NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Numerous New York residents have been left in the hole financially after Select Dental abandoned its Queens office.
The company, known for its cable television ads, picked up and left sometime last month, leaving dozens of customers confused and broke, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
One client, Michael Alvarez, is out $19,000 and he wants his money back.
"I can't eat food unless my wife grinds it down for me," said Alvarez, 73, of College Point. "I only have seven or eight teeth left in my mouth."
Alvarez said Select Dental charged him and his wife up front after opening a line of credit on his medical credit card, and now they have to file for bankruptcy because they can't keep up with the payments.
Select Dental is being investigated in other states for alleged similar practices of leaving customers with a permanent frown, said Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer.
"They actually walked out of the office and left everything open," said Pheffer, a Queens Democrat. "It was like, 'Poof!' and they were gone. It's so shameful."
A spokesman for Rep. Anthony Weiner said federal officials are working to get dental records released to the aggrieved clients.
