HELP: Vet Consultation fees

laneyg

Hi all

Hoping someone can advise me please

My little darling cat took poorly recently. I phoned the vet where she had been neutred a couple months previously. The vet gave me an option that would have cost me hundreds but having lost my job a couple of weeks previously and as a single parent it was an option i couldnt afford so i took the cheaper option for her to treated for an infection, total amount £75 which is alot of money when there is no wage coming in, however she is my pet and so i paid it, she was given anti bot's and i was told to come back in 3 days to see how she was getting on, i was not told i would have to pay a second "consultation fee" of £25, so i gets a call today asking me to settle up and I was confused and asked what this £25 was for, had i have known i would be charged again for a 30sec check over i wouldnt have bothered. I would really appreciate if someone can advise if this is normal procedure.
Thanks for reading and sharing my frustration
Me

rising_from_the_ashes

Sorry to hear your wee one's been unwell & pants to losing your job too.

Yup - it is normal practice.

A consultation charge is paid everytime you visit the vets. However, it's usual for the follow up ones to be slightly less than the initial ones - when Maisie was unwell a couple of weeks ago, our 1st consultation charge was £25, with the follow up the next day being £22.50.

chris_n_tj

Sorry to hear about your poor kitty, i hope he has picked up abit tonight. As for Vet fee's ours charges less for follow ups but some do charge the same rate.

I am also sorry to hear you are having problems money wise, can I ask if you are in recipt of housing benifit? If so you can apply for PDSA which will be a help to you. x

laneyg

Hi

Thanks for the advice, i'm shocked i have to say, cant believe these charges. I didnt stay unemployed for too long as thats not me and although my earnings are low and i would be entitled to housing benefit, i havent applied due to experience of been stung for £1800 when i previously was out of work for a year, gave them everything and then a year on they told me i was over paid so cant go thru stress of hb again, rather struggle and get on with it. just really disappointed in the veterinary system

krlyr

My vets don't generally charge for quick checkups like this.
May possibly be worth a call to CAB/Trading Standards to see where you stand if they did not make the second consultation fee obvious at the time?

mynameistallulah

You have not explained why you do not have insurance?

loulou123

Normal practice at my vets I'm afraid, but with my last dog, as he was so poorly over a long period of time, they didn't charge for 'quick' check up appointments, where they didn't actually do anything, but this was just because the staff had got so used to seeing us and my dog!

But generally speaking, the second you walk into vets, you will pay consultation fee, and any treatment on top of that.

Hope your cat is on the mend now.

laneyg

I dont have insurance as silly me thought "i would not need it" hard lesson learned.

snowman2_2

laneyg wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for the advice, i'm shocked i have to say, cant believe these charges. just really disappointed in the veterinary system

If you want to see the vet, take up a 10 minute or thereabouts slot, you will have to pay the charge. Private doctors do this, dentists do this and as for lawyers, they will charge you if they write a letter or answer the phone to you. I don't know very many, if any vets that will charge like a lawyer.

Saying that, if it literally was a 30 second check, I would probably not have charged a loyal client. Maybe on a packed Saturday morning or Friday night when the check up could have been done at a quieter time ...... but I look after my loyal clients.

We need to get away from the system - and are being encouraged by government and market forces - where vets make their money from drug sales to a system where our professional time is charged for. Unfortunately, people don't seem to value vets as much these days yet expect higher and higher standards of care. There are times I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not the job I started in last century.

Hope your cat is doing well now

tango

My vet does not charge for follow up appointments, so not all vets do . With vets it is always worth asking about charges beforehand,as surprises like this aren't pleasant

gettingready

My previous vet did not charge either.
Current does.... £32.00 jut to walk through the door.