When time really is money

The other day I went to the doctor. Nothing serious, thanks for asking. Just routine tests. But for the first time I was asked to book an appointment to receive the results instead of being told over the phone everything was normal. My heart was in my mouth as I scheduled an appointment and dashed through peak hour traffic to make it on time… only to be told nothing was wrong.

But there was something wrong. I was charged $60 and wasted an hour of my time that is in very short supply. What is more, I was charged for the phone call to set up the time for my appointment.

I rang up afterwards to ask if their policy had changed. No, I was told. That was just how that particular doctor worked.

I have now added that doctor to my list of people who overcharge and whom I will never use again. My pet hate? Lawyers, accountants and other professionals who charge for picking up the phone to make an appointment.

But how about this? CHOICE has found a case where a lawyer charged $40 for receiving a message to return a phone call. A CHOICE member also recounted how the costs of a simple action escalated from $600 to $1,800 because of email and telephone costs.

In some professions, such as the Legal Professions Acts, solicitors are legally obliged (in most states) to disclose costs such as their hourly rate and expenses such as photocopying, before they are retained. Not doing so can amount to professional misconduct.

But of course it is easiest to take preventative action than chase a lawyer around the mulberry bush. The easiest way to avoid the overcharging problem is to ask the professionals at the outset for a cost agreement. That agreement should summarise and itemise their proposed services. So if they are going to charge for receiving a message you should know about it before you pick up the phone.

The other trick of course is word-of-mouth. Ask other entrepreneurs who they use and how they charge. And you can be sure that those who hit you with a fee for drawing breath may soon find it is not worth their time to send out the invoice.

Sure it is fair to charge for your time. But be fair about how you do it.