How do vets justify such ridiculous call out charges?

S

SWE

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2017
Messages
295
Visit site
So first of all, I am NOT trying to say that vets should be paid peanuts, I am more than happy to pay for examination fees etc and understand drugs cost money, but how do vets get away with charging you £35 for a 10 minute trip down the road?!

It really gripes me 😡
 
6 years at university doing impossibly hard exams then post grad internships and fellowship exams that cost around £600 each and which most fail first time because they are so hard then working under difficult conditions outdoors bearing massive personal and professional responsibility
 
SWE said:
So first of all, I am NOT trying to say that vets should be paid peanuts, I am more than happy to pay for examination fees etc and understand drugs cost money, but how do vets get away with charging you £35 for a 10 minute trip down the road?!

It really gripes me ��
Click to expand...

Welcome to the real world. That's cheap in my area.
Even garages will charge more than that by the hour.

Simple answer is dont keep livestock or pets, never call out other professionals :)
 
Frumpoon said:
6 years at university doing impossibly hard exams then post grad internships and fellowship exams that cost around £600 each and which most fail first time because they are so hard then working under difficult conditions outdoors bearing massive personal and professional responsibility
Click to expand...

And having the systems and staff to provide a 24 hour call out service, hospital facilities to take in your horse for emergency surgery, 24 hour post-op care...£35 is cheap quite frankly.
 
well 10 mins in a car to you, 10 mins back again, thats their time (which has to be paid for-even back in the 80s they were working on £60ph), wear and tear on car, fuel, tax, insurance, staff fees, keeping a wide enough stock of stuff that they can actually do something for your horse and then all the other stuff other people mentioned. glad you asked now, eh :D
 
Pedantic said:
I don't go anywhere for less than £75.00 first hour for plumbing heating and gas work, so £35.00 sounds a good deal.
Click to expand...

Christ very different in Cornwall roughly £25 per hour plumbing, heats. As for vet there is always a minimum charge, expertise, insurance etc.
 
one vet is less than 400 yards away charges £58 call out. I dont use them except on free days for jabs. the ones an hour away charge less than they do. but I guess they just think ofa number and double it when coming to call out charges. They were my dogs vets until they charged me £656 for two stitches and one x ray after the horse stood on her foot fortunatly the insurance paid.
 
SWE said:
So first of all, I am NOT trying to say that vets should be paid peanuts, I am more than happy to pay for examination fees etc and understand drugs cost money, but how do vets get away with charging you £35 for a 10 minute trip down the road?!

It really gripes me ��
Click to expand...

They probably charge a flat rate for the journey so if you are local you will pay relatively more than someone further away and there is nothing you can do to change it but there are benefits in that they may well get to you faster in an emergency and may also be nearer the booked time if they put you early on the daily list.
1 vets I used did charge a bit less for very local call outs, the vets I use now do free zone days and I am at the far end of the area they cover so they can be travelling 45 mins to just do a flu jab at around £40 which is good news for me but not good for their profit margins.

1 vet I used briefly charged per minute while he was here, once I realised he no longer got offered coffee as I was paying him to spend 10 mins, about £60+ to stand around drinking it, that was taking the p***
 
Frumpoon said:
6 years at university doing impossibly hard exams then post grad internships and fellowship exams that cost around £600 each and which most fail first time because they are so hard then working under difficult conditions outdoors bearing massive personal and professional responsibility
Click to expand...

Yup, and I totally get that... That's why I'm more than happy to pay for examination fees and anything else that they need to do for my horse. But do you agree that £105 / hour for travelling is reasonable?
 
SWE said:
Yup, and I totally get that... That's why I'm more than happy to pay for examination fees and anything else that they need to do for my horse. But do you agree that £105 / hour for travelling is reasonable?
Click to expand...

but thats £105 they are losing if they don't charge for travel time? anyone who does any call out work has to make travel time pay.
 
Jack110 said:
Christ very different in Cornwall roughly £25 per hour plumbing, heats. As for vet there is always a minimum charge, expertise, insurance etc.
Click to expand...

£75 first hour £45.00 per hour after plus materials, most people seem ok with that as some companies are dearer, one being £99.00 per hour every hour, so I'm quite reasonable, plus running a business is expensive plus no holiday pay no sick pay no pension, any cheapskate customers I am not interested in anyway, thinking of dumping a whiney customer next week.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
but thats £105 they are losing if they don't charge for travel time? anyone who does any call out work has to make travel time pay.
Click to expand...

It must just be me then...

I do really think that's extortionate! Maybe £40-£60/ hour travel max but that just seems like daylight robbery to me :(
 
Pedantic said:
£75 first hour £45.00 per hour after plus materials, most people seem ok with that as some companies are dearer, one being £99.00 per hour every hour, so I'm quite reasonable, plus running a business is expensive plus no holiday pay no sick pay no pension, any cheapskate customers I am not interested in anyway, thinking of dumping a whiney customer next week.
Click to expand...

Very different here wages are low, if we quoted those prices we would’ve get work, Running a small business is ridiculously time consuming, and chasing money from people
 
I think that price is fair

Possibly we've lost sight in this country of what healthcare actually costs because the NHS is free at the point of access

If most people knew the actual cost of drugs, GP appointments, surgery etc they'd appreciate what their vet does more
 
SWE said:
Yup, and I totally get that... That's why I'm more than happy to pay for examination fees and anything else that they need to do for my horse. But do you agree that £105 / hour for travelling is reasonable?
Click to expand...
Itd be the same callout fee if you are 10mins away or half an hour. I think it is very reasonable. Our vet in Northants charges £50 callout then drugs, etc on top of that.
 
Frumpoon said:
I think that price is fair

Possibly we've lost sight in this country of what healthcare actually costs because the NHS is free at the point of access

If most people knew the actual cost of drugs, GP appointments, surgery etc they'd appreciate what their vet does more
Click to expand...

I'm really not disputing what vets do, how much drugs cost or how much they are going to charge me to examine my horse.... It is just the call-out I have an issue with!
 
stormox said:
Itd be the same callout fee if you are 10mins away or half an hour. I think it is very reasonable. Our vet in Northants charges £50 callout then drugs, etc on top of that.
Click to expand...

Do you know why that is? Surely it costs a vet less in time and money so why should it be the same price?
 
I think it would open your eyes if you realised how much it costs to employ someone - not just the salary but the overheads as well.

You said it's not the examination fee you object to but the callout. Around here one of the vets was doing free callouts on certain days. However their other charges were higher - they need to pay for their travel time somehow.
 
Last edited:
If they don't charge travel time/callout, they will have to put up their exam fees. It really doesn't matter how the cost is distributed, the bill will come to the same amount. At least this way there is the opportunity to share the callout fee with others.
Fwiw, my vets' callout fee is £15 more than yours.
 
Staff and buildings still need to be paid for even when the vet is on the road. Their cars are stuffed full of drugs and equipment, a lot of which has to be duplicates of what they have in the surgery. A vet's time is as valuable when they're behind the wheel as when they're examining. You are, essentially, paying for the costs (to them) and the convenience (to you) in not taking the horse to the surgery.

If you have ever bought a takeaway cup of coffee, you're clearly happy with those principles - and personally I think a call out at £35 is much better value than a cup of coffee at £3.50!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top