Vet fee question

[I don’t like mondays]

You could refuse to pay it if it was a quote, not an estimate.
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Sadly I paid upfront because they insisted on this before I could collect my horse. I was so shocked and I should’ve queried at the time but everyone had gone home, but call them the very next morning and have now emailed

 

[AmyMay]

Hard to say because nothing is in writing. On the phone when booking Id say it was an estimate, on the day during treatment (when they said what they would do) I’d say that’s a quote? The treatment didn’t deviate from what they’d said or had been agreed

Well, they’re two entirely different things. I would contact the practice and ask them if they were estimating the cost of treatment or quoting you an actual price. If it was the latter tell them they’ve overcharged you and request a refund of the difference.

 

[Keith_Beef]

the VAT thing is annoying, but it doesn’t seem to be the norm to include it on an initial estimate. I remember when I asked for an estimate for all the work that would need done on my car after it failed MOT, and when I showed up to pay it was £140 more than I expected cause of VAT… same as when my boiler broke down a couple months back, it is annoying but seems to be standard practice

Then it t is a case of dodgy practice.

As ycbm stated, prices quoted to private individuals should be inclusive of vat.

If a quote is exclusive of vat then this should be very clearly stated.

Quotes to businesses are usually exclusive of vat because they can (if registered for it) claim back the vat paid.

And in op's case, it's not only vat on a £700 quote: 20% of that is an extra £140, bringing the bill to £840, yet the final amount was over £900.

 

[Supertrooper]

We always estimate with VAT included

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My vet has never known the cost of things. If I need to know I ring the office!!

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

You could refuse to pay it if it was a quote, not an estimate and you don't care if you upset the supplier.
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Ah ok I never knew that, just assumed it was standard practice since it’s so common but i will bare that in mind for future reference

 

[bouncing_ball]

Oof, OP, you asked all the right questions beforehand and the estimate should, for a private client, have included VAT. That's a lot extra to have to pay.

My neds are not insured and my vet is very good at giving me accurate estimates of treatment beforehand. I've not thought about it before, but she automatically includes VAT in her estimates.

The overall bill for all the work you had done doesn't seem to be unduly high, though. I suspect that the best you will get is an apology from the practice and hopefully a promise to make sure that clients know whether or not any estimate includes VAT in future.

Ive always found vet quotes (from a range of vets) not to include VAT.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

My vet has never known the cost of things. If I need to know I ring the office!!

Other places I’ve been you speak to accounts for quotes. This place the office asked the vet to give me an estimate

 

[poiuytrewq]

In that case I’d be pretty annoyed, however I think you probably need to accept it sadly. It’s unfair and vat should definitely be included in any quote to a private owner.