Is it normal for a clinic to require money upfront when scheduling online?

[CarryBE]

Hi everyone!

I am not new to plastic surgery but I am new to getting it done overseas. I have been in contact with a clinic in Korea and I found out last night that I will need to pay a fee in order to book my appointment. I am planning on going in May to get neck done (neck lift) as I have had a bit more sagging than I would like going on. The cost was just too high to get it done locally so this is what led me to look in to options in other countries.

I am just not sure if this is normal. They did say the money I pay will be part of the total cost so it will be deducted when I arrive to pay the rest. Is it normal for a clinic to require money upfront when scheduling online?

[lolya18]

I joined after reading this. I wanted to respond since I had this confusion as well. After having gone through the process, there is an easy answer. 

When you elect to have surgery of any kind overseas be it plastic or health-related, you are often met with a fee and/or down payment. This is done as a means to not lose revenue if someone decides to not show or flights get delayed. They schedule operations in advance and it is often hard to book late notice operations so they end up losing money. This is a safety net that shows the client is serious and if for whatever reason they do a "no show", they are not losing money for the time scheduled for that person.