would Tesco ?

Re: would Tesco ?

tinydancer — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:49:30 GMT

Made me laugh when i read this because i always mention tescos when im having a rant about people wanting to take now buy later. Its especially annoys me when people turn up for a consult and proceed to tell you that they forgot their wallet etc This subject makes me hopping mad lol

Re: would Tesco ?

Dreamcatcher — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:37:58 GMT

Wow do people really try to haggle?!!!!! I've not had that yet! haha!

i get cross with the people that think we earn hundreds of pounds an hour... or those "hilarious" smart-a*se comments when they say "How much? Blimey, I'm in the wrong job..."

I earn minimum wage at the mo, and I work extremely hard for it. I love my job but it's certainly not the money that's keeping me there!

Ooh and trying to explain out-of-hours surcharges is a pain too, I worked Easter Sunday- even our local 24hr Tescos was shut- our emergency surcharge isn't an extortionate amount, just enough to stop people wasting our time... yet still we got complaints. Grr...

Re: would Tesco ?

Laura x — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:27:04 GMT

This is the question I always ask!!!! I'll have a loaf of bread but i've forgot my purse can I pay later haha

Re: would Tesco ?

Saskia Quinn — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:38:58 GMT

on that note, PDSA give clients an itemised bill of what their treatment would have cost in a private practice.

Re: would Tesco ?

Vicky RVN — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:54:17 GMT

Wouldn't it be good if the NHS gave people an itemised list of what their health treatments would have cost them in private practice, perhaps people would appreciate us more then!

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:46:41 GMT

Kinda puts it into perspective Sandra.

Re: would Tesco ?

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:43:12 GMT

I like to point out the NHS to clients and how it is funded, I also point out because of this funding, humans get medications at a fraction of the cost.(ie a prescription charge and thats it) I tell them about my hubby and the medication he was on for a wasp sting that rendered him practically crippled for 6 months, and how the tablets if bought privately would have been 80 quid each!!!! and that was 15 years ago, so I can only imagine the price of them now.

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:27:17 GMT

It must have been pretty hard to remain civil n professional.

Re: would Tesco ?

Kirstie Sherman — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:07:05 GMT

I know......the worst thing a client could say !!!! I was fuming for about a week afterwards, and not that nice to the client thereafter (very hard to stay professional)!

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:05:02 GMT

[quote user="Shearer Shearer"]

We once had a client so disgusted by her bill that she decided to ask one of the partners why on earth did he pay qualifed nurses when he could just use voluntary workers to keep the overheads down!!

Great to know the public think so highly of us....particularly the nurse who took her pets xrays/ blood sample and monitored its anaesthetic. Not to mention the nursing it back to health!!! Fancy an unpaid volunteer doing all that??? Dont think so.

[/quote]

EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats so bad! Ignorance I guess.

Re: would Tesco ?

Kirstie Sherman — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:01:31 GMT

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:49:15 GMT

[quote user="sarah parrott"]

people just dont understand because most people use NHS for their own healthcare, so such as breaking a leg, operation to mend it and staff about £5000, if they got that bill for their own healthcare then then might look at their vet bills more lightly

[/quote]

Thats a good point Sarah.

Re: would Tesco ?

Fleabee99 — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:47:48 GMT

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:10:47 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

I had a client send me a letter concerning her bill for a check up - approx £12 at that time. She was disgusted, said it 'only took 5 mins' so I must therefore be on £144 per hour. She thought that was excessive and greedy.

I replied by return of post, and detailed every single cost I could think of - from staff wages to insurance and lighting. Was a long list. I then explained that the check up fee covered fixed costs only so I personally had taken no income from her consultation. She also replied by return of post - thanking me for the information and saying she will be happy to use the practice in future now that she understands the pricing structure. Hope she felt very daft! Who the hell did she think paid the nurses????????????????????????

[/quote]

I think some clients think V.Ns are just there for the love of it, well 'the love of it' doesnt pay the bills!

Re: would Tesco ?

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:55:30 GMT

Re: would Tesco ?

Nicola Smith — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:41:52 GMT

We recently had a lab dying of peritonitis - the owner said put it through as a cash job mate - off the books! Good to know his thoughts on the situation!!

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:30:04 GMT

[quote user="supastar101"]

I find people seem to think they can haggle... had someone come in and his bill was something like £56.82... so he gives me £50. I waited for a few seconds, and when I realised he was putting away his wallet I said again clearly, its fifty SIX eighty two... he then puts down a £5 note. Waited again, and then asked the remainder. He said "can you not just round it down?!" When I refused, he turned to some other clients in the waiting room and said "God they hound you for every penny here!"

Never would have happened in Tescos!!!

[/quote]

Its amazing what people will try- I like the folk that try the 'hows about making the bill £50 if I give you cash?', brass neck or what?! 'How about NO?'

Re: would Tesco ?

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:47:24 GMT

Never would have happened in Tescos!!!

Re: would Tesco ?

jo. h. arter — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:20:05 GMT

Hi again

I know what you mean, luckily for our practice we didn't have many clients on benefits.

It was surprising though, the number of clients who swore black and blue that they couldn't afford to pay it off in one go, then when faced with the finance option suddenly pulled out a credit card.

Re: would Tesco ?

albatross — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:01:35 GMT

[quote user="Bouncyfi"]

We've been looking into this finance company and it seems to be a good idea, but so many of our clients have horrific debt anyway, not sure a finance company would touch them!

[/quote]

I thought this a good idea initially but like you a lot of our clients are on benefits and this money goes on their hobbies (drinking, new trainers, etc etc) and not on debt management so I guess the company wouldn't take on their debts either.

Shame as it would save us little places from struggling, and if you turn a client away you're not going by the treating emergency ethic, and you also have the moral issue of knowing the animal will not see another vet, and/or will be dumped in the street (we've had several like boomerangs come back to us via rspca or dog warden collection the next day, and we still had to treat it).

Re: would Tesco ?

Fiona Leathers — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:51:50 GMT

We've been looking into this finance company and it seems to be a good idea, but so many of our clients have horrific debt anyway, not sure a finance company would touch them!

Re: would Tesco ?

jo. h. arter — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:44:08 GMT

In a kind of, sort of related note - My old practice used to ask clients to sign they would pay at the end of treatment of anything likely to be expensive. Included in the consent form was an estimate for everything before we did it (from routine surgery to investigative lab work, consults, drugs, follow up appts etc). The estimates were VERY comprehensive so they never really got a shock at the end.

For emergency cases, we of course stabilised the animal first then ran through the estimate for further tx. If the client couldn't afford to pay we referred them to a finance company we had set up a relationship with. We had the forms ready for them to sign at the clinic so the finance company paid the money straight to us and took up the debt with the client themselves.

It sounds a little harsh but it just means the client is paying the finance company off (who can afford debt) and not the vet clinic (who can't afford debt!!). The client could choose to use a credit card or take the animal elsewhere for tx if they wanted and it reduced our debtor list from 28k to under 3k. (and most of the ones left were naughty staff!)

Re: would Tesco ?

S-J — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:23:49 GMT

"moneys no object" yep heard that once or twice

Re: would Tesco ?

loobylou — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:21:28 GMT

[quote user="heather mac"]

My faves were 'do everything you can, money doesnt matter' and then after saving the pet and presenting client with a bill 'HOW MUCH?????????? OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE!'

[/quote]

I love that one! Money doesnt matter cos they dont have any and have no intention of ever paying you!!

Re: would Tesco ?

Mac Feather — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:47:19 GMT

My faves were 'do everything you can, money doesnt matter' and then after saving the pet and presenting client with a bill 'HOW MUCH?????????? OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE!'