Legal help re:payment for vets services

[_DeeJay_]

So, we've had a pretty crappy day. Our cat has been ill so has been in the vets for a few days. We spoke to them on Thursday after they'd quoted massive costs (500 quid for an operation which cost 65 quid in another local vet) and told them we'd like to move him to another vet. We agreed that we'd meet up next Monday and discuss the case and the costs. In the meantime we also spoke to another vet who was surprised by the costs quoted and volunteered to call them and double check the treatment and costs were reasonable.

The health of our cat declined at that point so we weren't able to move him.

We got called at 6:30 this morning and told that basically he had little chance of survival. By 7:30 we'd got to the vet and had to make the decision to put him to sleep :-(

So, the legal issue - on leaving the vet (with the cat, preparing to go home and bury him) I was stopped and asked to pay the fee for that days work, which was over 400 quid. I'd literally just fallen out of bed and driven there so I didn't have that amount of cash on me (or a card). So, I said I'd call them later.

The problem I've got is that I don't really know what I'm paying for and would really like an invoice which detailed what I was paying for.

However, I don't want to get into trouble for non payment, and I'm not really in the mood for an argument about costs.

Should I just phone, pay on a credit card and argue about it next week, and would it be unfair of me not to pay today and go and see them on Monday?

[Tom_C76]

_DeeJay_ said:

So, we've had a pretty crappy day. Our cat has been ill so has been in the vets for a few days. We spoke to them on Thursday after they'd quoted massive costs (500 quid for an operation which cost 65 quid in another local vet) and told them we'd like to move him to another vet. We agreed that we'd meet up next Monday and discuss the case and the costs. In the meantime we also spoke to another vet who was surprised by the costs quoted and volunteered to call them and double check the treatment and costs were reasonable.

The health of our cat declined at that point so we weren't able to move him.

We got called at 6:30 this morning and told that basically he had little chance of survival. By 7:30 we'd got to the vet and had to make the decision to put him to sleep :-(

So, the legal issue - on leaving the vet (with the cat, preparing to go home and bury him) I was stopped and asked to pay the fee for that days work, which was over 400 quid. I'd literally just fallen out of bed and driven there so I didn't have that amount of cash on me (or a card). So, I said I'd call them later.

The problem I've got is that I don't really know what I'm paying for and would really like an invoice which detailed what I was paying for.

However, I don't want to get into trouble for non payment, and I'm not really in the mood for an argument about costs.

Should I just phone, pay on a credit card and argue about it next week, and would it be unfair of me not to pay today and go and see them on Monday?

Sorry to hear about your cat. I certainly wouldn't be paying without seeing an invoice and breakdown, and I'd expect in the circumstances the vet should understand if you don't feel up to paying until monday at the earliest.

Not a lawyer, bTW.

TC

[Mars]

I would definitely ask for an invoice in the post which includes a breakdown of costs incurred.

I know they have to earn their money somehow, but I am often amazed at some of the quoted costs.

[UpTheIron]

Don't do anything this weekend - you shouldn't be having to worry about the bill at this time, and you're not going to get in trouble if you don't pay for a few days or more...

Phone them in the week and ask them to post the invoice to you with a breakdown of costs.

Once you have the details, take them to task if you feel the price is OTT.

[Vron]

My cat spent 5 days at the vets in intensive care in February and I only saw a few quid change from £1000

[_DeeJay_]

Vron said:

My cat spent 5 days at the vets in intensive care in February and I only saw a few quid change from £1000

Thanks for the reassurance everyone.

1000 quid - I wish! 500 quid to insert a cathita (spelling?), 200 quid for a ultrasound (which they then said wasn't necessary), 100 quid for blood work which yielded a strange result - 2 retests with the same results 200 quid. So that's your 1000 pounds in a day. The 400 pound bill this morning. That can't be for more than an hours worth of vets time.

[Catherine197]

It is also very poor form for the vet to ask you to pay on the day you have lost your pet.

[Adam T]

Vron said:

My cat spent 5 days at the vets in intensive care in February and I only saw a few quid change from £1000

Sorry to hear of your loss. Always hard losing a family pet. Vet should have waited for asking for payment. They have your address?

You want to try "running" a few running horses.

Although to the OP I would await a itemised vets bill inc treatments, drugs, time charges etc.

Any goods vets practice will provide this, as being a Practrice (and not a Ltd company) they have to pay tax on the work then, and not in the future. Await the statment, query anything your not sure of, and come to an agreement. Payment terms are mopre than likely 28days net. ? Worth checking.

Edited by Adam T on Saturday 1st November 18:50

[_DeeJay_]

Adam T said:

Vron said:

My cat spent 5 days at the vets in intensive care in February and I only saw a few quid change from £1000

Sorry to hear of your loss. Always hard losing a family pet. Vet should have waited for asking for payment. They have your address?

You want to try "running" a few running horses.

Although to the OP I would await a itemised vets bill inc treatments, drugs, time charges etc.

Any goods vets practice will provide this, as being a Practrice (and not a Ltd company) they have to pay tax on the work then, and not in the future. Await the statment, query anything your not sure of, and come to an agreement. Payment terms are mopre than likely 28days net. ? Worth checking.

Edited by Adam T on Saturday 1st November 18:50

Thanks Adam.

I was surprised they asked me when they did - they do have our address and all contact details. More than that, they made my wife pay a 300 pound deposit prior to admitting him for treatment which was non-refundable even if he'd not survived the night.

One of our horses was badly injured last year and necessitated a long stay for ongoing treatment. I'd guess the cost of that will be lower than our upcoming bill.

We can sort the total cost of treatment out next week - it was the immediate demand for payment for putting him to sleep that I was worried about, and my wife who's very upset anyway is worrying so I'd like to put her mind to rest.

Edited by _DeeJay_ on Saturday 1st November 19:07

[UpTheIron]

_DeeJay_ said:

I was surprised they asked me when they did - they do have our address and all contact details. More than that, they made my wife pay a 300 pound deposit prior to admitting him for treatment which was non-refundable even if he'd not survived the night.

One of our horses was badly injured last year and necessitated a long stay for ongoing treatment. I'd guess the cost of that will be lower than our upcoming bill.

We can sort the total cost of treatment out next week - it was the immediate demand for payment for putting him to sleep that I was worried about, and my wife who's very upset anyway is worrying so I'd like to put her mind to rest.

Unless there was good reason to believe that bills would not be paid then behaviour like that from my vet would result in me going elsewhere in future.

[_DeeJay_]

UpTheIron said:

_DeeJay_ said:

I was surprised they asked me when they did - they do have our address and all contact details. More than that, they made my wife pay a 300 pound deposit prior to admitting him for treatment which was non-refundable even if he'd not survived the night.

One of our horses was badly injured last year and necessitated a long stay for ongoing treatment. I'd guess the cost of that will be lower than our upcoming bill.

We can sort the total cost of treatment out next week - it was the immediate demand for payment for putting him to sleep that I was worried about, and my wife who's very upset anyway is worrying so I'd like to put her mind to rest.

Unless there was good reason to believe that bills would not be paid then behaviour like that from my vet would result in me going elsewhere in future.

I'm not sure they could really have determined that; my wife turned up in her Range Rover and was well dressed. We've never not paid a bill in our lives and it was the first time we'd visited that vet. It'll certainly be the last...

It's also worth adding that they made her sign a form to state she understood best and worst case costs for treatment (300 and 800 pounds respectively). However, it would seem likely that the real case is twice as bad as the worst case

Edited by _DeeJay_ on Saturday 1st November 19:27

[hackett]

Our dog had some discharge from its ear so we nipped to the vet and i accepted i'd have to pay the normal check up fee then the vet said i'll just give her a quick shot of pain killers if you want, obviously i said ok, got to the front desk to be confronted with a £50 bill just for the pain killer jab and then the £37 check up fee. I had to pay but thought it was very cheeky the way they did it.

[Catherine197]

About 15 months ago, we had a new vet open up just across from us. The set up costs must have been huge as they bought a 5 bed residence and converted it, extending it and turning the grounds into a tarmac carpark.

We noticed in the summer a heavy increase in cost. We had to go to the surgery in the middle of the night and somehow that and 1 injection landed us with a £215 bill.

[MRDIITD5]

I suggest you keep them type of opinions to yourself

BB

Edited by Ballistic Banana on Saturday 1st November 23:58

[m3jappa]

Sorry for you loss

These vets really fk me off. Really sneaky how they charge what they charge. They seem to prey on misfortune of peoples love for animals and they just know we will just pay it.

One of my staffs nearly drowned and was in a right old state, i took her to the vets after a few hours and was given a bill for £70, which i wasnt pleased about as it was just a jab and some pills.

Then about a year later she nearly drowned again (dogs a lunatic )
luck had it it was on bank holiday so off she went to the emergency vet.
This vet said they had to keep her in overnight (even though the symptons were the same as the first time) They really made me think she would die which just infuriated me.She wouldnt tell me even roughly what it would cost but made it clear i had no choice as my beloved dog would die if i took her with me. I hate to say but i threw a few fks into this vet, i said to her 'if i come back to a bill for £500 or more and a dead dog theres a fking problem ok' . she was a bit taken back by it , she was so cold and uncaring and i thought my dog would die i was just really pissed off.

Anyway get a call next day saying shes fine and the bill was something like £600. I was so pissed off with these people, i knew she just had a little water on her lungs. My poor dog spent the night terrified in a cage in some alien place, shes already been let down once by a nasty previous owner and i felt guilty for leaving her there, i just wanted to stay with her.
I,ve had other occurances with vets too and 9 times out of 10 they charge what i would deem totally unfair rates.

[ozzerr]

I got a 5 stone ten yr old german shepard who has been in and out of vets for years i have honestly paid well over 7 grand in bills.I then changed vets however the bills were still expensive but he does not seem to need to go as often because the new vet is treating his problem with the proper drugs the old vet was just easing his pain,not sure if it was a money making exercise or he was just not good at his job the latter i firmly believe.

[littlegreenfairy]

My vets are fantastic - they don't charge out of hours charges at the weekend (they hold a surgery on Sunday) and late late nights are about a 10% difference as they have a vet on site 24/7.

When my elderly (now deceased) hamster needed a few visits (more than 2) with no real need for treatment other than keeping the wound clean and putting savlon on it, the vet actually said to stop bringing him in, but if we needed anything to ring them, send a pic and they'd give a phone consultation as it was unfair to charge us. If he needed anti-biotics then we could just pop in and pick them up - a fiver for a bottle.

Mind you, they are always VERY busy and never heard a bad word about them. They even do free check ups for vaccinations - which comes to £30 for both for the rabbit - this includes a teeth check too.

I'd look for another vet...

[Jasandjules]

I wouldn't be paying a penny without a break down of the costs. You can then show that bill to the other vets and see if they think the charges are "reasonable" and ask what they would have charged. Then offer to pay the first vet that amount - because you didn't have an agreed price you are obliged to pay what is reasonable - if another vet would charge X amount less then it's reasonable to only pay that amount.

A hard lesson to learn, and quite frankly I am astounded they asked you for the money, when my mum had a dog put to sleep, she, through tears, asked how much, and they said you don't want to worry about that right now, go home. I think it took them about another week before they sent any kind of bill.. AS above, though I somehow think you will do so, it's get another vet time.

[Simpo Two]

I guess that if they quoted you £500 for the operation, and you accepted and they did it, then it's payable even if the cat died. However I agree they could have softened the blow by sending you an account after a suitable lapse of time. However if the performed the operation before getting your approval, I'd say that's their risk and therefore their loss.

[Chrispy Porker]

Surely this is why it is best to have insurance.