Don't Be A Complete Tool

Dear Speech Therapy Clinic:

Thank you so much for being willing to see my kids on a weekly basis.  We were almost stunned that you didn't want to put us on a waiting list like the rest of the clinics in town.  We were even more shocked that you all were willing to come out to our house to work with our kids in their own environment.  When we get this process going, it's going to make an amazing difference for my family.

Yeah, let's see if we can get there, though.  When we started scheduling our weekly sessions, we agreed on Wednesday morning.  You quoted August 18 as our start date.  I was excited; I even took the day off so I didn't feel rushed at the end of our session to get into work.

August 18, 8:00 a.m.: we're all, all of us, sitting around waiting.  At 8:05, I figured the therapist had some troubles finding our house.  In suburbia, you almost need a Sherpa.  I could forgive that.  At 8:15 and no phone call, I started to wonder about our appointment.  I call the office and, sure enough: miscommunication.  I don't need to point out the irony of a clinic that deals in effective communication having communication problems, right?  Well, maybe.

I was told that future home visits were "most likely" set and I would get a call on Monday to confirm the appointment next week.  Okaaaaaaaaay...  When your "Scheduling Specialist" said, "Every Wednesday from 8:00 - 10:00," I guess I shouldn't have taken her so literally.

Next Monday: no call.  I waited until after 4:00 before calling you to confirm my appointment.  Your "Scheduling Specialist" said we were a go, and your therapist did show up the next Wednesday at 8:00, as promised.  Okay then.  One communication error does not constitute a total breech of confidence.

Two, on the other hand, has me on guard.

My kids went in for their initial evaluation in July.  The charge for the session went to my insurance and they paid their portion.  On August 1st, you billed me for the difference.  This was an amount that was substantially more than I thought I would pay.  Luckily, my paycheck at the end of the month is not dedicated to any of our bills in any firm kind of way.  It was going to hurt, but I could cover it.

Your bill stated that I have until September 2nd to pay.  Today is September 1st.  On August 31st, I received a second bill dated for September 1st, stating that the amount of the first bill was no longer current; it was posted in the 31-60 day column.

Now, I understand that August has 31 days, and technically if the bill was not paid on September 1st, that it would be on the 31st day.  However, this was obviously sent off well before September 1st.  You didn't even give me until the date that you set to pay this bill before counting it as past due.

I had plans to stop by your office today anyhow to pay this, as it's on my way in to work.  Now you'll get your stinkin' money, but it's going to come with a piece of my mind that might not be worth the trouble.  The next time you give me a fucking date to pay the fucking bill, you better motherfucking intend to fucking give me until that fucking day to pay it.

(I might be a little upset over this...)