On at least two occasions i had asked for no contact by mobile phone, to delete the number from their system, as i see mobiles as being a necessary evil which i only use as and when [rarely], indeed it is often not charged and sometimes i dont even know where it is.
L/line and email contact was best for me.
In August i had an appointment regarding a broken tooth, a treatment was agreed and a temporary filling was put in place, and a further appointment was booked for the work to be done, earliest being October.
On the way home the filling dropped out so i rang back to see if the filling needed to be done again [poss. infection?], no one got back to me.
The next contact i was aware of was a phone call on the 10th October, as i answered the phone the line dropped out.
I rang back to see what they wanted, only to be told that i had missed my appointment and i was to be charged for the time lost.
Being totally surprised, i pointed out that i had not received the reminder i was told i would get, but according to their system there had been a phone call to my mobile late September.
I queried why the phone call wasn't followed up with an email and why was my mobile called when it shouldn't have been used, to which the receptionist looked at what was on the system, at which point there was a definite "pregnant pause" leaving me thinking she had found something which backed up my claims, but which was not enlightened upon.
She also said she would remove my mobile number from their details.
She said "leave this with me to look into" and we agreed for her to call me back the following Monday....she never did do.
However, shortly after that discussion i received a TEXT to my MOBILE informing me of the missed appointment and the charge for such.
Giving enough time i finally rang them back on Thursday 16th, there was no explanation/apology for not calling back the previous Monday as promised, i was just asked to hold the line whilst she spoke to the manager.
When she came back i told her that i had checked my phone records and indeed i had been rung in September but i hadn't spoken to anyone as the call was listed as a "missed call".
I also informed her of the text i received after our last conversation, to which she retorted "well you shouldn't have" and she quickly moved on.
Anyhow, it transpired i was wrong and i was to be charged for the lost time, and when i tried to explain my cause i was by then being "talked over" and so i ended the call.
The younger generation seem obsessed with mobiles, like they are the only way to communicate, and they also appear to be unable to listen to or carry out simple requests by the customer/patient, as in removing details when asked, i think its called attention to detail !
From the professional point of view, the care i have received from "my" dentist, Dr. Patel, has been excellent.
Its a shame its ended this way, i have been with this practice since Dr Patel took over, never missing an appointment or indeed even being late, and i was gutted when i found out i had missed this latest appointment as i had waited so long to get my tooth repaired.
I do not hold myself totally to blame for this debacle.
Edit.
There is enough detail in the review for the receptionist who delt with this issue to recall this debacle, and i also believe that contact with a patient is entered on your system. However, to add clarity, my appointment was at 3pm on the 10/10/25.
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