We received the worst customer service we've ever received from any industry, whether that's going out to eat, or staying at a hotel, etc.
This doctor's office is actually super hard to find. We were initially on time the first time, but because we parked in the front, Dr. Monique Karaganis told my wife that she had to park in the back, as patients are not allowed to park in the front. Very inconvenient, especially with children, as you have to go back out in traffic and around a long fence. So we arrived a few minutes late due to not being allowed to park in the front.
She refused to see us that day, apparently because we were "late" and we didn't have our paperwork filled out, which the doctor never told my wife to have any paperwork filled out over the phone. My wife would have done printed out the pages from her website if she had known. The doctor remained insistent that she had told my wife this. She gives my wife an appointment time of 4:30 for the next week. At the last minute, she comes out, saying we can come in at 4:00 to fill out the paperwork so we don't have to do it at home. Wow, we're thinking this lady is nice and thinking of us.
Next week we arrive at 4:03 in the parking lot, and 4:05 in her building for our 4:30 appointment, which is really a super small house turned into a doctor's office.
First thing she says to us, "You're really late." Not even a "Hi, how are you."
Besides the fact we actually had our paperwork completely filled out except for one sheet, so we were actually 25 minutes early. Dr. Monique Karaganis insisted that she changed our appointment to 4:00 when she came out to the parking lot the week before. Both my wife and I remember clearly that she had just asked us to come in early to fill out the paperwork, but she never changed the actual appointment to 4:00.
So she asks us to go to the blue room where she will have to explain the rules to us. I want to leave already, but my wife says give her another chance. So I go along with it, thinking that she will start acting more professional.
Instead, when she does see us, she lectures us in a very condescending way right in front of our children. She explains how she runs her office differently and we have to be on time. She won't budge from her point of view that the appointment was changed to 4:00.
And she keeps arguing her point. We're not here to argue, and we're definitely not here to be scolded in front of our children. Even if she is right, the best thing is to just drop it and act like a professional doctor, not somebody who belabors points.
During this entire time, we were very polite to Dr. Monique Karaganis, never yelling or even getting mad. I think we more shocked than anything by how she was treating us. We're happy people...life is too short, and while we have seen poor customer service before, we're pretty easy-going and forgiving. However, we've never seen anything like what we saw with Dr. Monique Karaganis, who owns Polar Pediatrics on Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage, Alaska.
Most professionals could have handled the situation in a number of different and positive ways, instead of saying to my wife as we walked in at 4:05, "You're very late" for an appointment we had at 4:30. Misunderstandings do happen, but there's no excuse for rudeness. Life is too short, let's be happy everybody and give people the benefit of the doubt.
She has a ton of videos on Youtube where you can at least see her viewpoints. Just search for her name. You might like her and you might not.
She makes blankets if you see her for prenatal care, but realize this is probably more of a marketing move, as she doesn't actually give you the blanket until the baby is one year old. Well as most people know, the times you see a pediatrician the most is in the first year, so by doing so, she ensures that she gets the most office visits. As children get older, their visits to pediatricians usually decrease in frequency. I'd rather have a respectful doctor than a rude and disrespectful doctor who makes a blanket for your newborn baby to give them on their 1st birthday.
If you still don't believe how disrespectful she can be, try being 5 minutes late, especially if you're a new patient. You'll be shocked by how she treats you. We weren't even late, but she was adamant she changed our appointment time, but there really was no point in arguing back with her.
At the very end, she actually said we probably wouldn't be able to mend things. Realize now we weren't getting mad or yelling....this is completely based on us being "late" and arriving at 4:05 for our 4:30 appointment because the doctor thought she changed our appointment to 4:00.
And as Dr. Monique Karaganis of Polar Pediatrics says in the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tKKKj_uX2Q ) at 2:52, "I'm simply a pediatrician with an opinion." read more
