Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Another satisfied customer

My 2:00 new patient yesterday didn't show up. It happens. I forgot about it and moved on.

Last night I got the following message on my voicemail:

"Dr. Grumpy, I'm never coming to see you again, and am going to complain about you to my internist. I had a 2:00 appointment with you today, and I waited in your lobby for 2 hours, and nobody called me back. I kept pointing this out to the girl at the front desk, and what did she do? NOTHING! She kept telling me that I didn't have an appointment there, and that I had the wrong office, and that you were in a different building! If this is how you treat new patients, then I don't see how you're still in practice."
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27 comments:

  1. CholeraJoeJune 8, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    WooHoo you dodged a bullet on that one Ibee. Last thing you need is another crazy in your practice.

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  2. JulieJune 8, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    wow, just wow

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  3. PackerJune 8, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    Never coming to see you "again" ?

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  4. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    "I am never again coming to someplace you aren't, no matter what the girl up front says, so there!"

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  5. The Nite NurseJune 8, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    I think some of these folks do this for fun. Surely they can't ALL be this crazy. LOL

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  6. CayaJune 8, 2011 at 10:04 AM

    Somewhere there is a blog telling this same story from the perspective of the poor staff of the office she visited. ;-)

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  7. MalJune 8, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    So, does this level of obtuseness constitute a neurological problem, or was he referred for something else?

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  8. MiaSoloJune 8, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    this made me giggle :)

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  9. R. MayJune 8, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    Not that the guy isn't a jackass. But. I'm an admin. I would hope the receptionist didn't just tell the guy he was in the wrong place but actually told him where it was. The internet is a marvelous invention. So are phone books. I get people wandering into my building looking for various things not here and I always help them thoroughly because it's my job. In fact I would have even called your office to let you know dude was in the wrong place and might be late. Lots of front desk people really suck at customer service.

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  10. 08armydocJune 8, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    How dare you not see that poor patient - when they schedule an appointment, it's your responsibility to see them wherever, whenever! Sheesh

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  11. terri cJune 8, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    I'm waiting for the corresponding post from "Tales of a Front Desk Nothing."

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  12. bobbieJune 8, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    Stupid is as stupid does...
    I think you got lucky!!

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  13. kate sweetenJune 8, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    Oh, that poor, poor, poor receptionist at the other office...

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  14. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    perfect comment r may.

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  15. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    Assuming their office was too far from yours to help her find the right place, a good admin would have had her call your office and had Mary say "no you are not standing in front of me. Our address is X, would you like to reschedule?".

    Depending on whether she was pleasantly confused or just cranky, I may have picked up my phone when she called you and pretended to speak. I may not have. But I may have... >:)

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  16. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    in the early days of cardiac surgery at the u of m, there was a bus that trolled rural minnesota and the daks picking up patients on sunday for surgery that week. the lillehai bus. perhaps such a service should be offered locally for your new patients, too.

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  17. arzt4empfaengerJune 8, 2011 at 4:38 PM

    Bwahaha! The poor other receptionist!

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  18. Loren PechtelJune 8, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    A bunch of the answers involve pointing her at the right place. From the description that sounds impossible--she was determined she was in the right place and the front desk was trying to blow her off.

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  19. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 7:27 PM

    Interesting how many of your readers assume it was a woman and not a man in this situation. Seems to me that men are more stubborn than women and it was most likely a man! Just sayin'...

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  20. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    Like you needed another dumb-as-a-rock patient, anyway.

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  21. CatbirdJune 8, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    Only in the Magnited States of America. Alright?

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  22. pharmacy chickJune 8, 2011 at 11:07 PM

    Must be the same lady who comes into Pharmacy chick pharmacy (big sign out front)...wants to know where her rx is (we dont have her as a patient)..rips me a new orifice that I dont need..( I have enough) and when I said " I promise, we (wearing my logoed coat) do not have you as a patient at PHARMACY CHICK pharmacy" says " Oh,THIS ISN'T BIG BOX?"
    W.T.F

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  23. AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    BTW, have you considered getting in first by complaining to the internist about the patient who didn't show up, and then left a nasty message?!

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  24. AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    And then they came to our pharmacy, where they sat in our waiting area for a half and hour, before coming up and asking for their prescription. We didn't have anything for them. They then pull the rx out of their pocket and say "Well, it is right here! I showed it to the cashier." (Translation: they waved a folded up piece of paper in her general direction)"And we called earlier and called in the drug." (translation: they called, didn't identify themselves and just asked for a price) "WHY ISN'T IT READY!?!?!"

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  25. AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    I think Dr. Grumpy should have gone to the other office and seen the patient.

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  26. AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    "She kept telling me that I didn't have an appointment there"
    Thats NOT stupid, thats some kind of cognitive problem. Another person (not ill) should have been with the patient, dont you think?

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  27. LadybugJune 10, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    Hehehe

    You don't need a MRI or CT to know that person is missing a frontal lobe. Send them a bill with that diagnosis anyway :)

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So wadda you think?