I have experienced poor customer service before, but my encounter with Samantha at this urgent care…read morewas one of the most appalling and unprofessional experiences I have ever had. Her behavior was rude, hostile, dismissive, and completely unacceptable, especially in a healthcare setting where patients are coming in because they need medical attention.
I arrived approximately 30 minutes before closing, and from the moment I walked through the door, Samantha looked visibly disgusted by my presence. She did not greet me, acknowledge me, or extend even the most basic courtesy. The other front desk employee, who was apparently being trained by Samantha, actually greeted me. How ironic that the person responsible for training another employee was the one demonstrating such an embarrassing lack of professionalism.
Samantha appeared irritated from the beginning, seemingly because I chose not to register through the text message option. Apparently, a patient exercising their choice about how to complete registration is an inconvenience to her. She sighed dramatically and informed me that I would have to complete paperwork because I had not checked the box to register by text. Her tone was unnecessarily rude and condescending. If I wanted to register by text, I would have selected that option. I should not be made to feel like a burden simply because an employee has to perform the responsibilities of her job.
The situation only deteriorated from there. Samantha asked for my insurance card and initially claimed my insurance was not in the system. I explained that it was, and after continuing to click through the system, she eventually located it. Throughout this interaction, I was simply asking whether there was another way to retrieve my insurance information because I did not have the physical card with me and had never previously been required to present it. Instead of offering assistance with a professional attitude, she continued behaving as though helping me was an unbearable inconvenience.
Her attitude was so noticeably unpleasant that I finally asked, "Are you okay?" Rather than responding professionally, Samantha raised her voice and snapped, "You're the one with the attitude. You got an attitude with me first!" I was absolutely stunned. The response was so childish and immature that it sounded like something one would expect from an argument between elementary school students, not from an adult working at the front desk of a medical facility.
I explained that I did not have an attitude, but even if she perceived my tone that way, I was the patient, and her behavior was still completely inappropriate. I informed her that she was being unprofessional and needed to improve her customer service skills. Her response? "You too."
Seriously? This is the level of professionalism this urgent care allows at its front desk?
When I asked to speak with her manager, she repeatedly told me, "You can file a complaint." That was not what I asked. I asked where her manager was. After having to repeat myself, she finally yelled, "She's not here!" When I asked for the manager's name, Samantha rolled her neck and responded, "Laquisha," with an attitude that gave me the impression she could not care less whether I reported her behavior.
Throughout this exchange, she repeatedly stated, "You have a $35 copay. Insert or swipe," as though she could simply dismiss me rather than address her conduct. She was also shaking her head and vigorously shaking her legs while I was standing at the counter. Her entire demeanor communicated irritation, hostility, and an astonishing lack of self-control.
What happened next was even more disrespectful. I asked Samantha whether she needed anything else from me to complete my check-in. SHE DELIBERATELY IGNORED ME! I was standing directly in front of her. I asked a second time, and she continued to ignore me. Imagine being a patient seeking medical care and having the front desk employee refuse to acknowledge a basic question because she is apparently upset that you challenged her unprofessional behavior.
I eventually had to turn to the employee Samantha was training and ask whether anything else was needed because Samantha was refusing to respond. The other employee politely indicated that she did not think anything else was required.
What makes this entire experience even more disturbing is that Samantha behaved this way in front of other patients and an employee she was responsible for training. If this is the example she sets for new employees, I seriously question the customer service standards, employee training, and accountability at this facility.
Patients do not come to urgent care for entertainment. They come because they are sick, injured, uncomfortable, or in need of medical attention. The last thing anyone should have to deal with is a front desk employee who appears annoyed by their arrival, becomes argumentative over routine registration procedures, raises her voice, responds....... cont'd
