Very Bad Reception, Part 6

(My GP surgery and the people who work in it are usually brilliant, but recently they’d had a system update that not only did everyone seem to despise, but not everyone seemed to be able to use. I need a bunch of specific tests done that I am not really comfortable with. About two weeks before they said they’d booked me in for an appointment when they hadn’t, and I ended up waiting for an hour before going home and getting some much needed sleep before I chewed someone to pieces for what was likely a one-time accident. It is two weeks later.)

Me: “Hi. I had an appointment at [time], but I never got called. The person who came for the appointment after mine just got called. I think you’ve forgotten to book me in.”

Receptionist #1: “Ah, yeah. You’re not booked in. When did you arrive? You need to speak to us when you do. The appointment machine isn’t working.”

Me: “I know. I pointed this out to the lady standing behind you when she asked me to use it fifteen minutes before [appointment time]. I don’t know how, but you’ve skipped booking me in, and I’d like you to fix that, thanks.”

(She puts a note on the system to say what had happened and asks me to sit down again. Since she doesn’t actually tell the doctor, three more appointments are called whilst I sit there. Eventually someone actually tells the GP what has happened and I finally get called, over an hour later.)

GP: “I’m really sorry. I don’t—”

Me: “Well, I’m glad somebody apparently is.”

GP: “What?!”

Me: “I have been sitting out there for an hour and a half, despite booking in on time, because someone made a mistake and actually fixing said mistake was apparently too difficult to do. Not once did I get an apology until you apologised, either. I get it, mistakes happen, but that’s twice this fortnight and I’m a little tired of it.”

(After explaining exactly what happened, the GP agreed to speak to the reception staff and pointed out they should have rung her from the start. Meanwhile, the tests I was going in for: everything came back normal except for my blood pressure, which had inexplicably skyrocketed the second time around.)