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 Tuesday at 07:53 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 Tuesday at 12:38 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.😊