Was I being over sensitive about this or was it bad customer service ?

[burnoutdd]

I booked an online appt for a scan (appt was yesterday) over a week ago as have been having some health issues (period related). 2 hours before the appt they called to change the time to an hour later and said if I couldn’t make it they’d have to reschedule so I agreed. I got there 30 mins earlier than expected as I left early as weather was awful and I hadn’t done the journey before and didn’t want to be late.

They refused to let me in. I said ‘it’s pouring ? Can I just sit and wait in the reception?’ They said no. To come back exactly at my appt time ? Then shut the door. It was absolutely pouring the pavement was just a massive puddle it’s on a busy main road but the path was narrow so I got splashed by passing cars. There’s also nothing nearby no shops or cafes etc.

I went back 10 mins early and rang the intercom and they said again ‘come back in 10 minutes’

I needed the appt so just did that even though I wanted to just go home. Should I email / leave a review ? AIBU to have felt upset and think it’s really bad customer service ?

Review for who? Was this an NHS appointment? What did the letter say about arriving early?

No it was private. The wait for an nhs scan is months according to my gp so I went to a private clinic that does gynae scans. The only thing I was told at time of booking was if I needed to cancel to do it at least 48 hours before or I’d lose my deposit

I think they were unreasonable but must have had their reasons.
I think that you are having a tough time and the worry accompanying this scan has made it feel much worse than it is.
Its done now - hopefully you can feel relieved and just let it go and be part of a traumatic time.

Depends, if it’s a small building, potentially confidential info could be overheard by you eg what’s being said in other rooms, phone calls, receptionist taking patient details etc.

By all means raise your concerns if you feel you need to

Yes but there was nobody else there ? They changed my appt from 2-3 as said that fit in better as there was a big gap between the first appt (mine) and next one booked so changed mine at short notice and said if I couldn’t come at 3 I’d have to rebook

did they have a receptionist or just the person doing the scan? I can see why they wouldn’t want you in the building unsupervised.

2 receptionists (as both came to the door the first time I rang the intercom ) and the person doing the scanning

I would, I would either expect a waiting room or to be told at booking there is no waiting area, please do not arrive ahead of your time.

Sounds to me like the person scanning just books the space per hour and doesn’t have full time access to the building.

I just feel that as they changed it so last minute and then were very abrupt with me that it wasn’t very polite/good customer service. They made me feel like a nuisance even the call initially to say they needed to change the time and knowing I’d booked an emergency gynae scan then saying if I didn’t agree to the new time I couldn’t be seen that day

They are there all the time you can book 7 days a week it’s a dedicated space full time for the business

They might have a reason that is apparent. Did the email or letter say about coming exactly on time. I’ve had that from places before. I think you were a little unreasonable to go back again ten minutes early when told to come at your appointment time. I appreciate it must have been annoying and stressful. I hope everything works out well.

Can’t hurt to send them an email with your feedback. I wouldn’t go for a public review straight off as there’s just no need. Hopefully the actual appointment went ok

Weird! I’ve had quite a few private medical appointments and they’ve always fallen over themselves to make the experience help to justify the cost, so decent waiting room, escorted from area to area by someone, etc.

Some of these scan places are really tiny though if it was one of those type setups.

No the confirmation just said the appt time. I had to fill in the forms online at time of booking. The only thing was that if I needed to cancel or change it had to be with more than 48 hours notice or I’d lose the deposit but they then changed my appt 2 hours before.

I'm a healthcare professional and I think that's absolutely appalling. You're not being oversensitive at all.
Our patients sometimes come early and it's no problem at all.

My nearest eye clinic won't let you in early at times of high infection rates - influenza/covid etc to protect staff.

I think what made it so upsetting was just the fact it was absolutely pouring and windy and they were just really unfriendly it wasn’t a very welcoming place at all

You've paid to be treated that badly?

That's also a shit reason to change the appointment time.

I felt i had no choice as the nhs wait is apparently months for a scan. Part of me wanted to just go home but then I’d already paid a deposit and needed the scan done

When you go private you expect the 5 star treatment. Shocking.

Yes and I totally understand why you went private.

I would definitely leave feedback. You were paying for a service, they rearranged for their convenience and then gave crap customer service. Second time I've said it on a thread this week, but customer service in the UK is dreadful and getting worse

Depends. I had breast scans and they warn you that you will not be allowed in the building until 10mins before your appointment to allow for privacy and avoid crowded waiting areas

If there is no waiting area I would expect to be told this at the time of booking. DS had private speech therapy for a bit when he was a toddler, there was nowhere to wait there and it was very clear on every appointment confirmation not to arrive early. That’s also a crap reason to change an appointment time. I would consider leaving a bad review as that really does fall short of the service you’d expect and it would likely be helpful to other people to know.