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Friday, the last call of the day I took again - seriously!
Now, it was roughly 3:45pm, and I leave at 4pm. The hospital is open until nine, and our last scheduled appointment (each appointment is half an hour) is at 7:30pm (so that we have an hour to catch up before we actually close.)
All the appointments after I would leave were already booked, and Saturday appointments were all booked as well (Sat appointments tend to book solid by Thursday at the absolute latest.)
I get a call, lady believes her dog has an ear infection. Wants him to be seen.
"Oh, well I have a 4:30pm open today, do you think you could make that?"
"I'm driving home from work right now, I wouldn't make that in time," she answered, pretty coldly. As if I should be able to predict what she is doing at the time of the call.
I apologize that we don't have any open appointments for the rest of the day, or tomorrow, but mention I do have my first appointment for Monday wide open at nine in the morning!
"I WORK," she says, her tone implying that I should be aware of this and that I'm horrible for even mentioning it. "I work nine to five so I can't come during the week!"
Unfortunately, all my appointments for after five in the afternoon on Monday are booked, but I inquire if she could make a seven in the evening on Tuesday.
"Don't you think that is a little long to wait for an ear infection?" she asks, sniffing once into her phone.
"Yes I do," I think, annoyance tugging at my stomach. "But YOU were the one who so adamantly declared that you wouldn't be able to make the appointments I've already offered.
"Can't I just come pick up antibiotics?"
"Unfortunately," I chirp, glancing at one of the techs who is looking at me with that sympathetic, knowing gaze, "there are three different things that could be the infection. Bacteria, yeast, or mites - or it could be all three at the same time. Antibiotics would only help if it was bacteria, which is why we have to test what is in the ear."
The technician lifts her hand and gives me a thumbs up, praising my clear and accurate explanation. She then hurries off into the back.
"Well, I think he should be seen then," the woman is saying, even as my eyes glass over.
"Well," I reply, tapping my pen against my keyboard. "We certainly can see you at any time you would like, but if there is no open appointment, it would be considered an emergency appointment. That fee is $160, with everything else done charged at the same price that it would've been with a normal appointment." I had neglected to mention this because I had already predicted what the answer would be, and I was not disappointed.
"I'm not paying $160 for the doctor to look at my dog for five minutes and tell me that he has an ear infection!" she says.
I sigh in my head, even as the technician reappears and sticks a chocolate chip cookie next to my mouse pad with a grin on her face. I don't bother explaining to her that the $160 is because we are forcing her into an appointment that doesn't exist, making our schedule late for other clients who did have appointments. She would literally be paying the extra $70 for us to create an appointment slot for her.
Instead, I say, "Well, it is very common that we get cancellations on Saturdays. So, for now, I recommend that we book you into the seven on Tuesday, just to be sure you have that appointment, and then we'll call you if anything cancels tomorrow. It will be very tight, will you be available all day tomorrow in case we get that cancellation?"
"Yes, I suppose that will have to do."
"You're damn skippy it will 'have to do', it's the only option you have left!"
"Perfect then, I've put you into the Tuesday and we'll contact you if anything opens tomorrow."
The technician pops back out at this time and sees me dropping the phone back into the cradle. She leans her arms on the high counter and plunks her cheek in her hand, like a little kid about to be told a story.
"So, what was that one about?" she asks.
"Pretty standard," I answered, breaking the cookie into quarters and noticing with glee that it was soft baked. "My dog needs to be seen when I want it to be, even if you don't have an appointment, but how DARE you think to charge me more. I was half expecting her to demand me to call another owner and cancel their appointment."
"What was it?"
"Ear infection. Which, since she was driving home at the time of the call, she would've known about it before she went to work this morning... if she had called this morning, I still would've had appointments open for her tonight. We had that seven this evening open until at least one in the afternoon."
By the way, the cookie was gooey and delicious.
Now, it was roughly 3:45pm, and I leave at 4pm. The hospital is open until nine, and our last scheduled appointment (each appointment is half an hour) is at 7:30pm (so that we have an hour to catch up before we actually close.)
All the appointments after I would leave were already booked, and Saturday appointments were all booked as well (Sat appointments tend to book solid by Thursday at the absolute latest.)
I get a call, lady believes her dog has an ear infection. Wants him to be seen.
"Oh, well I have a 4:30pm open today, do you think you could make that?"
"I'm driving home from work right now, I wouldn't make that in time," she answered, pretty coldly. As if I should be able to predict what she is doing at the time of the call.
I apologize that we don't have any open appointments for the rest of the day, or tomorrow, but mention I do have my first appointment for Monday wide open at nine in the morning!
"I WORK," she says, her tone implying that I should be aware of this and that I'm horrible for even mentioning it. "I work nine to five so I can't come during the week!"
Unfortunately, all my appointments for after five in the afternoon on Monday are booked, but I inquire if she could make a seven in the evening on Tuesday.
"Don't you think that is a little long to wait for an ear infection?" she asks, sniffing once into her phone.
"Yes I do," I think, annoyance tugging at my stomach. "But YOU were the one who so adamantly declared that you wouldn't be able to make the appointments I've already offered.
"Can't I just come pick up antibiotics?"
"Unfortunately," I chirp, glancing at one of the techs who is looking at me with that sympathetic, knowing gaze, "there are three different things that could be the infection. Bacteria, yeast, or mites - or it could be all three at the same time. Antibiotics would only help if it was bacteria, which is why we have to test what is in the ear."
The technician lifts her hand and gives me a thumbs up, praising my clear and accurate explanation. She then hurries off into the back.
"Well, I think he should be seen then," the woman is saying, even as my eyes glass over.
"Well," I reply, tapping my pen against my keyboard. "We certainly can see you at any time you would like, but if there is no open appointment, it would be considered an emergency appointment. That fee is $160, with everything else done charged at the same price that it would've been with a normal appointment." I had neglected to mention this because I had already predicted what the answer would be, and I was not disappointed.
"I'm not paying $160 for the doctor to look at my dog for five minutes and tell me that he has an ear infection!" she says.
I sigh in my head, even as the technician reappears and sticks a chocolate chip cookie next to my mouse pad with a grin on her face. I don't bother explaining to her that the $160 is because we are forcing her into an appointment that doesn't exist, making our schedule late for other clients who did have appointments. She would literally be paying the extra $70 for us to create an appointment slot for her.
Instead, I say, "Well, it is very common that we get cancellations on Saturdays. So, for now, I recommend that we book you into the seven on Tuesday, just to be sure you have that appointment, and then we'll call you if anything cancels tomorrow. It will be very tight, will you be available all day tomorrow in case we get that cancellation?"
"Yes, I suppose that will have to do."
"You're damn skippy it will 'have to do', it's the only option you have left!"
"Perfect then, I've put you into the Tuesday and we'll contact you if anything opens tomorrow."
The technician pops back out at this time and sees me dropping the phone back into the cradle. She leans her arms on the high counter and plunks her cheek in her hand, like a little kid about to be told a story.
"So, what was that one about?" she asks.
"Pretty standard," I answered, breaking the cookie into quarters and noticing with glee that it was soft baked. "My dog needs to be seen when I want it to be, even if you don't have an appointment, but how DARE you think to charge me more. I was half expecting her to demand me to call another owner and cancel their appointment."
"What was it?"
"Ear infection. Which, since she was driving home at the time of the call, she would've known about it before she went to work this morning... if she had called this morning, I still would've had appointments open for her tonight. We had that seven this evening open until at least one in the afternoon."
By the way, the cookie was gooey and delicious.
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