Legal Question in Consumer Law in California

I will leave it to other colleagues to consider the viability of a claim or contest. However, if you had been waiting for an answer on the next step, why did you wait six months to follow up on the matter? It's conceivable that a subsequent in-office appointment was required due to that passage of time, which was avoidable. It is apparent after even a day's delay that a request may not have been handled. And even if its handling is pending, it does not hurt to follow up after a day to convey one's sense of urgency. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. It is not excusable, but it can happen that a medical provider may fail to get back to you: they are not experiencing the same sense of personal urgency that the patient has. We must ensure our own welfare through assiduous follow-up. Just don't squeak too much when it's obvious that the matter is being handled as quickly as possible. I write this simply to encourage both patients and consumers to advocate their own interests. Let's keep in mind: notwithstanding the greatest degree of diligence, business, health and other transactions can be inherently frustrating and time consuming. Expect missteps and be pleasantly surprised with success. To the current crux of the matter, I'll reiterate that I won't address the issue of fighting and compensation. But in the scheme of things, and notwithstanding your personal hardship, $278 is not an earth-shattering amount. Even if 5 minutes doesn't seem like much, offices incur related costs of overhead, insurance, and responsibility. Without covering costs, the provider cannot provide to anyone. It is reasonable to be wise and not right. While yours truly will fight for his clients notwithstanding the amount in question, sometimes it's just prudent for the non-represented individual to pay under protest and move on. We owe it to ourselves to reduce stress and I wish you good health: it's the most important thing of all. Now, forgive me, I'll step off the soapbox and as always, I will timely return all of my clients' calls and emails.

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