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!

Who doesn’t know that if you miss appointments you pay??

Does that really need spelling out on a form?

But if you'd cancelled they could have booked someone else into the slot. If you just don't turn up then they've lost money.

Yes, it's expensive, but it's optional.

I’m a bit confused - it’s not a cancelled appointment, you just didn’t show up so it doesn’t really matter what their cancellation policy is.

Sounds perfectly normal and to be expected. You could question it by saying where is their policy on paying for no show and why weren’t you able to find it for before the apt (eg on website) but tbh I think it’s fair enough. Maybe for their future use it would be useful for them to do a polite reminder about the apt the day before for patients so it is less likely to happen to other people (this is standard with a lot of apt’s I have. I even get a text reminder for my nhs go apt) so you could suggest this to make it work better fir others, but I think you’ve probably just got to suck it up and lesson learnt.

Yes, as others have said, you didn't cancel (usually 24 or 48 hours notice depending on practice), you didn't turn up. They kept the space for you, you pay. That is standard practice.

If you can afford to pay £200 to get a wart looked at you can afford to pay the same amount for not bothering to turn up.

You didn’t cancel, you didn’t turn up. Even an NHS hospital would have an internal costing for that, possibly a similar amount - you just wouldn’t have seen it.

It is a local business, no? Your local private doctor.

Out of interest, have you rebooked?

Totally normal. Buy yourself a calendar it would be cheaper.

For goodness sake, why should the cancellation policy apply here? You booked an appointment, that appointment was made available to you and you just didn’t turn up. Yes, it’s costly but you knew that already, didn’t you? Be frustrated with yourself, not them!

My private GP is only £90 and a 10 mins appt is only £50. They’re brilliant.

They need to improve their procedures but if you forget the appointment then they can't re-book it.

You are right you shouldn't have to pay that price for health care, your go should be taking the matter seriously. Can you not ask to see another go at the surgery or change surgeries??
Unfortunately you missed the whole appointment so you pay for the whole appointment, you have asked for a service and now you have to pay for it!

*GP 🤦‍♀️

So your child has a wart that means he can’t bend his finger, worrying enough that you decided to get it treated privately but then forgot the appointment because it’s not that important? And now you’re concerned about having to pay for the missed - not cancelled - appointment while your son still has the untreated wart? Some rather confused priorities here. Yeah, you need to pay up, you put them out of pocket, and you also need to rebook the appointment so your son can be treated.

Is there anything on their website about missed appointments/cancellations. They should spelt it out clearly. The thing is you could argue with them - but will they give you a second appointment to get it done if you do? It's very easily done on a busy school run morning with 100 things to think about.. Can you set a phone reminder ? or an Email reminder next time. Its often the only way I can remember such things, as you say its several months off.

My private dentist charges £2 per minute of missed appointment time. Cancellation period is 48hrs sooner than that and the charges apply.

If they didn't inform you of their cancellation charge prior to booking, they can't enforce it.

I doubt they need a policy on no shows. You technically still used the appointment, whether you turned up or not. Madness anyone wouldn't expect to pay in this situation.

You shouldn’t have to go Private really,your GP should sort it but as they aren’t and you chose the Private route then I think you should pay.
People who complain about the NHS ( don’t mean you OP) need to understand how much things would cost if we didn’t have it. When something is seen as free it’s not valued

If they didn't inform you of their cancellation charge prior to booking, they can't enforce it

The OP didn’t cancel. She was a no-show.

I agree that if the doctor is sitting in an empty consulting room waiting for you and DC then it is perfectly reasonable to expect you to pay for their time. It’s different to a cancellation when he/she knows you won’t be there and will be able to schedule other work or a coffee break into that time slot.

It is a lot of money so it’s probably a mistake you won’t make again.

Just been through all the forms and there is not one bit of info about cancellation. Not even mentioned.

You didn’t cancel OP.

When you booked, they told you the appointment would be £215 which you agreed to pay. Well the appointment went ahead, you just didn’t turn up so you them the £215.