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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/FantasticExpert8800 on 2023-09-05 06:20:15.

I own a small veterinary clinic. We are in a rural area and the next closest vet who will provide the services I can offer is about 1-1.5 hours away.

So a client called asking to book an appointment. She was referred by a person that I have done work for in the past when I was at another clinic, and have never had a problem with. During the visit I performed an exam and took X-rays during the visit. The total bill for the visit was around $150. It should be noted that during the 45 minute long appointment the client never made any indication that she was unable to pay for the visit that day, and told the receptionist at check out that she had forgotten her purse and would come back on Friday to pay. We told her that we require payment at the time of service, but she left anyways. That night around 10pm, she called the after hours phone toask a couple of questions. I answered her questions and then asked if she could come in the next morning to pay her bill. She said that it wouldn’t be very convenient for her. I told her “It won’t be very convenient for me to not be able to pay my staff Friday” She didn’t like that very much and ended the call after saying she would come in first thing in the morning.

Instead of first thing she came in at 4pm and paid with cash. She was rude to the receptionist and said things like “Tell the Dr here’s his money so he can eat tonight”, and “make sure you count it all so you’re not calling and asking for it again”. That Friday the dog was scheduled for a surgery in which the total bill would be around $700. The surgery was a complete success and went very well. The client was very upset that she couldn’t be in the room during surgery, but in the end left with the dog and seemed happy.

3 days after the surgery, I received a call from the friend. Apparently the dog had some post op complications that were completely preventable if the client had followed the instructions on the discharge sheet we sent. The friend told me that the client said I didn’t do a good job, was incompetent and that she had posted negative comments about me and the clinic on Facebook. I told the friend that all standards of care were followed.

I told the staff to blacklist the client and her friend. About 3 days after this call the client called back to apologize, and said she was completely in the wrong, that I did a good job and she just “Had a lot going on in her personal life” at the time. I told her that I accepted her apology. She then asked if she could make an appointment for her other dog. I said “No, we won’t be doing service for you anymore” and she hung up.

TLDR: Client walked out without paying, and was a pain in the ass. Vet decides not to provide her services meaning she will need to drive over an hour for care