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Original poster

Can the vets take my money and refuse to put insurance claim in?

43 replies

Vet · 22/09/2023 10:29

I signed up for a wellness plan for my dogs. It was 20 a month with several benefits /discounts.

When I lost my job I had to cancel it. Because I cancelled before the year was out they said I owed them back the amount I recieved in discounts for treatments/consult fees etc. Around £250

Ive just moved house because I couldn't afford my rent anymore etc so just haven't sorted it out yet.

Yesterday I thought my dog broke her arm.

I didn't even think about the 'debt' as she was in so much pain.

I took her in. They said she needed Xrays etc...

On the way home they phoned and said they needed a £250 deposit as it was an emergency situation or something

I only had 200 in the bank so had to borrow 50

I called back and paid the 250.

When I collected her I had to pay another 490 which I borrowed during the day from 5 people.

Today I called the vets and asked them to put my insurance claim through

I got a text from the insurance saying a claim had been made for £490

I rang the vets and said there was also£250 tha I paid in the morning.

And she said

Well it says on your file you owe us that for your wellness plan

I told her I would sort that but it's a completly separate issue. That I only had 200 in the bank yesterday that was my gas and electricity money, that I had to borrow the other 500

And I need it all back from the insurance because I literally have £10 in my account and I have children!

She said she would speak to the manager and call me back.

I feel like that took the 250 'deposit' on purpose for this?

Can they do this? Say its a deposit for an xray then take it for something else?

I have no issue paying them but I can't do it this way, right now. I have nothing in my bank now

Also she said I have a note on my account about it

So why did no one mention it at all yesterday?

I'm not disputing I owe the money and I will pay it but surely they can't do this?

OP posts:
Original poster
Vet · 22/09/2023 10:36

Just for clarification I don't dispute I owe them 250 and was always going to pay it.
I feel like it's wrong for them to tell me its a deposit for a treatment that is covered by my insurance then basically say we're keeping it and you can't claim it back.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 22/09/2023 10:41

I think when there is a debt on the account they aren’t going to refund something

SherbetLemonn · 22/09/2023 10:41

Did they definitely state it was a deposit for the emergency treatment or was it more that it was to pay against your ‘account’ before they could do more, potentially expensive, treatment? It’s possible they misled you, but it’s also possible you misunderstood, particularly in an emotional situation.
Either way, and I’m not disputing they were perhaps woolly or even misleading with their wording, they didn’t know you were going to pay the money owed given you hadn’t to date and hadn’t mentioned it when you went to them for treatment. They’re still a business, just an emotive one.
I’m sorry for your financial troubles. I guess all you can do now really is think it’s better that you’ve no longer got that debt hanging over you. It’s not ideal tho, I know.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Dogs General money
Original poster
Vet · 22/09/2023 10:46

No they absolutely 100% said it was a 50% deposit for xrays. They didn't mention the money I owed at all.

If they did I would have sat with them there and then and sorted a payment plan for it.

I was absolutely told it was a deposit for the treatment for her leg.

I was in the car, on speakerphone and DH heard it all too.

Not once during the day did they mention the money I owed despite them telling me this morning that it flags up everytime my account is opened, which must have been many times yesterday.

I absolutely need it back because I have no money till 1st now and I have bills coming out

I will get the 490 back soon hopefully but I owe that all to the people that borrowed it to me.

OP posts:
TrailingLoellia · 22/09/2023 10:48

Insurance is going to refund you the costs minus any outstanding debts. You had a £250 debt. So it’s not the vet making this decision, it is the insurance company. You are lucky they are covering the £490 at all. Many insurance companies will invalidate your entire policy and coverage if you get into arrears/have a debt on the account.

SherbetLemonn · 22/09/2023 10:49

Oh okay. I just wondered as your initial post and the wording made it sound like you weren’t 100% sure what was actually said.
Unfortunately for you, I’d say your chances are very slim indeed of them refunding you money (the £250) which has been owed to them for some time.

YouveGotAFastCar · 22/09/2023 10:52

If the £250 was a deposit for the X-rays; than they can't use that for anything else - it has to be a deposit to have the X-rays.

But if you paid the £250, your dog had the X-rays, you paid £490 in treatment - so a total of £740 paid - and then claimed this from insurance, the vet could typically minus your debt from what they pay back to you, to settle your account.

You can appeal to their human side and make a plan to get the £250 to them as quickly as possible, but this is at their discretion.

Have you asked them to claim the higher amount from insurance to cover the deposit anyway? Does your policy definitely cover deposits; with no excess? It could be that you can't claim for that £250 anyway.

Hohofortherobbers · 22/09/2023 10:52

Wouldn't it be cheaper to sign back up to the wellness plan and pay the outstanding months at £20 per month than pay the £250? How many months did you have left in the year when you cancelled it?

Throwncrumbs · 22/09/2023 10:55

You need to cancel it when the contract needs renewing because the cost is spread out over the year. You can’t sign up for something for a yearly cost then have the treatments and cancel after only two payments. It’s a credit agreement. You have to restart the plan and pay monthly until the years up or pay the whole amount.

Fairymother · 22/09/2023 12:25

Im gonna say something many are thinking. Im not trying to be mean or anything, but if you dont have 250 laying around for pet emergency and this 250 you owe takes you to almost 0 in your account, then maybe you should rethink having a pet.

theemmadilemma · 22/09/2023 12:34

Tbf, they could have refused to treat until you paid them the outstanding balance you owed them.

The insurance is not going to pay back a debt.

It sounds like they've not been transparent in how they've taken it back, but they had every right to take that money before incuring further costs from you. It sucks for you, I get it, I've been there, but they're not in the wrong. You need to figure out how to get through this, becuase it's not coming back.

Myneighboursnorlax · 22/09/2023 14:06

If you were willing to work out a payment plan for the £250 wouldn’t it have just made more sense to start the wellness payments back up again? Then it would be a monthly cost like a payment plan and you’d continue getting the discounts etc.

I wonder whether they were telling the truth that they needed a £250 deposit before doing X-rays (due to your credit record with them) and when you came to pay there was £240 owing for the X-rays (which comes to £490 for X-rays total, hence the insurance claim) and £250 showing as outstanding for the wellness plan, and the receptionist just told you the total outstanding, which happens to also have been £490. You didn’t question it as you thought that was £490 remaining for the X-rays, so expected an insurance claim for £740. The receptionist didn’t tell you otherwise as they just saw an outstanding balance for £490.

NoSquirrels · 22/09/2023 14:13

It sounds like they did say it was a £250 deposit for the x-rays - and that this could also have been necessary because there was a £250 debt on your account.

Did they itemise the bill for you when you paid it?

Original poster
Vet · 22/09/2023 14:43

It wouldn't have been cheaper to restart as I had 3 animals on there. So that was 63 a month.

3 animals that are all over 5 years old. 3 animals that I got years ago when I was married, with a great job, with a husband who had a great job. Who left us.

So I'm in a really shit situation. I lost my husband, my family home, my job.

I won't lose my dogs.
To people saying I shouldn't have them.

I'm going to build myself back up from this. I'm not giving up on my dogs, they would never give up on me. It won't be this way forever.

I pay for insurance, they have everything they need. Yes I'm struggling but I guarantee they would rather be by my side as I struggle than be in a dog shelter somewhere scared and alone.

The vets very kindly refunded the 250 payment and I am setting up a payment plan for the 250 I owe them.

I'm very grateful they were understanding of the situation and they will get every single penny owed to them and my patronage for life.

OP posts:
needtofatoff · 22/09/2023 16:31

They are a vet. Not a bank.

Efficaciou5 · 24/09/2023 23:12

Fairymother · 22/09/2023 12:25

Im gonna say something many are thinking. Im not trying to be mean or anything, but if you dont have 250 laying around for pet emergency and this 250 you owe takes you to almost 0 in your account, then maybe you should rethink having a pet.

Edited

Absolutely this.

Your statement that you only have 200 in your bank - I'm assuming pounds sterling ? perhaps suggests that you don't have the wherewithal to financially support yourself, let alone another animal.

stichguru · 24/09/2023 23:18

The bottom line is a vets is a business. I honestly can't think of a single circumstance where I would expect a business to provide me with goods or services while I was in debt to them. You either get the debt paid off asap in case you need them again, pay the debt off as soon as you ask them to do more work for you, or don't use the service again until you've paid the debt off. Even if it was covered by insurance, (say for paying for car repairs, or house repairs that are covered) you would usually have to pay upfront and then claim money back. If you said to a garage repair my car and I'll pay you in a month when the claim has gone through, they'd laugh at you. You were VERY lucky that they didn't say pay us the £250 before we treat your dog.

WeeOrcadian · 24/09/2023 23:46

Vet · 22/09/2023 14:43

It wouldn't have been cheaper to restart as I had 3 animals on there. So that was 63 a month.

3 animals that are all over 5 years old. 3 animals that I got years ago when I was married, with a great job, with a husband who had a great job. Who left us.

So I'm in a really shit situation. I lost my husband, my family home, my job.

I won't lose my dogs.
To people saying I shouldn't have them.

I'm going to build myself back up from this. I'm not giving up on my dogs, they would never give up on me. It won't be this way forever.

I pay for insurance, they have everything they need. Yes I'm struggling but I guarantee they would rather be by my side as I struggle than be in a dog shelter somewhere scared and alone.

The vets very kindly refunded the 250 payment and I am setting up a payment plan for the 250 I owe them.

I'm very grateful they were understanding of the situation and they will get every single penny owed to them and my patronage for life.

Your DH heard the conversation.....

But your DH also left you?

SamAndEIIa · 25/09/2023 00:33

WeeOrcadian · 24/09/2023 23:46

Your DH heard the conversation.....

But your DH also left you?

Show quote history

He left because op was making things up on the internet

JustAnotherOpinion123 · 25/09/2023 00:46

WeeOrcadian · 24/09/2023 23:46

Your DH heard the conversation.....

But your DH also left you?

Show quote history

I initially thought that maybe they'd ended on good terms and dh was helping out taking the dog to the vets if OP was struggling (and since the dogs would also have presumably been partly his before the break up) but then also think if he had a great job, he would have offered to help out with the costs too rather than OP having to borrow from 5 other people 🤨.

OP, really glad you sorted things with the vet and they refunded the money to you. Definitely get that payment plan sorted for the £250 ASAP as they might not be so generous next time.

Kwasi · 25/09/2023 07:43

When someone says they ‘lost’ their husband/partner, this usually means they’ve passed away, not left.

Soontobe60 · 25/09/2023 07:53

Kwasi · 25/09/2023 07:43

When someone says they ‘lost’ their husband/partner, this usually means they’ve passed away, not left.

The OP literally says “he left us”.

Soontobe60 · 25/09/2023 07:55

OP, harsh as it may sound, you really cannot afford to keep 3 dogs. And dogs don’t have arms.

NortieTortie · 25/09/2023 08:38

... You lot never heard of remarrying or

ChristmasKraken · 25/09/2023 08:46

I'm amazed you've got a vet and insurance company that sort out and issue claims within 24 hours of treatment!

You might be better off with an insurance company that works directly with your vet to pay bills though - mine does that, and we are then billed afterwards for anything outstanding. So I don't pay anything to the vet upfront, no need for refunds.