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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nutritionist Wants £50 For A Chat On The Phone

73 replies

WhereWhyWhat · 30/06/2017 14:21

I have developed some odd lesions on my areolae and am awaiting a biopsy to tell if it's breast cancer.

Meanwhile I've received a lot of support and suggestions from friends who are breastfeeding specialists etc etc on Facebook with possible diagnoses and cures assuming it's not cancer.

One of the people trying to help me suggested I made contact with a nutritionist friend who had helped them in the past. I did so and we arranged a time for me to phone for a chat.

At no point was money mentioned. I did not know before the call anything about her qualifications, background... anything.

I phoned and we chatted for 50 minutes.

I didn't feel that I got anything useful from it.

Much of the call was about her, not about me. It felt a little like a sales chat - with her selling her services to me. She suggested I take cod-liver oil and eat certain types of free range eggs. She said I should go to my doctor and got a full blood test done - provide her with the results of that test - and then she would provide me with a 'plan' to resolve my problem.

Right at the end of the call she asked how I'd like to pay and said that she charges £50 - this was the first mention of money. I assumed she meant for the analysis of my blood test results and subsequent 'plan'.

I decided to wait for the cancer test results and then consider going through with her suggestion.

She contacted me on Facebook reminding me of her payment details and wishing me the best for my cancer check.

I thanked her and said I would get back to her after the check, if I decided to go ahead.

She has now responded along the lines of "Hi, I still haven't received payment".

She's clearly expecting me to pay £50 for the phonecall!

Is this normal!?

I don't feel like I should pay anything at this stage. I know I was on the phone to her for 50 minutes but it was a phone call at my expense that I wasn't that thrilled with the results of. And that money was expected was only mentioned right at the end of the call.

If she'd said that at the start I would not have proceeded with it.

I really thought it was more of a first contact to 'see' if I wanted to make use of her services.

AIBU?

OP posts:
MrsJayy · 30/06/2017 14:27

Didnt your friends tell you she charges it is basically a quid a minute phone consultation bloody mugged you What i would do is message her again say you were unaware of her charges maybe she should make that clear and pay her and not use her again you do not need to be seeing nutritionists who are conning people out of 50 quid I would also give her a review on her facebook page. Good luck with your results

PollyPerky · 30/06/2017 14:28

I'd not go near a 'nutritionist ' unless they had at least a BSc in the subject and were registered with a professional body. There are too many people claiming to be nutritionists who have done an online course and think they are qualified.

Does she have a website? How does she get her clients?
If she has a website her fees should be transparent.

I think it's wrong she is charging you without clarifying the contract at the start. Her terms should have been made very clear and it's unprofessional of her.

BUT if this is on her website and you simply didn't look, she is entitled to charge you.

I'm sorry about your lesions- they sound harmless to be honest- fingers crossed.

I think you need to go online and check her out, and see if ti's your misunderstanding about cost, or hers.

MrsOverTheRoad · 30/06/2017 14:29

Block her. She's a quack.

Tell your friend why. She's not a bloody doctor.

Block and ignore and think NO more of her.

Flowers
PollyPerky · 30/06/2017 14:30

It's also very unprofessional of her to offer to treat a client who is being investigated for cancer, with a diet!

I also think you should have smelled a rat.

DorotheaBeale · 30/06/2017 14:42

Leaving aside question of whether op should pay, and whether the nutritionist is legit (which sounds dubious at best), £50 wouldn't be excessive for a proper professional consultation.

It's not just time spent on the phone, but time spent possibly researching before the phone call, based on what op said in her initial contact, and time spent writing up notes afterwards. I'd consider £50 on the low side for a consultation with a person with a real professional qualification, and be very wary.

Suntrapped · 30/06/2017 14:43

Don't pay! It sounds like a scam. She should have agreed a price with you at the start of the conversation. You didn't agree to pay anything and haven't signed anything. I would have assumed the phone consultation was free and certainly wouldn't pay. Just reply 'I assumed the consultation was free since you didn't state otherwise. I will not be paying anything' then block her.

Bloosh · 30/06/2017 14:45

I would not pay. Tell her that as far as you were aware it was an informal chat and payment was not mentioned. Then block her

IcingSausage · 30/06/2017 14:45

I agree with MrsOverTheRoad, if at no point until the end did she mention payment and it wasn't made explicitly clear that she was expecting £1 a minute for her 'services' then I wouldn't be paying.

Tell her you have decided not to engage her services and then block her.

I hope your tests come back clear Flowers

pigsDOfly · 30/06/2017 14:45

There is no statutory registration requirement for nutritionist so effectively anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and charge as much as they like for their services.

Not saying it's the case, obviously, but this person could be completely unqualified. In any case, she should have made her charges clear before you had the conversation, even if as a pp said, her charges are stated on her website. Although tbh I do think you were a bit naive expecting her to chat for 50 minutes and not make some sort of charge.

The whole think doesn't sound very professional on her part so I suspect it's all a bit dodgy. I message her saying what charges, she didn't mention any charges and then block her.

ImperialBlether · 30/06/2017 14:46

I wouldn't pay. She has a duty to tell you in advance what the costs are and she said nothing, leading you to believe that phone call was free. I'm sure you wouldn't have stayed on so long if you'd known you were paying - and you particularly wouldn't have let her ramble on about her own affairs.

pigsDOfly · 30/06/2017 14:47

Oh fgs the whole thing not whole think

ImperialBlether · 30/06/2017 14:48

Just realised she's charging £1 per minute!

If you see a solicitor for something, they usually charge by the minute and you are told in advance what that cost is. She's got a nerve trying to charge a professional fee without being professional herself.

AtHomeDadGlos · 30/06/2017 14:48

It's her job right? Not really the same as a builder looking at and quoting for the job, so I wouldn't expect it to be free. Then again a fee should've been mentioned before hand.

Explain you are surprised that you're being billed for the call. See what she says. Maybe offer to pay half as a compromise.

2014newme · 30/06/2017 14:51

Only see a proper nutritionist, your dr can refer you.
That said who did you think was paying for her time? She may be a quack but she isn't a free quack.

Good luck with your treatment.

peekyboo · 30/06/2017 14:52

Perhaps she thought your friend had given you more info about her before the call? She could have expected you to know the charges, otherwise it seems really strange that she wouldn't mention them first. If she suspected you didn't know then she was risking her time and effort for nothing.

twittertwit · 30/06/2017 14:52

Does her first name begin with a J or a C?

Original poster
WhereWhyWhat · 30/06/2017 14:53

Aaah! The friend who put me in touch has just messaged to apologise for not telling me about the charges, and that she's paid on my behalf. I have to reimburse my friend now of course, couldn't live with myself otherwise.

I guess that's problem solved then.

Thank you for all the replies much appreciated.

OP posts:
PeaFaceMcgee · 30/06/2017 14:54

Don't pay!

"Dear pisstaker

I will not be paying the £50 as I was not informed that there was any charge due until after our chat. Had I known at any point that this was a charged service and not an informal introductory call I would not have proceeded. I suggest you make your terms and conditions crystal clear from the outset in future"

PeaFaceMcgee · 30/06/2017 14:55

Ah X-post. If I was your friend I would refuse your £50!

Morphene · 30/06/2017 14:57

You contacted her to arrange a chat. If she did not tell you at that point what that she would charge for the chat then you are not liable to pay surely?

If you contacted her to arrange through facebook on a page that lists her fees then that would be different.

This really depends very simply on whether you could reasonable be expected to know that you were using a service that was charged for.

Morphene · 30/06/2017 14:58

What! Why is it the friends responsibility to advertise the rate to you rather than the 'nutritionist'?

This makes no sense!

RB68 · 30/06/2017 15:02

The friend is daft - she didn't have to tell you of charges - the nutrionist should have - she should have been clear at the start of the call. Generally this sort of consultation there is a short conversation of 10 mins or so saying who they are qualifications, what the process is then book in the paid for call or series of calls - craziness

ZefStar · 30/06/2017 15:06

That's outrageous! I'd be onto that 'nutritionist' and be telling her to refund your friends money.

You were not made aware of any charges in the first place, therefore never agreed to pay them.

Your friends a either a bit soft or in on this somehow

SapphireStrange · 30/06/2017 15:06

She's a quack and she's got your friend wrapped round her finger or has been menacing her for the money. Tell your friend this.

See a dietician if you want proper advice about diet.

ZefStar · 30/06/2017 15:06

Actually, maybe poke around a bit, see if your friend has some kind of involvement with this quacks business