fight with the vet

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Knowing the area quite well, which vets is this Kate ?

[Leanne]

  to you.

At work I often have to deal with veterinary accounts much like you are doing now. I often wonder how some vets are still in business as they way they conduct there record keeping is appalling. I find it stressful and yet I don't have a personal interest like you do here.

[swampmaxmum]

OH told them he didn't have time (he doesn't) to go through each and every treatment or tablet charged in 2009 and reconcile what was actually sent to the insurance company, as the vet can't identify what the outstanding amount relates to exactly. So he said he'd pay them the lump sum now. I understand as it's him that does the account - I am useless and stressed about it - but I did want him to deduct the £51 for having to take Max to the other local vets on the saturday before he passed away to get microlax, which this creep had refused to give him when he saw him just 2 hours earlier (he made us do a home enema for poor little dying Max, something which traumatises and haunts me still even though my baby Max forgave me. Plus it didn't work). 2 hours later Max was still going to the tray every 2 mins, I remember posting it all on here at the time. The other one took one look and gave him microlax (creep said it was bad for kidneys - it may be but Max was dying) and I could see was shocked.

Plus we really don't have time to go through the whole 2009 account to check each pill or consultation against what was sent. That would take a week's doing nothing else. Plus we mentioned but didn't refuse to pay the £24 charged every 2nd time for Swampy, when all consults except 1 all year, for when he had a new problem with his eye, were follow up consults, so that's £6 less each time.  OH was also thinking that we must put this dispute to bed as it's not good for us now, to have to revisit all this stress.

I wish I could name and shame this creep but am told it's against the law! So if anyone is in SE London and looking for a new vet, pm me about a certain one to avoid. But the insurance seem to have made an error possibly and so we may end up paying even more.  My little car just broke down with 10 hours labour and parts to pay for, about 1/2 what it's worth, so I am so upset.
Sorry to offload all of this on here

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

 

Today he went down with the account and got a barrage of hostility from the vet about how I was the most demanding and difficult client he's ever had, that the cats' palliative care meant he had no time for any other patients as he had to answer an email from me almost every day, then 

Apart from all the other rubbish, that is totally unprofessional.

[swampmaxmum]

thanks everyone     OH took in a final settlement cheque but the nurse wouldn't take it until the vet says ok. So OH emailed him and we will post it. He's not getting any more. We checked (it took OH hours of work to try to reconcile) the account and never mind all the overcharging, we decided we'd pay the difference between what he says is due all year and what he received. We need to put this all behind us. The problem is that the insurance say they paid him £370 which he's lost somewhere in the mess of his accounting system. Well that's between him and the insurance, we are not covering it.
My nice neighbour has started taking her dog to him as she's also got so fed up with the poor quality of the other vets she tried. Next time I see her, I'm going to have a word to say ask for invoices and check every single account. 

[Gillian Harvey]

Havent had mine come out to the house for a while - but a few years back it was about £40 + vat, expect its much more now, as all her prices have gone up.

[Mark]

thanks 

Mark, London is one thing but £32 to come 5 miles and this guy is £79 for under a mile - he is walking distance away (10 mins walk) or 3 mins in the car. He puts on a big act about how much he cares about the pets that he sees, but when you come to know him well, as I did, it's a big act. He certainly cares about his money!
 
The only other reasonable vet is 10 miles away. No plans to get any other pets for now but I would drive to them rather than use him, even if an emergency.

Another thing is most times they bring a VN as well. Mine charged £95 out of hours on a Sunday over new year. The vet had to drive from their other branch in Deal, 20+ miles away to their Herne Bay Branch to put Willow on  a drip.

My last vet didn't do home visits at all and used Vets Now OOH - so I suppose they are all different. The old vet had a driver who would bring animals to the surgery for a charge but that was all.

Thinking about how vets charges vary wildly, when I first got Kylie in 2002, I had to take her to the vet twice within a short period. Once she had a lump on her rear. The vet took her temp and said it looked as if it didn't need any meds or treatment as it was healing. That was £50 - another time she had an absess from a bite and was given Clavaseptin. That was £75 - so over £100 in today's prices I guess -  and that was me taking her there on the bus.

[Angiew]

I haven't called the vet out for some and not all will do it, My vet charges about £80 I think.

[swampmaxmum]

thanks 

Mark, London is one thing but £32 to come 5 miles and this guy is £79 for under a mile - he is walking distance away (10 mins walk) or 3 mins in the car. He puts on a big act about how much he cares about the pets that he sees, but when you come to know him well, as I did, it's a big act. He certainly cares about his money!
 
The only other reasonable vet is 10 miles away. No plans to get any other pets for now but I would drive to them rather than use him, even if an emergency.

[Mark]

Sorry you are going through so much grief with the horrible vet 

I usually have home visits as our vet is really reasonable. They charge £32 for a home visit + £23 (I think) for the consult on top. I typical example is about 2 months ago, Alice was sneezing a lot and I know she gets upset going in the car. Also the vet is 5 miles away so it is at least 2 hours out of my day so £32 seems worth the saving in grief, cat stress and time - also I'm not paying petrol etc.

A typical bill was £76 for Alice to have a Convenia shot done as a home visit. Out of hours is a different case, I think they charge £95 rather than £32. As far as I know, insurance doesn't pay out for home visits unless the vet decides they are necessary.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Sorry have never had any home visits 

This vet sounds a mess with his paperwork.

[bunglycat]

I am so sorry to hear all what you have been through with this awful vet - i think he should be named and shamed to stop anyone using him - what a utter callous 

I haven''t had any home visits yet , so sorry i can''t help with that -but it sounds like he is only i it for money and not for the animals welfare at all .


I really hope that one day when you take on another furbaby you will have a different and wonderful vet for the future .

Sending lots more of these for you 

[swampmaxmum]

Just posting this as I know so many of you were so wonderful to me with my battle to nurse both Swampy and Max over the 14 months to November last year. 
A few months ago, the vet came at us via his senior nurse, who does his accounts, with a huge (£1000) vet bill from Jan 2009 to Dec 2009 that he said we'd not paid. So we contested it as we always paid what we were told was due and the insurance co were brilliant and gave us all the info. It seems the vet's accounting system is dire and the nurse has been so unpleasant, accusing me of lying about the account etc. So OH has handled the whole dispute as he's good at doing stuff like that and accounts and has worked in law or paralegal work all his life.

Today he went down with the account and got a barrage of hostility from the vet about how I was the most demanding and difficult client he's ever had, that the cats' palliative care meant he had no time for any other patients as he had to answer an email from me almost every day, then the nurse claimed that Swampy wasn't seen for 2 1/2 hours after his september 08 accident as I refused to take him down when she told me to. (in fact it was her refusing to let me take him).  So OH gave it to them with both barrels for their behaviour and her lies, as well as their inept accounts.  It looks as though we'll be sending a cheque in full and final settlement as there is an amount due that their accounting system didn't reflect and although we seem to have been overcharged for appointments (more of that in a mo'), OH says that it's treatment received so we must pay. Just because their account's in a mess doesn't mean we don't have to pay something we do definitely owe. It's nothing like 1000 though.
I am so upset and am trying to put it behind me. What an awful creep he is. I always knew that he was anti what I was doing and anti palliative care (many of you remember my desperate posts on here). He probably only wished that my 2 boys hadn't been pts because it meant more money for him. He got about £8000 last year from the insurance and from us of course, our 35%.

Those of you who have home visits, as Swampy had to have for so long - does your vet charge per visit plus a consultation fee? ie this vet charged £79 for the visit and a further £24 for the consult during the visit, so each visit actually cost about £104.  Follow up consultations are meant to be at a reduced £18 but every second visit (for the same problems all year) he charged £24 again. Just wondered if this was standard practice?