New clients DNA

Re: New clients DNA

Bob Russell — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 11:03:18 GMT

Yesterday, cat with a broken leg arrives unannounced two days after because owners 'could not catch it', do you do easy terms!!! Walk ins always make me suspicious, probably better names 'will not pays'!

Re: New clients DNA

Anthony Todd — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 10:36:18 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]DNA[/quote]

I thought they were called "No Shows"??

Eliminates having to count, or even find, chromosomes......

People who just turn up are called "walk ins", in the restaurant trade, to avoid another TLA.

Re: New clients DNA

Robert FalconerTaylor — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 10:14:21 GMT

...and to help pass the time as you await their arrival - here are the NHS stats to mull over!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8195255.stm

Re: New clients DNA

Martin Atkinson — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:56:51 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]

Get this all the time, often people for pre op checks, that have new pets with charity neutering vouchers. We also get a fair bit of this from people who have booked in for a flea consult to get access to effective flea treatments.

I use the time to catch up - don't lose sleep over it.

If a regular client misses a booked appointment, I ask the receptionist to call later ( don't want them turning up late) and seeing if they can reschedule

The only time it annoys me is when they have booked off the first few consults of the morning ( or evening) for several animals, then don't turn up. You can never rebook those slots, sometimes I feel we should get reception to never dish out early or late appointments to new clients.

My dentist charges for missed appointments....i wonder how many vets do? If we all did i bet there would be fewer. comments?

[/quote]

Yup, not surprising, the charity neutering vouchers are the worst offenders - not just for no-shows for their initial appointment but also for their operation, followed by pre-op checks (I'm sitting here waiting for someone who's DNA'd for the second Saturday in a row for this), then newbies for first vaccines. You expect chavs to behave like this but a high proportion of offenders are (before I'm accused of being rascist - I'm not) neauovo-riche Asians who you'd expect to have better manners and who, when they do finally turn up on the 3rd or 4th attempt, are nonplussed that we are irritated by this. I now tell the charity clients they won't have a second chance as they're no great loss or they will be charged the difference between the voucher and the full cost which seems to work, other recidivists are told they will only be allowed to come to open surgery which we have in the evening. I don't think a general policy of charging a fine would be workable, they would just not pay and go elsewhere.

Something else I'm sure everyone else also finds is that the majority of non-registered who turn up without an appointment with a week old 'emergency' have no money. I guess its something to do with the fact that if you don't have the brains to pick up a phone you haven't got the brains to have a job or not spend your social security on frivolous living!

Re: New clients DNA

Mark Holmes — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 06:07:07 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]My dentist charges for missed appointments....i wonder how many vets do? If we all did i bet there would be fewer. comments?[/quote] We couldn't do that. All those clients who don't come would just not go to somebody else!

Re: New clients DNA

Stephen Courtney — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:38:42 GMT

I use the time to catch up - don't lose sleep over it.

If a regular client misses a booked appointment, I ask the receptionist to call later ( don't want them turning up late) and seeing if they can reschedule

My dentist charges for missed appointments....i wonder how many vets do? If we all did i bet there would be fewer. comments?

Re: New clients DNA

Alan Tevendale — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:28:04 GMT

We certainly see this very commonly as well. From speaking to friends it appears to be a problem everywhere.

Re: New clients DNA

Bob Russell — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:41:43 GMT

Absolutely! Very common here. We never get an answer when we phone to ask where they have got to!