I think someone got out of the wrong side of the bed

I think OP that you got someone having a bad day . Which isn’t an excuse but it happens . I’ve worked in dentistry for most of my adult life and unfortunately since Covid, the attitude from some patients is very demanding, very impatient and also very rude . And reception gets the brunt of it , despite signs asking to treat them with respect. I’ve witnessed reception staff in tears due to the way patients have shouted and screamed at them .

I can be a curmudgeonly old bugger but the minute I walk into my GP surgery, podiatry clinic or dental practice, my grumpiness just melts away. The reception staff at all of them are smiley, welcoming, pleasant and helpful; never experienced a single negative experience from any of them. I telephoned my GP practice just yesterday to say that I didn't think I needed the pre booked appointment for next week. She took my phone number, promised to check with a GP and phone me back. Not only did she do that, she also thanked me for letting them know in plenty of time and then followed it up with a text message confirming the cancellation and again thanked me. I must be lucky!

Mojack26

Sounds as if she would be better suited as a GP receptionist! They seem to all have training in how to be unpleasant!!🤣

Really? I must have missed out.

WithNobsOnIt
re benefits and so on - even if you are down as NHS, they need to ask as your circumstances may have changed - eg you might have been awarded Pension Credit and so on and so get the gateway benefits. and maybe not even know it.

Her choice of question was possibly ageist though. If the other patient was clearly under 65, and perhaps you are not?

She asked a short form of a question because SHE knows the different complexities of payment, assuming that others do. So rude of her

I’ll never forget going to my previous Dentist about twenty-five years ago when he told me that I would have to have quite a lot of work in the next few years. Having always been quite fearful of the Dentist following umpteen fillings without anaesthetic as a child I was caught off guard and started crying. The Dentist looked at me as if this had never happened before and ushered me out into reception who then ushered me out onto the pavement.
Needless to say, I never went back to that surgery.

I’m also confused as to how you can pay before you have received any treatment. Sometimes my bill is £70 another time it can be much more. The receptionists are all polite and friendly.

I have been extremely scared of the dentist since an ordeal years ago .
When the dog accidentally head butted me she knocked my front tooth out. Luckily my DIL is a dental nurse and was able to get me in with her dentist . I was shaking so much when I went in but the dentist was so lovely he put me at my ease and sorted my tooth out . It is only a small practice with him being a sole trader. He retired a couple of years ago and sold his practice to a young dentist who is just as lovely .
His staff of two dental nurses alternate the surgery and reception between them . He has now taken on another dentist and needed another nurse do he took my DGD on as a trainee and I’m glad to say she has passed her exam and is now a qualified dental nurse . All the staff a lovely and polite but I could be a little bit biased 😂

I shopped as usual in Sainsbury’s the other day.In the bread aisle the man was stacking loaves from the trays.I reached up and got a loaf off the trays and the shelf stacker chap said don’t take without asking,that’s stealing’, I told him I had put the loaf in my trolley and would be paying at the check out,so it wasn’t stealing.He replied that I should ask,not just take.I was appalled.

We used to have a battleaxe on reception at our GP surgery - if she answered the phone you knew you were in for it! She was an older woman, as it happens. Since she left (phew!), all our GP and dental surgery reception staff have been young, kind and very polite and helpful.

On the other hand, I came across a new young till assistant at our local convenience store this weekend. She dealt with the queue in front of me in silence, not even making eye contact or thanking anyone. I had to smile when the man in front of me said cheerfully “You really couldn’t care less, love, could you?”. “I’m tired”, she said, and carried on regardless. I got my scratchcard dropped into the pool of water left by his bunch of flowers, so the intervention didn’t work.

Perhaps she was just having a bad day.

All our doctors’ receptionists are very good but one is male and is the nicest.

Been to the dentist today in Durham and they are lovely . Two flights of stairs up but one of the other patients seeing my stick asked if I needed help. So even the patients are pleasant even though they might be waiting for something horrid to happen.

I have to say that the ladies on reception at my GP surgery are cheerful, friendly, kind and helpful.
When I have been sitting in the waiting area I have, on occasion, seen them being considerate and going above and beyond to help patients who seemed distressed. Recently, I watched and listened as they interacted with a man who clearly had learning disabilities. It was a joy to see. The pharmacy is next door and the same spirit pervades in there. Nothing is too much trouble.

I remember when we used to pay AFTER visiting the dentist, now you have to pay before you go in, and anything extra is added on when you come out.
I find receptionists at the doctors ruder than at the dentist and some times thr pharmacy staff are quite ignorant too !

Mojack26

Sounds as if she would be better suited as a GP receptionist! They seem to all have training in how to be unpleasant!!🤣

Our GP's receptionists are a joy and a delight. Alaways smiling always helpful.

How can you pay for treatment before you see the dentist? Could be going for a simple filling that turns out to be needing more work eg cusp breaks off turns into needing a larger filling or a crown. Simple exam but then needs an xray. Never heard of anyone paying beforehand.

I wonder if this current generation actually understand what they have asked, If someone asked was I exempt and I wasn't, the correct answer will always be no, just as, conversely, answering yes just confirms that you are exempt. They don't understand double negatives either.

My daughter worked for M&S, she said the customer service training is exemplary with daily training updates.

I had a dental appointment last week and the receptionist asked 'are you on any benefits' which I think is a much better question and no room for confusion. My answer was 'No' so I paid. Worth every penny too as the Dentist rebuilt my tooth that I'd chipped badly on a biscuit.

I'm always getting told off.
I have started to push back a bit though.

There's nothing worse than stewing at home, thinking what you should have said.

My husband was told off by the receptionist for not using the self check-in. He was very embarrassed.
At our dentist our favourite lady knows us by name and has a conversation, what a difference!

Interesting that it seems to be a generational thing and not limited to the UK. I see it often here in Alberta, Canada: lack of empathy, rudeness and manners by service staff in most situations: servers and receptionists and store clerks. I think that these workers have not been trained and/or certainly are not properly supervised. They simply don't have any incentive to be other than they are. The incompetence is rife...

When she asked you if you were exempt You should have asked her from what.? Catching COVID, not paying vat, breathing,sexually transmitted diseases?

It should be on your dental records if you are exempt from paying dental charges Which she should have access to on
the computer in front her.

I have been with the same Dentist for over 30 years and had the same receptionist all of that time.
She is now in her early fifties and is a fountain of wisdom, knowledge and a delight

. And treats every patient the same. Also had the same excellent Dentist for years. So l am lucky l know.

As for brain dead young receptionists. That's what living in a digital world does to people

Where manners and courtesy are fast becoming an endangered species.

As for over the top false eyelashes they look almost cartoonist in their length and thickness. What are they made from?

I think they are designed like that to catch the eyes of would be boyfriends and men. If you pardon the pun. Flutter, flutter.

I was a great fan of false eyelashes when l was younger. But they were much slimmer and not as lengthy and made from a finer plastic that looked more like hair.

Anybody remember Eyelure and Miners?

7/6 d or 37 and a half pence a pair from Boots. Bargain! The dearer ones went up to nearly a pound in price.

Have a Good Day
X

Sounds as if she would be better suited as a GP receptionist! They seem to all have training in how to be unpleasant!!🤣

Our old doctor’s surgery had the worse, most rude and unhelpful receptionists imaginable, the only difference between them and a Rottweiler was lipstick. Yes you’ve probably heard it before but for them it really was true. Our present surgery has three lovely ladies for which I’m very grateful. Why do people choose to have a job dealing with the public if they hate other people?