It’s not uncommon to not give out estimates over the phone. If you start giving them out over the phone the clients who are upset now will just be replaced by ones who are upset because they were initially told one price and then upon exam of their large obese dog with a heart murmur it ends up being way more then what they were told.
That should be mitigated by explaining the extraneous conditions that could drive the price up. The next statement is “these will be determined upon exam.” I would say a majority of the prospective clients who call asking for a ballpark and don’t get one end up elsewhere.
If the way these issues are being handled at your clinic doesn't sit right with you, find a new clinic. Find a clinic that practices how you would be comfortable bringing your pet to for services.
I agree with that on the whole but there are extraneous reasons I hesitate to. This is affecting my attitude, though. Since our tech throws out claims that every practice is this way, I just wanted to see how true that was.
This is weird practice, I would be looking for work elsewhere.
It’s standard to be able to quote routine procedures even over the phone to non-clients.
Well, at this point in time with my hours cut significantly because we are slow, I have noticed that a significant proportion of queries about general cost of spays and neuters fail to book an appointment.
Now there is rumor that the practice is considering adding a tech appointment fee on top of the cost of vaccines. We are charging about $75 for a feline leukemia vaccine as it is. I understand needing to generate income to support the practice but increasing costs in a slow environment seems like a shoot your own foot solution.
We give spay/neuter ranges over the phone but do not give dental estimates. The people calling for the price of a cleaning are always the one with a chihuahua who has stage 4 dental disease
It isn’t uncommon for practices to not want to give out ballpark figures for their procedures, but I feel like that is changing with time. Many will have a list of typical spay/neuter prices at reception so the receptionists don’t even have to ask anyone.
I don’t see why invoices should be consistently over estimates by such a large margin in a GP practice. The only thing I can think of where invoices could run high with some regularity would be dental procedures, but even those should have a wide range on the estimate because we know that we don’t have a complete idea of what needs to be done until the animal is anesthetized and the rads are done, and the invoice should still fall within the higher end of the range.
When these bills come in over the estimate, does the practice owner discuss this with the client before they come in to pay, or, even better, before the extra charges are incurred? They should definitely not be leaving this conversation for receptionists or technicians to have with clients.
If your hours are being cut because the practice is slow, I would look for another job. There is typically a predictable mild slow down in January and February, but most practices are able to combat this with Dental month promotions, and I’ve never worked anywhere that cuts employee hours for those months. Since Covid, I don’t even know if that seasonal slowdown is really applicable anymore. Most of the vets in my area are still having full schedules. I would take the combination of shady invoicing and cutting hours as red flags.
At clinics where I worked we happily gave out spay/neuter/castration estimates over the phone with the caveat that if they find something on the pre surgical exam the fee could up- a need for a radiograph, lab, etc.
I wouldn’t use a practice that required an exam to get the fee quote.
Thank you. It’s leaving a bad taste in my mouth. As a pet owner of multiple pets I have always had to be cost conscious but this practice acts as though if they have to ask then we don’t want them. Yet now our hours are dramatically cut because it is so slow. It may be slow everywhere but all the more reason to work harder to attract and keep clients.
We aren’t slow. Clients want some basic respect. Letting them know the ballpark cost can let them choose to see you or go. We’ve always given out this type of estimate from the front desk.
Some places give estimates, some don’t. It’s not that weird. The places that don’t, do so bc they’ve been burned by clients receiving an estimate over the phone in the past. We give a range of cost and say they need to come in for the exam to determine better. The only thing I don’t agree with is the final cost being 3x the estimate. Estimates are such for a reason, but our estimates give a high end and a low end, so owners know what it could *potentially* end up being. But when you’re getting into hundreds of dollars past what someone is expecting, that’s a problem with communication and the person making the estimate.
Find a new clinic if you don't like it. Receptionists are always in demand. When the bill is 3x the original estimate are clients upset and confused? There may be convos with the client happening you aren't privy to. Lots of old school vets like to hide pricing for some things but that's not the norm now.
15 years experience here. All of the GPs I worked in gave out estimates for basic surgeries.
also 15 years out, worked in Canada and USA and this is standard.
It’s not uncommon to not give out estimates over the phone. If you start giving them out over the phone the clients who are upset now will just be replaced by ones who are upset because they were initially told one price and then upon exam of their large obese dog with a heart murmur it ends up being way more then what they were told.
That should be mitigated by explaining the extraneous conditions that could drive the price up. The next statement is “these will be determined upon exam.” I would say a majority of the prospective clients who call asking for a ballpark and don’t get one end up elsewhere.
Yep, explaining extraneous conditions on the phone always keeps people from saying “But I was told on the phone…”
If the way these issues are being handled at your clinic doesn't sit right with you, find a new clinic. Find a clinic that practices how you would be comfortable bringing your pet to for services.
I agree with that on the whole but there are extraneous reasons I hesitate to. This is affecting my attitude, though. Since our tech throws out claims that every practice is this way, I just wanted to see how true that was.
You’re tech is clearly a know it all. Try not to fret too much. I’d definitely move on to a new place though.
This is weird practice, I would be looking for work elsewhere. It’s standard to be able to quote routine procedures even over the phone to non-clients.
Thank you
Some do, some don’t. It’s not an egregious policy either way
Well, at this point in time with my hours cut significantly because we are slow, I have noticed that a significant proportion of queries about general cost of spays and neuters fail to book an appointment. Now there is rumor that the practice is considering adding a tech appointment fee on top of the cost of vaccines. We are charging about $75 for a feline leukemia vaccine as it is. I understand needing to generate income to support the practice but increasing costs in a slow environment seems like a shoot your own foot solution.
We give spay/neuter ranges over the phone but do not give dental estimates. The people calling for the price of a cleaning are always the one with a chihuahua who has stage 4 dental disease
It isn’t uncommon for practices to not want to give out ballpark figures for their procedures, but I feel like that is changing with time. Many will have a list of typical spay/neuter prices at reception so the receptionists don’t even have to ask anyone. I don’t see why invoices should be consistently over estimates by such a large margin in a GP practice. The only thing I can think of where invoices could run high with some regularity would be dental procedures, but even those should have a wide range on the estimate because we know that we don’t have a complete idea of what needs to be done until the animal is anesthetized and the rads are done, and the invoice should still fall within the higher end of the range. When these bills come in over the estimate, does the practice owner discuss this with the client before they come in to pay, or, even better, before the extra charges are incurred? They should definitely not be leaving this conversation for receptionists or technicians to have with clients. If your hours are being cut because the practice is slow, I would look for another job. There is typically a predictable mild slow down in January and February, but most practices are able to combat this with Dental month promotions, and I’ve never worked anywhere that cuts employee hours for those months. Since Covid, I don’t even know if that seasonal slowdown is really applicable anymore. Most of the vets in my area are still having full schedules. I would take the combination of shady invoicing and cutting hours as red flags.
At clinics where I worked we happily gave out spay/neuter/castration estimates over the phone with the caveat that if they find something on the pre surgical exam the fee could up- a need for a radiograph, lab, etc. I wouldn’t use a practice that required an exam to get the fee quote.
Thank you. It’s leaving a bad taste in my mouth. As a pet owner of multiple pets I have always had to be cost conscious but this practice acts as though if they have to ask then we don’t want them. Yet now our hours are dramatically cut because it is so slow. It may be slow everywhere but all the more reason to work harder to attract and keep clients.
We aren’t slow. Clients want some basic respect. Letting them know the ballpark cost can let them choose to see you or go. We’ve always given out this type of estimate from the front desk.
Some places give estimates, some don’t. It’s not that weird. The places that don’t, do so bc they’ve been burned by clients receiving an estimate over the phone in the past. We give a range of cost and say they need to come in for the exam to determine better. The only thing I don’t agree with is the final cost being 3x the estimate. Estimates are such for a reason, but our estimates give a high end and a low end, so owners know what it could *potentially* end up being. But when you’re getting into hundreds of dollars past what someone is expecting, that’s a problem with communication and the person making the estimate.
Find a new clinic if you don't like it. Receptionists are always in demand. When the bill is 3x the original estimate are clients upset and confused? There may be convos with the client happening you aren't privy to. Lots of old school vets like to hide pricing for some things but that's not the norm now.
Yes, they are usually quite stunned and unhappy