Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Vets and Other Thieves...
So... last week my dog's babysitter (and my close friend) gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. And we're scheduled to go visit my sister this weekend in New Hampshire.
Thus begins my search for a good kennel to take my 80lb. puppy.
My husband calls the kennel, who lists the shots she needs to have and he calls the Vet who tells him that she's not up-to-date on her rabies among other things. He makes the appointment but we don't think we have to communicate in such high detail. She needs shots, she needs shots.
Off I go then, with the two kids and my poor, sweet, timid puppy in tow. We're going to get those shots. BTW it's already too late to board her, because the kennel we really like won't take her because she's been to the vet before in the last week, and might have gotten sick there, so she's staying in a hotel room with us--I'm sure I'll blog about that next week.
The vet tells me that she doesn't need rabies nor the kennel cough one, but let's test her for heart worm and something, something. And I decide to give her the kennel cough because I assumed that's what the kennel was missing and if I need to go back to my sister's, and blah, blah blah...
We do that, and when I go to pay the bill, they charged me $250!!! That's no typo! That's $250!!! That's more than my childrens' doctor charges the insurance company!
Why do people assume that it's okay to rip people off? I know it sounds naive and like I've been sniffing too many flowers, but why can't you just charge me a price, and be up front about it? I'll pay or not pay.
The lessons I've learned:
Thus begins my search for a good kennel to take my 80lb. puppy.
My husband calls the kennel, who lists the shots she needs to have and he calls the Vet who tells him that she's not up-to-date on her rabies among other things. He makes the appointment but we don't think we have to communicate in such high detail. She needs shots, she needs shots.
Off I go then, with the two kids and my poor, sweet, timid puppy in tow. We're going to get those shots. BTW it's already too late to board her, because the kennel we really like won't take her because she's been to the vet before in the last week, and might have gotten sick there, so she's staying in a hotel room with us--I'm sure I'll blog about that next week.The vet tells me that she doesn't need rabies nor the kennel cough one, but let's test her for heart worm and something, something. And I decide to give her the kennel cough because I assumed that's what the kennel was missing and if I need to go back to my sister's, and blah, blah blah...
We do that, and when I go to pay the bill, they charged me $250!!! That's no typo! That's $250!!! That's more than my childrens' doctor charges the insurance company!
Why do people assume that it's okay to rip people off? I know it sounds naive and like I've been sniffing too many flowers, but why can't you just charge me a price, and be up front about it? I'll pay or not pay.
The lessons I've learned:
- Keep better records--had I known that she had all that stuff, I could have avoided the whole thing.
- Put one person (me--because the husband is lost in space somewhere) in charge.
- Demand to know the price of everything up front.
- Don't get another animal--if it weren't for the dog and the cat I'd be rich.
- And never trust than anyone is dealing with you on the same level you're dealing with them.
- Be weary of veternarians and other strangers :)
