My appointment was at 4:20. I got here 10 minutes early and it’s now 4:40 and I haven’t seen anyone yet. So at what point do you just say the hell with it and leave?
Shouldn’t you at least ask the receptionist how much longer it will be?
I’m gonna echo…ask the receptionist if the dentist is running REALLY behind schedule, or if s/he’s just finishing up. I usually ask the receptionist at about 15 minutes after the appointment time, if I haven’t been shown to a room yet.
And it really doesn’t matter if you showed up early, except that it lessens the chance that someone else is now in your spot in the queue.
There is no receptionist, just me and another patient. I’m think 5 more minutes and I bolt. This is just insulting.
Edit: woman came out to say a few more minutes. Grrrr.
Dentist, Doctor, Mechanic, etc, I will wait 20 to 30 minutes, then I’m outa there and looking for someone new.
Funny I don’t think I have ever had to wait for my dentist. I think he has a few rooms and just sticks the patients in one to get the xrays and/or cleaning while he works on another. Now physicians, I give 15 minutes without an explanation, 30 if they come out and say there was an emergency or another issue.
Barring extenuating circumstances (e.g. a dental emergency (and there are such animals), I give professionals 30 minutes before I leave.
The only exception is my general practitioner who continually runs behind because she actually sits and listens to you. For her, I’ll wait an hour.
My dentist is really good at sticking to schedule. He also has 2 people in reception, so should things run late, I’ve got someone to ask. How long I wait depends on what else is going on in my life and how crappy a mood I’m in.
Dentist never keeps me waiting more than 5 minutes after walking in the door. Doctor is another matter…I regularly get waits of 15 minutes in the waiting room and another 15 in the exam room. Sometimes more. I don’t leave because I will get charged for the visit. But I do ask the receptionist what’s going on.
30 Minutes maximum for any professional for anything other than the most dire of circumstances.
I have the first or second appointment in the morning, so I don’t recall ever waiting more than five minutes. I also live a block and a half from my dentist, so if it were a really long time I’d go back home and tell them to call me when they were ready.
I’ve never waited more than 5 minutes. My dentist is awesome.
I have, on the other hand walked out of doctors’ offices after about 45 minutes, never to return. The worst was when I specifically called in advance to see if they were running late and they swore all was on time. And they kept telling me that for a half hour.
I will give all kinds of breaks to any provider who is honest and says we’re really backed up this afternoon, would you like to reschedule.
I used to go to a gynecologist who was apparently under the impression that women had nothing else to do all day except wait.
I think I once had to wait 15 minutes. Once. Usually it’s never more than 5 and often they’re ready right when I walk in, so I try not to be late.
And of course the office that’s never running late is the one with the magazines I actually want to read. Funny how that works.
My dentist only gives appointments when you’re having a series of visits (for example if you have braces), so far all my visits except one were first-come first-serve. I bring a book and have never reached the half-hour mark (which I do reach quite frequently in doctor visits with appointments).
I visited the dentist last week and they made me wait nearly 40 minutes. I don’t blame them though, I had canceled appointments with them two weeks in a row (and just hours before the appointments too).
Early appointments can help with running late, but, my mother’s eye specialist routinely has patients scheduled before he shows up at the office. But he’s the best at what he does, so, people will wait.
I’d say I’ve usually waited about ten minutes or less at the dentist–last time I started getting itchy because it had been longer than I expected, but not terribly long.
Another vote for 30 minutes.
Which includes the time I was seated in the dentist chair, the assistant said they’d be with me soon and then proceeded to disappear for a half hour. I walked out and let the receptionist know what was going on.
If they don’t have time to see me within a reasonable wait time, don’t schedule the appointments.
I might suggest lines to the receptionist like:
“So do you guys need any help back there? I can get my tools out of my truck.”
“What did the guy die of? You know, the one that put you so far behind schedule.”
“So how many days a month do you finish the day on schedule? Have you ever thought about adjusting your appointment slots to fit reality?”
My dentist always sees me within 5 minutes of my appointment.
he’s almost too efficient. I was almost 15 min late one day and they weren’t happy.
My dentist’s point of view (with which I agree) is that an appointment is a verbal contract. In fact, when taking on a new client her form notes that she is waiving a $65 fee for creating a new record. However, if an appointment is missed, she assumes you do not want to continue seeing her. To be reinstated, she recreates a record but does not waive the fee, thus charging for the missed appointment.
No way for her to get away with keeping her clientele waiting with that attitude.