Cancellation fee due to missed appointment

arcon5

Annabee wrote: »

I disagree, surely the whole point of MSE is to support the rights of the consumer?

OK, the customer is not always right, but if you think they do not have a case, etc, then why not just inform them of that in a neutral manner without apportioning blame? Like on other consumer websites.

Don't get all the vitriol that is often poured out on OPs (and particularly in this section). You sometimes get the impression that some posters have an agenda.

Yes it is.... but the consumer doesn't have a legal right to breach contracts, cause losses to business' and basically do as they please at the expense of others! That's not what it's all about!

Since MSE pushes consumers to make compensation claims for failed deliveries that wasn't the fault of the consumer, why shouldn't business' be able to push for compensation for failed appointments that was through no fault of their own?! After all contracts are supposed to be 'fair' remember.

arcon5

Annabee wrote: »

arcon, I think the £35 was the full cost of the service.

I am sure most people in the real world would feel the same as the OP. I can see it must have been annoying for the clinic to have their time wasted, however this was a one time mistake by her and mistakes happen. If the OP had done this frequently or was a new customer then they would have made the right decision by charging her, but in this case they have been foolish to !!!! off a good customer.

Once again, on the 'Consumer Rights' board, the OP has been berated. It is beyond weird, there a lot of posters who are always on the company's side. Maybe the board should be renamed.

Yes, i'd be annoyed - but logic would tell me I should be kicking myself, not them. If you miss a flight you don't get a refund (I think), same concept here, time was made available to op whom failed to turn up.

Sometimes in life we have to accept we make mistakes and just make sure our mistake isn't at the expense of people around us.

As for being on the companies side, if you want people to tell you what you want to hear, rather than the truth then you're probably in the wrong place!

mije1983

Annabee wrote: »

Once again, on the 'Consumer Rights' board,

Yes, the consumer rights board. Not the 'How to wriggle out of your obligations board' or the 'Let's all gang up on businesses board'.

It's a board about people's consumer rights, and sometimes when they are told their rights, they don't like the answer. This is human nature, but telling people just what they want to hear is not going to help their situation, and may cost them money if they decide to sue a business with no legal grounds at all.

earthstorm

Annabee wrote: »

Why should they waive the fee? To keep the goodwill of a regular customer who had made a one-off genuine mistake, and to keep them coming back! Makes commercial sense.

so this customer is their only customer. if they did it for one then they would have to do it for all customers who miss appointments and dont cancel.

The fee is their for a reason, so i dont see why they should waive it. They turned up for the appointment so will want paying for their wasted time.

What will we all do when NHS doctors surgeries start charging for missed appointments as this is currently being discussed.

I know our surgery actually published their missed appoint counts in the surgery and in Sept. 425 missed appointments with equated to 4250 minutes of doctors time wasted ( going off the 10 minutes they are given per appointment)

shaun_from_Africa

Annabee wrote: »

Why should they waive the fee? To keep the goodwill of a regular customer who had made a one-off genuine mistake, and to keep them coming back! Makes commercial sense.

Suppose it was the other way around and the OP took time off work for the appointment but when they turned up, they were told that there had been 2 people booked for the same time so they couldn't be seen that day.
Do you think the OP would be happy to just take more time off work and lose money over this, or would they be unhappy and want compensation of some sort?

Many posters on here would advise the OP to attempt to reclaim the loss of earnings due to the screw up, so why shouldn't a business have the same rights?

Annabee

earthstorm wrote: »

so this customer is their only customer. if they did it for one then they would have to do it for all customers who miss appointments and dont cancel.

No, because how would the other customers know what they had done? They should do it on a case-by-case basis and use their discretion.

And to those who keep saying 'posters shouldn't expect just to hear what they want to hear'. [sigh]. I am not saying they should!, just saying there is no reason for the aggressive attitude so often displayed on here, which must put a lot of people off posting.

'Please be nice to all moneysavers' remember!

sulphate

I think it's unlikely that they would just take the £35 off your credit card, there are certain rules about keeping credit card details on file for x amount of time. They'd probably send you a bill and take you to small claims if you didn't pay it, if they wanted to.

Perhaps you could plead with them to waive it as it was a one off and you are a valued customer?

POPPYOSCAR

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Suppose it was the other way around and the OP took time off work for the appointment but when they turned up, they were told that there had been 2 people booked for the same time so they couldn't be seen that day.
Do you think the OP would be happy to just take more time off work and lose money over this, or would they be unhappy and want compensation of some sort?

Many posters on here would advise the OP to attempt to reclaim the loss of earnings due to the screw up, so why shouldn't a business have the same rights?

Yes but what are the chances of getting it?

My OH recently made an appointment over the phone at the Dr. i was there when he made it. He repeated the date and time to them and I wrote it on the calendar.

When we went on the day, they had no record of it. It was only his insistence that they finally agreed to squeeze him in and he had to wait. Should he have billed them for his wasted time?

I have waited in all day for couriers to deliver parcels that have not turned up - should I bill them for my wasted time?

I think it is harsh to charge the OP in this instance. A warning that a charge will be made if it happens again would be fairer IMO.

earthstorm

Annabee wrote: »

No, because how would the other customers know what they had done? They should do it on a case-by-case basis and use their discretion.

And to those who keep saying 'posters shouldn't expect just to hear what they want to hear'. [sigh]. I am not saying they should!, just saying there is no reason for the aggressive attitude so often displayed on here, which must put a lot of people off posting.

'Please be nice to all moneysavers' remember!

so a business has to be out of pocket because a customer failed to turn up for their appointment so therefore breaching their contract.

if they do bill the OP for the £35 and the OP fails to pay and they take the OP to small claims them just think the Op will have to them pay the £35 + the £25 it cost to make the claim and then if they dont pay this and a CCJ is issued another £35, so now thier £35 has become £95.

The OP breached contract so should pay up

markfj

From a personal point of view I'd pay up

It was an appointment that was missed and not cancelled, I would consider that my fault and would just pay them