PAYING FOR APPOINTMENT

[Linda51]

My daughter had an appointment with a specialist to chat about a certain problem, she never received anything in writing to say there would be any charges of any description so therefore didn't expect to pay anything as she was just asking questions about a problem she had, now she has just received a bill for £150. How does she stand with this. Would like to hear your comments. Thanks.

Sorry wasn't sure which catagory to post this question under.

[bednobs]

are we talking about a medical specialist? was it arranged through a GP or through a private provider?

[factor-fiction]

What kind of consultation was it? Medical? Was it a 2 minute chat or a 30 minute slot?
I would expect a charge for anything more than a few minutes and if none was mentioned I think it's a good idea to check first before the consultation.
They should also have mentoned it- was there a leaflet ?

[LoftyLottie]

Was this a private specialist and did your daughter make the appointment herself? It's difficult to comment without knowing whether it was a health, relationship or other sort of problem.

[Linda51]

It was a private consultation. She had a procedure done and wanted someone elses opinion on the outcome. Things were just organised through e mails, she was told a letter with her appointment times etc would be sent but nothing was received, if she had received a letter saying prices she wouldn't have gone in the first place.

[bednobs]

well, i'm really sorry but she must be stupid then. Private healthcare is paid for,nhs is free, otherwise everyone would go "private". I can't believe she didn't ask how much it would cost when she booked the appointment. Anyway, to answer your q she has had the benefit of the service and has no grounds not to pay

[China Doll]

A private consutation with my old consultant costs £250 so I would say it could be worse. She knew it was a private appontment even if it was for a further opinion so obviously it will cost money. I don't think she has any grounds.

[LoftyLottie]

A private consultation with a company or qualified person in any practice is unlikely to ever be free I'm afraid. I would assume I had to pay for someone to give advice. A solicitor will usually give 1/2 hr free of charge. She could challenge the amount of the bill if she thinks it is too expensive I suppose, but you don't get something for nothing.

The Citizens Advice Bureau and certain other charitible organisations give free advice.

[woofgang]

sorry, but i cannot believe that one she didn't check the price and two, she thought it would be free!! My advice is to pay up!!

[joko]

why would someone just give up their time free of charge to give out advice ? especially a specialist...

your daughters naive...

[Buenchico]

I can see no way that your daughter could successfully challenge the specialist's right to levy a fee for his services. However it MIGHT be possible to challenge the actual sum involved.

As an analogy, suppose that you called a plumber to fix a leak but (unwisely) forgot to ask him about his charges. You wouldn't be able to simply say "Sorry mate, I never agreed to pay you anything". A court would rule that you'd entered into a legally binding contract to pay the plumber a REASONABLE sum for the provision of his services. (i.e. he couldn't get away with doing the job and then saying "Oh, by the way mate, I charge one million pounds per hour").

Your daughter is in a similar position in that she has engaged the services of a professional (whom she could reasonably expect to levy a charge, since that's normal practice in private medicine). He then has the right to demand reasonable payment for those services. If your daughter refused to pay all, or part, of the sum demanded from her (and the consultant took legal action against her), a court would have to decide whether the sum demanded was 'reasonable'. If the specialist could show that he'd charged the 'going rate', and that all of his other patients are charged at the same rate without any problems, the court might well rule in his favour. However if your daughter could show that the sum charged was excessive (by normal standards within private medicine) the court might rule that she should only pay the true 'reasonable' sum for such services.

Chris

[Vagrant]

Google "private consultation fees" - 150 seems reasonable to me

[boxtops]

It's a salutory lesson, though - if you ask for a second opinion you can be referred to a specialist in the NHS but it would probably take weeks if not months to get an appointment - or you can be referred to a private consultant in which case you get seen really quickly. I would be amazed if the GP referring her didn't mention it would be private - or did she just contact the consultant herself to make the appointment (which she's entitled to do)?

[Skyline D]

The sum involved isn't excessive for a private consultation.

Like others I'm curious why whoever referred her to this specialist didn't point out there'd be a charge?