CareVetNow.com - Warning that it could cost you much more

againstpeoplebeingrippedoff

Hi 

I recently used CareVetNow.com and wanted to share my experience because there aren't many reviews available. 

Carevetnow.com provides online access to veterinarian advice. The cost to speak to a vet was advertised at £3 which seemed good so I went ahead. At no point was I aware that after 3 days this would turn into a monthly subscription of £44.07. They took the money from my bank account and I've asked for a refund as I was unaware but they have refused. 

I probably should have dug around the website as it is mentioned deep in the FAQ but if you're just going through the 'speak to a vet now' option on the mobile site this isn't something you come across. So I'm concerned that people might not be aware. 

Am I right to think that there is a 14 day cooling off period for online subscriptions and that as such they CareVetNow.com need to refund me?

CareVetNow.com has a few other features which suggest it may not be entirely transparent:

• A Trustpilot logo that claims 4.8 stars from over 500 reviews and doesn't link anywhere (I can't find the company on Trustpilot anywhere either)
• A series of logos to prestigious media outlets e.g. Forbes, Business Insider but no links to any references and I can't find anything with an online search 
• Very beautiful people in the images that accompany the reviews. I mean maybe they just have gorgeous customers. Or maybe they're stock images and not real. 

You decide. 

You can see here a screenshot from the page asking for the £3. There's no mention of the additional subscription charge of £44 a month. This is quite possible mis-selling. 



How can I get a refund from CareVetNow?

I hope people will find my experience of using CareVetNow helpful when making a decision about getting veterinary advice online. 

Thanks if anyone has any views on this, I'd be very grateful as I'm quite upset at what's happened. 

againstpeoplebeingrippedoff

They have just now agreed to refund me. Thank you 

CliveOfIndia

againstpeoplebeingrippedoff said:

The cost to speak to a vet was advertised at £3 which seemed good so I went ahead. At no point was I aware that after 3 days this would turn into a monthly subscription of £44.07.

I probably should have dug around the website as it is mentioned deep in the FAQ

It's also clearly highlighted on the "Pricing" section on the website's front page :

https://www.carevetnow.com/pricing

againstpeoplebeingrippedoff

Yes. But if you click on the website on your mobile (the landing page from their Google Ad) then select the main call to action button 'speak to a vet now' it tells you it's £3 so you give them your card details and then bam the £44. That is clearly misleading. 

And then the cooling off period thing which they initially refused. 

Did you like the Trustpilot thing too?

sheramber

DID  'join now'  not make you think about what you were joining.

Pollycat

sheramber said:

DID  'join now'  not make you think about what you were joining.

That would have made me sufficiently wary to do some more checking before proceeding.

I don't trust Trustpilot.

PHK

sheramber said:

DID  'join now'  not make you think about what you were joining.

This is my thought. It doesn't say Pay Now, so £3 is clearly a joining fee. 

I would have checked what the ongoing costs were as it's obvious you couldn't have a professionals time for £3.

GrubbyGirl_2

Just for future reference if you become a Dogs Trust Companion for £25 a year you get unlimited access to their 24 hour vet phone.  I've been a member for years and it has other benefits that I have not needed to use but I have the comfort in knowing my £25 goes to a great cause

tryingtoavoidscams

PHK said:

sheramber said:

DID  'join now'  not make you think about what you were joining.

This is my thought. It doesn't say Pay Now, so £3 is clearly a joining fee. 

I would have checked what the ongoing costs were as it's obvious you couldn't have a professionals time for £3.

They were barely professionals- all the advice given could easily have been obtained with a free google search. It is just a dodgy website altogether- they will not send a reset link for my password, answer their contact help line (despite waiting for an hour). 

Pollycat

tryingtoavoidscams said:

PHK said:

sheramber said:

DID  'join now'  not make you think about what you were joining.

This is my thought. It doesn't say Pay Now, so £3 is clearly a joining fee. 

I would have checked what the ongoing costs were as it's obvious you couldn't have a professionals time for £3.

They were barely professionals- all the advice given could easily have been obtained with a free google search. It is just a dodgy website altogether- they will not send a reset link for my password, answer their contact help line (despite waiting for an hour). 

Your original post was a warning about the cost of the advice, not the quality of the service.

And why would you expect them to reset your password when they have refunded you?

againstpeoplebeingrippedoff said:

They have just now agreed to refund me. Thank you 

And...
You clearly have 2 accounts:
tryingtoavoidscams
againstpeoplebeingrippedoff

This is against MSE rules:

One person = one account

It keeps things simple, and we will act on duplicates and any attempts to bypass this.

  The MSE Forum Guide: Frequently Asked Questions & Rules (moneysavingexpert.com)

tryingtoavoidscams

In response to. @Pollycat
I am not the same person who started this thread; not sure why you have assumed this (so I guess it's not so 'clear', is it?  . I was sharing my own experience with them, which should also answer your question: they hadn't refunded me. That's why I needed to access my account and cancel a subscription I was unaware of. To reiterate, it is clearly a dodgy website. They have now refunded me, which indicates they had no legitimate basis to take and keep the payment; otherwise, they could have easily refused. Once I mentioned involving the bank, they succumbed- that says quite a lot. Companies that make profit off being forgetting to unsubscribe or, even worse, being unaware of a subscription are low and simply unethical- don't think this is quite disputable!