I don't see a review page for the other offices so I'm assuming reviews go here…read more
My sons, both adults (one with special needs) see Dr. Smallson in the Glendora office.
Dr. Smallson is AMAZING. She's just phenomenal. She's thorough, friendly, and seems to truly care about her patients. My sons love seeing her.
The reason I'm giving this such a low rating is to warn people about the appointment setters. Just the men; I have no clue why. Oh my goodness. I get snark up one end and down the other...no matter what. I'm by no means a Karen or someone who typically asks for something outside the range of the norm for making and keeping appointments. But I cringe every time I have to, because I have to speak to an appointment setter.
There are two males in particular who are just automatically angry, not sure why. They sound as if they're infuritated that you interrrupted something by calling, LOL.
The one I spoke to today -- I didn't get his name, unfortunately -- started right out the gate with a negative tone. Okay, no biggie, some people don't sound like they're doing cartwheels when you call, it was all good. I had just spoken to a woman who was somewhat more cheery but told me my son couldn't have the test without an appointment (my son is already a patient). But I wanted to get a TB test for my son so he could go into a July and August program at the Regional Center. So I was kind of stuck.
So she switched me to...this guy. (ominous music in background)
The earliest appointment they had was for the end of August so I asked whether he could come in just for the test, or whether we could be mailed a lab order, so he could attend this program.
This snarky dude (LOL don't know how else to put that) said "No, he can not JUST come in." I explained, briefly, that my son needs the test to get into his program and the appointment setter said, "We already have patients." I said, "Yes, I know." (???) He said, "So no. He can't *just* come in. Doctor's offices have schedules."
WTF? I said, "Yes, I'm aware of that. Is there any other way for him to get the test?" I mean, I was happy to go to Urgent Care or something.
Long, looong pause. Then: "I'm sorry, we aren't doing TB tests."
Um say what? I said, "Oh. Well, where do we go to get one? He isn't allowed into the program unless he has this test." Simple question. What do other parents do, you know? Just say "okay, I won't have my child have the required medical info" and not take their kids to whatever educational program they go to? There must be some way this practice's patients are getting tested. (I didn't say any of this, I'm just explaining.) It's not like it's the craziest, most difficult test to get a hold of. I wasn't asking for my son to be tested for St. Vitus' Dance.
Long, long, long silence. I asked, "Hello?"
This dude said, "Yes, I'm checking."
Okay then...I said, "Oh, okay, I'm sorry."
So finally this dude said, "He can go to one of our other locations. Pasadena, Riverside or Ontario."
Oh thank goodness! But...this dude knew how to get the test and just didn't want to tell me? Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said in Wonderland.
But I didn't snark, I didn't say any of this, I just said, "Oh, that would be great!"
He snapped, "Which...one?"
Holy crap. "Um...I think Ontario would be best."
So..okay. Got that appointment. Finally. After being abused enough, I guess, LOL. (It's this hard?) So I sad, "I also need an appointment for my other son E, but that one isn't urgent, so Glendora whenever you can get him in."
So this guy told me a date and said, "C is confirmed for this date, this time, etc."
I said, "No, it's my other son."
HUGE DEEP inhalation and exhalation. "Your *other* son?"
Yes, Captain Someone Pizzed in Your Cornflakes, some people have more than one child... "Yes. E. And it's not urgent, so a date farther out is totally fine. Do you want his date of birth?"
Silence.
"Do you want his date of birth?" I asked again. "Should I..." I kind of trailed off, I think. I was kind of afraid of this dude. :p Not in a physical sense, but damn, dude. Literally anything I said was just pushing this guy's "How dare you ask for a medical test for your son" button, hard.
A wait. No sounds. Not even the tapping of a keyboard.
"Hello?" I asked, wondering if we'd been disconnected.
"Yes, yes, his date of birth."
So...that's how that went. I'm willing to go through the gauntlet of daring to ask for appointments so that we can keep Dr. Smallson as our regular PCP. But the next person might not be. Be prepared to have people be ANGRY at you when you call. Like, not just rude or dismissive. But angry.
Wish they would do something about this. There's literally no way I'm the only person who has ever complained. Jesus, just manage not to be insulting and sarcastic and angry, dudes. (Unless you're being spoken to in an unacceptable way.) It's not much to ask. Pretty easy, really.
