vet 2nd opinion - is this normal?

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spacefaer

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I contacted a very reputable firm of vets today for a second opinion. My vet practice is excellent but doesn't have facilities for the possible surgery required.

The second practice wanted all my details, all of the horse details - fair enough - my current practice details and permission to contact current practice. Didn't have a problem with any of that.

They then wanted my credit card details, up front, as they said that the first three visits to a new client were card payment, then it would become an account system.

I queried what I would be paying for - they said £41 consult fee for when I took the horse in but they wanted a deposit of £100, the balance of which would be returned after my visit.

So my question is - is this usual practice as I've never heard of it. .... and why was this only mentioned after I said the horse wasn't insured? ?
 
Never had this before in any vets ive ever used, and they are all very reputable. I just gave my details and address. You pay either cash, or get an invoice.
 
One of my liveries contacted my vets directly and were asked the same as you, £100 deposit on account, if they go through me they are not asked as the practice knows me, where I live, the horses are kept etc, I suspect they risk someone taking a horse in having given false details and disappearing leaving a bouncing cheque, very unlikely but not impossible.
 
The one time I got a second opinion I had already spoken to my vet about it who recommended the hospital and spoke with them direct. They then billed direct to my insurance company. This was about 20 years ago.
 
At the end of the day they are a business, and I imagine they've been stung so many times they need to protect their income.

I can see this becoming common place even for tradesmen.
 
I had to supply a reference when I registered with our equine practice, I put my boss down as he should have some idea if I am solvent! I can't blame vets really they are in business after all!
 
I got a second opinion. A personal recommendation from a HHO user to her vet/friend. They did come out first without payment up front, but I think that was probably as it was a personal recommendation. I paid immediately afterwards and continued to do the same. There was no xx days invoicing and the costs escalated very quickly, fairly and to be expected but it was still well over a grand for a couple of visits. It never crossed my mind they wouldnt have expected payment, if not up front, then very quickly. I'm always surprised by my own vets casual attitude to costs to be honest! Not sure I would be going out to see/treat horses without payment upfront if I was them!
 
my practice were card only to start... which doesn't work at all when the yard has no mobile signal.
The vet finished up with, well we know where you live (yes with a very long standing customer/yard owner!)
 
I have a friend who has a small horse transport business and does a lot of vet runs to new/second opinion practices - she says that it seems to depend on the insurer, with the same practice not taking deposits from uninsured horses or those with certain insurers, but taking card details and deposits when insured with unfavourable insurers.
 
Some second opinions are due to the owner's no longer being able to call their normal vet out due to unpaid bills.Not everyone is honest.
Sounds like the deposit is a safety net when dealing with a new client.
Sad that things are swinging more and more this way.
Id imagine in time more and more large animal practices will start asking for payment at the time of services.
Its already normal to pay on the day and be unable to get services on account in most small animal practices.
 
TBH I don't thing that's unreasonable OP. I use a different vet to my own for anything major, and although they didn't want anything up front for my first visit, when I have had to use leahurst before, they want your credit card before they will treat. I think vets like many other business's, experience bad payers as common practice sadly. As bills can run into thousands quite quickly, as I know only too well, I can understand their caution.
 
Both of the vets I use have started doing this with new customers, although I don't think they take a deposit. They prefer to come out to routine stuff to start with, although obviously that isn't always possible!!
 
I had this when registering my dog with a new practice. It was a surprise, but I can see why they did it.

I was happy with the service with my normal one except they don't do home visits. When my old GSD needed to be PTS after an overnight stroke they would not come out, and he was huge and too heavy for me to lift and they still refused to come out. It was an unnecessarily undignified end to a very dignified dog.

The new one is also a horse vet so not so prissy about a visit.

I will not forgive the first practice, I would have paid £500 for the 15 minute trip from their premises, and they refused. I was not asking for treatment, just humane PTS, it was obvious something catastrophic had happened overnight. :-(
 
I work at a small animal practice. We have been stung many times - people coming in with sick dogs (mostly dogs), having treatment, and then saying they have no money. Our practice manager spends hours chasing people, and we have a debt collection agency we often have to use. We always give the benefit of the doubt - but I can see that things are tightening up, and at some point we will have to implement an up front payment of some sort.
 
also normal practice with my vets.
I registered with them direct (referral practice) after witnessing a really poor series of events with a local mixed practice. Luckily I had a run of small routine things in quick succession before I needed anything major, so I was on account by the time I had an insurance claim :o
 
Aru said:
Some second opinions are due to the owner's no longer being able to call their normal vet out due to unpaid bills.Not everyone is honest.
Sounds like the deposit is a safety net when dealing with a new client.
Sad that things are swinging more and more this way.
Id imagine in time more and more large animal practices will start asking for payment at the time of services.
Its already normal to pay on the day and be unable to get services on account in most small animal practices.
Click to expand...

I got caught out with the above once, someone phoned me and said her vet was due and would I stand in for her as she was doing x y or z
as her yard was not far away I agreed, unbeknown to me she owed that vet surgery a small fortune and it was very embarrassing as I knew her vet quite well and I had no idea about her debts to him
 
I think it's How vets need to do things now...when I registered with a new vet years ago I had to pay up front or pay the visiting vet there on the day..then after 6 months they opened an account for me and then I paid at the end of a month..
I know a vet receptionist and she says chasing bad debts is the scourge of a vets life..
 
Sadly I think it's becoming more common. Our neighbour moved to the area recently, had continued to use her former vets (60 miles away) for routine things as would just take the horses back to her parents so just hadn't got round to registering with the local vets. When she needed an emergency call out at home for colic she understandably wanted to use a local vets and they wouldn't come out without payment up front even though they were coming to her house and she wanted to set up an account with them.
 
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