Have you ever arrived at the doctors office, 40 minutes late for a scheduled appointment, and had the staff tell you "it's okay, we have nothing better to do. In fact, it's our fault you are late. We are so sorry, come on in and let us take care of you"?
No? Me neither.
Imagine my surprise when I showed up on time for an appointment, waited 40 minutes for the doctor, and then when I had to leave and return to work without fulfilling my appointment, being told it was my fault that I had to wait.
Here's my story:
Last month I underwent a very expensive, insurance covered, procedure from Dr. Janet Roberts at Dermatology Specialists NW in Portland, Oregon. Until today I have been very impressed with Dr Roberts and her staff.
Today was my follow up appointment to make sure everything turned out okay after last months procedure. My appointment was at 3pm and I showed up right on the dot. Almost immediately after arriving I was told they were running behind and I should go shop or get coffee for a half hour.
I did and returned promptly at 3:30pm. I took a seat and flipped through a magazine. I noticed my doctors nurse coming to the lobby multiple times but not giving me the time of day. At 3:40pm I approached the reception desk to confirm my appointment really was at 3pm. The receptionist told me I was correct and I politely replied that I needed to return to work and that we should reschedule for another time.
Right then the afore mentioned nurse came out (to get another patient that had a 3:30 appointment) and overheard that I was leaving. Instead of saying sorry or begging me to stay, she said this:
"Next time you should give us a call to see if we are running on-time."
What?!? I should call you to see if you are doing your job? I don't think so! If you are running late you should call and tell me!
Let's get something straight, Doctor Roberts, my time is valuable too. How would you react if I showed up for an appointment 40 minutes late and then told you that it was your responsibility to call me and see if I was on time? You wouldn't stand for it and I would still be charged for the appointment (or at least the cancellation fee).
So this is what we will do, Dr Roberts. I'll call my insurance company and make sure they don't pay you for today's scheduled visit. In return I wont invoice you for my wasted time.
What do you think, readers? Who was right...should I have called to make sure they were on time or is it okay for me to assume that they will provide me the service I am paying for when they say they will?
-Jeff the Great
What?!? I should call you to see if you are doing your job? I don't think so! If you are running late you should call and tell me!
Let's get something straight, Doctor Roberts, my time is valuable too. How would you react if I showed up for an appointment 40 minutes late and then told you that it was your responsibility to call me and see if I was on time? You wouldn't stand for it and I would still be charged for the appointment (or at least the cancellation fee).
So this is what we will do, Dr Roberts. I'll call my insurance company and make sure they don't pay you for today's scheduled visit. In return I wont invoice you for my wasted time.
What do you think, readers? Who was right...should I have called to make sure they were on time or is it okay for me to assume that they will provide me the service I am paying for when they say they will?
-Jeff the Great
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1 comment:
I have also been kept there for extended periods of time, easily 30 minutes on more than one occasion. The receptionist I found to be less than pleasant, and always maade me feel like I was at fault when they were running late. I haven't had any issue with the actual services though.
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