I Must Have 'Rip Me Off' Written Across My Forehead!

[Mrs.Clooney]

I don't have a money tree growing in my garden. However, for some reason, I think some people think I do!

Overnight my lovely golden retriever became very unwell. My hubby and I were hugely concerned about him this morning and as my vet was closed (it was before 7am, their answer machine suggested we contact the royal vet College in emergencies. I spoke at length to an intern vet who suggested that if I was so concerned, to bring my dog to them in North Mymms (like 10 miles away).

This I did upon which Benji received a consultaion by another intern and a student. The intern told me that he was dehydrated and would need an intravenous drip and as he was not registered at the college, I had the option of them giving initial treatment for later referral back to my vet or I could take him back immediately to my vet (as he would be open now) and have him assessed there.

I opted to go straight back to my vet as they did not think he was in any imminent danger and for this they charged me £107.61 and this was with a discount of £25. No treatment, just a 20 minute consult by an intern and it cost me £107.61 .

2 hours later my extremely experienced vet told me that although Benji had gastroenteritis, he did not need a drip. He gave him 3 injections for inflammation, nausea and an antibiotic. This plus 3 tins of high protein diet cost only £47.27.

Am I missing something here apart from a wad of cash from my pocket? I don't put a price on my beloved doggies head, but this is ludicrous surely?

 

[glitz]

That does not make sense does it? When we were training could we have got away with charging more than a qualified tech would? I don`t think so....

Sounds like they have also still got a lot to learn. I know vet fee`s can vary in great amounts but that is as you say "Rip Off". Did they have a list of standard consultation charges up?

 

[Zo Zo]

Maybe it was so expensive because it was 'out of hours'. Did you ask, when you rang, how much it was going to be?

 

[Bagpuss]

i wonder if it was cos it was out of hours...??? really i think they should have informed you of any costs before doing anything...not that they did alot anyway.

i have been stung a few times like this so now i always ask everyone "how much will this cost"...even taxi drivers.

 

[Bagpuss]

Maybe it was so expensive because it was 'out of hours'. Did you ask, when you rang, how much it was going to be?

:lol: great minds x

 

[Snugglepuss]

Aww Tracey hun :hug:

I know what you mean about being stung BUT mine was with the "normal vet"

£116 for a box of 28 tablets and a blood test for scraggy Bo Cat

and like you - there is no way that I would put a price on Bo's head - but what happens to those people who truly can not afford the cost - such as the old age generation???

Hope your lovely Benji is feeling better soon :hug::hug::hug:

 

[Marlise]

That's quite a shock and exactly the reason why I've got pet insurance.

I would never be without it as I don't ever want to be in a position were a vet tells me "Oh, it will cost X" and me not being able to afford it.

I'm with M&S and for 3 cats "fully comp" it costs me £80 a year with NO EXCESS !!

Four months ago one of my cats was diagnosed with an under active thyroid gland and she needs to have blood tests every month and meds daily. To have the tests done and get a months supply of meds, costs a £140 every month !

Over the past 5 months, I have gotten my money back 5 times over. M&S are really good and process your claim within a couple of days and you have your cheque. No hassle. They are also the only pet insurers that I know of where you can choose to have a Zero Excess which means you get back all your money !

A lot of times, you go to the vet for a check up or something because you are worried about your pet and it costs £30 - £40, but because your excess normally is £50, it's not worth claiming or you can't claim at all.

So, with the policy that I have, I can claim my £30 - £40 back, not problem.

Might be worth while looking into it for your dog :hug:



Marlise

 

[VHunter]

It DISGUSTS me how some veterinarians will charge obscene prices and add on unnecessary services:irked:

I've seen it time and again.

I dont know why there can't be a governing body to regulate that sort of thing. Everyone has a pet these days, they're members of our family.
How many pets don't get the necessary care because of costs?
It's unfair.:cry:

When I had to put a cat down, a few places wanted to charge a surcharge of 35 to 50$ if I wanted to stay in the room with my pet while he "moved on"
I finally found a place that didn't make profit from my misery, and been with them ever since and have discovered that there ARE vets that care, and aren't in it "just" for the money.

it's horrible how some businesses take advantage of people knowing they're in a tight spot with no other options.
:irked:

 

[Sals]

Ask for an itemised bill. I was a trainee veterinary nurse back in the dark ages :green: and I know for a fact some vets rip people off. One of the vets at the practice I worked at used to give every cat and dog a vitamin B12 injection and charge £16!! And this was back in the late eighties.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

We did have Benji insured years ago. However, unfortunately he is prone to skin irritations and tummy upsets and our insurance company refused to pay out anymore for him so no point in keeping up the insurance.

I have written a stonking letter to the college telling them that I think their prices are outrageous irrespective of in or out of hours.

I am sick and tired of people taking the p-ss to be honest. If my mechanic had not fought my corner for my car, I would have been charged in excess of £1000 for a new clutch :grr: .

 

[Zo Zo]

I'm sure I'm going to get all kinds of backlash from your mates but surely this should be in your blog Tracey? And tbh I don't think they did anything wrong. Their bill goes towards the running of their operation, not just the appointment you attended. And I'm assuming you didn't ask in advance what the cost would be, you made the choice to take him, it was your choice.

It's a bit like a client saying, £40 is a lot for a set of nails... I'd be like.. 'did I ask you to come? no, you asked me for the appointment!'

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

I'm sure I'm going to get all kinds of backlash from your mates but surely this should be in your blog Tracey? And tbh I don't think they did anything wrong. Their bill goes towards the running of their operation, not just the appointment you attended. And I'm assuming you didn't ask in advance what the cost would be, you made the choice to take him, it was your choice.

It's a bit like a client saying, £40 is a lot for a set of nails... I'd be like.. 'did I ask you to come? no, you asked me for the appointment!'

Zo Zo I posted in chit chat because I am going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment and I needed a bit of chit chat with my geek mates. I don't do it often as I mostly post in my blog. However today I'm feeling shaky and the last couple of weeks have been very stressful for me.

I think your post is insensitive tbh. As the saying goes, if you have nothing nice to say, then please don't say it!

 

[amirose]

I recently spent £2500 on various tests for my whippet Jade. After £150 we were sent to a critical care centre where we spent another £1800 then back to my normal vets were we spent the last £550. We didn't get a diagnosis but we did have insurance. Jades better now she recovered all by herself

Vets are expensive and just the consultation at the critical care centre was £150 - compared to £50 at my normal vets.

That being said the critical care centre had more advaned testing, MRI scanners etc

I hope Benji is ok its a shame you were unable to keep up the insurance but its a pleasure to hear you are doing your best for him :green::hug:

Ami

 

[sj1973]

how disgusting ....i took my little dog to another vet,s once as my normal vet was shut for dinner ( i suppose that,s out of hour,s,as they had the emergency number which i rang ) my dog had inflamation of her eye,s as next door was putting weed killer down and she got toooooo close (nosey like her owner i suppose!) they give her anti -bio injection and it cost me £25......which i thought was good.....20 min chat for over £100

 

[Snugglepuss]

I'm sure I'm going to get all kinds of backlash from your mates but surely this should be in your blog Tracey? And tbh I don't think they did anything wrong. Their bill goes towards the running of their operation, not just the appointment you attended. And I'm assuming you didn't ask in advance what the cost would be, you made the choice to take him, it was your choice.

It's a bit like a client saying, £40 is a lot for a set of nails... I'd be like.. 'did I ask you to come? no, you asked me for the appointment!'

Zo Zo I posted in chit chat because I am going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment and I needed a bit of chit chat with my geek mates. I don't do it often as I mostly post in my blog. However today I'm feeling shaky and the last couple of weeks have been very stressful for me.

I think your post is insensitive tbh. As the saying goes, if you have nothing nice to say, then please don't say it!

One of the reasons I do not post as much recently is because I have got to the point where you never know what you dare say for fear of someone taking offence, each time I post I read and double read to ensure my post doesn't offend! Well perhaps I should speak a bit more openly because being nice doesn't get you anywhere!

Zo Zo, I would like to think that each and every geek is my friend or mate - even if we have "run ins" from time to time!

Tracey is obviously concerned about Benji and the Chit Chat Forum is for exactly that - chit chat - it is what makes the Salon Geek a true community! How would we know someones personal views if we did not sit and have a chat????

Blogs are also a great place to get to know each other - but they can be public or private and is somewhere (I believe) that non members can not access! So if it is ok for the public to view why should it not go in chit chat????

Sure no one wants to know about how many pimples my best mate has on her ass - but even if I posted that in chit chat everyone, has a choice as to whether or not they read it - just like you had the choice to read the above posts from Mrs C - you yourself also, correctly identified that Mrs C had a choice in whether she went to the Out of hours vet - the point (I believe) she was making was that it cost her more than she thought and for no result or action!

I understand fully where she is coming from with regard to the cost - be it from an emergency vet OR a day to day vet - I took a deep intake of breath when I was asked for £116 quid for Bo Cat - I didn't ask how much it cost because I am more concerned for his health and well being! However, I do think that it is expensive and when an animal gets to a certain age - insurers don't always want to insure the pet you adore!

I'm going now - waffled on too much especially when what I actually wanted to say concisely was -

CHIT CHAT is the epicentre of our social side (IMHO) of the geek site!

 

[the nail fairy]

I'm sorry to hear about your beautiful dog..

4 months ago, our beautiful Norwegian elkhound. tried jumping up on our bed and fell.. He injured his hip, we thought he would get better, but after a day or so of him hopping on three legs, we decided to take him to our Vet.. When we arrived "Our Vet" was not in that day, so we had her partner check him out...He immedialteyl took X-rays, that cost $350.00. Then he said, do to his age he would not suggest operating on him ans he would not make it.. ( he is 12 yrs old)..
So we went home with some pain killers for him.. About two weeks later, our Vet phoned me and asked how Smokie was doing, I told her he was on the mend... She then said that he should be operated on!! because those types of dogs are very Stoic and will not let you know when they are in pain!!
She made me feel that I was not a good Pet owner.. ( Let me tell you, we treat our dog like our very own child!!) we adore him, and love him to bits.
I told her that we have decided to not operate at this time, as Smokie seems to be doing much better!!. ( Like I would go to her again) !!

Then just two weeks ago our beloved Cat "Tommie" got gravely ill and had to be put down, ( he was 15 yrs old) we phoned around to several Vet's and were told that it was going to cost $170.00 ( because my daughter wanted to hold him while he passed on)..

I am just sooo disgusted with the Vet's.. As far as I am concerned they pull at your heartstrings, and make you feel guilty.. ( Yes.. I know there are good ones out there too).. But this has been my experience!!



Janet

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Tracey is obviously concerned about Benji and the Chit Chat Forum is for exactly that - chit chat - it is what makes the Salon Geek a true community! How would we know someones personal views if we did not sit and have a chat????

Blogs are also a great place to get to know each other - but they can be public or private and is somewhere (I believe) that non members can not access! So if it is ok for the public to view why should it not go in chit chat????

Sure no one wants to know about how many pimples my best mate has on her ass - but even if I posted that in chit chat everyone, has a choice as to whether or not they read it - just like you had the choice to read the above posts from Mrs C - you yourself also, correctly identified that Mrs C had a choice in whether she went to the Out of hours vet - the point (I believe) she was making was that it cost her more than she thought and for no result or action!

CHIT CHAT is the epicentre of our social side (IMHO) of the geek site!

You said it very well Debs. Sorry if I did not get this point across. What upset me was that, as you say, I left the college with no result or action and I ended up seeing my own vet an hour after he opened, whereas I could have saved myself and Benji the 20 mile round trip and would have been at my vets door to get seen first thing.

I am not saying the college should not have charged for the consultation. I just can't see how their ludicrous fee can be justified and in the end it served my dog no purpose except put him through needless trauma. He hates vets with a passion.

I bear no grudge against the lovely intern vet. She was just doing her job to the best of her ability.

 

[fificharlie]

You said it very well Debs. Sorry if I did not get this point across. What upset me was that, as you say, I left the college with no result or action and I ended up seeing my own vet an hour after he opened, whereas I could have saved myself and Benji the 20 mile round trip and would have been at my vets door to get seen first thing.

I am not saying the college should not have charged for the consultation. I just can't see how their ludicrous fee can be justified and in the end it served my dog no purpose except put him through needless trauma. He hates vets with a passion.

I bear no grudge against the lovely intern vet. She was just doing her job to the best of her ability.

Here here,

I for one think this is a great chit chat thread! We face situations with our animals from time to time, and its great to know what other people have gone through, makes you feel less 'alone'

its called human nature!

I took my little guinea pig to the vet about 6 weeks after I got him, as he wasn't putting on any weight! The vet gave him and antibiotic injection, charged me 20 quid, then told me he was the runt of the litter, so wouldnt grow much bigger anyway!!!!! :irked:

I really hope your golden gets better Tracey, I have a golden too and she is one of the family. They are wonderful dogs x

 

[Danger Mouse]

Tracy- Sorry to hear you got stung, it so annoying when things like this happen:hug:
By voicing your views in chit chat, I am now aware and know to think twice about going there in the future, I'm sure if you had wrote it in your blog, I wouldn't have seen it, so thank you.

I took my little guinea pig to the vet about 6 weeks after I got him, as he wasn't putting on any weight! The vet gave him and antibiotic injection, charged me 20 quid, then told me he was the runt of the litter, so wouldnt grow much bigger anyway!!!!! :irked:

Its amazing they cost more than we do at times lol We took Rico (Dragon) to the vet recently for her weird eating habit, she had an Xray and antibiotics fluid £75!!! But I feel better knowing she alright.

 

[VHunter]

In all honesty, I have given up on 'journals'/blogs'.
I found the journals themselves difficult to navigate, and the blogs more so.
Not as simplified as the forum.. and when I'm short on time, I find it easier to catch up with friends via chit-chat, then searching through blogs to see what's new.

Hence one of the reasons why I don't write much anymore... for fear of being chastised for posting in the chit-chat forum.

I'm glad you posted about this. It's something that played on my mind recently, with my poor George being 13yrs old.. going blind... arthritic... I worry of what's to come and whether vet expenses will prevent me from 'stretching' out his lifespan comfortably and cause me to end his suffering.. when the time comes.:cry:

To my knowledge, "chit-chat" is for non-industry subjects, for which we want feedback. In the forum, you're guaranteed feedback. Maybe not so much in the blogs.
I don't see what the issue is of sharing it.

As wisely stated, we may chose what we want to read and disregard what we don't. If someone doesnt want to read it, THEN JUST DON'T.
Not complicated. Why moan about it?

This is a tight knit, loving community. Let's please keep it that way, and while keeping it professional, let's please maintain the close bonds by sharing of ourselves, and by being interested in the tid-bits we learn of one another.

:hug: