I run a graphic design studios and I deal with unreasonable clients all the time. They all seem to think that one just sits there with the thumb in their ... waiting for them to need something.

Mutual respect is an important part of any good relationship, including a relationship with one's veterinarian.

I think that even though you might have lost a client, that you didn't commit any major crime.

I wish something like this was the worst thing the vets we dealt with in the past did.

I'd rather take 'a good beating' combined with high competency, than a polite ignorance. Not that we show up late for our appointments.

It this is the worst thing you ever did, sleep the sleep of righteous.

As a dog trainer and have worked in pet retail stores, I really think the best thing you can do for some dogs/puppies is to tell the owner "You're to stupid to own a dog". If they can't follow simple instruction and show common since/courtesy they don't have the skill set to properly care for and train a dog or cat.

I have come to realize that each service industry has its own set of "rules" on what behavior they expect of their clients. I suspect it is even more specific to the culture of the practice - what each will tolerate and not tolerate. But the bottom line is, you have no good way to communicate it to clients. And they don't care what YOU expect of them, because it is their pet, their appointment and their money.

Try getting a dentist appointment after you have canceled one. Or showing up late. Or getting in to your doctor on short notice. On the whole we are a pretty tolerant profession because we think of the animal, not the owner as our patient and the pet can't be held responsible for what time they arrived or in what condition.

Bottom line - that is no way to treat a new client. I wouldn't come back to you if I were her. She has options. You have to decide what you will and won't tolerate. And you taught her you won't tolerate her. Too bad for both of you. You could have turned it into a great relationship but I doubt you will ever have another chance. Good learning experience for all of us.

There's no EXCUSE for being late. NONE. It's a really unattractive and annoying habit that people excuse away all the time.
Being 20 minutes late for an appointment may signal that this client is going to be habitually late. That's not just 5 minutes because they were stuck in traffic or because the puppy threw up right before they were about to leave, that's because they didn't care enough to be ON TIME.

No doubt, Dr. K, that you have a life outside your practice and truthfully, you don't have to tell the client ANYTHING about your other obligations. As the client, is it their job to be on time. It is YOUR time too.

I don't think you were rude or out of line and I honestly don't think you should apologize. That's certainly your choice, but it would not be mine. Being respectful goes both ways and being late is totally disrespectful. I guess I feel so strongly about it because I have a brother (and his wife and child) who are chronically late for family gatherings. There's always an excuse. And it is tolerated by everyone but me. If I am holding something at my house, I give them a different time to show up than the rest of my family. If they are still late, I make sure to point it out. They haven't been late to my house in AGES now.
My vet would have had the client fill out the paperwork and then rescheduled. I'm not sure of that would have worked in this case, but really, there's NO EXCUSE.
Your time is just as important. I guess it all depends on how much an additional client means to you.
PS. I recently had an appointment for my IBD Boston Terrier with a new holistic vet and you can bet every penny of your office visit charge that I was there early - with bells on. I had to wait too - a long time. But, I didn't care because my dog needed the holistic help and I needed the reassurance that I was addressing his dietary needs properly. Imagine this - I wasn't offended that the vet saw me 1 hour after my scheduled appointment was to take place. To me, it's not worth getting my panties in a bunch over.

I feel you on getting upset about lateness. I hate it!!! While I'm always polite about a tardy student, I try to impress upon them that it comes out of their time with me. I have other lessons...

I'd rather be too early and hang out, than be that person running through the door 10 minutes late. My sports medicine vet has a strict policy - more than 5 min late with no call and you forfeit your time slot. I know a few people who have been burned by that rule and hated it, they were sure on time the next time!

You're right to call and apologize, be the bigger person. Right about now we could all use that one more patient or one more client.

I find that far too many people in today's world are completely self-absorbed. The only one who matters is THEM. It is incredibly frustrating in nearly every profession, from my coworker who waltzes in the door 2 minutes late (with the same excuse every time) and takes the next 10 minutes getting ready while the rest of us are answering the phones and doing work to the students who show up late to tests and expect me to hang around an extra 20 or 30 or 60 minutes because they couldn't bother showing up on time.

It's just rude and no one should have to put up with it. People NEED to learn to take someone else's time into consideration.

Frankly, I would have shut the office down and been on my way out when the person showed up. I know we can all use extra clients, but sometimes these self-absorbed jerks aren't worth it.

I think you over-reacted a tad and you might apologize for that, but not for chastizing her for being late. I would not have given her a choice on the reschedule issue -- that is your office policy and if she doesn't like it, then oh well. She was extremely rude not to call, especially at the end of the day, when your staff is preparing to shut down the office for the evening. We all have bad days that get away from us, and when that impacts others, we should have the manners and grace to make it right. Personally, I would have called and offered to reschedule, while apologizing profusely (and a first visit at that!). She sounds like a really selfish, spoiled diva-type person, and I feel sorry for her puppy -- for his/her sake I hope the lady's husband is a bit more stable, but I doubt it.

You're a good vet but a call to apologize would smooth things out. Although the client was at fault for being late, etc., it does take an extra amount of patience sometimes to hold our tonges a bit.
I'm all for the "starting to close up shop" idea as the patient comes in. It's a "wordless-hint" that would be better than trying to get someone like that to understand through a conversation. As they approach and see you closing up, it's a better time to have them reschedule.They have no choice but to do that then as you are leaving.

If they protest, there is always the answer that you "have another appt." If they still don't get it. Too bad. You can't change their adult behavior so they will have to live with it.

I'm sure you, as well as all of us readers, have gone at the last minute to a store as they were closing. Most all will not open up. It's no different for your business either.

Well being in customer service myself I can completely relate!

If the appointment is at 5pm then be there by 5pm or VERY shortly after. In our office had this happened we likely would have done very similar. However, Im not allowed to "tell it like it is" and chastise the client like you did. I couldnt go past the please reschedule and if you cant right now give us a call when you can.

Is an apology in order? Not really, but it would show who's the more respectful person. The unfortunate truth is you aren't going to win back this client and her pet, that's lost. However, you may just have made her think about the value of others time a little more in the future so I thank you for this.

I will give my standard business blurb and you can plug in what side of the right or wrong you are on.

You must set a policy for arrival to an appointment, then you MUST stick to it..period. Five minutes late? 15? Right on the DOT? Whatever it is, you MUST stick to it, post it in the waiting room in more than one place, and have it stated verbally every time the appointment is mentioned. Publicize and strict enforcement are the rules. During the "day before" call reminder, it should be stated. "if you are X minutes late for your appointment, the appointment will be canceled." And, most importantly, stick to it. With this being the case, you wouldn't have even seen the lady. Your receptionist would have repeated the same song and dance "Policy, the appointment is canceled, I can reschedule.." and leave it at that. Of course, in the case of emergency, policy can always be tossed aside, but this was hardly an emergency.

On the other side of the argument, you have an obligation to see a patient within 15 minutes of the appointment. The customer's time is worth as much as yours.

Now, you will lose customers. You will lose untimely rude customers, which is OK! They will be replaced by customers that love a doc that is on the ball and always timely. Your competitor will have to deal with the untimely rude folks, and that's ok with you. That makes their money harder to earn than yours.

Did the woman tell you why she was late? Living in the Atlanta area with miserable traffic and no mass transit alternative, being late is a chronic affliction for most people. You can leave in plenty of time only to end up in a nightmare traffic jam. I tried to get to my vet to be with a friend whose dog was unexpectedly dying. I got stuck at one intersection for 20 minutes due to construction. I've had to call both my vet and doctor to say I'll be late due to traffic. That said, she should have called to say she'd be late. Whether an apology is owed by you would be due to the reason she was late.

Would it be practical for your office to send e-mail (or fax, or mail) appointment confirmation to new/scatterbrained/chronically tardy clients? Text could include your office policy on office hours and re-scheduling latecomers. I use e-mail confirmation myself when the appointment was made weeks in advance.

Since I travel to the client, I try to call if I'm running more than 15 minutes late. A new technique I utilize is calling the client when I'm an hour away. Clients really seem to like this policy. I'm not perfect, but I try.

I experience plenty of inconsiderate behavior, too. We live in a rude society, I'm afraid.

I try not to allow these people to make their problem MY problem. Take a deep breath, be reasonable, and figure out how to turn the responsibility back to the client. This is hard to do when what you're really thinking is: will this person's carcass fit in the freezer if I cut it up into REALLY small pieces?

You don't have to justify your office policies. You just have to have office policies, state them clearly, and repeat as necessary.

If on her first visit, she doesn't have enough respect for everyone's time, what is this client going to be like when her puppy gets sick. In this day and age of cell phones - a simple call when late, goes a long way. Yes, stuff happens, but she was out of line.

I'd like to hear the client's side of the story - why was she late? I try very hard to be on time for appointments but traffic can be a nightmare, and sometimes a completely unexpected nightmare, not just traffic on the way to the vet but traffic on the way home from work to get the pet to then go to the vet. I've also gotten lost my first time trying to find a new place, which can be a nightmare.

I think it's fine to ask the person to reschedule, but I'm not clear about this - it sounds like the receptionist had her fill out all the paperwork and THEN told her she had to reschedule, and that would have upset me too. And you're not sure she knew she was supposed to come early and yet it sounds like that 15 minutes was also counted against her. Why not tell her when she arrived that she could not be seen that day, and then let her take the paperwork home to bring to the rescheduled appointment?

Even though you let this client "have it", (which I might not have done), you are still probably a "nicer" person than me. I probably wouldn't make the call to apologize. This woman is obviously rude, self-centered & self-absorbed, with a husband who doesn't sound any better. Apologizing might be "taking the high road"; it could also be setting yourself up for more of the same treatment & disrespect. Unless I were desperate for more clients, I would let her go--preferably to a main competitor! Having said that, I believe that a little advance notice can go a long way. I would re-double my efforts, (& that of my front office staff), to make "drop-dead CLEAR" what the office policy is, (WHATEVER it is), repeat it, reinforce it, & STICK BY IT. As long as it is consistent, (& YOU run on time too, or as absolutely close to it as possible), then it's fair. I am not the most punctual person, believe me, but I do try & I certainly respect the time of a professional whose services I need. (Plus, I'm familiar with the use of a cell phone!) I side with Good Vet.

This happens in any profession. Don't feel bad because you are a Vet. There will be always someone who feels they are entitled little bit more than others. This person did not have even common courtesy.

Being late for appointments drives me nuts ( ask my husband ) I would rather be 15 mins early and wait outside rather than be late.
I feel my time is valuable too and when people set up appointments to see me I expect they will show up or call. I give them 15 mins past the time and then if they don't show I move on.
I personally would not call to apologize. You offered to reschedule and were very flexible as to when, she got rude.. She was late, your work day was over.
I don't think it matter's why she was late, if it was traffic she should have accounted for that in the time she needed to get there on time. She should have apologized for being late and accepted the rescheduled appointment..

You offered to reschedule and to come in on your day off you did more than enough for her. My vet would have and has told patient's so sorry, but we WILL HAVE to reschedule the appointment if they are late more than 15 minutes or it's the end of day. You are not at the beck and call to your patients you have other patients to care for.

Dr. K: Yes it was rude, but I too need to hear the other side. I would administer 10 lashes for not making the best of an inconvenience, and just maybe, you may have had the best customer for life. (one can hardly judge on first impressions).

Furthermore, in all your years of practice, you have never made a client/patient wait for 20 minutes? If not, I am nothing short of amazed, since I have had many, many waits "exceeding" 20 minutes and never left in a huff and gracefully accepted any apology.

Emergencies happen, problem appointments take longer than booked time, etc., etc.I always thought, well ok, I'm patient, so my/patient-client time shouldn't be cut short either.

As far as dentists/physicians? Gee, the waits can be even worse with a "packed" waiting room of "fit ins".

I've mentioned before that I'm a lawyer. I have had clients show up hours late, heck I've had them show up after business hours, without an appointment for non-emergencies. Sometimes as we are sitting down to dinner. (The perils of the home office). We rarely chew them out, but the nature of our business is different. I have rescheduled appointments.

On the other hand, I've had times when I've had scheduled vet appointments, and as I am about to leave (with plenty of time) that phone call I have to take comes, and when I extricate myself from that, my employees assault me with crises and questions which MUST be dealt with before I leave (because there's a due date, or a hearing, or a meeting, and then I get in the car and traffic is a mess and there's just no way I'm getting there less than 15 minutes late. That's what cell phones are for. It's one thing if the dog is sick, but if this was a routine visit, of course rescheduling is no problem. If the dog is sick, and it means I will have to wait while others go before me, I understand. (I suspect if this client's dog had been truly unwell, you might have grudgingly found a way to look at it...even if only to tell the client she needs to go to the e-vet's office). As for me, after rudeness from her AND her husband, she could freeze in hades waiting for an apology - unless she really represented a major income source for the practice, like a whole kennel, not one puppy. Cynical? Hey, I have two dogs and a cat to feed.

i have an excellent vet and i nearly always wait for him to see my animals. he is well worth the wait as i am there for my pet not me and there has been times when my animal was very sick and had to go on thyriod meds that he worked with me over the phone and never charged me a cent for the adjusting and re adjusting of her meds. you did not lose a client you lost a problem, let someone else deal with it.

some people are just inconsiderate and try to blame whatever happens on somebody else. i dont think i would want that person as a client especially after she went home and lied about what happened. where i work at we deal with people like this all the time and just dread it when they walk in the door with the attitude of we owe them. you are probably better off without this one.

I agree this woman was rude (her husband should have been calling to offer an apology, not demand one!), but local businesses depend so much on word of mouth that you might be losing business not just from these louts, but from five or six other families they badmouth you to.

I agree it would be a good idea to have a sign posted in your reception area saying "Any clients arriving more than X minutes past their appointment time will be asked to reschedule." That way, you just have to point to the sign and clients will know you're not attacking them personally, just following office policy. You might also want to reinforce with office personnel that they're reminding clients of the policy when they schedule appointments and call to confirm them.

Incidentally, I love the new format. It's much easier to read the comments without that annoying spam.

As a receptionist in a veterinary office, I would feel it to be my responsibility to ask the client to reschedule, once they have shown up late, if my doctors were running out the door. We receive the brunt of the nasty attitudes from clients like this, and are better equipped to handle them. I'd rather be the bad guy, than the doctor I work for, whom I believe to be the best veterinarian I have ever worked for.

Hi Dr. K. I don't think this is an issue of good vs bad vet. From being an avid reader of Doolittler, I believe you are a good vet and a good person. However, this is a really poor business decision. You have just squashed a potentially lifetime relationship with a new pet owner. What if this person was having a really bad day and running late was out of her control? Maybe she had to work later to make money to pay your fees? Because of this interaction with you, this pet owner may tell 10 more friends (potential clients) about your interaction.

In a perfect world, everyone is on time. However, this isn't a perfect world and veterinary practices (like it or not) are 100% dependant on serving pet owners needs. Anyone posting here that you have just eliminated a headache are posting a very short sighted view. This pet owner (who we don't know if she will be a good client or not) may turn out to be a very dedicated pet owner. Maybe she had the intention of being a good pet owner but her first interaction with a veterinarian was a bad experience and her path as a pet owner will head down a different track.

If this was a client with a track history of being a bad client, I would support your decision. Since this was a first time visit, I cannot.

Anyway, I look forward to the new site. Thanks as always for your candid discussions and your unique viewpoints.

I have to admit I skipped a few comments posted...however, did anyone mentioned viceversa--as in, what happens when the pet arrives at the appointment on time only to be put on a waiting room from anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes??!!
A 45 minute wait happened to my spouse (I would have never put myself nor my pet through that!!)--I guess he is far more kind and understanding than I am.
However, the problem is that that 'kindness' costed our pet (an extremely smart Aussie)the ability to EVER 'enjoy' a vet visit again! You see, while my pup was waiting for the vet (or anyone for that matter..a tech, a temp, an intern, etc), in the adjacent room, another pet was in trouble and apparantly ended up being euthanized. My once upon a time happy to see the vet pup turned into a 'there's NO way I'm going to the vet mess'. Oh, he's happy to jump in the car and enjoy the ride but as soon as he gets into the office and 'smells' the vet, he forgets he's fully trained, smart and obedient. Can you say muzzle?!.

So, I guess my spouse should have made a the decision to leave the office (his time is also valuable), however, shouldn't the vet have a responsibility to best advise the client? A simple genuine apology and an explanation of an emergency 'next door' would have been sufficient and would have saved my dog from his vet nightmares.

I'm happy to say we found 'the one', 3 vets later, she's adorable, straight forward and caring. Just like Dr. PK.

Peace out.