Do you get asked to give away your work for free?

[thekid]

I'm a lawyer, I do get my fair share of questions / requests. Oddly enough, closer family and friends, those who I have no problem helping, do show some restraint. The kicker is when people I hardly know track down my home number and call me in the evening to expose their problem. I usually just give bland, general answers that don't really solve anything so they go away.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Is that also what you do for a living, jasonnoguchi? I don't mean to be asking whether volunteer work is done.

[m3racer]

No. How about when a patient calls the office and wants to be treated for something without an office visit? How about when a patient stops into the office and asks to speak with the doctor "just for a minute"? How about when a patient brings in a multi-page form that needs to be filled out for their job?

For that matter, how about when patients come for an appointment but don't bother to bring any money with them? "Can you bill me?" I bet they don't push a cart full of groceries up to the cashier and ask to be billed. I bet they don't fill their tank with gas and ask to be billed. Why do they expect to see the doctor without paying at the time of the service?

I was being sarcastic with my post. I guess I should have made that more clear. I entirely agree with you. It's amazing at either the sense of entitlement or ignorance that some patients exhibit...or maybe it's both. It just makes you want to sign up and be a Medicaid provider doesn't it? (Sarcasm)

[Inkstain82]

No. How about when a patient calls the office and wants to be treated for something without an office visit? How about when a patient stops into the office and asks to speak with the doctor "just for a minute"? How about when a patient brings in a multi-page form that needs to be filled out for their job?

For that matter, how about when patients come for an appointment but don't bother to bring any money with them? "Can you bill me?" I bet they don't push a cart full of groceries up to the cashier and ask to be billed. I bet they don't fill their tank with gas and ask to be billed. Why do they expect to see the doctor without paying at the time of the service?

Very understandable gripe, but let me throw one right back at you: Where are your prices posted and how prominently?

[Seeker]

Very understandable gripe, but let me throw one right back at you: Where are your prices posted and how prominently?

I think that's the whole point. People are trying to avoid paying anything at all.

You shouldn't have to post your prices, you shouldn't have to be sought out deliberately or stopped in the middle of doing something else (whether or not in a workplace) to be asked a question about a personal favor.

Essentially that's what people are trying to do, seek free advice (nothing wrong with that on a forum that we all have a choice not to respond)... but it's automatically assumed that a few sentences will help them and us to be able to make a determination about x; let alone the fact that there are many variables that need to go into any real meaningful diagnosis (whether computers, accounting, medical, or legal... or anything at all really).

And in in a job such as DS's, there are real legal ramifications that could backfire on him were he to answer incorrectly.

[cschin4]

Not everyone is trying to take advantage or get something for nothing. Sometimes people are just trying to make conversation and the logical thing is to discuss whatever field of work you are in. I wouldn't take it too personally. ANd, certainly you can deflect the answer as well if you really don't want to talk about those things. But, what if you gave some free advice at times. so what? You haven't really lost anything as it is just cocktail conversation, etc. So, I wouldn't overreact to it.
But, again, there are a handful of people who will be pushy and try to get something out of you, those you just cut them off and change the subject.

[kork13]

Very understandable gripe, but let me throw one right back at you: Where are your prices posted and how prominently?

Hey, now there's an idea! Doctors should be run like a street cafe! Have a "treatment menu" posted in the front window! That way if you don't like the prices, you can just move on to the next one until you find something you're up for! Oh, and even better, in the exam room, you can be seated with a treatment menu and a glass of water (everybody could stand to drink an extra glass each day!), so that before the doc even walks in, you can have your order all ready to go for him, and all he's got to do is listen to your ticker, turn your head and cough, and here's a Rx, then you're off on your way! what, no tip? Busboy, please take care of the sharps in here, would you?

(sorry inkstain, the idea hit me and I just ran with it --no offense intended)

[cschin4]

Soup, salad and sigmoidoscopy! $19.99!

[disneysteve]

Very understandable gripe, but let me throw one right back at you: Where are your prices posted and how prominently?

Most of my patients know exactly how much a visit will cost - the price of the co-pay on their insurance plan. Even my uninsured patients typically know how much we charge them for an office visit, so I don't see this as some big unknown issue.

Hey, now there's an idea! Doctors should be run like a street cafe! Have a "treatment menu" posted in the front window! That way if you don't like the prices, you can just move on to the next one until you find something you're up for!

Sorry kork, somebody beat you to this. Walk into any of the retail clinics like in a CVS store or WalMart store. They have a treatment "menu" with prices posted, just as you describe.

Here you go:
Services and Costs
What amazes me is that many of those charges are higher than what we make for providing the same services. $62 for treating sunburn or poison ivy? I wish we made $62 for every minor office visit. With most insurance plans, we're lucky to get half of that. Why anyone uses these clinics is beyond me.

[LuxLiving]

Office visit costs may be a known, but in Hubster's case he recently was trying to assess how much certain blood workups were going to cost on an upcoming office visit so we could budget for it. He stated that getting the info on the costs was like pulling teeth, DisneySteve.

We understood that of course, once he got there, the doc might have ordered different tests, but we needed a ballpark figure. No-can-dooey! This is for his ongoing health issue which has been stable for a long time and the tests have always been the same ones in the past, only difference is? Now we don't have insurance and have to pay out of pocket. No problem, just trying to figure out how much it'll be beforehand? Not always easy. A menu might be nice.

On why people go to those clinics - maybe convenience - they are at those places already? Just guessing, haven't seen one myself, although while looking at want-ads I've seen them advertising for nurse practitioners to staff them.

[lovcom]

IT people -- what do you think? Always. They even come to me about personal computers when I'm in the workplace.

For family and some friends, I will give of my time, but even then, if the time is more then 30-60 mins, I'll ask them to come up with a barter proposal, like if I reload your PC, would you put some tile down in the samll bathroom downstairs?

For everyone else, I will decline or charge.

On the other hand, I will sometimes offer my development services for a week to a potential client, and after a week, 90% of the time they retain me for months or longer...sometimes you have to give to get.

I'm in it to make money, not give it away.

[lovcom]

Well, a wise man once said that you are only as rich as what you can give away, not what you have.

I frequently give away my services in many ways like providing my training for free to the less fortunate, building schools in remote areas etc.

Your so called "wise man" is an idiot...sorry...a good business man is in it to make money, not give it away....can you say PROFIT?

Now there are instances were one has to give to get; like a free trial of a service for example.

[thekid]

Your so called "wise man" is an idiot...sorry...a good business man is in it to make money, not give it away....can you say PROFIT?

Now there are instances were one has to give to get; like a free trial of a service for example.

Well, he did say "wise man" not "good businessman".

Wisemen say don't take yourself so seriously.

[disneysteve]

Your so called "wise man" is an idiot...sorry...a good business man is in it to make money, not give it away....can you say PROFIT?

I wonder what Bill Gates would say about that, or George Soros, or any number of other wealthy business people who donate billions of dollars to charitable endeavors.

[m3racer]

I wonder what Bill Gates would say about that, or George Soros, or any number of other wealthy business people who donate billions of dollars to charitable endeavors.

Although I can't speak for those individuals....I wouldn't be surprised if they donate those large amounts of money to charities that they believe are worthy. What's the other option...Watch Obama and the idiots in Congress tax and spend their billions of dollars?