A Civil World. Off-topic discussions on a variety of topics. > Time For a Coffee Break!
Dealing with vet office, need some advice....
Rei-chan:
This is the deal:
I had to take Bia (our Great Pyrnees) to the vet today to get an allergy shot. This is a bigger office, with multiple vets on duty, and our normal one wasn't in. I had informed both the receptionist and the vet that she needed no exam, as we knew the problem from our last visit, just the shot. That's all she got: no exam, the vet patted her on the head, and gave her 2 shots, one a steroid, and one an antibiotic, as she has been itching her face, and it is red. This is standard operating procedure. The problem is, when I go to pay, I get charged for a "Medical Progress Exam, which adds 30 bucks to the bill. When I question this, and state that there was no exam, I get this snotty response from the other receptionist and then the first one waits quietly till I hand over my credit card. She then mouths "I'm sorry" when the snotty one walked away.
Have any of you ever dealt with this before? I am thinking of writing a letter to the office, and I was wondering if I post it, if someone would give me some pointers so that I get what I want to say across.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!!!
ShadesOfGrey:
I would call the manager first, explain the situation (there must have been a misunderstanding, and you didnt want to embarrass the obviously new receptionist), and that you didnt want to make a scene at the time, and ask him what 'we can do about it.' If you dont get a satisfactory response, write it to the manager and next higher-up, and ask for a refund or a free exam next time you need one. Get their response in writing.
Then, as a last resort, let them know that you will be reporting them to the better business bureau in your area.
Next time, dont pay it and ask to speak to a manager right away.
Bijou:
--- Quote from: Willow1979 on January 19, 2007, 03:03:18 PM ---
This is the deal:
I had to take Bia (our Great Pyrnees) to the vet today to get an allergy shot. This is a bigger office, with multiple vets on duty, and our normal one wasn't in. I had informed both the receptionist and the vet that she needed no exam, as we knew the problem from our last visit, just the shot. That's all she got: no exam, the vet patted her on the head, and gave her 2 shots, one a steroid, and one an antibiotic, as she has been itching her face, and it is red. This is standard operating procedure. The problem is, when I go to pay, I get charged for a "Medical Progress Exam, which adds 30 bucks to the bill. When I question this, and state that there was no exam, I get this snotty response from the other receptionist and then the first one waits quietly till I hand over my credit card. She then mouths "I'm sorry" when the snotty one walked away.
Have any of you ever dealt with this before? I am thinking of writing a letter to the office, and I was wondering if I post it, if someone would give me some pointers so that I get what I want to say across.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!!!
--- End quote ---
What were the other charges on the bill? If they were only for the injections, I think you do have to expect to pay something for the vet's time, so maybe that was the reason for the charge.
Rei-chan:
I think the "snotty lady" was the front desk manager, so I doubt I'll get very far there.
As for the other charges, they were just the 2 injections, at a cost of 40 bucks total, but 30$ for 2 minutes of shots? To me, that's highway robbery. Also, to bill it as an exam, I want an exam if I am going to pay for one.....
So, here's my letter:
To Whom It May Concern:
This afternoon, I came into your office to get my Great Pyrnees, Bianca, a shot of depomedrol for her allergies. This problem had been treated by Dr. ------ (who is wonderful, by the way) a few months ago and the depomedrol worked well as a treatment. When I called, I had explained to the receptionist that I only needed the shot, as I knew the problem already, and that she did not need an exam. I expected no problems, as in the past, when I have had other chronic problems in pets, I was not charged by any of my previous vets for anything but what was requested.
When I came in, Bia was seen by a different vet (I did not get his name), who patted her on the head, and gave her the depomedrol shot and a penicillin shot. At no time was there any visible exam, no temp taking, or anything else. We were in the back for less than 10 minutes.
The problem is that when I went to pay, I was billed for a “Medical Progress Exam”. When I questioned this, as there was no visible exam, I was told that it is a “return visit exam” or something to that effect, and when I insisted that there was no exam, the receptionist just waited quietly for me to hand over my payment.
Although I love bringing in my animals to Dr. ------, because I feel she is a great vet, I am seriously considering taking my pets to another establishment over this. I can totally get behind paying extra for preventative measures (as in the case of the penicillin shot) but I strongly disagree with paying for something that I feel did not happen. I feel that if your office is going to charge for an “Exam” when a person walks in the door, then that should be explained by the receptionist, so that there are no surprises. I also feel that this will be a recurring problem, as Bianca will probably need these shots on a recurring basis, and I don’t relish the thought of paying an extra $30.00 when no exam is needed or done.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How does that sound so far?
SunkissableOne:
I think your letter sounds great. Hopefully it will get the job done! :)
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