Advice please! Rip off vet

shaun_from_Africa

cajef wrote: »

You took the dog to a vets and told them it may have swallowed a screw, just what did you expect them to do

Maybe they expected the vet to put a magnet against the dog's stomach to see if they could feel the screw.

shaun_from_Africa

We all understand perfectly.
You had the opportunity to ask how much the treatment would be but you failed to do so.
If you didn't want opinions or advice from people on here, why bother asking in the first place?

marleyboy

benny1234black wrote: »

Ok let me explain it as simple as I can because you all dont understand anything at all.

I was 95% sure he swallowed it. If they said its £50 or something no probldm would have had an xray.

If they would have told me the actual cost i would have got my partner to DOUBLE check around the area he picked it up. Taking around 2 minutes to do it before proceeding.

2 minute is all it takes to choke. Maybe you should have delayed going for two minutes, whilst you looked for a screw. A vet cannot take the risk of hanging around for you to confirm what you already reported.

shaun_from_Africa

A example from a garage and not a vet but the principle is the same.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/consumer_w/consumer_cars_and_other_vehicles_e/cars_garage_repairs_and_services_e/charged_too_much_for_work_garage_repairs.htm

If you didn’t agree the price beforehand


You have a right under consumer law to be charged a reasonable amount. This should be what you and the garage consider to be fair.
To work out what's a fair price, ask other local garages what they would charge for the same work. This will give you an idea of a reasonable price. If you think the garage is charging too much, you can try negotiating to bring the price down. If the garage won’t negotiate, you can dispute the bill.

£130 is in line with what most vets charge for a consultation and x-ray, so as you didn't arrange a price beforehand, they are doing nothing wrong.

sulphate

When did this happen?

halibut2209

I love the weekends on MSE

Country_Cousin

You are not going to hear what you want to hear here, because what you want to hear is not correct. Your partner rang the vet for advice and was advised to take the dog to the vet - as is the correct practice because who can tell YOU if your dog has swallowed a screw without an examination and x-ray. What did you expect the vet to do - stand and look at the dog in the waiting room and determine by mind waves whether or not he had swallowed the screw. If you are a responsible pet owner you should have some clue about vet fees BEFORE taking on a dog. £130 is perfectly reasonable. If the fee was going to be a problem you should have asked beforehand. In fact I suspect if you were to look around the surgery or on their website their fees would be available. However I know that if my dog was in need of vet treatment I would not hang around and check costs and whether I was willing to pay - I would just want my dog to be treated and quickly. I would not choose to stand and haggle at the reception. desk.

shaun_from_Africa

And here is the legal side of it.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/29

15
Implied term about consideration.

(1)Where, under a contract for the supply of a service, the consideration for the service is not determined by the contract, left to be determined in a manner agreed by the contract or determined by the course of dealing between the parties, there is an implied term that the party contracting with the supplier will pay a reasonable charge.

So if £130 is what the average vet will charge, they are perfectly within their rights to charge you this amount.

gettingtheresometime

OK here's a real life comparison.

I thought my mutt had swallowed two of my sleeping tablets.

Now I didn't know for sure and I could have spent two minutes looking for them or I could get in touch with the vets and get their advice.

Now for that I was charged £60 (their advice was spot on btw) but I knew it was better to get him medical advice rather than hope the info I found on the internet (which was the same but free) was right and if he needed medical treatment then he'd get it sooner rather than later.

Personally I think £130 for out of hours vets plus an xray was cheap

arcon5

McKneff wrote: »

If your pet is ill, it really isn't up to you to dictate how a professional vet is going to treat it.


The vet will do the best it can for the animal, not your pocket.


I would get some pet insurance too.

Ops the customer of the vet, of course she can dictate what treatment is undertaken, an d equally they have the right to refuse the request being made for their services.

your deluded if you think a vet can just do as they please, regardless.

op also has every right to expect fees and policies to be transparent.

saying that i'm not sure what you expected op when they took the dog, but frankly this wasn't a time critical situation which needed the vets to make a split second decision. They should have consulted with the customer about the service they deemed most appropriate to supply.

I'd write a complaint op, maybe it'll open their eyes and make sure they discuss options first and not second.