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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want a refund? (4D Scan)

57 replies

SilentAlarm · 23/10/2019 10:12

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.

OP posts:
Lovemenorca · 23/10/2019 11:25

@GrumpyHoonMain
That was good of them as ultrasound direct actually offer only one free rescan

BlueOooChristmas · 23/10/2019 11:30

Keep pushing, that's not good enough. They sold you something they knew they couldn't give you.

Can I ask where it was? We had one of these for our first and it was a terrible experience. She was in the wrong position so told to take a walk (which is fine) and when we came back another mother had arrived who clearly knew the staff and she said she didn't want to have to wait so could they see her quickly. So despite the fact we were next in she was whisked in ahead of us. When they finally got to us they were having problems with the machine and I'm not joking when I say our daughter looked like a big pink blob. After 10 minutes of trying to talk it up the woman doing it admitted she'd not used the machine before and went to get someone else. The image then improved slightly but it was still awful in comparison to what you see online. When I said it was a bit blurry she snapped at me and said "this is what you get, what do you expect", I honestly just wanted to cry. We walked out of there feeling completely fleeced and upset. I did try to ask for my money back but was ignored. I was feeling quite sensitive at the time so we just let it go but I wish now I'd made a bigger fuss. This was the place: www.thisismy.co.uk/baby-scan-4d-package/

Then when we had our second I wanted to get another (I'm a sucker for punishment). We went to Babybond instead and had a MUCH nicer experience. The pictures were just ok really but the whole experience felt warm and fun. The guy who did the scan was chatty and we did get a decent look at her.

However the best scan I've ever had hands down was on the NHS. I had GD and excess fluid with my second DD. I was about 34/35 weeks and they were doing lots of growth scans so that they could induce if she got too big. The guy doing the scan did all the measuring and then said the best thing about having too much fluid is you get some really amazing pictures and he turned on the 4D scan. It was just WOW, I had my mum with me as my husband was working and we couldn't believe it. I really felt I'd seen her before she was even born, it was incredible.

So my experience of them varies widely but honestly, they just missold you this. There should be no argument, of course you should get your money back.

Charm23 · 23/10/2019 11:30

If I was in your position I would have asked for a refund and refused the growth scan. £109 for a growth scan is extortionate. I have a 4D scan booked soon and I'll be 27+3 so I'm hoping I'll be okay.
Keep pestering them for the refund, use social media too! It's their fault for displaying wrong info!

Nonnymum · 23/10/2019 11:31

Did they offer to refund you when they said it was too late to get a good image? Really they should have because you booked a 4d scan not a growth scan. I think you probably would have been better not accepting a growth scan and tgem complaining because now they can say you accepted that instead of the 4d scan.

GrumpyHoonMain · 23/10/2019 11:33

@ Lovemenorca - they have an official policy but all of their centres are staffed by proper sonographers who wouldn’t want to risk missing a problem. In practice you will get as many rescans as is needed.

Lovemenorca · 23/10/2019 11:38

@GrumpyHoonMain

You’ll get as many scans as “needed”

But if the motivation for the scan is just to see your baby and not medical. Then the one free rescan will apply

Sammyp235 · 23/10/2019 11:57

I can totally see why you’re annoyed. Had they’d made it clear then you wouldn’t have been in the position in the first place!

Ok so you went ahead with it, but in the hope that it would be the exception that you got some lovely pics and of course you didn’t.

I think it’s certainly worth asking for a refund as it was due to them being unclear in the website that you found yourself in the position in the first place. It’s the principle more than anything.

I was in a situation recently where by the website info was misleading and due to this there was a negative impact on the outcome for me. Had they been honest and more clear in their website then the outcome could have been different. I feel your frustration

girlwithadragontattoo · 23/10/2019 11:58

Hang on, from your op you said The website lets you book between 26-34 weeks you chose to go to knowing you were 32+6. I'd say this is on you.

Raphael34 · 23/10/2019 11:59

I think it’s something you should have personally researched before. I did with every one of my 3. Of course the pictures will be different at such different stages of your pregnancy. As it is you were warned they wouldn’t have been good quality, but you decided to go ahead

LoveagoodLuna · 23/10/2019 13:50

Where’s the element of surprise nowadays? You can see what their whole face looks like Hmm

AmIThough · 23/10/2019 13:52

@LoveagoodLuna when I was pushing an 8lb lump out my vag I wasn't really bothered about what they looked like to be fair

TurpentineWine · 23/10/2019 13:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AllFourOfThem · 23/10/2019 13:59

@LoveagoodLuna when my baby died neonatally I was really glad I had had scans that showed the face so why do you need to be so horribly judgemental about people having scans during pregnancy and there being no element of surprise? How in any way does it affect your life what others want to do?

TurpentineWine · 23/10/2019 14:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TurpentineWine · 23/10/2019 14:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AllFourOfThem · 23/10/2019 14:06

Not at all Turpentine and that’s definitely the most lasagne-like baby ever! Did you eat lots of Italian food when pregnant?

Thank you.

TurpentineWine · 23/10/2019 14:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

leomama81 · 23/10/2019 14:10

It's rare to get such good pictures at such a late stage - blackcat was lucky. I've had a 32 week growth scan and it was just bits of the back of the head etc really! You are only getting little bits of baby close up and most of them are head down and facing in at that stage so to get a close up of the face say is a fluke. As you said, the sonographers knew that - keep pushing for that refund!

MummytoCSJH · 23/10/2019 14:11

@girlwithadragontattoo eh? 32+6 IS within the timeframe they said?

girlwithadragontattoo · 23/10/2019 14:17

MummytoCSJH 32+6 puts her at 38 weeks, going by the way to op is worded she needs to have the scan between 26-34 weeks

AmIThough · 23/10/2019 14:24

@girlwithadragontattoo 32 weeks 6 days

stucknoue · 23/10/2019 14:45

My friend is a ob/gyn a d she would like these private clinics shut! They cause so much waste to nhs time where untrained operatives worry parents meanwhile in other cases parents don't go to their midwife because they have had one of these scans with dire consequences.

1forAll74 · 23/10/2019 14:52

I didn't realise that you had to pay for baby scans, they never had them in my baby growing days, !

SVRT19674 · 23/10/2019 14:57

@girlwithadragontattoo
32+6 means 32 weeks plus 6 days. Surely you should know that.

Lunafortheloveogod · 23/10/2019 15:15

They’ll use the widest timeframe to make the most money they can.. like other pps have said gd and just generally having a lot of water can let you get amazing 4d scans later on than someone with less water around their baby. There’s even just the risk that they’re in the wrong position (even at a rescan) and you get pictures of the back of a head.
Later is better to an extent, we had the 4d turned on for a bit at our 16w (ds1) and 17w3(ds?2) and ds one looks like Voldemort.. ds2 isn’t much better and so far I can’t guarantee that ds1 doesn’t look like Voldemort, the others still in the oven so I can’t guarantee anything with him.