "Look, this is what my bill is going to be. I'll be happy to mail you this piece of bone but I want to confirm first that you're going to reimburse me this 5,000." Billy, what do you think Chrissy?

Attorney Chris Merrill: I was just going to say I love your suggestion. In addition though, whoever Billy goes to have them take pictures of this as well.

Billy: They have. I'm a veteran and I went to the VA and I'm waiting for an outside doctor to get an estimate because it's going to cost me out of pocket as well. It's not going to be covered a hundred percent so there I'm waiting for the doctor's appointment but they have taken an x-ray and I did show them a picture of the x-ray. I've got a photocopy of it. A very good one from the VA and I showed them the x-ray of the cracked tooth.

Attorney Chris Merrill: And the bone?

Billy: I did send that to them as well. Yes and the bone.

Attorney Tom Olsen: All right Billy. I would say this, number one you've documented that this has happened to you. That's important. I would say that you will continue working with this company but I'm not wild about sending them any bone until you know what your financial loss is going to be and they have to some degree agreed to reimburse you for it, Billy. I don't do this personal injury kind of workload Billy. You may want to talk to a personal injury attorney but hopefully, it can be resolved directly with the company. Billy, I wish you the best of luck with this year-long process to get your dental implants. It's no easy process by any means. Good luck Billy.