AIBU - being charged whopping amount for missing appointment.

[NasiGoreng]

I've messed up and messed a private appointment with a GP this morning for my DC. It is not a major health issue, just something that needed doing for my DC. With all the rush back to school I totally forgot about it. It was one of those appointments made about 6 weeks ago due to availability.

Anyway, I just had a call from the hospital to tell me they will be charging me the full amount for missing the appointment. I kind of get this, but why the whole amount? Also, just looked at all the T&C's and it doesn't mention charging for no shows.

I know I am in the wrong, but to be charged the full amount? AIBU. It is a whopping 200 pounds!

Also, in my extensive experience of private healthcare most private providers text you a reminder on the day.

Yep that’s because too many people aren’t able to take their responsibility and ensure they turn up and their appointments. When you have lost so much money ‘because it’s the first time/the friend of my MIL was on hospital’ etc... then you have no other choice than putting that place. Esp because if you do ask them to pay, then they are either refusing or just going to see someone else whilst badmouthing you that you dare ask them to pay for the service they ordered.

FWIW when you go to see a doctor or any other healthcare provider yu are paying for their time. They have sold you their time when you agreemto book that slot. How you are using that time is up to you. You can turn up on time and get all the appointment time. You can arrive late and have 15 mins instead of 20 min or decide to do nothing with that time by not turning up. None of them are the healthcare provider choice or responsibility.

But instead many people seem to think they need to be babied by having reminders, emails, wait for them etc... to be sure they do what is expected from them as the patient/customer which is JUST turning up on time.....

What is happening though is that you still have people not turning up DESPITE all the reminders etc... so nowadays a lot of healthcare providers are now asking for payment up front....

You didn't turn up so yes, it is reasonable that they charge you. They didn't have advance notice so couldn't fill the appointment with another patient.

'I think they have a neck like a jockeys b charging that.

Those poor private doctors - threadbare pants and not a pot to pee in.'

What has this got to do with anything?

All those saying that the appointment was expensive compared to their private GP, this was an appointment for a minor operation not a standard GP appointment. If you went to see a Plastic Surgeon for something cosmetic, which this is, I'm sure they would charge far more.

If only the NHS took this approach.

Also, in my extensive experience of private healthcare most private providers text you a reminder on the day.
Well, I've been working for consultants (and occasionally private GPs) in the private sector for 40 years now and the practices I work at don't have time to text all the patients before their appointments (lots of clinics a week and only one secretary, no other admin staff). Patients ask for an appointment, we make the appointment and send them all details (for the last eight months or so most specialists are also sending a letter re terms and conditions to new patients but before we did use to warn them there was a non-attendance fee and it was on the website too) and ask them to email back and confirm. After that, if they don't turn up, they get charged full fee for not coming. If they decided not to pay and asked for fee to be waived and for a new appointment (as someone earlier suggested), we would be telling them they could have a new appointment once they'd paid the DNA (did not attend) fee first. It is SO FRUSTRATING - I have several people absolutely desperate to see the specialist and with quite bad, urgent problems and then to find someone just does not turn up for their appointment when we could have given it to one of these desperate people is infuriating.

and the practices I work at don't have time to text all the patients before their appointments (lots of clinics a week and only one secretary, no other admin staff).

It's all automated here. They keep your mobile number and/or email address on file and the scheduling system sends the reminders out automatically. Even my pharmacist sends automated reminders to renew prescriptions and to let me know when one is ready to pick up.

Who cares what people think? It is your money, and in my experience I don't see many doctors who live a lifestyle like they are going to go broke from the occasional missed appointment.

While I agree that forgetting is on you and that you should be bound by whatever rules are in place, but that also means that if they didn't inform you properly then the rules are that they didn't follow them and you shouldn't have to pay.

I'd fight for my money. Unless you were informed ahead of time and in the wrong - then you suck it up and learn from it.

I'm a dentist and we charge for missed appointments with private patients. I wish we could with NHS. By far the biggest DNA rate is with non-fee paying NHS patients, I think it would lower our rate massively people don't respect free appointments.

When multiple patients DNA we still have to keep the surgery open, pay receptionist, nurse, other staff, cleaner etc. Rent, bills even if I as the dentist don't get paid and it will cost us money. The practice would shut basically.

You booked an hour of the GPs time, you were allocated that time its not their fault you chose to not use it. You still had the time. If someone DNAs their 45min appointment at say 9am there's no way you can fill it. We'd set up, prep for 9am, it's going to be 9.15 before we decide they aren't coming (lots if people are late), 9.20 we've packed away, we won't fill that remaining time. The only way is if an emergency walks through the door at 9.16 which is very unlikely. So we lose money.

If you missed a flight you still pay for your seat, if you miss a concert you still pay for your ticket. You booked our time, so you pay for it.

The cancellation policy is irrelevant, and I am sure they will have one, the cost is irrelevant. You didn't cancel you DNAed and you knew how much it cos.

Rarely we would waive the fee if it was a patient we knew they had a genuine excuse, for example hospitalization, a bereavement. But OP doesn't have a genuine excuse, she just wasted their time.

tsteele

You could say that about anything though. Tesco isn't going broke so I nicked a telly.

It's really immoral not to pay, I'm sorry but it is. With services you pay for time, and you are taking their time without paying.

I can garuntee you as well they will have a clause somewhere, people DNA all the time they will have a policy.

@zilla @nasigoreng

I worked for a long time as a dentist now early retired
we need send text reminders but that relies on us having your correct phone number some people seem to change numbers every few months
if you have a 30 minute appointment and cancel with 48 hours notice I will almost certainly fill the space, with 24 hours notice again will probably fill the space, even at 9am on the day of the appointment (provided your appointment isn't before 10am ) I might be able to fill at least part of the appointment with an emergency
with 30 minutes notice almost impossible to fill slot
if you don't turn up at 11am for your minute appointment we would generally give 10 minutes to make sure you are not late by now it's 11.10 unless someone literally walks in off street with toothache I can't fill space, so being self employed like a private GP there is now no income for that 30 minutes but I still have to pay rates my staff, etc etc, ok there are a tiny amount of consumables i won't use like gloves but the costs will be about 95% of what they would be if you turn up, so actually we are in negative money
even so we would generally waive the charge if it was a first time or some genuine emergency like death in the family at hospital etc but most fall into OP's category of just forgot or remembered only when my receptionist rang up later
you might also be in with a chance of a reduced fee if you said something along the lines of " I'm really sorry I missed yesterday's appointment, I understand that is wasted time and I won't do it again could I please re appoint for next week" in this cases we might still charge a token amount but if the patient is bolshie regarding their mistake it would be the full amount
so £200 for an appointment that would have been £200 is probably reasonable as the only costs not used are probably the freezing spray, gloves a swab or two a cartridge of anaesthetic a disposable needle and disposable scalpel probably not even £15 worth of stuff

@bluecornish you can still charge NHS dental patients even if exempt in Scotland for DNA as still on fee per item

tsteele ' It is your money, and in my experience I don't see many doctors who live a lifestyle like they are going to go broke from the occasional missed appointment.'

The lifestyle that you think the doctor may or may not lead is entirely irrelevant. If you missed an expensive concert, would you expect a refund because the singer performing was worth millions? Of course not. What a foolish thing to say!

Did you try and ring to advise them you were going to be late or not make the Appointment? That might have gone more in your favour than just not going or contacting them.