You Can't Win These Days

[BrokenolMarine]

I had mentioned that we were ordering a finishing mower for the tractor to use to keep the pastures looking nice now that we don't have, and aren't going to have, livestock. I can't do the work, and Miss T is beginning to have real issues herself. She doesn't need the extra burden.

We went to the blue tractor dealer, usually get good service there, and spoke with our guy. He listened to what we wanted and recommended exactly what Miss T had been thinking, six foot finishing mower. Take a couple weeks to come in...

"I'll have to make a first cut with the bush hog then."
"You would anyway, a finishing mower is not a bush hog, you cut sooner, and more often, and don't let it get high. First cut is always bush hog."

Three weeks, nothing. Called. "Oh Man, I don't know what to tell you. It's not IN. In? It hasn't shipped. No clue what's wrong. Could be at least three weeks."

"Cancel it," she told them. "When I get home, I'll start bush hogging the second time. I can just bush hog thru the summer.". She shook her head. "You should have called me, we might have worked something out. "

Sheesh.

[HenryFan]

I sympathize. It seems that within the last year or so, if I want a new implement, I wait. I ordered a 4' rotary cutter last fall and it took a while for it to be delivered, maybe a month or so. I didn't need it immediately, so I waited it out but by the time it arrived, the need for it for that year had passed. I used a 5' Frontier rotary cutter to finish out the mowing season but I am ready for this year.

[BrokenolMarine]

The sad thing is, customer service is going down hill fast.

For example, many doctors have been joining "groups" to save on operating and (malpractice) insurance costs. Another upside for them is they bring their nurses but the rest of the admin is handled by the group. Reception, housekeeping, landscaping...

The downside is they only control their nursing staff. The rest of the staff is run by the group. My wife had the same country doctor for twenty years, her office was in a small building right near the doc's family farm. Relatives staffed the homey reception area. The office was clean, people were friendly and polite.

Then her mom retired, aunt retired, and she moved into the big new medical complex in town, group practice. Took her nurse. Receptionists changed monthly, always glued to their cell phones, annoyed you were interrupting their personal calls with work. Never seemed to get messages to the docs right.

The doc finally gave up, retired to the coast to her vacation home, and worked a few days a week for the village clinic to help out. Couldn't deal any more. We moved to Oklahoma.

[Mags]

Happened with our Doctors too. They joined a big corporate medical group. After a couple of years, my wife's doc quit the practice. The corporation would not let her spend the time she felt she needed with her patients for their care. My doc took her on, but said it would be temporary, because he was planning on leaving for the same reason.

Also, all the blood draw labs in the area were taken up my Labcorp. The people doing the blood draws are great, but scheduling and billing are a mess. There are no longer any other labs in the area, so there is no other lab to take my business to. Seems to me there should be an anti-trust case for the FTC to look into.

[Ernie]

Sorry. Didn't know this was turning into a doctors post.

[dave77]

Happened with our Doctors too. They joined a big corporate medical group. After a couple of years, my wife's doc quit the practice. The corporation would not let her spend the time she felt she needed with her patients for their care. My doc took her on, but said it would be temporary, because he was planning on leaving for the same reason.

Also, all the blood draw labs in the area were taken up my Labcorp. The people doing the blood draws are great, but scheduling and billing are a mess. There are no longer any other labs in the area, so there is no other lab to take my business to. Seems to me there should be an anti-trust case for the FTC to look into.

My doctors ( I see a lot of specialists along with my primary doctor), all belong to a large local group including the hospital. I have no issues with any of them. There are 3 local places where I can get a blood draw and once the doctor orders a test I can go in anytime for a blood draw, I've sometimes gone in just a couple of days before a doctor appt. and they always have the test results to the doctor before the appt.

[BrokenolMarine]

You are very lucky my friend. Here in our area a lot of the medical people belong to the Mercy Hospital Group. What a mess. My wife went in and got assigned a doc. She explained her needs, the doc was fine with it. My wife takes three basic meds, and the doc reviewed the chart and wrote her scripts. Wife went back in six months later to pick up refill scripts and the doc had left. She told the reception that she just needed the scripts refilled. Well, you'll have to make an appointment with your new doc for a consult, then they can write new scripts. Your office wrote the scripts, have my records, just get one of the docs to review the records and renew my scripts. Can't do it, you'll need a consult first. (paid the copay, saw the doc, got the scripts.) Back six months later for the renewal, the doc had left. You'll need a consult with your new doc before they can write the scripts...

The new doc, outside the Mercy Loop.
Told the doc what she needed, he reviewed the records. He agreed. She asked if he really needed her to come IN every six months to pick up the script refill. Why? You call, tell me nothing has changed, and I'll call them in. I'll see you once a year. ONE copay a year. So far, so good. He ASKS about this test or that one. Would you LIKE to do this test? Nope. Okay, How about this one? Nope. No need for the hassle if you don't want to do them. Some like to others believe they are unnecessary.

[dave77]

Is the 6 month script refill limit a state by state thing? Here in WA my script refills are good for a year as long as the doctor writes them with enough refills to last a year.

I'm happy with my current primary but I really liked my old time doctor that retired a few years ago. Can't remember the condition it was for but I had seen a specialist and he wanted about 6 different labs done but for some reason he wanted my primary to order the labs. Went in to see him and he said "those specialists are always wanting to do lots of labs, I guess if your insurance pays for them we might as well keep him happy".

His nurse would always take my BP with an automatic tester but when he came in the first thing he would do was take my BP with a hand pump cuff and a stethoscope.

Sorry. Didn't know this was turning into a doctors post.

Wasn't this always a thread about Doctor's? I guess there were a couple of early posts about tractors or something.

[BrokenolMarine]

Is the 6 month script refill limit a state by state thing? Here in WA my script refills are good for a year as long as the doctor writes them with enough refills to last a year.

I'm happy with my current primary but I really liked my old time doctor that retired a few years ago. Can't remember the condition it was for but I had seen a specialist and he wanted about 6 different labs done but for some reason he wanted my primary to order the labs. Went in to see him and he said "those specialists are always wanting to do lots of labs, I guess if your insurance pays for them we might as well keep him happy".

His nurse would always take my BP with an automatic tester but when he came in the first thing he would do was take my BP with a hand pump cuff and a stethoscope.

Sorry. Didn't know this was turning into a doctors post.

Wasn't this always a thread about Doctor's? I guess there were a couple of early posts about tractors or something.

Actually, the post was about Poor Customer Service. You can't seem to win... I used Docs as an additional Example. I normally wouldn't change the direction if someone else had started the post about tractors, but since it was my post and it was mainly about a failure to follow up on the purchase and keep us informed, as well as delivering on the product...

I guess I could have used Furniture, or the UTV experiences, or Mowers, Sir Henry knows about that.
Perhaps this post might have been better placed in a different section...

I still believe there is a general failure in the Customer Service section period, mainly due to the attitude of the newer generation (With some outstanding exceptions, raised right.)

[GunnyGene]

Be happy you don't have to do that job the way it was done 125 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URJ31uqH07E