Vet refusing to return a pet to owner.. Is it legal?

[A.B.Yaffle 24]

My dog needed emergency care on Thursday night so I took him to our nearest vet. The vet who looked after him was outstanding. However, the manager rang me this morning to say he's well enough to come home. He told me he wouldn't allow us to collect him unless we paid the fees (several hundred pounds) immediately (even though he knows we have pet plan insurance)! Is this policy legal? All the vets we've used in the past have given us an invoice to be paid by a certain date.

[Jackie2141 10]

Last time my dog had treatment I was given the option of paying the bill myself or the receptionist said the vets could claim directly from pet plan instead and me just pay the excess.

 

I did pay myself and claimed it back. The bill for my dog was around £400. I use Springfield vets but I don`t know how other vets go about it. Have you asked them if they could claim directly to pet plan.

[teeny 10]

My dog needed emergency care on Thursday night so I took him to our nearest vet. The vet who looked after him was outstanding. However, the manager rang me this morning to say he's well enough to come home. He told me he wouldn't allow us to collect him unless we paid the fees (several hundred pounds) immediately (even though he knows we have pet plan insurance)! Is this policy legal? All the vets we've used in the past have given us an invoice to be paid by a certain date.

 

Unless you made an agreement with the vet before his treatment , the vet is within his rights to do this however if you speak with the actual vet and practice manager this predicament could be avoided

[Starlc 11]

The vets we use let you pay in stages if you like and i would be going mad if the vets said that to me.

[willman 10]

Perfectly legal and becoming common practice - more people are claiming to be insured and then the vet finds out your not and ends up empty handed.

I switched vets 6 years ago to Vets 4 Pets as i started insuring my dogs and the vets would communicate directly with the insurers.The last time i used Vets4Pets (it wasn't an emergency)3 years ago, we spent the time between our visit and booked operation date obtaining a document from the insurance company that they would pay directly upon receipt of an invoice,otherwise we had to find the £800.

Bear in mind that they had successfully treated my dogs and claimed direct with my insurance company twice in the 18 months prior to this.

 

I stopped using Vets4Pets almost straight after completion of treatment.

 

I returned to my old vets after the issues with V4P but they have always insisted on payment on completion,but will happily complete a claim form for you.

Edited February 7, 2016 by willman

[Posiepaws 10]

It is usual practice to pay a bill of any kind upon completion of the work done.

I have never heard of a vet issuing invoices unless it is a farm/equine client with a business account.

Did you not discuss the bill or payment at all between Thursday and this morning? I understand that in an emergency you would have rushed in but surely some discussion about fees etc took place?

Regarding direct claims, a lot of vets worry about doing them due to the fact that people do unfortunately lie about being insured to get treatment performed. Perhaps if you offer to attend with photo ID (after all they don't know you), proof of address, insurance policy documents and proof that you are paying a monthly direct debit then this will be acceptable. You will still need to settle your excess today plus anything not covered by your policy.

On a final note legally they cannot keep your dog unless there is a welfare issue.

 

It doesnt sound like this particular aspect of your pets care is being handled very well but I would try to focus on the fact that a good job has been done and try to resolve the issue by doing the above

[ccit 10]

As has been said, veterinary practices usually insist on immediate payment on completion of the treatment. I cannot believe that the practice manager said this without a prior discussion about payment. Did you ask them to wait until the insurance paid out? If so, it is unlikely that they would agree to this, especially if you are not known to them. Practices will sometimes oblige if the client is a long standing one and known to them but mostly the usual procedure is for the pet owner to pay the vet and then submit a claim to the insurance company.

 

Your post is brief with very little information but if the above scenario is correct then you cannot blame the practice for insisting on immediate payment. They are not to know the terms and conditions of your insurance, or even if you have it. I hope that you now have your dog back home and that he fully recovers from the illness.

[samssong 10]

Go to Spire at Chesterfield no rip of prices .pay on the day and if you ampt got it tell them before hand they will come to some compromise .

The animal comes first as was the case when Mctagatt had his surgery on London Road.

[berlingo 10]

If you are insured with a reputable ins co then vet won't usually have a problem with a direct claim. There are ins co's that vets know they will be months seeing any payment if ever, then ultimately the debt is back to the animal owner.

Are you sure they said you cannot have your pet back if you don't pay immediately? Most vets allow payment in stages even if admin charges are issued.

Was it vets now or your usual vet?

[A.B.Yaffle 24]

We moved too far away to use our previous vet. As our dog needed emergency treatment in the middle of the night, I rang our nearest vet. The vet who provided treatment told me he would tell the manager that I would find it difficult to pay at once. He said he would make the manager aware and hoped something could be sorted out. I even took in our petplan certificate.

 

On Saturday morning, the manager rang me and said there was no way round paying when we picked our dog up. He even told me that I needed to try to get the money quickly as they shut at noon and the our dog would have to stay in until Monday!

 

Having done a quick internet search this policy doesn't appear to be illegal, but is frowned upon by the industry.

 

In case I have to use emergency treatment again, I have been ringing other vets to ask what their policies are and they all say that the pet comes first and if we couldn't pay at once they would sort out a payment plan or claim direct from petplan. It seems that we were unfortunate in ringing our nearest vet.

[teeny 10]

We moved too far away to use our previous vet. As our dog needed emergency treatment in the middle of the night, I rang our nearest vet. The vet who provided treatment told me he would tell the manager that I would find it difficult to pay at once. He said he would make the manager aware and hoped something could be sorted out. I even took in our petplan certificate.

 

On Saturday morning, the manager rang me and said there was no way round paying when we picked our dog up. He even told me that I needed to try to get the money quickly as they shut at noon and the our dog would have to stay in until Monday!

 

Having done a quick internet search this policy doesn't appear to be illegal, but is frowned upon by the industry.

 

In case I have to use emergency treatment again, I have been ringing other vets to ask what their policies are and they all say that the pet comes first and if we couldn't pay at once they would sort out a payment plan or claim direct from petplan. It seems that we were unfortunate in ringing our nearest vet.

 

have you got your dog back now ?

[A.B.Yaffle 24]

have you got your dog back now ?

 

Yes we have, thanks.