Successfully got refund from dentist

ashaput

I know nothing about this dentist matter. From your story seems like the dentist don't even say NO to your refund asking. Do you ever a talk with the dentist about your objection? Or they just give you the refund? To me, before asking for refund I would do a little research about the treatment give and also the cost of it.

j.e.j.

welshdent wrote: »

What is interesting to me is your choice of language. Who said punish?? Certainly not me. However put yourself in the dentists shoes.
You legitimately charge the appropriate NHS charge for work you feel was necessary and that you carried out. No sign of mixing or making the patient pay for a private scale and polish as per the other thread.
Despite this the patient doesnt like it because "no one else ever made them pay that much for just a scrape and polish" and "I dont think they spent long enough with me to justify it anyway". To avoid potentially hours of hassle phoning defense companies, responding to queries from PCTs and all the rest of the major inconvenience involved you are advised to just hand them some money back - do you really think there still can be a good relationship based on trust there??
Only today I had someone making a massive fuss because they highly resented paying £12. Despite it being them that booked an appointment off their own back, despite them massively exaggerating the problem to reception to make sure they were seen ... despite there being no other possible NHS charge that can be made ... they still felt it a disgrace that I would dare charge the £12 when all I did was polish a tooth. Now lets ignore that I provided a cosmetic cleaning for nothing for them. Ignore they were only in as a new patient 2 months ago. They just resented paying full stop. you cant win sometimes.

You should be able to voice your concerns and even make a complaint if necessary without fear of consequences such as dr refusing to see you again or your treatment being compromised. I'm pretty sure this is what the nhs says. (I'm talking generally, not about dentistry in particular).

OK I will put myself in the dentists shoes. I'm earning a good salary doing dentistry and I fail to see why some pesky patient (who I've been good enough to see and give treatment to on the nhs, when a lot of dentists wouldn't touch nhs patients with a barge-pole) is kicking up a fuss about a mere £12/£30/whatever . £12 might not sound like much but to a lot of people that's a large portion of their weekly income.

In any case it looks like the OP hasn't posted again, so hopefully the situation's sorted itself.

welshdent

jej I am not disagreeing that they should be able to make a reasonable complaint. My point is they were NOT coerced in to private treatment that was not necessary. They were treated in accordance to NHS regs for a band 2 course of treatment. I understand the issues surrounding cost implications but the dentist does not have any control over them at all. You arent really putting yourself in the dentists shoes at all. Firstly you say earning a good salary. That to me implies you think dentists ARE salaried. We arent. We are self employed and the sole income generators for the business and thus the sole generators of income to pay the salaries of the staff, buy the materials and pay bills. I personally give 60% of all the money I make to my principal and thats before I pay lab fees of some £20000 a year.
My point being that Just because a patient takes up 20 minutes of appointment time for an emergency appointment and doesnt like the fact they have to pay anything doesnt mean that mr NHS is going to cover our costs if we do NOT charge them because they are annoyed.
Now the tone of the OP was that he felt over charged for a scale and polish. By all means query it if you are not sure BUT he was charged according to clearly set out NHS fee scales. There are only 3 prices you CAN pay so its fairly well known now. The second comment about you not seeing the dentists perspective is that you say pesky patient ... well I have certainly never referred to anyone like this but I most certainly do get annoyed when despite doing my best to treat and manage according to the regulations people STILL kick up a fuss like I am the one that caused them the problem in the first place and I am ripping them off. If you dont like the NHS charges the only people you can speak to are MPs and welsh assembly members

Toothsmith

( He meant 60%, not £60)

brook2jack

60% is not much the average is 68% for an associate.

There is a difference about querying a charge and demanding a refund. Often charges can be wrong as the regulations can be complex and opaque. No one will object to queries because of that complexity, it happens every day, mistakes are made and rectified. But demanding a refund doesn't allow a right of reply and says you don't trust your dentist . It is in no ones interest to continue a relationship that requires absolute trust when in the words of the op they felt they had been "ripped off". Would they trust that dentist to do what was right, would the dentist feel happy that the patient would understand they are trying to do their best, particularly as in dentistry success cannot be guaranteed?