10 missed calls from private health company

[londontoibiza]

I booked a private MRI scan a week ago. I have gone through the screening questionnaire on the phone when I booked the scan. All good.

In the past week I have had 10 missed calls from them - at first it was “calling regarding my referral”, now they’re “calling to confirm I’ll be attending”.

As a rule I don’t answer my phone to an unknown number unless I’m expecting a call. If they leave a voicemail, I’ll call back when I’ve verified their number.

AIBU to think 10 calls in 7 days is excessive? I’ve paid, I’m suitable for the scan and I will be attending tomorrow. Surely they don’t need to be in constant contact with me?

You're acting like a child though 🤷‍♀️

Are you ? Adults manage to answer their phones. You are acting like a 14 year old.

I would ring them back, I had a private scan fairly recently and they rang a few times (I wasn’t able to pick up straight away), as it was originally approved but when it was checked by whoever checks theses things they needed to clarify some points ahead of my scan.

Well why on earth have you created an AIBU? Clearly you’re certain you’re not, so what’s the point of the thread?

Can't you answer once to say you will be attending? Not answering is surely more stressful.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if they were calling to say there was an issue with the scanner and your appointment had been cancelled or rearranged.

First phone call.
Are you attending?
Yes I will .
Thank you.
Goodbye.

Takes a whole lot less time and angst than a secretary having you on a reminder list to call, calling repeatedly and you making this thread and answering people

Creating drama just for the sake of it.

They've called 10 times because you have ignored the first nine times they called! Why didn't you add the number to your contacts so it was no longer an Unknown Number? How many unknown numbers call you every week that you wouldn't start to recognise this one? They obviously have a procedure (possibly doesn't even involve a human) that will keep calling until they get a confirmation you are attending, so just bloody confirm.

persistent calling is for a reason - they may need to rearrange the appointment. How weird not just to be cooperative and answer the call

Most mature sensible people answer their phones and are not stubborn and think they have to make some sort point ! This hospital need to know if everything is ok and you are .attending how do they know you are going to show up?

They could have been calling to tell you they had to cancel your appointment for some reason. Just answer the God damn phone. They’d have only phoned you once if only you’d answered it the first flipping time they rang.
Just answering your phone to an unknown number doesn’t mean you are going to be scammed, it just means you have to tell them to get lost if they try.

But obviously, if you don't show up, the staff supporting you can bugger off earlier to the golf course.

YABU

This isn’t a big deal. There will be a reason that the clinic is investing resource in confirming the appointment. This doesn’t need to be something hard and I wonder if your life is extremely easy and simple if something so straightforward and routine is causing you this level of frustration. I expect they had a note on your file as you didn’t respond and they were wondering if the appointment should be given to someone else.

But you’re behaving like a child. If you want to be treated like an adult then behave like one.

Are you that easily manipulated that you think you’ll be scammed by simply answering your phone?

Just answer your phone FFS and then they won’t keep ringing you.

If it’s a ‘scam’ then simply put the phone down.

Ime when you book the appointment they do a checklist. But nearer the appt a doctor will look through your case and may have further questions.

The more you say ‘I’m an adult’, the more you sound like a petulant child.
Somebody’s job is to get in touch with you. You are making their job unnecessarily difficult.

1. pick up and if it’s not them hang up
2. set up your phone to verify unknown callers (Google you phone make and see how you can do that)

Just answer the phone and confirm you’re going and then they’ll stop calling! FFS! I have a private dentist and they call the day before every appointment to confirm my attendance!

No, it shouldn’t be given to someone else. I have paid, therefore they can assume I am attending. I don’t need to be handheld into attending an appointment. I guess some people struggle with keeping to commitments though

Going to echo everyone else - you are acting like a child!

Just answer your phone! The spam calls are mildly annoying but easy to spot so you just hang up, quicker than checking your voice mail.

And by your own admission you know they are trying to reach you so you are expecting their call - so just answer it.

You are being deliberately awkward.

They can assume I will show up based on the fact I have an appointment with them?

I’m not sure how you can’t see that your level of distrust isn’t normal or acceptable. The only reason they’ve called you so many times is because you haven’t answered the phone.

You do realise that the NHS pays the private sector for appointments too? I’m pleased that this private hospital has a system in place to ensure that people attend.

Honestly, only on MN do people get so het up about answering their phone or answering the door.

Like some people struggle with the basic task of answering their phone!

My husband is currently dying in a hospice. Until recently he was having regular MRI scans. At the last but one there was a bit of a worrying spot on the scan so the MDT team recommended his next scan was brought forward. Our consultant reassured us that if there was anything it was likely to be operable, we even saw the surgeon. Unfortunately it proved impossible to get the scan brought forward because there were no available timeslots of sufficient length. I called frequently trying to get cancellation spots. When he had his scheduled scan the worrying spot was now so progressed that there was no further treatment and he went to hospice a few days later.

I don't know whether his current situation would be different if it had been possible to reschedule his scan but that doubt will always haunt me. I appreciate you intend to go to your scan but I hope this makes clear why it is important for slots that aren't used to be made available to people who need them and why they want to check that the slot will be used. I hope it also makes clear that it's not the best use of their time to keep calling people who could simply say yes. I don't think the fact that you are paying has any relevance to this. You might also know that many MRI scans stopped working in the current heatwave, so no doubt there are many people who have been desperately waiting for a scan and now need to have it rescheduled.

I hope that you will reconsider your attitude to this and do something small to help a system work for all it can.

I agree it’s incredibly annoying. Even if you confirm, you still get calls nearer the time, asking to reconfirm. We get chased because other people won’t show up.