East Coast Radio - Catch Up Consumer Hacks with Wendy Knowler

Had an op? Your first check-up should be free

Loading player...
Having an operation? Then ask this before you go under: when is my post-op check-up, and will I pay for it?

According to the Council for Medical Schemes, a surgeon's fee for an operation includes normal after-care for one month. So follow-up consultations within that month shouldn't cost you anything.

One listener says a surgeon’s practice booked her first post-op consultation for eight weeks after her neck surgery. Then she was then billed R2 500 for it.

So have that conversation with your doctor's admin people upfront and make sure your first follow-up falls within the month.
28 Oct English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

Other recent episodes

Keep your cool, and your cash

Summer's on its way, and so is a lot more aircon use. Australia's consumer organisation CHOICE says your aircon should be set no more than 8°C cooler than it is outside. So on a 32°C day, set it to 24°C. According to CHOICE, every degree cooler than that adds about…
30 Oct 1 min

Declined at the till? Believe the machine, not your phone

You pay by card, your phone pings with a notification from your bank confirming the payment, but the cashier says it didn't go through and asks you to pay again. Who's right? Generally, the shop's card machine. Sometimes the bank's approval doesn't reach the machine because of a timeout or…
29 Oct 1 min

Proof of address, not proof of spending

When a company asks for your bank statement as proof of address, all it needs is the top bit: your name and address. Yet a Cape Town man trying to buy a car from We Buy Cars was told his statement would only be accepted if at least seven transactions…
27 Oct 1 min

"Potential winner" doesn't mean you've won

A woman was excited to hear she was a potential winner in a competition after buying the qualifying products. But during verification, the company found she'd bought them through an online marketplace, and that disqualified her. She asked to be shown where the rules excluded that platform, and when she…
26 Oct 1 min

Selling your home? Tell your bank first

When you sell, your bond has to be cancelled. A buyer can't take ownership while your bank still has a claim over the property. But this is what catches people out. If you haven't given your bank three months' written notice that you intend to settle, it can charge you…
16 Oct 1 min
All episodes