PCR tests for travel - Are the charges fair?

Pollycat

It doesn't matter whether the price is reasonable or not.

It is what it is.

If you need a test to travel you either pay the price or don't travel.

Yahoo_Mail

Tucker said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Define "fair", they are businesses, charging for a service, so that they can make a profit. There is no compulsion to travel internationally, it is a choice and you have to deal with the cost of the test just as you would have to deal with the cost of having a passport, visas etc. for relevant countries.

The concept of "fair" is highly subjective, prices may come down over time, what is more likely is that they will be phased out and proof of immunisation will be required instead, £120 for a test for a virus, to allow one to undertake voluntary travel during a global pandemic does not seem onerous to me.

I don't know what is involved 

And that's really the problem.  I think that the NHS has shielded many people from the true cost of medicine, and when they're confronted with it, they just assume it can only be explained by profiteering.

Nope, medical treatment, tests, drugs etc are expensive.  Very expensive.  Just go look up prices for private dental treatment, or vets bills.  Not exactly cheap.  Welcome to the true cost of medicine.

[Deleted User]

Tucker said:

With countries like Spain now insisting on a private negative covid test prior to travel, it strikes me that the costs being charged for this are high. 

Are companies exploiting this situation charging £120 to £150 per test? 
It seems a lot and I'm sure it will be one of those things that will only reach a fair price over a period of time and for now, they can over charge for it. 
Or is there more to it and it's a fair price? 

Have to agree with previous- how can you define fair?  You either pay or don’t pay.   Prices for anything generally come down if, either, people don’t buy or there is competition with reduced prices.   In the meantime is what it is.   

JamoLew

I wonder who is behind all these testing companies and where are they getting the samples tested

You don't appear to need any particular professional qualification and just need access to a lab (which they probably pay for) and then skim a nice % off the top 

Good business opportunity

MattMattMattUK

JamoLew said:

I wonder who is behind all these testing companies and where are they getting the samples tested

It ranges from companies which already offered testing purely to medical services, through to the likes of BUPA who operate their own labs, universities sub-contracting lab space, start-up who have build labs and bought equipment from scratch etc. there is a really wide range of companies offering it.

JamoLew said:

You don't appear to need any particular professional qualification and just need access to a lab (which they probably pay for) and then skim a nice % off the top 

You might find that there are a few offering the service as a front end website, but from what I know of the testing it is done in proper labs, proper procedures, by existing medical testing companies, although many have brought in a lot more staff who have been trained up to run the test (which is so easy that most school children could run the lab tests).

JamoLew said:

Good business opportunity

I think it is if you were positioned right, ahead of the issue. Much like people trying to make a quick profit on PPE by thinking they can switch production over, then finding that the NHS supply chain will not touch them, it is often more complicated than it appears. As an example I did a quick bit of research on companies offering the PCR test on the first page of Google. None of the companies were set up this year, many were wholly owned subsidiaries of larger companies and two of them offered the PCR tests under different brands, but were the same Ltd.

JamoLew

That's really interesting. Thanks.

Those companies that can/have adapted to the pandemic see to be ok

Those that couldn't/didn't  on the other hand....

I feel for the couldn't -less so for the didn't

MattMattMattUK

JamoLew said:

Those companies that can/have adapted to the pandemic see to be ok

This year has for many companies be an adapt or die situation, of course others have flourished purely because of their position, my own businesses core operation is down hugely, at points this year it was non-existent and over the year is probably only going to be around 20% of previous years, however we adapted, pivoted and year on year we will probably achieve around 80% of last year's sales, albeit with increased costs and so lower margins and overall profit, but I have also seen competitors go bust because they sat there just hoping things would get better/go back to normal. 

JamoLew said:

Those that couldn't/didn't  on the other hand....
I feel for the couldn't -less so for the didn't

I also feel for those that could not, especially the whole sectors of the economy that have been shut down by the government, the government has seemed to at times have been deliberately vindictive towards certain sectors such as hospitality. I do also feel though that a recession and the subsequent clearing of dead wood was long overdue, too many companies that should have gone bust in 2008, or in the period since have lived off of cheap credit and it was always unsustainable, those companies are now facing the impact of their previous poor choices. 

welshmoneylover

Whether it’s fair or not is open to debate!
i wouldn’t want to be travelling as a family and have to pay these costs; ie 4 x £150 on top of holiday is a bit eye watering! That would be my spends ..€€ . Think I would go on my own lol 

[Deleted User]

welshmoneylover said:

Whether it’s fair or not is open to debate!
i wouldn’t want to be travelling as a family and have to pay these costs; ie 4 x £150 on top of holiday is a bit eye watering! That would be my spends ..€€ . Think I would go on my own lol 

Agree but I suspect people are going to have to get used to factoring “proof” into their holidays for some time to come if they want a holiday abroad.  Perhaps holiday costs will come down to compensate?  Well you can only hope for the best can’t you.  

Pollycat

Tedber said:

welshmoneylover said:

Whether it’s fair or not is open to debate!
i wouldn’t want to be travelling as a family and have to pay these costs; ie 4 x £150 on top of holiday is a bit eye watering! That would be my spends ..€€ . Think I would go on my own lol 

Agree but I suspect people are going to have to get used to factoring “proof” into their holidays for some time to come if they want a holiday abroad.  Perhaps holiday costs will come down to compensate?  Well you can only hope for the best can’t you.  

Maybe the 'proper' tour operators like TUI & Jet2 will offer a discount code for people booking with them. I read on Tripadvisor that somebody had used a TUI code for a test.

That will put online agents like OntheBeach, Loveholidays etc on the back foot.