# Do you pay cancellation charges?



## Wolfshead (Jul 17, 2003)

A couple of months ago I had an appointment at the dentist. That morning I woke up with a massive migraine and telephoned the dentist's office as soon as it opened and cancelled the appointment (with apologies for the inconvenience). Some time later I received an invoice for $50 for a "missed appointment". I really resent having to pay this. Needless to say, I've procrastinated and simply haven't paid. Now the bill is up to $71 because of "interest" and the dentist is threatening to "report" me to the credit bureaux which will affect my credit rating. What's your opinion on this? I know it was bad to miss an appointment but it was through no fault of my own. I know I should have given them 24 hours notice, but wasn't able to in the circumstances. Should I pay up?


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Send the dentist a $100 invoice for harassing you.

Make it look really official. Use a colour logo, some really nice paper, and put a big red "stamp" on it saying "DUE IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT." If she or he doesn't pay within 48 hours, send another notice promising you will go to a collection agency.

Then file a complain with your provincial dental association.

If you didn't agree to being charged for being a no-show, you don't owe anything. Might as well have some fun with it.

See what happens.


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## Paul O'Keefe (Jun 3, 2005)

It's likely that your dentist's office was able to call someone else to take your appointment.

If the dentist/doctor doesn't incure any financial loss because of your absense then I don't think they should charge you.

If a dentist charges someone a fee for not being there, I expect the dentist to stay in the office twiddling his thumbs not doing anything... but not doing anything on the dime of the person who's paying for the missed appointment.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

1. were you informed is said cancellation fee upon time of booking your appt?

2. do you ever want to go back to this dentist?

3. i do agree with advice above that suggest you contact the college of dentists

WARNING; I was once charged over the "insurance book rate" (as per a big sign in the office) since my dental plan refused to cover about a certain figure for that procedure. I contacted the dentist and expected a partial refund (gotta pay up front ya know) but dentist's bookkeeper aka "wife" refused
I contacted the College and they refused to do anything about it.

ergo: Don't expect too much help


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Quite often I believe (haven't looked up every dentist), dentists have a 24 or even 12 h cancellation policy prior to an appointment. 

As for interest. They are not a lending institution so don't have the right to charge interest really. I'd just pay the original bill and go from there.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i would think that a cancellation charge would have to be acknowledged, at least by verbal agreement, at most by signature

you could always fight it saying you were not aware of said fee


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

Flip it around. If you showed up for your appointment, and the dentist told you "Sorry, we're busy, come back later", would say okay, and be fine with it?

Probably not. You'd want some sort of discount for them not upholding their end of the deal (your appointment time).

My dentist does the same thing (although I've never missed an appointment). Just own up to it and pay up.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Funny how when you get a doctors/dentist appointment, you can wait and you don't get a discount.....

When I have had particularly bad customer service, I'll often ask "who can I send my invoice to?". When a company messes up, they should be held accountable for their mistakes.


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## Brian Scully (Jan 23, 2001)

*$21 dollars in interest*

on a $50.00 charge?? How long have you been "procrastinating"?

My dentist has this charge and as I have been a patient for some 20 years I doubt that he would enforce it but it is in his rules. Most dentists have a sheet outlining payment and other charges when they take your initial history. Most of us ignore it like an EULA but that does not mean we are not bound by it. My advice?

(1) Pay the bill before he puts a black mark on your credit record which will only raise the interest that you pay on any loan or credit purchase in the next few years.

(2) Find another dentist because you really don't want this one in your mouth with a drill after this episode  

PS he does not have to be a financial institution to charge you for an overdue account balance. Virtually all companies do this. If you do not pay your bills they have to borrow money to stay in business.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

On the other hand, the OP could just call and ask the dentist to cancel the charge altogether.

It might be better to simply ask and see what happens, rather than have the "debt" flip to a collection agency.

It may be that this dentist has been burned so many times by so many bad clients that she/he has had enough and really will pursue this. But perhaps not.

And the OP did let them know he wasn't coming, in advance, if not with enough notice; these things happen; they might then grant you some leniency.

If they don't, ask again. A few times. Ask four times. Do $71 worth of asking. Ask to speak to the dentist each time, personally.

If all that doesn't work, see post #2 above.

To BScully, he said "a couple of months ago."


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Our dentist does require 24 hrs notice for a cancellation but he's been in practice for a long time and let's us off the hook. A very busy practice will probably enforce the rule more readily.

You could try this:
I would show up with a doctor's note to prove you were sick that day and see if they charge you for the missed appointment. Show displeasure if they make you pay the full amount but pay it to keep the peace.:-(


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## madgunde (Mar 10, 2006)

Let's see. $21 interest over 2 months is equal to over 250% interest per year. Last time I heard, it was illegal in Canada to charge more than 60% interest, according to the Criminal Code of Canada. If I were you, I'd politely remind the dentist of this, and tell him that if he doesn't drop the charge with an apology in writing, you will report him to the police. You may want to visit him in person with a copy of the criminal code with the appropriate references hi-lited for his convenience. The best part is, you have proof in writing that he has attempted to charge you with an illegal interest rate. The important thing is that it is called "interest" on the bill, and not some "delinquency charge".

The dentist is being a complete jackass and deserves to be raked over the coals.


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## maccam (Jun 28, 2006)

There is nothing that says dentists can or can't charge for missed appointments, it's just something they do because they can get away with it. Whether or not it's on their form. You can't charge somene a fee for a service that you don't render. If you didn't go to your appointment no work was performed. Some of the stories are just absurd, people getting in car accidents still being charged because they didn't make it. Some dentists are actually asking for 48 hours notice.  Morons!

Walk into your dentist for your appointment and tell them that you are billing them a half hour rate (say 40.00 per hour) for the first ten minutes over your appointment time. Then a full hour after twenty minutes. See how fast they tell you to get out. :lmao: :lmao:


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## zoziw (Jul 7, 2006)

Wolfshead said:


> A couple of months ago I had an appointment at the dentist. That morning I woke up with a massive migraine and telephoned the dentist's office as soon as it opened and cancelled the appointment (with apologies for the inconvenience). Some time later I received an invoice for $50 for a "missed appointment". I really resent having to pay this. Needless to say, I've procrastinated and simply haven't paid. Now the bill is up to $71 because of "interest" and the dentist is threatening to "report" me to the credit bureaux which will affect my credit rating. What's your opinion on this? I know it was bad to miss an appointment but it was through no fault of my own. I know I should have given them 24 hours notice, but wasn't able to in the circumstances. Should I pay up?


I would call the dentist and explain that your first appointment was cancelled due to a migraine and you would like to reschedule but are concerned about this $50 invoice for the initial cancellation.

Try to talk to the dentist directly, you are his patient afterall.

Ultimately, he is going to make a heck of a lot more money off of you by cancelling this nuisance invoice.

Be polite no matter what. Even if he says no, be polite, as he might reconsider after the phone call ends.

Let us know how it goes.


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## singingcrow (May 6, 2005)

I agree with zoziw. The receptionist will only feel they are doing their job by enforcing it, and in the end the dentist themselves could remove it with mere human compassion.

Please remember though, when you book an appoinment with someone, you are not only asking them to do something, but you are asking for their time, which in this society is valuable. Many people, not only dentists, have this policy (although this is the first I've heard about interest on this fee) and many will lift it in emergency circumstances, or if they were able to fill the time.

As for having to wait for your appointment argued by others... I personally wouldn't want my dentist to rush - I already have a red flag on my chart! And in the end, they usually have the same amount of clients in a day.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

again, if at time of booking you were not informed of the cancellation fee, i don't think they can make you pay it
and that interest rate would make for very interesting reading at your local newspaper (hint, hint)


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## MacDaddy (Jul 16, 2001)

I say go with post #2, send them an invoice for your time in having to deal with this. For the same amount. If they call and ask you, tell them you are a lawyer and you charge for phone time, so you are charging them for notifying them of the cancellation, as well as phoning them to find out what the invoice was for in the first place. Don't forget the photocopy charge!


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

madgunde said:


> Let's see. $21 interest over 2 months is equal to over 250% interest per year. Last time I heard, it was illegal in Canada to charge more than 60% interest, according to the Criminal Code of Canada.


i still think a call to the local newspaper or media outlet would be a good idea
such interests rates should be widely reported


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