Vet charge query

Spyda

Spyda

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Just got a bill from the vet. Amongst other things I've been charged £80.16 for a bottle of Haemolytan 400 (Net £66.80 & VAT £13.36).

Bearing in mind the actual RRP for the bottle of Haemolytan 400 I've been given is only £60.14 including VAT - are my vets taking the pi**? And if so, what can I do? I'm fuming. Bill's come to £269.88 for a single visit, blood test and this bottle of medicine. :mad::mad::mad:

Jeeze if I'd known what the vet was going to try charging I'd have got the Haemolytan from here myself http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/horses/supplements_for_horses/Equistro-Haemolytan-400.html (£40.53 delivered!) :mad::mad::mad:

Should I phone the vet up and moan? Is it worth it and would I be likely to get anywhere even if I did :confused:
 
Give it back to them, get a refund and buy it elsewhere. Vets inflate the prices because it helps to pay for all their other gear. We all want our vets to appear 24/7 with the latest test equipment, how do you think they fund all that ?
 
You can query it, done polietly there should be no issue, also ask how much they charge for a prescription. With a mark-up like that it may well pay you to buy elsewhere. I appreciate they are a business & do mark things up, but when you can buy it £20 cheaper elsewhere why are they using such an expensive source?
 
BigRed said:
Give it back to them, get a refund and buy it elsewhere. Vets inflate the prices because it helps to pay for all their other gear. We all want our vets to appear 24/7 with the latest test equipment, how do you think they fund all that ?
Click to expand...

Prob is the bill only arrived this morning and the visit was early last week so I've opened the bottle of Haeloytan. I'm considering buying a bottle for £40.53 from the above website and giving that unopened bottle back to the vet for a full refund. Would that be fair or a bit dodgy?
 
Just phoned vet. They didn't excuse their price but did say I was welcome to return 'it' for a refund as long as the bottle wasn't opened. So I assume I can buy another new genuine bottle with a long BB date and just give them that one back???

Martha: But it's sealed when it arrives. One begs to ask, how would they know? I know it's a bit naughtly but surely if the product is genuine, within the same BB date as they one they supplied then it's fair. Fairer than them charging me DOUBLE what I can buy it from elsewhere.
 
I do know that vets often can't buy in at anything like the same price as the big online chemists. It could well be that they didn't pay the normal wholesale price but a more inflated one as they only buy small quantities.
I work in a small independent clothing shop, some of the stuff we buy in costs us more than the big chains like Matalan sell it out at, buying power makes a big difference.:(
Re batch numbers, it is quite possible that the vets would check batch numbers on an item you return, as they have to keep pretty comprehensive drugs records, if you are otherwise happy with the vet is it worth risking antagonising them for the sake of £20.
 
As above - you don't want to antagonise them over £20 so this time I would suggest you just swallow it (well, not literally!). If you need more, order it yourself.

I am shocked at vet call out charges, got a bill for £150 call out for a Saturday mid-morning as it was out of normal hours - pony needed antibiotics which is annoying as obviously important but it makes you think twice about calling them out for the lesser things, doesn't it. :(
 
I would ring up and ask.
I wouldn't expect them to be able to match the £40.53 price of a large online store, but I would expect them to be selling it at RRP price, and if they're not, tell you as much when you get it.
 
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