There’s no getting away from it: despite my cheery demeanour (and the efforts of my own homeopath), I seem to be turning into a bit of a grumpy old woman, at least when dealing with some of the frustrations of modern life. I chuckle constantly in recognition when I watch Grumpy Old Women on tv, because I, too, am struck by the impersonal service and brick-wall tactics I come across from time-to-time when dealing with big businesses.

This morning, for example, I phoned my online bank, to ask them to give me the preferential interest rate that their website shows as being available to me: to be fair to them, they didn’t argue, but did insist that I’d have to download, print and fax through the details of the interest rate offer, to prove the offer exists. Just to be clear here: the interest rate is posted in my bank’s log-in area, by my bank, yet the call centre staff of that very same bank insisted on me proving to them what they’ve posted on their own website, which amused me, in a dumbfounded kind of way. Seriously, though, I’d be mortified if a Phoenix Homeopathy patient was treated this way, and I know a lot of smaller and ethically-run businesses would feel the same.

Conspiracy theorists and anti-capitalists mutter that mega-corporations continue to prosper, and they may have a bit of a point. Certainly it’s hard to disagree that the power multinationals wield is growing all the time (take a look at George Monbiot’s Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain, or books like Jacky Law’s Big Pharma, which argues that it’s the pharmaceutical industry’s fiduciary duty to put profit before patients), but small businesses that take pride in customer satisfaction can still compete in the marketplace on the basis of customer care, if not on price.

At Phoenix Homeopathy, we aim to treat all our clients as VIPs (this is why we don’t run a special VIP service for famous names – instead, clients who want a bit more privacy are welcome to book appointments outside regular clinic times, and are charged accordingly, but they get treated just the same as anyone else). As en ex-lawyer, I’m a huge fan of clear contracts in business, and I work hard to find ways to ensure that Phoenix patients know what they can expect of us, and that we exceed their expectations as often as we can.

Even with the best planning and care, misunderstandings can arise, of course, but if you’re dealing with a small business that takes pride in its reputation, at least you’re likely to have a say, and be treated fairly and respectfully, if something goes wrong. In fact, fully-registered homeopaths are bound to abide by a code of ethics that insists that this happens, and at Phoenix we go one step further, and put our heads above the parapet by posting our mission statement up on the web, for all the other lovely Grumpy Old Women (and men) to see.

For more information about how homeopathy may be able to help you, visit the Phoenix Homeopathy website, and read the Phoenix mission statement here.

Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Prescribed medication should not be stopped or varied without conventional medical advice. Please remember that homeopathic remedies and other health measures should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. Seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing if your complaint is chronic, severe or long-standing, or if you are pregnant, elderly or on orthodox medications.