Refund of Advance Payment for Appointment

amethyst175

Hi

I got an emergency dental appointment a couple of months ago.  To get the appointment I had to pay in advance and then was charged a further amount at the end of the appointment.

They also booked me in for a further appointment at a later date.

I have just had to cancel this appointment (giving them the 48 hour notice they require) and queried if I had paid anything for the appointment.  They told me I had paid £85 towards it and that it is non-refundable.

I wasn't advised at the time that I was paying in advance, nor was there anything to tell me this would be non-refundable.  Surely I should be able to get this £85 back?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

What is usually advised here is that if you pay a deposit and then withdraw the trader can retain an amount to cover the costs or losses so maybe a small amount for admin and any costs suffered so far and typically that the trader should seek to fill your spot to reduce their loses. 

Unless the dentist charges an £85 booking fee your post reads as if you've paid a deposit and I would assume a dentist should be able to fill an empty spot with the way things are at the moment.

Did you cancel the appointment completely or was you looking to have the appointment at a later date? 

You could ask the dentist for a breakdown of the £85 and request any difference back and if they refuse the breakdown or to refund the excess send a letter before action but given the amount of £85 or less is relatively small it wouldn't be worth going any further IMHO. 

Also worth a consideration that if this is your regular dentist they may find a way to get you off the books if you cause a fuss, although I've got no idea if there are any protections in place to protect patients in such instances.

Unfortunately it's probably an instance were you are going to be met with a lot of resistance for very little, if any, reward. 

amethyst175

I was considering a later stage but now I think I'd just prefer my money back tbh.

JJ_Egan

And possibly have no dentist for months ??

born_again

amethyst175 said:

Hi

I got an emergency dental appointment a couple of months ago.  To get the appointment I had to pay in advance and then was charged a further amount at the end of the appointment.

They also booked me in for a further appointment at a later date.

I have just had to cancel this appointment (giving them the 48 hour notice they require) and queried if I had paid anything for the appointment.  They told me I had paid £85 towards it and that it is non-refundable.

I wasn't advised at the time that I was paying in advance, nor was there anything to tell me this would be non-refundable.  Surely I should be able to get this £85 back?

So what was the further appointment for?

amethyst175

Just for a follow up check - not required really