Neighbourhood Vet overcharging?

[Peckhampam]

Just to say it is certainly only about the prices.  I remember Suzanne from when my cat Milly Molly Mandy was ill.  She was very kind and I am sure that has not changed or that she would have vets in the practice who were not well qualified and kind.

[sandyman]

Just following up on vet's charges - we normally get our flea, tick, worm pills from our vet - a chain but not Neighbourhood Vet. They are already way more expensive than buying them online - £55 for three pills whereas a quick search shows them for sale online for £18. No prescription is needed, we've bought similar over the counter at Pets At Home but were advised to change the brand. My partner called to order more and was now told we have to make an appointment for a check up before they will supply them - another £58 for the check up.

[Sue]

On 25/05/2024 at 08:27, sandyman said:

Just following up on vet's charges - we normally get our flea, tick, worm pills from our vet - a chain but not Neighbourhood Vet. They are already way more expensive than buying them online - £55 for three pills whereas a quick search shows them for sale online for £18. No prescription is needed, we've bought similar over the counter at Pets At Home but were advised to change the brand. My partner called to order more and was now told we have to make an appointment for a check up before they will supply them - another £58 for the check up.

Sorry, probably a silly question, but if you can get the same pills online for a third of the price, why would you continue to buy them from the vet?

Have I missed something here?

[Mystic Mog]

Sue, if they are prescription only then the vet has to supply the script.  Unfortunately, some vets rip you off with the price of it.  You have to have the prescription to order on line.  Sorry forget all that, just read the original message and I am now, doubly confused.  Help, more coffee needed!!!! 😊

Edited May 28, 2024 by Mystic Mog
More info

[sandyman]

4 hours ago, Mystic Mog said:

Sue, if they are prescription only then the vet has to supply the script.  Unfortunately, some vets rip you off with the price of it.  You have to have the prescription to order on line.  Sorry forget all that, just read the original message and I am now, doubly confused.  Help, more coffee needed!!!! 😊

Hi, tbh i'm a bit confused myself and i wrote that post. Things seems to have changed since our last batch of pills. i think when you have a dog you want the best for them and have to trust the experts. We originally bought pills over the counter that were much cheaper but we took our dog to a sitter and it turned out he had fleas so we were advised to get a stronger brand from the vet. And yes, they were cheaper online but we wondered whether the websites were legit, we didn't want to buy anything 'dodgy' or should that be 'doggy'? And now the rules have changed and the strong pills that could be bought without a prescription now require a prescription anyway....

...and this is where the lack of transparency re vets charges previously discussed also comes in...i'll try to be brief...

last week my partner called to order the pills and was told there is an extra £58 charge for a check up to get them. I cancelled the appointment and said I'd buy them online, only to discover, as i explained earlier, that you now need that prescription to buy them online. So this morning I called the vet again to make an appointment to have the consultation to get the prescription pills and was told the price of the consultation is £10, not £58.

The appointment is tomorrow so I'll report back then - but a question for consumer experts - if you are quoted a price of £10 when booking and then they say the charge is £58 after the consultation do they legally have to honour the £10 quote?

hope that's clearer...to be continued....

 

 

Edited May 28, 2024 by sandyman

[Mystic Mog]

Good luck, keep us posted!  Hopefully the inquiry into vets pricing will help.

 

[Jules-and-Boo]

I just went to the vet (medivet) and was advised to buy Advantage online rather than prescription

[sandyman]

On 28/05/2024 at 13:33, Mystic Mog said:

Good luck, keep us posted!  Hopefully the inquiry into vets pricing will help.

 

quick follow up - medication all sorted and was charged £22. Reasonable but seemed to bear little relation to the £58 my partner was quoted and the £10 i was quoted. i asked for an explanation and the receptionist didn't know. They said they'd email a full invoice/receipt but we haven't received anything yet. Not complaining about the price but do feel there's a lack of transparency. It's almost as if they make it up as they go along.

[Mystic Mog]

Which vet was this?  Glad you got the problem sorted.😊

[Callie]

I find it annoying that receptionists there don’t know the prices of anything as anywhere else you go they have a list and can give you the information when you ask for it.

[Froglander]

You & Yours, Radio 4, is doing a programme today on the costs of keeping a pet, which will include vet fees.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Froglander

[Jenijenjen]

Here is a link to an article about vets and support staff on strike at a practice in Wales about pay and conditions.

 

NOTE This is not the same company that owns The Neighbourhood Vet

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/18/vets-extend-strike-in-first-industrial-action-to-hit-britains-pet-care-sector

 

Edited August 18, 2024 by Jenijenjen
Forgot to insert link

[Froglander]

On 29/05/2024 at 15:52, sandyman said:

quick follow up - medication all sorted and was charged £22. Reasonable but seemed to bear little relation to the £58 my partner was quoted and the £10 i was quoted. i asked for an explanation and the receptionist didn't know. They said they'd email a full invoice/receipt but we haven't received anything yet. Not complaining about the price but do feel there's a lack of transparency. It's almost as if they make it up as they go along.

Which branch of Medivet is this?  You should be complaining about the price if they gave you three different ones.   Medivet used to charge circa £60 for titer tests and they now charge circa £260.     

[Froglander]

On 18/08/2024 at 09:05, Jenijenjen said:

Here is a link to an article about vets and support staff on strike at a practice in Wales about pay and conditions.

 

NOTE This is not the same company that owns The Neighbourhood Vet

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/18/vets-extend-strike-in-first-industrial-action-to-hit-britains-pet-care-sector

 

You & Yours, Radio 4, is covering this today.

[Jules-and-Boo]

we use Medivet on LL - haven't had an issue at all.  Costs are reasonable.

NHV on other hand always seems a little over keen to do anything that is going to cost a lot. They suggested medication for my cat that cost over £600 0 really they should have said she was end of life and not to put her through that. I let it go but they did exactly the same to my other old cat and put her through lots of tests totally unnecessary and quite cruelly. She was never going to live any longer - I took their advice as they should know.

And then, trying to make an appointment yesterday morning, the receptionist didn't like me asking to continue an earlier conversation with the other receptionist and was incredibly rude,  I just asked if I could speak to the person I had spoken to previously. I was told "there's no point", said I had an attitude, that they would hang up on me and he would not tolerate me shouting. None of which I did.

I called back later, asked for the Admin manager to call me and they haven't.

 

 

[Azalea]

59 minutes ago, Jules-and-Boo said:

we use Medivet on LL - haven't had an issue at all.  Costs are reasonable.

NHV on other hand always seems a little over keen to do anything that is going to cost a lot. They suggested medication for my cat that cost over £600 0 really they should have said she was end of life and not to put her through that. I let it go but they did exactly the same to my other old cat and put her through lots of tests totally unnecessary and quite cruelly. She was never going to live any longer - I took their advice as they should know.

And then, trying to make an appointment yesterday morning, the receptionist didn't like me asking to continue an earlier conversation with the other receptionist and was incredibly rude,  I just asked if I could speak to the person I had spoken to previously. I was told "there's no point", said I had an attitude, that they would hang up on me and he would not tolerate me shouting. None of which I did.

I called back later, asked for the Admin manager to call me and they haven't.

 

 

Are you saying that you use both vets but only have problems with NV? If so then why do you use them?

[Jules-and-Boo]

NHV were brilliant with cruciate ligament ops on the dog and so - until these recent experiences with the cats, I did trust them. I haven't had anything as serious need attention with MV and use them as they are closer (minor things like claws, checks). 

I was exploring NVH as have kittens that need vaccs etc and looking at their Pet Plans as they are supposed to be transferable.

When you have had exceptionally good but also bad experiences, it's always worth looking into. I'm waiting for NHV to contact me. In the meantime, we're using MV and are very happy with them.

[Becks]

Medivet offer a better service (polite, personal and reasonable costings) than NV. I have been totally ripped off by them and changed vets recently even though now I have to get the bus if a vet visit is needed. I am very happy to do so. I only wishedI knew how awful NV was before I first got my cat!! 😟

[Azalea]

1 hour ago, Becks said:

Medivet offer a better service (polite, personal and reasonable costings) than NV. I have been totally ripped off by them and changed vets recently even though now I have to get the bus if a vet visit is needed. I am very happy to do so. I only wishedI knew how awful NV was before I first got my cat!! 😟

Can you please give more info regarding being ripped off etc and when?  They used to have an excellent reputation until they sold out to another company.   Which Medivet do you go to?

[Azalea]

I wanted to add that in the past, but not recently, I have used independent Mayow Vets in Sydenham.  I was happy with the service my pet received. They have a sister practice in Penge called Parish Lane Vets, but not used them. 

The Medivet practice in New Cross took over the previous independent vet practice when the owner, John Hankinson, retired a few years ago.    I did use them before Hankinson retired, but not afterwards.  

There are some very unhappy reviews on that Medivet site and it’s mentioned how much it has changed (and not for the better) since becoming part of the Medivet chain.