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Original poster

Eyeroll moment of the day...

208 replies

MarmaladeSideDown · 10/12/2024 16:49

I'm sitting here at home and the landline rang but stopped before I got to it, so I dialled 1471 to find out who it could be (family members often call it as my mobile reception here is rubbish). It was a local number and seemed slightly familiar to me, so I searched online and discovered it was my GP surgery, so I rang them to find out what they wanted.

The receptionist answered saying how could she help so I explained about the missed call. "Well it wasn't me", she said. Oh right, I thought. Here we go.

She then asked for my name and I said that DH and I both lived here and gave her my name and his. "Well, no-one has called you" she said so I suggested that perhaps the call was for DH. He has a hospital appointment tomorrow for investigation into an ongoing condition, so I wondered if it might be about that, but since he isn't here at the moment I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them. "Well I'm sorry" says she in a very officious voice. "I can't give you any information about anyone else". I pointed out that it was they who had rung first, and I was just trying to be helpful in calling them back in case it was urgent. Not good enough apparently, and she refused point blank to even tell me whether it was him they were trying to contact.

What a pointless waste of my time that was. Confused

Has anyone else felt themselves rolling their eyes out loud at the brick wall of officialdom today?

OP posts:
friendlycat · 16/12/2024 00:16

I can completely understand why a GP surgery cannot discuss anything with anyone other than the patient in question. Wife, mother, father etc etc.

Original poster
MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 00:24

Mandy19764 · 16/12/2024 00:07

Hold on. You said.

He has a hospital appointment tomorrow for investigation into an ongoing condition, so I wondered if it might be about that, but since he isn't here at the moment I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them.

and you’re grumpy because they refused to let you “find out” Perhaps he’s been shagging around and had an STI but told you something else.

He may be a shit, but you have no right to try and “find out” (again your words) from the GP practice anything about his medical issues.

And then to give the receptionist a hard time. Well YABVVVU. (Yes I know it’s the chat forum…)

Edited
Show quote history

Do RTFT, there's a love.

One day, when your husband has a serious health condition and is under close medical supervision, you might be slightly concerned if you had a missed call from your doctor's surgery too. But hey ho.

OP posts:
Enough4me · 16/12/2024 00:25

OP I'm eye rolling on your behalf for the posters who:

  1. didn't read your posts properly
  2. kept on about GDPR type issues when you weren't asking for information
  3. tried to make this AIBU
  4. didn't understand you jokes (which were v funny). (Maybe they are receptionists...computer says NO!)

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
SinnerBoy · 16/12/2024 00:27

friendlycat · Today 00:00

Similar to others. Speaking to Sky to cancel my father’s account who had recently died. They insisted on speaking to the account holder … him.
I told them that wasn’t possible as he had died. They still insisted they needed to speak to him. We continue in this vein for a while.

... Then I suggest you get in touch via Doris Fucking Stokes, you stupid fucking cunt

Mandy19764 · 16/12/2024 00:33

MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 00:24

Do RTFT, there's a love.

One day, when your husband has a serious health condition and is under close medical supervision, you might be slightly concerned if you had a missed call from your doctor's surgery too. But hey ho.

Show quote history

100%. Which is why we have mutual LPA set up.

But just because you haven’t done so it’s unfair to blame the receptionist for doing the right thing and not revealing confidential medical information when you try to “find out” (your words) what’s going on.

Mandy19764 · 16/12/2024 00:35

Enough4me · 16/12/2024 00:25

OP I'm eye rolling on your behalf for the posters who:

  1. didn't read your posts properly
  2. kept on about GDPR type issues when you weren't asking for information
  3. tried to make this AIBU
  4. didn't understand you jokes (which were v funny). (Maybe they are receptionists...computer says NO!)

When you say she wasn’t asking for information, what do you think she meant when she said she tried to “find out” what was going on?

If the OP is that worried, then correct course of action is for OP to tell DH that there’s a missed call from the GP which they think is for them, and that DH should call them ASAP,

aliceinawonderland · 16/12/2024 00:52

m00rfarm · 14/12/2024 14:32

My son received a gas bill and several reminders for £500. His house did not have gas. He lived at no. 5. 5A next door had gas. However, when their gas contract was set up, someone must have put 5 instead of 5A. 5A was a tenanted property and not interested in paying their bills.

My son was trying to get a mortgage and had this unpaid debt that was not his. the gas company would not talk to us because we said we did not have gas and therefore were not the holders of the contract. The name on the bill was "owner/occupier" - and everyone insisted it was nothing to do with them.

We gave the bills to the house next door and they kept giving them back to us - we explained to them that we don't have gas. We asked if they had ever received a gas bill - no - they hadn't. Contacted Martin Lewis in case he could help - nothing.

Managed finally to get a response to the 100th email we sent to the company (they refused to communicate on the phone) - the response said they could not talk to us because we had the wrong email address associated with the contract.

We then started to get debt collector letters - the amount was now well over £1k, and they actually were interested to assist. However, in order for them to move forward, we had to prove we paid for our gas with another supplier. As we didn't have gas, we could not send the proof. Tried again a week later with the debt collection agency, and they said leave it with them. And we never heard another thing from either them or the gas company. Now moved house. Have gas supply (with a different company)

I feel stressed just reading this!

aliceinawonderland · 16/12/2024 00:55

WrylyAmused · 15/12/2024 07:57

Many years ago, my mother died unexpectedly.
I was executor. Had sent death certificates to all the banks, which they'd acknowledged. Had probate as well, also sent out & acknowledged. So I tried calling one particular bank to close the account.

Went through everything, yes, they can see the death certificate etc.
"I'd like to close the account"
"No, sorry, only the account holder can do that"
"... She's dead, that's going to be difficult"
"Sorry, nothing I can do, only the account holder can close it, she needs to call"

Ok, not going to get anywhere with that level of stupid, so ended the call, phoned the bank back. No idea if same person, assume probably not.

This time, pretended to be my mother. Went through the whole rigmarole. (No-one clocked the death certificate on file, apparently) Yes, they'd be very happy to close the account for me. What was the reason I wanted to close it? "I'm dead" "Yes, certainly madam, just a moment..."

I really only did it to illustrate the level of stupid in the response to the first call, but apparently that level of stupid (or mindless process following) was common across all the banks employees....
Anyway, they closed the account, so mission accomplished, but FFS...!

I know it's black humour but I spat out my tea with this one !!

Brefugee · 16/12/2024 01:05

friendlycat · 16/12/2024 00:00

Similar to others. Speaking to Sky to cancel my father’s account who had recently died. They insisted on speaking to the account holder … him.

I told them that wasn’t possible as he had died. They still insisted they needed to speak to him. We continue in this vein for a while.

In fairness after nearly losing my rag with the person on the phone I asked to speak to their supervisor who put me through to the correct team that dealt with the matter.

I'm sorry for your loss.

When my father died and i called Sky, they instantly connected me to the right team who were efficient and kind. You were unlucky there :(

Hameth · 16/12/2024 02:15

JC03745 · 15/12/2024 23:21

It's frustrating for staff to get eye rolled because you don't know the law.
How about actually reading my comment!!! I work in healthcare- I am well aware of GDPR regulations and consent!

I was advising a GP practice, not my own GP practice, that THEY had called me about a medical appointment- which was not my appointment. The message was for someone else including the patients name. I never asked the practice to give me anyone elses information FFS!

Do you want any of your medical history shared by the practice with a voice at the end of the phone?

This practice left a message for some other random person, on MY number. Again, I was calling the practice, to advise that THEY had called and left a message for the wrong person and they'd need to contact the correct person instead. 🙄

Show quote history

I was replying to OP, must have quoted wrong message.,very sorry what yoiu describe is frustrating but they wont be able to track down a wrong number unfortunately. I wasnt replying to yout post, sorry, But I think if you work in heathcare you will know we cant even confirm if someone is in trhe building, never mind deal with a voice on the phone! Thank you

RawBloomers · 16/12/2024 02:23

Mandy19764 · 16/12/2024 00:35

When you say she wasn’t asking for information, what do you think she meant when she said she tried to “find out” what was going on?

If the OP is that worried, then correct course of action is for OP to tell DH that there’s a missed call from the GP which they think is for them, and that DH should call them ASAP,

Edited
Show quote history

You were prompted to RTFT because those details are in the thread. And no, she didn’t ask for information. You can keep digging your hole, but it just makes you look like an arse.

sueelleker · 16/12/2024 06:31

PoorUncleBarry · 15/12/2024 11:51

Trigger warning before anyone reads this and gets upset.

I found my dad dead, (definitely 100% dead and gone, a minimum of a week ago) in his home, I was in a bit of a state due to the shock so I phoned the 999 and got put through to the ambulance service. All I remember is a nice lady asking if the patient was breathing, I screamed and sobbed and eventually said no, he's dead. She asked me if he was sitting up/alert and responsive, I said I hope not, because he's dead. She asked me if I could check his pulse, I said I could but he's definitely dead. Eventually she told me to stay with him and try to keep him warm and comfortable until the paramedics arrived. When they came they went inside the house, they came back out to tell me they're awfully sorry but he's dead. I can look back now with a wry chuckle because it was bizarre.

This reminds me of a story where a pathologist was giving evidence at a murder trial. The prosecutor asked how he could be sure the person was dead. "Well, I had his heart in a jar on the workbench".

DowntonFlabbie · 16/12/2024 08:02

Hameth · 15/12/2024 18:51

It's illegal and dangerous to discuss medical information without consent. This is completely in line with best practice. You can tell the other person there is a message, or both write explicit consent that your records can be shared but otherwise its really important privacy is maintained. This is for safeguarding and other reasons. It's frustrating for staff to get eye rolled because you don't know the law. Do you want any of your medical history shared by the practice with a voice at the end of the phone? You can't even confirm someone has an appointment never mind what it is about

Show quote history

You're an idiot

Fraaances · 16/12/2024 08:14

I had similar with GP who had phoned my mobile looking for DD who is now 18. When I told her who I was she snottily told her that she couldn’t speak to me about DD’s appointment. I pointed out that I hadn’t asked, and that she had phoned my number, not DD’s. The next part of the conversation was equally predictable, “Well… If you could get DD to update her contact details please, that would be very helpful. We don’t have a crystal ball, you know…”
“Actually, she updated them when I took her in for her appointment…”
“Oh, well… Whoever took them down must have inputted them properly…”
“Yes…That was you, Susan…” (not her real name.)

Original poster
MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 10:05

Mandy19764 · 16/12/2024 00:33

100%. Which is why we have mutual LPA set up.

But just because you haven’t done so it’s unfair to blame the receptionist for doing the right thing and not revealing confidential medical information when you try to “find out” (your words) what’s going on.

Edited
Show quote history

All I wanted to do was say to her that If they were trying to contact the person who wasn't me, but who also lived in this house, then perhaps they could call the mobile number belonging to that person, which they should have on their records already. She talked over me and didn't give me the chance to say that.

I'm disappointed at the WAY the receptionist spoke to me, not WHAT she said.

Besides, she she interrupted me so brusquely she didn't hear his full name, let alone look at his records to check whether or not they had his permission to discuss medical matters with me.

OP posts:
Original poster
MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 10:21

@Mandy19764 Oh, and by the way, the bit where I wrote on here "I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them"... That was what I was thinking to myself, not what was coming out of my mouth.

Unlike many people on this thread, I am capable of holding more than one concept in my brain at once, and can say one thing whilst pondering another.

OP posts:
ifIwerenotanandroid · 16/12/2024 11:20

I do think it's a shame when a very funny thread (& I must say, an encouraging one in that those of us who suffer similarly with inane GP receptionists etc know we are not alone) gets bogged down with dull, repetitive, irrelevant posts. Perhaps MN needs a 'clean up' facility whereby all the dull posts can be removed or hidden or shown in a different colour so that they can be more easily skipped.

Original poster
MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 11:26

Oh my diddly days. I have horrible visions of 'She wasn't allowed to tell you' becoming a catchphrase on MN, along with 'Cancel the cheque' et al.

I'm just amazed this thread is still going after nearly a week. 😂

OP posts:
daleylama · 16/12/2024 12:08

MarmaladeSideDown · 10/12/2024 17:56

Officious is the understatement of the century when it comes to my GP practice. The doctors and practice nurses are absolutely fantastic.

If only any of their patients could ever get to see them...

Show quote history

True. The G..P. doorbitch seems to be a bit too common an issue.

NotVeryFunny · 16/12/2024 12:33

MarmaladeSideDown · 10/12/2024 18:23

Another BT one...

Many years ago, with a very poorly baby on our hands, we were waiting for an urgent call back from the out-of-hours GP to find out whether we needed to see them or go to A&E. We waited a couple of hours, and we were so worried we called the OOH line again, who told us they'd tried ringing us back but the number was unobtainable. We checked they had the right phone number and they did. So we rang MIL and asked her to phone us to see if the line was working. Nothing. We rang her back and she said she couldn't get through either.

So... I rang BT.

It transpired that they had changed our phone number without telling us, because a few days previously I had contacted them to say that they were still addressing the bills to Mr & Mrs A, whereas I had divorced Mr A and was now Mrs B. Could they please change it. To my great surprise, they said that since Mr A was no longer resident, they had to change the number in case he wanted to use the original one at his new address.

Okay, I said, so what's this new phone number you've given us?

They wouldn't tell me because we were ex-directory.

Oh that's fucking brilliant. They wouldn't tell you your own phone number?!??!?

Arraminta · 16/12/2024 12:47

Methinks there's more than one, grimly officious, GP receptionist on this very thread.

We see you!

BarnacleNora · 16/12/2024 13:28

Sidebeforeself · 10/12/2024 22:52

British Gas : Will you have a smart meter fitted
Me; Yes please!
They arrive at appointed time
BG : You cant have a meter fitted because of XYZ.
A week later I get an email to apologise for inconvenience and a £35 (I think, ish ) credit
Then they had a problem with existing meter. They sent out an engineer. Except it was the wrong type of engineer - it was the same smart meter guy.
So I then got an apology and a £35 credit.
Then they sent out the right engineer but he couldn’t make the agreed time slot…so I got an apology and a £35 credit.
.. at the end of the saga they agreed problem couldnt be fixed, not could I have a smart meter ..and I was over £100 better off

Bloody hell I wish that was the case with me! Five times now I've had someone out to convert my gas meter to a smart one. Five times I've checked and double checked that it will definitely work because my old supplier couldn't do it due to the 'enormous' distance between my gas meter in the shed and my house (smaller distance than some people's kitchens but I guess it being outside scrambles the.....code or airwaves or something). And five bloody times I've had a cheerful engineer turn up and admit defeat because the kind of meter I need isn't available just yet but is coming soon.

I wouldn't mind except THEY are the ones contacting ME to say my meter is now ready to upgrade. And I really do double check every time it's going to be one of these mythical new far reaching meters! But I don't get any compensation. Just some awkward apologies from a previously cheerful engineer and some sheepish packing up of tools while I resignedly bid them goodbye.

All I want is to be able to pay my gas meter from the comfort of my living room rather than getting home, hauling my kids inside and then remembering with a sinking sensation that the bloody gas needs doing and having to haul us all out again to the nearest newsagent to top up the bloody gas card. They've managed to convert my lovely indoor electricity meter and frankly I feel like it sits there and mocks me on these ocassions

Original poster
MarmaladeSideDown · 16/12/2024 16:00

Arraminta · 16/12/2024 12:47

Methinks there's more than one, grimly officious, GP receptionist on this very thread.

We see you!

Methinks likewise.😂

OP posts:
pollymere · 16/12/2024 19:26

MarmaladeSideDown · 10/12/2024 16:49

I'm sitting here at home and the landline rang but stopped before I got to it, so I dialled 1471 to find out who it could be (family members often call it as my mobile reception here is rubbish). It was a local number and seemed slightly familiar to me, so I searched online and discovered it was my GP surgery, so I rang them to find out what they wanted.

The receptionist answered saying how could she help so I explained about the missed call. "Well it wasn't me", she said. Oh right, I thought. Here we go.

She then asked for my name and I said that DH and I both lived here and gave her my name and his. "Well, no-one has called you" she said so I suggested that perhaps the call was for DH. He has a hospital appointment tomorrow for investigation into an ongoing condition, so I wondered if it might be about that, but since he isn't here at the moment I thought I'd better find out in case he needs to contact them. "Well I'm sorry" says she in a very officious voice. "I can't give you any information about anyone else". I pointed out that it was they who had rung first, and I was just trying to be helpful in calling them back in case it was urgent. Not good enough apparently, and she refused point blank to even tell me whether it was him they were trying to contact.

What a pointless waste of my time that was. Confused

Has anyone else felt themselves rolling their eyes out loud at the brick wall of officialdom today?

That's super-creepy because the EXACT SAME THING happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I ended up by suggesting they should call him on his mobile and leave a message, then messaged him and said they'd been in contact.

They never actually call me - just text.

I also had one for Mr X ... Well I'm Mrs and DH has another title. They then proceeded to say this was the number they had. I thought it might be for DS but they said the dialing code didn't fit his address (same area code they'd just dialled!). They then proceeded to tell me (a potential stranger) his full address which had only recently changed... He lives in special housing so this was a huge Safeguarding Risk as well as a GDPR breach...

FrostyGlitter · 16/12/2024 20:09

GP surgery rang me and asked me to make an appointment to see the GP.
So I asked when the next available appointment was to be told ' No you have to ring us to make an appointment'