To want a refund? (4D Scan)

[SilentAlarm]

I can’t work out if IABU or not, the fact I’m not sure probably means I am but interested in others thoughts.

I booked for a 4D scan at the weekend, at 32+6. The website lets you book between 26-34 weeks and I (wrongly) assumed that the later I left it, the better the images would be.

When I arrived and they went through what the scan package included with me, they asked how far along I was in my pregnancy and as soon as I said 32+6 pulled a face and said that really the best time to have a 4D scan is between 26 and 29 weeks, and so if the images weren’t very good I would be upgraded to a growth scan. She also said they had been trying to campaign for the website to be made clearer for a while, so that people were aware of this when booking, which makes me think I’m not the only person to have this experience.

I got taken in for my scan with a different lady and the images were terrible. You literally couldn’t make anything out, to the point I declined to take any of the images they managed to get home with me even though they were included in package price, and this lady repeated what the first had said about really it would have been better if I’d come in earlier because as baby is so far along there isn’t enough room for liquid between her face for them to get a good picture. Again, she told me they are trying to get head office to update the website. So they decided they would “upgrade” me to a growth scan instead.

So, AIBU to think that the website should be much clearer and explain as part of the booking process that the ideal time to book is between 26-29 weeks? And AIBU to expect (at least) a partial refund?

I’m not stupid, I know that scans can be hit and miss and if it had been down to baby’s position etc I would just accept it for what it is, but the fact I was warned before I even got scanned makes me think it was wrong, and the service shouldn’t be offered further along if there is a high chance of the quality being bad?

If it makes any difference, it was £109.

I think you should get a refund or the option right at the start to not go ahead, given by their own admission they couldn't provide the service.

Upgrading to a growth scan seems odd. What is the point of a private growth scan, if you have no reason to be concerned about the size of the baby?

What did you get in the end? And did you speak up and say you weren't happy with that at the time?

This doesn't seem likes it's about the scan being hit and miss though. Which of course they can all be. My sister is currently pregnant and all of her ultrasound pics are just white noise! Anyway... This is about the fact that the best time in reality is different to what the website said. I think it's worth complaining. It sounds like they know its an issue. I don't think YANBU.

Why ask on here instead of contacting the scan company directly? Honestly I don't understand some people. If if genuinely said the time frame you thought then ask for a refund. Just check the small print.

Isn't it common sense to know that the bigger baby is the less room there is in the womb? My growth scans were very unclear after 26 weeks or so as baby couldn't fit on the screen very well.

Did you bring it up with them at the time regarding their website saying up 34 weeks?

They should have offered you a refund when they pulled a face at your gestation.

I'd contact HQ and see what thry say but given the staff upgraded you, I think they did their job

@butterflyone12e I have already complained and I’m not getting anywhere, so as I said in my OP I wanted to get other people’s opinions on whether I’m being unreasonable or not.

@Greggers2017 well yes, I knew baby would be taking up more room but in my head I was thinking bigger baby = easier to get a picture which (as I said in my OP) I now realize is wrong! However, the website lets you book up to 34 weeks and so I was still within their timeframe. My logic on when I chose to book is irrelevant really (so maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it in OP). It’s the fact they told me without even starting the scan, and the fact the clinic have been trying to get the website changed, which makes me think they shouldn’t be offering the service so late - or at the very least they should be clearly flagging that there is a risk of a poor scan. If they can flag it when I’m stood in reception, why can’t they flag it when I’m booking and making payment?

In the end I just got the growth scan, I told them at the time it was pointless as I’d had one a few days earlier via the NHS anyway. I told them how disappointed I was and that I would be complaining to head office, and they encouraged me to do so, repeating again that they have been trying to get them to add the information to the website.

So far all head office have come back with is that they apologize and will investigate internally and look into how the information is presented on their website. I’ve gone back again this morning asking for a partial refund and am waiting for a response.

I'm not sure what you can do since you accepted the growth scan. Most companies have the policy of rescanning you (which in your case would be pointless) or giving you a refund. Can you see what their policy is on the website? I think realistically the only way to get the money back is to pursue the fact that the website was unclear.

It sounds like the staff have been put in a really difficult position, they've certainly said as much to you. Keep hassling head office.

I’d carry on with your complaint YANBU. Be polite and persistent. 😌

I went for a very early scan once and the woman said I could return a week later for free because it was too early to see much more than a dot. I thought that was pretty good service.

I would have expected them to give you the option of a refund before you went for the scan because they obviously knew you wouldn’t see much.

I would ask for a partial refund at least, yes as the website has mislead you.

The further on your pregnancy progresses, the worse scan pictures are because the baby is so big and the camera isn’t able to effectively zoom out because it still needs to be in contact with your abdomen.

I agree that you did have the option to cancel and walk out when you turned up and were told the pictures wouldn’t be what you wanted.

I hope your scan showed your baby was healthy and doing well.

That's weird. I live abroad and had 4D scans throughout my pregnancies as part of my routine care. Even at the later stages the scans were still good quality and I was able to see a lot. I remember a scan of my daughter a weeks before she was born and you could see her face in such beautiful detail.

Anyway, it sounds like you have complained. Hopefully they will give you a refund.

This is why you need to do your research and find a reputable company. Ultrasound Direct has tie ups to Mothercare and have a policy to rescan you until you can get a decent image - I was invited back 5 times and I was between 28-30 weeks. When I had my growth scan the sonographers (who all work in hospitals) even did extra checks they didn’t have to (free of charge) because of my medical history.

I am not sure if j think you should get a refund. The advertising wasnt clear, it should have said along the lines of we can scan between the period of x to y weeks but pictures are of better quality at x weeks. But two people at the clinic told you this and presumably you could have declined the scan then and got your money back? Are you planning another pregnancy? You could always ask for vouchers as a compromise?

I had one 12 years ago and they said the later the better. I was expecting TV quality, which it definitely wasn't. I think you should push for a refund because their website has misled you and actually cost you the opportunity to get what you really wanted.

I had a scan when my son was 16 weeks and it wasn't great but it was a gender scan and his was very clear to see. On his 20week scan he had his fingers inter locked and I could clearly see and count them. Hopefully you will get at least a partial refund.

A growth scan is not an upgrade from a 4d scan 😕

This is my daughter at 34 weeks.

I'm not sure a refund would fly tbh as you decided to agree to a growth scan - they should have offered you to cancel for free altogether.

Hassle them until they refund you. My friend had exactly the same problem as you. She hassled them for a good few weeks but eventually got a 75% refund

Could you link to the website so we can see how clear or unclear?

If you didn't want to go ahead, you'd have been entitled to a refund. As it was, you told them you wanted to go ahead with the scan even though they told you the images wouldn't be good, and are then complaining that the images weren't good.

You wouldn't go to the cinema, watch a film with bad reviews, then ask the cinema for a refund because the film was bad.

You're being unreasonable.

Thanks everyone.

I maybe should have asked to cancel when the first member of staff said there was a risk, but it wasn’t offered and I didn’t think to ask. But, then again, people clearly do get good pictures all the way up to 34 weeks, as someone proved above, so I guess there was a always a small(?) chance of the scan being successful.

I think maybe another leg I have to stand on is that I was never offered a re-scan, even though it’s listed as part of the package I paid for. I actually said when I was leaving that it would probably be pointless for me to rebook for another day because she’s just going to get bigger and leave less room if anything and the lady in reception agreed with me.

Thanks for the opinions, I’m going to keep pushing the complaint and see how I get on, but I won’t hold my breath.