The other morning I left my home in north Dublin at 7.00am for an 8.30am dental hygienist appointment in south Dublin. Traffic is sometimes bad on this route, so I thought I’d leave plenty of time.
Unfortunately, traffic was tremendously heavy on Roebuck Road/Clonskeagh Road (chaotic school drop-offs) and I realised I would be late for my appointment. I pulled in to the side of the road and rang the surgery, explaining that I was stuck in traffic and would be about ten minutes late.
The receptionist spoke to the hygienist who felt that there wouldn’t be enough time to carry out my treatment. I then cancelled the appointment and enquired if I would be charged for it. She said she would find out and ring me back. She then said ‘The same thing happened in October 2016’. This remark I found a bit strange as it didn’t have anything to do with my present situation.
The receptionist rang me this morning to say there wouldn’t be a charge ‘but that if it happened again there would be a €50 charge’.
To me it sounded almost like a threat. I know they have to deal with cancellations but this seems like a case of punishing the customer. Are they legally allowed to do this?
The thing is that I have been on time 99% of the time, even though my 8.00am appointments often started 15 or 20 minutes late. Nobody has ever offered to refund me for this wait! No punishment for them.
Now, I like this surgery (which is why I haven’t gone for a local dentist). It’s modern and I find the staff professional and friendly. I have given them thousands of euro over the past few years. The last time I was there I paid €90 for a twenty minute treatment session.
While I fully appreciate that the hygienist probably depends on customer payments for her salary, I don’t think I should be penalised for something I had no control over.
Unfortunately, traffic was tremendously heavy on Roebuck Road/Clonskeagh Road (chaotic school drop-offs) and I realised I would be late for my appointment. I pulled in to the side of the road and rang the surgery, explaining that I was stuck in traffic and would be about ten minutes late.
The receptionist spoke to the hygienist who felt that there wouldn’t be enough time to carry out my treatment. I then cancelled the appointment and enquired if I would be charged for it. She said she would find out and ring me back. She then said ‘The same thing happened in October 2016’. This remark I found a bit strange as it didn’t have anything to do with my present situation.
The receptionist rang me this morning to say there wouldn’t be a charge ‘but that if it happened again there would be a €50 charge’.
To me it sounded almost like a threat. I know they have to deal with cancellations but this seems like a case of punishing the customer. Are they legally allowed to do this?
The thing is that I have been on time 99% of the time, even though my 8.00am appointments often started 15 or 20 minutes late. Nobody has ever offered to refund me for this wait! No punishment for them.
Now, I like this surgery (which is why I haven’t gone for a local dentist). It’s modern and I find the staff professional and friendly. I have given them thousands of euro over the past few years. The last time I was there I paid €90 for a twenty minute treatment session.
While I fully appreciate that the hygienist probably depends on customer payments for her salary, I don’t think I should be penalised for something I had no control over.