Should I pay my mate for looking at my knee?

Toothsmith

Is he fairly newly qualified?

It sounds like a mistake of someone quite young and naive!

Age and experience makes you very wary about offering to treat friends.

How important is the friendship? Do you want to fall out over it?

By getting it seen to early, he's probably saved you the pain and anguish of it developing into a long-term injury, which you might have been facing if you'd not got it treated, or had to wait for NHS services to grind their way through the gears.(assuming he has helped it)

System

if you have to go to his practice yes as whilst he is looking at you, he cant be seeing a paying patient.

If he looks at it and prods about with it on the spot, then no.

ButterflyLC

Would you expect your childminder friend to look after your kids for free? Or your plumber friend to fit you a new bathroom for free? You took up an appointment slot from him at his office. Of course it wasn't for free. It should only be expected to be free if he told you he would have a look there and then. Put it down to experience.

roms

If you are mates and thought he was just having a look as a mate then shouldn't have to pay. If you thought he might charge you and you didn't talk about it then pay. Mention to them that you thought they were doing you a favour like you would do for them if they needed. If you feel they are being unreasonable then pay and reduce the amount of contact.

SVW

You assumed he would not charge you without any foundation for the assumption. You made an appointment to visit him at his work premises and received a professional treatment. Of course you should pay for it. It was your responsibility to ask about charges and naive of you not to have done so. He is probably completely unaware that you were expecting a free or reduced cost treatment. This whole situation is of your own making so just pay up and know better next time.

commandomum

Yes, you should pay the bill. The time to query it should have been when you booked appointment to see him.

royski1927

have you any idea how much he has to pay for premises, staff, insurances, membership of professional bodies etc: ?. all of which he could not operate without. And what if his treatment went wrong? would you forget he was a friend and sue him ? And do the terms of his insurance allow for him to treat 'mates' cheaply.? pay up and be happy !

julie777

tain wrote: »

I'd be saying something about them offering treatment to anyone without being upfront about the fees. No organisation should be doing that - they might as well ask for a signed blank check when you arrive.

The fact that he's also a mate makes it even more underhand.

Only a fool would treat a mate without being entirely upfront about the costs long beforehand for this exact reason.

I totally agree with you - most professionals will make sure you know the fee upfront, tell you what payment methods they accept,
and usually you pay on the day so I think he was pulling a fast one!

CountryGoose

It all hinges on the invite to come in for treatment.....

If the physio invited the mate to come in for some treatment, per the OP, there is the realistic expectation of some sort of mates rates, whether this was the intention or not.

If the OP asked for treatment, then the full rates should be expected from the outset.

marich

OK - so you feel it wasn't fair because he's a 'mate' ...
Pay the bill , move on - and remember .