Page 7 | AIBU ... to ask you to cancel your vax appointment if you don't need it

BruceAndNosh · 2021-12-19T18:05:30+00:00

Really frustrating! I was volunteering at vax centre yesterday, all appointments. Very busy as one vaccinator was off sick. I was checking names off as people arrived among other duties. The early appointments were boosters but late morning we had a couple of dozen 2nd doses booked in, and over half of them didn't turn up! I assume that they a) forgot date of 2nd dose when they booked their 1st one 6 months before or b) had brought forward their 2nd dose and not cancelled the later appointment. Yes, the booking system should be robust enough to avoid the latter option, but we know that it's working at full stretch. Those slots could have been used by someone else.

fartypantsmummy · 20/12/2021 07:33

Just wondering then - could you turn up and say you're happy to wait for a cancellation?

sbhydrogen · 20/12/2021 07:37

I've tried to cancel my appointment for 5th Jan as I got a walk-in booster instead, but it's not easy.

Fatgalslim · 20/12/2021 08:00

Yep, cancelled and re-booked all 3 appointments with no issues

Clymene · 20/12/2021 08:04

@IloveRitaConnors

I cancelled and rearranged two of mine easily, one just last week. Used the online manage my bookings and it was straight forward, very odd how so many people cant do it.

It's an IT issue, not a user one. I eventually got through to the booking number when I couldn't cancel mine online and the woman I spoke to said she couldn't do it either and 'not to worry'.

Maybe they e sorted out the issues over the last few weeks. It's still in beta

ExquisitelyDecorated · 20/12/2021 08:33

Mine was a few weeks ago (pre Omicron) so it's possible the problems I had have been resolved now

JustDanceAddict · 20/12/2021 08:36

I wanted to change time of my booster as it clashed with something I’d forgotten about. Cos I didn’t book through GP, but NHS , I couldn’t work out how to do it so I had to miss my meeting.
They don’t make it easy for you.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 20/12/2021 12:16

It's the fault of the NHS, or the system programmers OP. I've just managed to book my booster online. At the end of that, it says that if you are unable to attend your appoinment, you need to book another one (duh, who'd have thunk it). This was an ideal opportunity to put a link in to 'manage appointment' surely. There are not proper links between these things, hence DH and many others not being able to cancel, or finding the convoluted route to do so. Trying to do this with covid brain is even worse. They have had about 2 years to improve this website, so God only knows what the original version was like. Almost as if one of Boris's mates has been given the contract, with very basic website/programming/coding/whatever knowledge

YouCantTourniquetTheTaint · 21/12/2021 12:58

"Some of these people could have tried and failed to cancel, but I suspect that some didn't bother to try"

Excuse me?! Are you saying that the people on this thread are lying when they said they couldn't cancel? I am eligible for the booster due to having a disability, I booked via the email I received, when I went back to the booking site using my NHS number, both via the email and the Web address I want unable to cancel my appointment, there was no option anywhere to cancel it.

The website told me to come back the day after my jab was booked for, to cancel and re-book. I physically couldn't go, the booking system is at fault here, it seems that we all have different booking systems,saying different things.

Thank you for your help with the vaccine effort and rollout, I get that it might be frustrating when people don't turn up, but it looks like there's a bigger issue at play here.

RealBecca · 21/12/2021 13:00

Complain st the NHS system which forces you to book a second, often miles away from the local centre. People forget but if people want to be jabbed they will book themselves.

megletthesecond · 21/12/2021 15:27

sponge yes, I think a government mate is behind the scenes too.

c190 · 21/12/2021 16:06

I managed to get a walk-in yesterday so as soon as I got home I cancelled my appointment that I had booked for January.

I originally booked through the website, so I followed the link in my confirmation email. It isn't obvious, but if you go to "manage your appointment" it then goes through the rigmarole of looking for another appointment before cancelling current one. So I did all that, confirmed that I wanted to cancel existing appointment, and then didn't rebook it. I have had a confirmation that my appointment is cancelled.

It needs to be clearer - people may not realise that you have to essentially pretend to be rescheduling in order to cancel (there isn't a straightforward way to just cancel it) but that is the only way I found to do it.

blueshiningsea · 21/12/2021 18:02

An update! I got a cancellation email for my 2nd Jan booster appointment from the NHS today. So the system must have registered I have had the booster and automatically cancelled the later appointment. So there was method in the madness of no cancellation process 👍

mum2jakie · 21/12/2021 18:18

I'd got an appointment booked through the national NHS site for early January at a venue about 12 miles away.

I then had a link sent by my GP which allowed me to book an appointment this week within walking distance of my home. I had the booster yesterday and just tried to cancel the other appointment online but it just tells me I have no vaccinations to book? I'm hoping the system is clever enough to cancel the latter appointment automatically. If not, it needs to made easier to cancel appointments.

Original poster

BruceAndNosh · 21/12/2021 18:27

"Excuse me?! Are you saying that the people on this thread are lying when they said they couldn't cancel?"

No. I didn't accuse any one on this thread of lying
I wondered how many of the no shows at "my" clinic even tried to cancel
I realise that it should be a lot easier to cancel but the system obviously wasn't designed to make this straightforward

OP posts:

orderlyfashion · 21/12/2021 19:55

Hi Op, I've skimmed through most of this thread snd don't think it's been mentioned yet, but I've heard reports of anti- vaxxers booking up appointment slots in order to block the slots for other people. I really hope this isn't the case!

plantastic · 21/12/2021 19:58

I definitely did try and cancel! But it was at the point the booking website was overwhelmed and it's the same link to get through.

mumofmunchkin · 21/12/2021 20:08

I needed to cancel mine as I managed to get an earlier one, went online to do it but it wouldn't let me - just kept telling me I didn't need a jab. My husband woke up symptomatic on the morning of his jab so tried to cancel it, but the system wouldn't let him. The system needs to work better!

Redshoeblueshoe · 21/12/2021 20:11

Orderlyfashion I saw that yesterday, I think it was in the Telegraph

FOJN · 21/12/2021 20:22

Is there a regional problem with the booking system? I booked a booster but got an earlier appointment at GP surgery, cancelling the booster was very straight forward and I received instant text confirmation of the cancellation. I usually end up swearing at any .gov website so was pleasantly surprised.

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 21/12/2021 20:25

@orderlyfashion

Hi Op, I've skimmed through most of this thread snd don't think it's been mentioned yet, but I've heard reports of anti- vaxxers booking up appointment slots in order to block the slots for other people. I really hope this isn't the case!

Really?

What a bunch of utter cunts

Hopefully its not true…or just one or two fuckwits

FrazzledCareerWoman · 21/12/2021 20:38

@blueshiningsea

An update! I got a cancellation email for my 2nd Jan booster appointment from the NHS today. So the system must have registered I have had the booster and automatically cancelled the later appointment. So there was method in the madness of no cancellation process 👍

Great to hear

My booster isn't showing in my NHS app yet, it's been almost a week - is that normal?

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 21/12/2021 20:49

@blueshiningsea

An update! I got a cancellation email for my 2nd Jan booster appointment from the NHS today. So the system must have registered I have had the booster and automatically cancelled the later appointment. So there was method in the madness of no cancellation process 👍

Ooo thats what we got as well

HiJenny35 · 21/12/2021 21:03

You really can't just accept that yabu? As everyone has told you, you can't cancel. You could easily for the first and second jabs however the booster isn't the same 'reply to cancel' option. You wonder how many at "my" center tried to cancel, well based on this post probably all of them. I attended a doctors appointment at which point he asked me to have my booster whilst there, I did then couldn't cancel my standing appointment. My partner had his booked but they asked to do his when he took his parents to get theirs and again we couldn't cancel his. I phoned the help line and was told not to worry as they were also doing walk ins and they would use the slots that way.

blackcurrantjam · 21/12/2021 21:17

Tried to cancel booster. Laid up with most hideous cold ever, told me I was in a queue of over 14000 and kept going round in circles

blueshiningsea · 21/12/2021 21:35

I had my booster on Saturday and got the automated cancellation today, so 3 days.