Dentist chasing me to pay a fine - eek

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This isn't my dentist I'm registered with, but a different dentist I enquired about getting a private treatment with. I booked a consult (for 6 weeks in advance as they had no availability any sooner) they said my appointment wouldn't be secured without a deposit paid and I said I'd phone up after payday, I subsequently completely forgot and ended up going for a different treatment with my own dentist.

I had a text the day before my appointment reminding me, it said if I wanted to cancel to phone, I was at work and couldn't so planned to later. Annoyingly it didn't have a reply to cancel option, you had to phone.

I forgot again and the day came and went and I didn't think of it, until I got a letter about a £59 missed appointment charge. I didn't do anything about this and they are now continuing to chase me for this fine by sending increasingly threatening letters.

I assumed the appointment would be cancelled if I didn't pay, yes I could of phoned, I regret that now but what do I do? Is there any legal route they can take here? I don't really have £59 to waste.

Sorry but I think you should pay, it just sounds like an excuse after an excuse. You wasted an appointment.

I think that you owe £59- sorry

Hmm the appointment wouldn't be secured without a deposit. You didn't pay the deposit, therefore you had no appointment. I wouldn't pay

If they said the appt wouldn't be secured without a deposit that suggests the appt wasn't secured so they should have offered it to someone else. Have you got anything that says that or was it verbal?

So you didn't pay the deposit? I think that's fine then. If it wasn't going to be secured without that payment, then it was free for someone else to book.

I really don't think you owe this. The appointment required a deposit in order to secure it. You did not pay the deposit hence the appointment was not secured.

They need to review their appointment procedure. Surely the point of insisting on a deposit is that they have money on file should the patient not turn up. They did not follow their own procedures by deeming an appointment to be confirmed without getting the deposit.

I would phone and say this - "I never paid a deposit so, under your own terms and conditions, there was no confirmed appointment".

Yes I’d assume that as I hadn’t paid anything I didn’t have the slot. Just like a flight or theatre ticket. You have a certain amount of time to complete the transaction before it’s available for somebody else to book.

It wasn’t free for someone to book if you got a reminder for your appointment, your appointed been booked-and yet you still didn’t call them.
I think you are going to need to pay before they send it to a debt collection agency or something.

Sounds like their systems aren't very robust. They booked an appointment and didn't cancel it when you failed to pay the deposit, so I would say that is on them for not following their own procedures.

I would go back to them and say they said the appointment was only secured if the deposit was paid and as it wasn't paid, it should have been given to someone else.

I don't think you need to pay now - you haven't paid the deposit and you expected them to cancel it.

Anyway, you really need to communicate now - write them an email, state that you were informed about the deposit to secure an appointment and as you never paid the deposit, you haven't expected the appointment to go ahead.

Just pay it. You had plenty of time to cancel it.

They're unlikely to enforce a £59 debt.

Don’t pay it - they quite clearly stated the appointment would only take place if you paid the deposit. You didn’t pay it so the appointment didn’t happen and so they were free to give it to someone else.

If they’d said ‘you will be billed now that you’ve enquired regardless of whether you have paid the deposit or not’ then they have a point, but that’s not what they stated.

I've been a dental nurse and receptionist in this situation. It was £300 to secure the appointment. Patient didn't pay or turn up. It was my fault for not cancelling it when the payment wasn't made so was ultimately on me.

I don’t know… You asked to delay paying the deposit until payday. Did they have a date that would be by? If they agreed to hold off on the deposit and then you didn’t contact them again to cancel it, you owe them the money.

Ultimately, they gave you multiple reminders about the appointment and you ‘kept forgetting’. I think you owe them the money.

Assuming you are not omitting to tell us about entering into a contract, you don't owe them any money. If they failed to cancel your appointment after you failed to pay the deposit, then that is their problem.

Sounds like they are in the wrong. They said the appointment wouldn't be secured unless deposit was paid. You didn't pay deposit so they should have deleted the appointment. Phone them up and tell them this, and see what they say.

If you didn't have it to waste you shouldn't have wasted it.
I'm sure if they had actually taken a deposit that you knew you would only get back if you cancelled early you wouldn't have 'forgotten'. It wasn't important to remember because you thought you wouldn't lose anything by not bothering.

Can they legally do anything? Maybe, maybe not. I suppose it depends on any t&c and whether they are actually enforceable. You could always ignore it and wait to find out. 🤷

Meant to say that it's unlikely a dentist will chase you through the courts for sixty quid like a car parking fine company would even if they have a case but that's just my assumption, not a legal view or anything.

Actually, ive changed my mind. I've just had a customer cancel on me after I spent ages on a product for them so I was snarky with you for no reason.
They should have followed what they said they would do which is not hold the booking until you paid the deposit.
I'll go fuck off with my misplaced snark and go watch kittens or something on YouTube till I'm not a bitch any more

no you haven't entered into any contract with them, call them
and say you never made the appointment as you didn't pay deposit and tell them to cease contacting you.

The relaxed their rules to accommodate you but not insulting on the deposit before hand. Give you multiple notifications to cancel and you just ignored them.

Technically, I don't think you can be forced to pay hut you were very inconsiderate when you could have easily cancelled and your slow could have been given to others.

It's behaviour like thus that stops businesses being considerate & flexible.

I wouldn’t pay it, I had to pay £50 recently to secure an appointment and as I couldn’t commit to a time there and then I didn’t pay - as you didn’t pay you haven’t secured the slot therefore why are they fining you? Ignore.

This and it is exactly what you tell them!