SamMy dentist is going monthly subscription from Monday. I know it probably makes sense as we get 20% off treatment, but feels like everything in life is going subscription based now and I’m fatigued by it.
Amadeus Maximilian@purplelime Wait, how does that even work? 😳 Like you pay a monthly fee so you have to pay less if something happens / for regular check-ups? 🤔
@amxmln you pay £17pm, you get 2 check-ups per year which you have to pay for (£68 I think) but if you need treatment you get 20% off and you can spread the cost of that if it runs expensive. I’m just trying to find a positive other than the 20% off. Ugh, I hate being an adult.
@purplelime That sounds a little like what my dental insurance does here in Germany. Except I think I get “up to” 80% off treatments in addition to the 120€/year for professional cleaning, the check-ups are covered by regular health insurance here. 🤔
Crazy that it’s the individual practices that can create such models where you’re based. 😳
Yeah, I get the frustration. 🫠
@amxmln wow that sounds a far more appealing offer there. I really like my dentist but admit I have been looking at alternatives. It’s just another financial commitment coming at a bad time of year.
@purplelime Yeah, let’s hope this sort of thing doesn’t catch on…good luck with everything. 😊
Salomon@amxmln @purplelime Germany’s health system sure ain’t perfect but I feel pretty well protected against this sort of practice. surely this wouldn't fly and cause immense political discourse if someone tried to force patients into additional subscriptions
@disrupted @amxmln it states you can choose to stay pay-as-you-go but there’ll be no discounts and you have to pay straight up for treatment, no flexibility on time to pay. Unfortunately dental care in UK is a mess since the pandemic and I can’t get appointments within 3 months. Be interesting to see if availability opens up when you’re subscribing.
Paul Stockton@purplelime 20% off doesn't sound much on top of paying a monthly subscription to them and still paying for checkups too???
@pauls yeah that’s what’s bugging me. I’ve read the letter over and over and it doesn’t state that checkups are free which you’d honestly expect for £17pm. And yeah 20% isn’t that generous. I asked if they can send me a price list so I can compare with another private practice but they said they don’t have one. Doesn’t feel too transparent or well thought out.
@purplelime This feels like a complete con if you ask me, if I was paying £17pm I'd be expecting my 1 or 2 checkups per year to be included in that, they are making a fortune out of anyone paying this subscription. The fact they don't even have a price list smells too fishy.
@pauls it says “The provision of routine examinations is subject to receipt of the required consecutive monthly payments”. That’s possibly another way of saying as long as you’ve paid for 3-6 months then check-up is free 🤔 Might have to call to get that clarified.
@purplelime You'd think they would make the wording a bit clearer too
Stefan 
@purplelime yup, for me it’s an insurance which pays 90% of the costs. Also like a subscription but to another party.
So many things which collect money from us on a monthly basis.
@stefan the days of buying once and owning something are long gone. I hear that some brands of cars require a monthly subscription for an in-car feature to work. It’s never ending.