GP wants €30 to sign document

devotional1993

ceekay74 wrote: »

Is that allowed here?

Its a well known GP practice in Kilnamanagh, Dublin 24.

Yes I know this place. They have a place in Kingswood. Stopped going a few years ago because it was money money money first and dishing out pills to get your value. Really poor compared to other docs Ive seen and always felt the money was their main concern before your helath.

Nemeses

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

No.

Care to elaborate on that?

podgeandrodge

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Family GP is now charging €20 for repeat prescriptions. He hasn't done that for the past 25 years. None too impressed, its a very lucrative money earner for him. €20 for a 5 minute job.

If you need a repeat it suggests he got the dosage wrong with the first prescription. Charging you for his mistake!:P

Nonoperational

podgeandrodge wrote: »

If you need a repeat it suggests he got the dosage wrong with the first prescription. Charging you for his mistake!:P

Am, no. Not at all.

Shelflife

As a Postmaster I get asked to sign many forms. Ive never asked to be paid or expected it to be honest.

For a customer of 12 years to ask them for €30 to sign a form as a favour (as its nothing to do with the Drs area of expertise) is a bit much.

It may well cost them more in the long run.

lala88

Why do people think just because they've been dealing with someone/someplace for a number of years that if they need something like this done they should just get it for free?

Oryx

lala88 wrote: »

Why do people think just because they've been dealing with someone/someplace for a number of years that if they need something like this done they should just get it for free?

Its called goodwill. Something businesses ignore at their peril.

lala88

Oryx wrote: »

Its called goodwill. Something businesses ignore at their peril.

There a business there not there to give out ''goodwill'' The fact that people will not do business with someone just because they dont get something from them from free says a lot about that person. Plus that ''goodwill'' will be taken advantage of by people, if peopleon here are anything to go by

shoegirl

lala88 wrote: »

There a business there not there to give out ''goodwill'' The fact that people will not do business with someone just because they dont get something from them from free says a lot about that person. Plus that ''goodwill'' will be taken advantage of by people, if peopleon here are anything to go by

Signing your name on a form isn't exactly a taxing service. If I was in a Position to do something for a Customer that took 30 seconds I'd feel guilty charging them 30 bob. Thats an hourly rate of 3600 per hour.

Some neck to charge for that if you ask me.

keithclancy

shoegirl wrote: »

Signing your name on a form isn't exactly a taxing service. If I was in a Position to do something for a Customer that took 30 seconds I'd feel guilty charging them 30 bob. Thats an hourly rate of 3600 per hour.

Some neck to charge for that if you ask me.

If its such a small deal and doesn't really matter they should remove the requirement altogether.

It's an absolutely stupid setup.

The problem isn't that your Doctor charges for it, its that its on the bloody form in the first place.

I mean, it can be signed by a Priest :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Ihaveanopinion

For posting forms to the US, they usually need to be notarised. In the US, this equates to a minimal fee of about $10-15. In Ireland, to get a notary public to sign a document, the fee is about €40.

These people are providing a legal service, often certifying that you are who you say you are and the document is genuine. A fee is reasonable. The size of the fee is questionable. If someone is providing any service, be it certifying a document, giving you advice legal or medical, or fixing your leaky tap - cant expect to get it for free.

L1011

I'd also guess the GP has a "form fee" - you wanted a signature, but other people need pretty detailed medical reports to apply for grants or similar.

lala88

shoegirl wrote: »

Signing your name on a form isn't exactly a taxing service. If I was in a Position to do something for a Customer that took 30 seconds I'd feel guilty charging them 30 bob. Thats an hourly rate of 3600 per hour.

Some neck to charge for that if you ask me.

Very easy to say you'd do it for free when you dont actually have to.

rubadub

Nemeses wrote: »

Ask in the doctors forums..See what the professionals say. I can't speak for them as I am not a GP, nor do I hold a doctorate of some description..Would be an interesting debate.

I have a degree which qualifies me to sign insurance certificates in work for machines we make. We often get requests to reissue them, they are given free. Probably takes a lot longer for this to be arranged than a doctor signing things too. If I owned where I work I would definitely do it free too.

hunglikeaflee wrote: »

It is easy to sit there and say that because it doesn’t effect you directly. You say you would have done it free and the next one and next one so on. Now all of a sudden you are working for nothing because word gets around about you been a soft touch.

lala88 wrote: »

Plus that ''goodwill'' will be taken advantage of by people, if peopleon here are anything to go by

I can picture stuggling couples now thinking of getting married or having more kids. "We're sorted love, nothing definite but rumour has it if we all start going to that Dr.Ryan from now on, then hopefully in 12 years of going to him he will value our custom so much that he might sign our babies passport photos FREE, yep you heard it, just 12 years for the lot of us, the fool!"

lala88

rubadub wrote: »

I have a degree which qualifies me to sign insurance certificates in work for machines we make. We often get requests to reissue them, they are given free. Probably takes a lot longer for this to be arranged than a doctor signing things too. If I owned where I work I would definitely do it free too.




I can picture stuggling couples now thinking of getting married or having more kids. "We're sorted love, nothing definite but rumour has it if we all start going to that Dr.Ryan from now on, then hopefully in 12 years of going to him he will value our custom so much that he might sign our babies passport photos FREE, yep you heard it, just 12 years for the lot of us, the fool!"

Again IF you did, you dont so its very easy for you to say you'd do it for free when thats never going to happen.

Oryx

I co-own where I work. We sometimes have to carry out a basic form filling exercise for customers, nothing to do with us, they need it for revenue. Its something that only main dealers can do. It takes ten minutes and we do it as a courtesy. We could charge but the goodwill is worth more.

eire-kp

I had to get some copies of documents verified for a visa, I went to the family Solicitor who charged me 20 euro. After I realized I had forgot to get one final document verified I popped into a Solicitor in the next town over on my way home. He verified the document and after a chat wished me well with my trip and when I asked how much he wanted he replied "no charge and remember him when ever I need a Solicitors services in the future.

Guess which Solicitor I'll be using when I'm buying my house!

Wild_Dogger

Yeah ..... very very mean.

However, one of the best customer experiences I have had was with my local GP.
About 10 years ago I was a bit down on my luck , out of work and skint etc.

I needed to get a health certificate to say I was able bodied to perform manual work (so I could apply for a certain job)
Got chatting to doctor about situation and got the cert.

Left her office then went to reception to pay , took out my €50 to pay only to be told that the fee today was only €20 - courtesy of the GP

Doctor herself didn't mention the fee in the office and was not at the pay desk to take the credit for the kind gesture.

Really happy - the extra €30 was very needed at the time.

This was just my second visit ever to her, so it was not like we were friends etc.

It restored my faith in society if just for one day , that a GP would have a bigger heart than wallet.

becost

ceekay74 wrote: »

I tried getting a passport application for my infant daughter sorted out at the local garda station but was told that for a particular section that the guards can't sign it as they didn't know us personally, but we could ask our GP to sign it for us.

So far so good.

He wants €30 to sign it. Absolutely disgusted, left his office without saying a word. What a horrible money grubbing so & so. Never going back there.

Go back to the Garda station tomorrow and ask the same Garda again. If he says he doesn't know you, tell him "yes you do, I was here yesterday". I mean what's the definition of knowing someone? Does it mean you need to have deep meaningful conversations every time you meet or know intimate personal details about them. I think not.

lazygal

We got our child's passport application signed by the local Garda station. No hassle, I'd try again.

rubadub

lala88 wrote: »

Very easy to say you'd do it for free when you dont actually have to.

lala88 wrote: »

Again IF you did, you dont so its very easy for you to say you'd do it for free when thats never going to happen.

Yes it is VERY easy indeed for people to say it. This hypothetical question is very simple, very little thinking on the matter is needed, no indepth medical knowledge is required, I can easily say I would not charge.

I already said I do a more taxing small job myself (reissuing insurance certs) and we do not charge for it, nor would I if I owned the company I work for.

I asked another guy the hypothetical question and this was the reply

Nemeses wrote: »

Ask in the doctors forums..See what the professionals say. I can't speak for them as I am not a GP, nor do I hold a doctorate of some description..Would be an interesting debate.


But I'd probably wouldn't charge.. I mean its literally a 2 second job or a scribble in this case

I thought he was trying to weasel out of answering at first, I thought it was laughable to suggest he could not answer unless he has a doctorate. But thankfully he at least did admit he probably wouldn't.

Nemeses

rubadub wrote: »

I asked another guy the hypothetical question and this was the reply..

<Insert lovely non weasel-like Reply>

I thought he was trying to weasel out of answering at first, I thought it was laughable to suggest he could not answer unless he has a doctorate. But thankfully he at least did admit he probably wouldn't.

I stand by what I said or what I did say..

However My point or what I was trying to get across was Doctor go through all that jazz in college to practise medicine. I guess that is their way of saying don't annoy me with trivial stuff when I've a sick person to attend too.

Now, I'm speculating here - I've no idea. Yet again I'm definitely no doctor of any description..

Did I mention to ask ANY doctors on boards just to see what their opinion was?

Also:

I thought it was laughable to suggest he could not answer unless he has a doctorate.

Where did I say this, I presume you misread my post.

I gave what I felt a valid answer and my own opinion there afterwards. I like to also think outside the box and there are two sides to a story as well.

We never got the doctors story on why he was going to charge in the first place..

the purple tin

I always thought that only a guard could sign your application. Does the GP or solicitor sign it first and then the guard after them?

keithclancy

the purple tin wrote: »

I always thought that only a guard could sign your application. Does the GP or solicitor sign it first and then the guard after them?

• Police Officer (not civilian member of staff)
• Member of the Clergy
• Medical Doctor
• Practicing Lawyer
• Bank Manager/Assistant Bank Manager
• Elected Public Representative
• Notary Public/Commissioner for Oaths
• Member of Parliament (MP) or County Councillor
• School Principal/Vice Principal
• Magistrate
• Accountant

the purple tin

keithclancy wrote: »

• Police Officer (not civilian member of staff)
• Member of the Clergy
• Medical Doctor
• Practicing Lawyer
• Bank Manager/Assistant Bank Manager
• Elected Public Representative
• Notary Public/Commissioner for Oaths
• Member of Parliament (MP) or County Councillor
• School Principal/Vice Principal
• Magistrate
• Accountant

So if you can get one of them others to sign it can you bypass the gardai altogether? I thought the guard had to rubber stamp the form and sign the photos.

keithclancy

the purple tin wrote: »

So if you can get one of them others to sign it can you bypass the gardai altogether? I thought the guard had to rubber stamp the form and sign the photos.

Yup,

Although I live abroad and everyone else that I tried thought I was fuppin mental.

Especially the local priest, (Dutch) thought I was trying to sign him up to a mobile phone contract

Heart Break Kid

Despite common belief , You do not have to know a member of An Garda Siochana personally to sign a a passport form for you.

He/she just has to confirm that the person standing in front of him/her , is the person in the photo.

Went out of my way to prove this point a few times with guards , even to the point I was asked/ordered to leave a station. (interesting experience)

Confirmed this with the passport office. From what I've seen , it seemed like Guards just being difficult or not trained up on it properly or the exact instructions were not clear enough.

Also if you do go back to the garda station, Bring as much porrof as possible to say who you are. If a member refuses again, Ask for his name and badge number. See if its worth reporting him to the ombudsman.

ceekay74

devotional1993 wrote: »

Yes I know this place. They have a place in Kingswood. Stopped going a few years ago because it was money money money first and dishing out pills to get your value. Really poor compared to other docs Ive seen and always felt the money was their main concern before your helath.

Yep, thats the one.

Burning Bridges

We live in Waterford, I got a guard in Naas to sign my sons passport application as he goes to school there. No problem.

sleepyheadh

GP's are fairly busy people, dealing with fairly serious things. If I was being asked to waste some of my day signing off on a document that had nothing to do with me in the first place, meanwhile a waiting room of sick people were growing more irate by the minute, I would ask for some pay.

It's only fair. Something about this country that just assumes that doctors should give their services for nothing.