I am being billed for more than a verbal quote.

[Brent pigeon]

I was quoted a sum for elective private surgery. After I had paid the deposit I found that I as being charged more than 50% above the original quote. I have nothing in wiring, I kept asking to be contacted by email rather than phone but I only got an email when I had paid the deposit and met the surgeon. What are my options here? I can withdraw from proceedings but I want the �500 deposit back with no spurious deductions.
What are my rights? I assume that cosmetic surgeons are bound by a regulatory body; legally I regard this as a broken contact. I suspect that they will claim it is because the surgeon decided that I should have a two night stay in hospital instead of one but I was under the impression that the original quote was for that and certainly the two night stay appears to be standard.
I daresay that I should have insisted on something in writing before I went ahead with the deposit but it is a well known firm. I chose them instead of another organisation that gave the same sort of quote but who operate in a hospital a long way from where I live. I would have chosen the other organisation if I had realised how misleading the quote I accepted was.

[bednobs]

very difficult as they can probably just say "no we didnt say that" or "well that didnt include so and so"

[Peter Pedant]

The short answer is to complain to the GMC

[fletcher.5]

another victim of your own vanity!

[Ice.Maiden]

Sorry, but I agree with Fletcher. Surely when you undergo this type of thing, knowing that you're expected to part with a decent sum of money, you'd get all the facts first, and something in writing to cover you? You could, as Peter said, try contacting a regulatory body to see how you stand, but it's your word against the clinic's, or wherever you applied to in the first place, and since you forwarded the required deposit, it rather looks as though you'd agreed to their terms. I hope you get your money back, but it's a lesson to be learned by anyone thinking of doing the same thing.

[Whoever]

The Trading Standards Department of your local Council may also be able to give you some advice. It might possibly be that they have received other complaints of a similar nature.

[emlett]

deposits are usually non refundable. i guess you can write them a stroppy letter beforehand and state that the sum of �x was what was agreed with whoever and this was the basis of the contract under which the deposit was paid. if they intend now to renege on what was agreed, then they have misrepresented the terms of the contract to you and therefore they should either refund the deposit or confirm that they will only charge what was agreed.
Alternatively go through with it and let them sue you for the rest afterwards but i don't fancy your chances of winning that one - a complaint to the GMC if they won't refund is a good idea and also threateningthem with such a complaint beforehand might make them be a little more reasonable as might threatening to report them to the press!