To be pi**ed off with the vet and think I'm being ripped off

[Mindfullness]

Saw the vet on Saturday with my dog. They found a lump and took a Biopsy and blood test. I paid the bill (over £200) and thought no more of it. Tonight I get a call to say they had under charged me as part of the treatment wasn't added so I need to pay another £50. They were so blase about it too :(I am so annoyed and not sure where I stand legally? Anyone have any advice please? X

Vets are expensive op.
This is what healthcare for us will be like soon if people keep voting Tory.
Sorry no idea where you stand legally.

I can understand being annoyed that they made a mistake (kind of), but why would you think they're ripping you off?

Also, I really hope your dog is ok ♥️

Do you have insurance? Sorry probably a silly question but just wondering if they’re taking advantage as a result...

Far cheaper than doing the same to a human. Cough up and be glad it’s a dog and not your mother.

I think it was more the attitude and feeling ripped off as suddenly I have to pay an extra £50. No apology or anything either

Vets are expensive. You seem to have a really unrealistic expectation of how much they cost! £250 for biopsy and blood test is cheap as shit where I live. Don’t have a dog if you’re going to resent paying for their medical care.

Sounds pretty reasonable for a biopsy imo

That's not actually expensive for what you've had, though it is annoying that they didn't charge you for all of it at the time

Agreed - reasonable cost.

Annoying and they should have apologised, but these things happen. Someone forgot to charge for something. It happens all the time, often you would never be told but I guess 50 was too much and the boss put their foot down

If they gave you a quote of £200 beforehand, I don’t think they legally have much scope to chase you for the further £50 - they misquoted you and allowed you to pay in full at the time, and it’s not an obvious pricing error.

So morally it’s up to you whether you pay or not, but if you don’t they could possibly refuse to treat your pet until the payment is settled or perhaps unregister you from their practice? I’m not sure.

Sherbet - when did I ever say I resented spending money on my dog ffs ....
I'm not disputing or begrudging paying for my dog. However I thought I'd paid and having to find an extra £50 is not easy!

Which vets is it?
The prices are reasonable considering though. I work in a vets and know the costs involved in running a vets is higher than you would imagine. Missing something off the pricing is easy done unfortunately

I think that they should stand by their original bill. It is not a clear mistake (like charging £100 for £1,000 worth of work).

The lack of apology makes me suspect that an accounts clerk made a mistake and is worried about getting into trouble.

I would phone the actual practice manager and explain that you settled the bill in full as requested and feel that they should absorb the £50.

Of course, it does depend on how you feel and your alternatives, as they could refuse to treat your pets in future.

I very much doubt they would pursue the extra though.

And I bet it’s a lipoma, yeah?

Why the blood test? Much as I appreciate my vet (had multiples over the years with cats, dogs, horses), I do think some of them take the absolute piss with charges and non-essential tests sometimes.

I’m sure I’ve told the story about the vet charging me £50 for helping to load a horse with a broken shoulder-he slapped his bum. Literally, me and the yard owner nearly got squished getting him onto the lorry!

I’ve learnt to say no to pointless tests eg pre-anaesthesia blood test on a 16 year old dog. If he was going to react poorly to the anaesthetic, then I’d ask for him to be pts on the table.

I’d pay up the extra £50, OP, but I’d tell them they shouldn’t be charging you more after the fact and ask how they can justify the extra. £250 for a blood test, fine needle aspiration of lump and quick look under the ‘scope? If it was a lipoma, they’re pretty damned obvious without needing to go away for analysis.

Are they charging for pit of hours as you were seen on a Saturday? Although biopsying a lump is very routine, presumably not an emergency appointment?

It's beginning to annoy me how often I hear vets are a rip off.I think most do a great job and having run my own business with overheads I can certainly appreciate why my vets have to charge as they do. Offering blood tests ,scans, Xrays etc and the high tech equipment needed for a modern practice,highly qualified staff in the vets and nurses -plus ancillary staff and building costs.If you have a decent insurance policy and only have the excess to pay you're covered.If you don't it's part an parcel of owning an animal.Maybe I've just had good experiences. And as one of our vets pointed out like doctors they are damned if they don't offer tests nowadays,and damned if they do.People are very quick to complain if something goes undetected.ps I'm not a vet.

If you don't pay then they may just sneak it into your next bill maybe? I'd probably not pay out of principle and then go to another vet. We go to separate vets for different animals as they charge differently for different animals. That's unprofessional for a vets. Their mistake. If you went to a hairdressers/dentists and they forgot to charge you for a special conditioner/xray they wouldn't then ring you to ask for the money. Disgraceful. You'd never know if they were suddenly going to ring to say sorry we forgot to charge you for the (fill in the blanks)

Try ringing citizens advice or a solicitor who sometimes will give you a bit of advice on the phone legally.

They can be a rip-off because they can away with it.
Pushing for unnecessary sample tests on a whim and finding nothing. Of course you get charged for their misjudgment.
Pushing for an operation/guaranteeing it can be successful - animal died.

Amputating a leg from a huge Irish Wolf hound - why? The poor thing couldn't even get up and was terminally ill anyway.
So ffs don't think they're all full of heart - lots of them are money making organisations and if one can't see that, they are seriously blind.

You pay a bill, that's it. Tough luck on them.

YABU not to get Petplan for these sort of problems. The price for that work sounds cheap and vets always call if a bill is unpaid. I've had calls like that. Wouldn't you rather pay upfront than that next time your dog has an emergency, the vet refuses to look at him as you didn't pay your bill?
As for where you stand legally, they did the work so you pay for it.

I was charged £160 for 2 courses of antibiotics by a locum.
It was a cancerous tumour which he had written down but not told me.
No way antibiotics were going to bloody cure it!
Total bill for op + tests £1500.

Is the dog insured? I am guessing the vets are assuming it is and that the £50 won’t actually matter. We don’t insure our dogs and I always point this out to the vet. Not sure if it makes a difference these days but I know it used to. (Not being irresponsible not insulting them as we could afford any treatment needed, just got fed up with the cost of insuring old dogs :-)