I am a firm believer that you should get what you pay for. I'm sure most folks reading my blog would say, "Me too!" But, when you get less than adequate service, or you get a larger bill than an agreed upon contract (with no explanation) or you are not satisfied with the service, do you still pay? I would imagine most of us say, "Yes." The question then needs to be, "Why?"
If I agreed to buy 10 widgets from you for $1.00 and you only gave me 9 for $1.00, don't I have a reason to protest? Absolutely. If I take my car the shop and it comes back in the same running condition with a $1000 repair bill, don't I have a right to complain and refuse to pay? You bet I do.
Late last year, I blogged about my son going to the hospital. He came back with zero 
diagnosis, still sick and no idea what was wrong, a $6200 bill and a reaction to the medicines that were prescribed for an unknown illness. He went to see his person care physician shortly after and was given a $5 prescription and was better in 24 hours. I raised my kids to always expect the best from others, and when they are buying services to never settle for substandard services.
My son launched a letter protest against the unreasonable expense of his misdiagnosis. (A little tool he got from his parents. The pen is truly mightier than the sword.) He has become a warrior for justice. That protest took him to the media, to congress, the hospital leadership, the state medical board and local notoriety. Once his letter to the hospital was reprinted in the local paper, he received a call from the hospital. They were so sorry for his experience and wanted to find a way to make it right. My question would be, "What about the 1000 patients before him that were misdiagnosed and said nothing?"
Regardless, today, he received a letter from the hospital apologizing for his experience and erasing his bill. He wasn't asking for a freebie. He was asking for a just bill for a competent diagnosis. Today, he received that. He received no help while in the hospital, and the hospital received no compensation for his time there. When all Americans stand up and demand to receive what they pay for, they will receive better service. Ironically, I have a story about stellar service I received this week that I will post in another blog.
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