I wasn’t informed of money back guarantee! And then told tough luck!

[Babytales137]

Hi. I have had my third IVF at the Lister and by and large I was happy. Until this last time having failed again one of the nurses pulled me into a examination room to tell me about what Access Fertility were doing with the Lister.

3 types of money saving schemes - I knew nothing about.

1 100% money back guarantee.
2 3 cycles for a reduced price package
3 unlimited cycles

I came especially to London from abroad for the service and ethics of doing things. I have spent thousands and thousands of pounds that I do not have in order to have a child in my life.

Was it too much to ask that they give me the all the options? I wrote to them and the financial manager wrote back saying bad luck, I should have researched it and the fliers are available everywhere in the clinic. Not once in many many times I’ve been to the clinic have I EVER seen one!

And then why would this nurse whisper it to me in a closed room away from anyone who could hear anything?

I get that it’s the Wild West of medicine and no one seems to be doing too much to regulate it - although it is getting better slowly - I think a lie of omission is still a lie.

I ask my doctor for any deals. She was not “duty bound” to tell me anything.

This is the only field of private medicine apart from plastic surgery where you pay TOP price and doctors/regulators are not following best practices.

I want to start my next cycle as I know time isn’t on my side and I’m not working while here just spending. Spending on rent on treatment and to live.

I think I and every single person who wasn’t informed about this, deserve to have some kind of compensation for this waste of time and money. We save and save and worry and stress and only we know what we do in order to get each cycle.

We are already in such vulnerable emotional states and I think this is a total abuse of power. I’m enraged.

What do you suggest I do ? I would love to hear from any ladies who have had anything similar. I need some kind of advise and connection with people who have been in my boat. We shouldn’t stand for this.

Hi, I've been offered this option straight away. It's a separate insurance company that provides this service. I am sorry you weren't offered it in the first place.. I'm not sure if the doctors have to advertise it. I think it was an omitting on their part.

There's no benefit for the clinic to withholding the information so I wouldn't imagine they had done it purposely, you pay an external company if you take out a package and the other company then pay your clinic so it's not the clinic that would have been refunding you or offering discount it's the external company, the refund packages are subject to a medical review so depending on your test results and treatment history you may or may not have been eligible, they are like an insurance package and you do over pay a lump sum up front that you then 'forfeit' if you have a birth so a lot of people taking out the packages do actually lose money if treatment works on the first round so it's not just a case of a goodwill refund being offered

Weird because I had the opposite - was sick of my clinic telling me about Access because it meant a larger upfront payment that I didn't have and I wanted it to work first time!

There is absolutely no motivation for them to withhold it from you, though I admit it was sloppy and probably an admin error that it wasn't mentioned.

Plenty of people distrust Access because if it does work first time, they end up spending more than they needed to. Like any other insurance policy, you need to understand exactly what you get and work out if it works out better for you with a host of variables.

I wasn’t told about this either!
I’m fairly mad as I’ve spent 10k already!
Taking it up with the private clinic I’m
Using this on my next visit.

Guys I'm a long time MN-er and stalwart of the infertility boards (was bananafish81), I now write about infertility and pregnancy loss and I would love to raise awareness of this shitty practice!! Patients over profit FFS

@Lauren83 you’re probably right. Maybe an omission but I feel that a little explanation as you had just given goes a long long way to feeling better. Rather than being told oh they are separate and the doctor is under no obligation to tell you. I reall irked me. Especially as it’s some financial manager who knows me from a hole in the wall. But thank you for your response reassuring truly feel much better.

That’s really interesting to hear that. I’m surprised constantly at how unregulated this whole sector is! I mean wow @LividLaughLove there is just so much contradiction and lack of proper advice. Now I’m reading that women at Lister we’re advised by their doctor to take DHEA to help for older women and low ovarian reserve. I was never told a thing! 🤦‍♀️

Pleaseletitbeme I pray that it can at least help one person get some sort of financial help. Either way I think every option should be presented. Even if they are a separate rntinty they are being offered at the Lister so there is SOME unity?! Isn’t there. I mean what is going on.

@uberbarrensclub That would be amazing! Imagine the ladies who get get their money back after all the failure heartbreak! at least you would feel less shitty and have mote options open to you I feel. Finances do give you sense of freedom to make decisions you sometimes couldn’t even consider.

I’m not leaving it here though. I don’t like being treated like a fool on one hand being told I should have researched it better and on the other paying £250 for a doctor to tell me that She will guide me every step of the way and it’s her job to know everything and to inform me the best options for me. You can have it both ways. Right?

I’m at the lister and have seen lots of access fertility leaflets, but it didn’t look like such a great deal. Don’t include the drugs and monitoring bloods, lots of loopholes etc. You would need to have a lot of fresh cycles v close together for it to be good value.

My consultant didn’t mention it either but knows we are self funding and has mentioned literally every other way we could save money while not compromising care. I’m almost glad they don’t cos I think it would have prayed on my insecurities at the beginning and I may have tried to find the huge upfront cost.

Sorry you are having a tough time OP, I hope it works out for you one way or another x

Drugs and monitoring aren’t included in full price cycles with the clinic either. And in some cases, like with Care, you will get caremaps and pgs thrown (and frozen transfers/storage) thrown in for free. We bought 3 cycles through Access at what was effectively a 50 percent discount on full price. If you have high egg reserve/ pcos then even if you have a live baby at the first attempt after 5 transfers it still works out cheaper!