Money
- Thread starter Automan
- Start date
Years ago,not with the vet I have now. Dog in for a procedure , asked roughly how much. About £200.Yep go ahead. Picked up the dog and the bill £400.21p. Paid the bill. But questioned it. The young girl on reception ( bless her) said she would have a word with the vet. The vet phoned me and said call in and he would explain the bill, called and made an appointment. All explained such as 6p per plastic glove and other sundries etc.Thanks to the vet you've sorted out my dog. On the way out the young receptionist ( bless her) said that'll be £35 please . Why I asked, well that's another consultation.
Phil fox man
Well-Known Member
1 p for the tablets and £40 because they can.
Alex88
Well-Known Member
Sadly it took 25 minutes of administration, form filling and record keeping for a vet to legally sell you those tablets. Time which is only profitable if the end product is inflated. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork and unnecessary form filling we are forced to do by corporate bosses, and the RCVS. Hours and hours a day. I've worked out if I work a 10 hour day, on average I'm with a customer or patient, and earning, for 3 hours. The other 7 hours also has to be paid for during those 3. Compared to for example, an employed electrician, who save for a few free quotes and popping to the wholesaler, is earning money the whole time he is at work. I've also worked out that our bills are less than that charged by local mechanics, the cheapest of which quoted £745 to change a timing belt on my work van, which I then had to do myself (as im very tight). It took me1.5 hours, so i suspect even less for a pro. The parts cost £120. I also had a complaint the other day from a farmer who told us we should be embarrassed to "charge that much per hour" because that's "almost as much as his John Deere main dealer", I'm still not really sure how I feel about that.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Go to vets for medications aaaaahhhhhhhh
Buy online...little aarghh
Buy online...little aarghh
A man brought a very limp dog into the veterinary clinic. As he lay the dog on the table, the doctor pulled out his stethoscope, placing the receptor on the dog's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, but your dog has passed away."
"What?" screamed the man. "How can you tell? You haven't done any testing on him or anything. I want another opinion!"
With that, the vet turned and left the room. In a few moments, he returned with a Labrador Retriever. The Retriever went right to work, checking the poor dead dog out thoroughly with his nose. After a considerable amount of sniffing, the Retriever sadly shook his head and said, "Bark" (meaning "dead as a doornail").
The veterinarian then took the Labrador out and returned in a few moments with a cat, who also carefully sniffed out the poor dog on the table. As had his predecessors, the cat sadly shook his head and said, "Meow" (meaning "he's history"). He then jumped off the table and ran out of the room.
The veterinarian handed the man a bill for £600. The dog's owner went berserk. "£600! Just to tell me my dog is dead? This is outrageous!"
The vet shook his head sadly and explained. "If you had taken my word for it, the charge would have been £50, but you wanted the Lab work and the cat scan."
"What?" screamed the man. "How can you tell? You haven't done any testing on him or anything. I want another opinion!"
With that, the vet turned and left the room. In a few moments, he returned with a Labrador Retriever. The Retriever went right to work, checking the poor dead dog out thoroughly with his nose. After a considerable amount of sniffing, the Retriever sadly shook his head and said, "Bark" (meaning "dead as a doornail").
The veterinarian then took the Labrador out and returned in a few moments with a cat, who also carefully sniffed out the poor dog on the table. As had his predecessors, the cat sadly shook his head and said, "Meow" (meaning "he's history"). He then jumped off the table and ran out of the room.
The veterinarian handed the man a bill for £600. The dog's owner went berserk. "£600! Just to tell me my dog is dead? This is outrageous!"
The vet shook his head sadly and explained. "If you had taken my word for it, the charge would have been £50, but you wanted the Lab work and the cat scan."
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
one of my customers moaned what a vet had charged him on a sunday for an emergency visit, his dog had eaten a sock. knocked it out and removed sock from stomach.
i stopped him and said patrick you are a barrister moaning about charging? pot kettle?
he said that was a bit close to the bone.
no one has to have an animal. fair play to the vets
i stopped him and said patrick you are a barrister moaning about charging? pot kettle?
he said that was a bit close to the bone.
no one has to have an animal. fair play to the vets
Everyone thinks they aren't paid enough and thinks everyone else is paid to much. It's simple really.
Totally genuine question now, would anyone be happy to say what they would be happy to pay for a consultation? As in you walk in to discuss a problem,it is discussed to your satisfaction and no treatment is needed. What would be a cost you would say, "ok, thats fair!" ?
I'm genuinely interested here!
I'm genuinely interested here!
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
I suspect that people "set the price" to suit the person, its done in all dealerships. When my old old dog had his jaw broken and when for the first time in his 14 years he visited the vet I asked for a quote and to simplify things I said " if its over the top he`s coming back home with me"
Vet knew what that was meant to be and knew I wasn't some histrionic 'save at all costs person'
Job done, it certainly cost me as he was well worth it but not to the point of being gouged.
I will bet that the quote would well have been higher if I was a sobbing wreck.
Vet knew what that was meant to be and knew I wasn't some histrionic 'save at all costs person'
Job done, it certainly cost me as he was well worth it but not to the point of being gouged.
I will bet that the quote would well have been higher if I was a sobbing wreck.
Imagine what the bill would have been if you’d actually seen the vet!
I cant speak for every vet (or practice) and certainly not every situation but honestly, this has never happened on my watch. The bill is dependent on work done. That in turn depends on what the client wants after discussion about what is appropriate and possible in any given situation. A lower bill is simply reflective of less work done, fewer diagnostics chosen and fewer medications prescribed, often due to a simpler/less severe issue. A higher one comes about from a more complex problem requiring more work to be done and more medications. Sometimes a lower bill is indeed reflective of someone not having as much of a budget to spend and this often represents a compromise from so called "Gold Standard" but a higher bill should never be the result of exploiting someones emotional state.
Does this feeling of price gouging come about because people feel that they have not had value for money from a visit to the vets?
Take a hypothetical situation with a car and the garage:
Concentric slave blows, car has 90,000 on the original clutch. Mechanic strips it diagnoses and advises needs a slave and "Gold Standard" would suggest that a clutch kit is fitted at the same time (possible fluid contamination, highish mileage etc)
Would this be seen as upselling? Gouging? or simply responsible advice from a professional, avoiding potential extra labour costs down the line? For arguments sake, mechanic doesnt mention fitting a clutch kit as he doesnt want clients bill being any higher than absolutely essential. 3 months later clutch goes and needs all the labout again to change the clutch now!
Was the mechanic incompetent? disingenous? or simply doing it as cheap as they can?
Please do not infer any tone from this post in any way. I just really want to understand why there is such a vehement resentment of the veterinary profession and why vets are just seen as money grabbers! There are a host of professions where the money comes a damn sight faster and easier than being a vet!
Nothing like seeing the good in people
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Please elaborate.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
'sometimes' money grabbers not always.
Lawyers are renowned
As are plumbers lol.
Anecdotal evidence from many suggests that there is a gouging element in all professions.
I would suggest that if Mrs Kafooks brought in Fluffy the dog wearing matching pink booties that the price would have been higher...like pickpockets...'pick your mark'
30 minutes consultation with no treatment I would hope to pay £30-40
No idea what the actual price would be….
That's me done then I'm a plumber. Where is that next granny to rip off so I can find my lifestyle.
Does that mean if I make 40k a year I can call everyone that makes more than that a robbing barstard and not worth the money.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
A plumber mate here has been such for 60 years,I worked for/alongside and with him for a lot of those years. Believe me I haven't seen a gouger like him in my life ha ha.
He is building a couple of dwellings atm for himself and doesn't he whinge about the cost of fellow trades too ha ha.
BUT I do believe that there are the non gougers among them.
He is building a couple of dwellings atm for himself and doesn't he whinge about the cost of fellow trades too ha ha.
BUT I do believe that there are the non gougers among them.
Similar threads
