Jchihuahua
Mummy to 3
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- Aug 13, 2009
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My dog has an ongoing skin condition and lots of allergies that has required tests and treatment and a specialised diet running into thousands of pounds over the last couple of years. The condition was only covered by my insurance policy for a year and since the year finished I've paid for my treatment myself.
When I was initially claiming on my pet insurance I eventually managed to get my vet to liaise directly with the insurance company and claim from them as the costs were so high and I was struggling to pay upfront and then claim it back. Anyway, the last time I claimed was in October as that was when my policy expired. I filled in my part of the claim form and gave it to the vet and he was to fill in his part and send it off. I heard nothing else so assumed it had all gone through and he'd got his money.
Anyway, I found out today he didn't send my claim form off until earlier this month, 9 months later. I got an invoice from the vets today for over £100 saying that the insurance company hadn't covered a certain treatment my dog had had and that I'd gone over my excess for the condition so I owed the vets this money. I phoned up the insurance company and found out I was being charged for some skin spray that I had already paid the vets for as I knew it wasn't covered and I was also being charged for a consultation and treatment that happened in January that I'd also paid for as I knew my policy had expired in October. The insurance company said I hadn't gone over my excess at all. So basically the vet was charging me twice for things I'd already paid for. I told the insurance company this and asked for them to send me an itinary of treatments claimed for so I can check that he's not claimed for other things that I have already paid for myself. If he has claimed for other things then the money he was paid out should be mine! Also the last claim form I signed was from last October so he must have falsified it somehow to make a claim for treatment I had this January.
I phoned the vets and the receptionist was very sheepish and took all of two minutes to 'look into it' and agree that yes, I'd already paid for both things that I was being invoiced for and I shouldn't have been invoiced. 'A mistake'. No apology or explanation from the vet at all.
Now, I don't know what to do. Maybe an honest mistake but it really doesn't seem to be one. It seems like he tried to get money from the insurance company for treatments he'd already been paid for and then when he didn't tried to get the money from me, not expecting me to be so on the ball with everything that I'd paid upfront. Also, the fact that he lied on the invoice about what I was actually being charged for. My dog has very complex needs and needs constant ongoing treatment and changing vets would be difficult and stressful for him as he is very afraid of going to the vets and this vet understands his nervous nature and his condition is so complex that it would be a nightmare starting from scratch and with this vet we have been able to manage it, and the medication, between us. On the other hand though this is not the first time I've had doubts about the vet and I don't want to line the pockets of someone who is essentially dishonest and would have been happy to rip off either the insurance company or me.
What would you do?
When I was initially claiming on my pet insurance I eventually managed to get my vet to liaise directly with the insurance company and claim from them as the costs were so high and I was struggling to pay upfront and then claim it back. Anyway, the last time I claimed was in October as that was when my policy expired. I filled in my part of the claim form and gave it to the vet and he was to fill in his part and send it off. I heard nothing else so assumed it had all gone through and he'd got his money.
Anyway, I found out today he didn't send my claim form off until earlier this month, 9 months later. I got an invoice from the vets today for over £100 saying that the insurance company hadn't covered a certain treatment my dog had had and that I'd gone over my excess for the condition so I owed the vets this money. I phoned up the insurance company and found out I was being charged for some skin spray that I had already paid the vets for as I knew it wasn't covered and I was also being charged for a consultation and treatment that happened in January that I'd also paid for as I knew my policy had expired in October. The insurance company said I hadn't gone over my excess at all. So basically the vet was charging me twice for things I'd already paid for. I told the insurance company this and asked for them to send me an itinary of treatments claimed for so I can check that he's not claimed for other things that I have already paid for myself. If he has claimed for other things then the money he was paid out should be mine! Also the last claim form I signed was from last October so he must have falsified it somehow to make a claim for treatment I had this January.
I phoned the vets and the receptionist was very sheepish and took all of two minutes to 'look into it' and agree that yes, I'd already paid for both things that I was being invoiced for and I shouldn't have been invoiced. 'A mistake'. No apology or explanation from the vet at all.
Now, I don't know what to do. Maybe an honest mistake but it really doesn't seem to be one. It seems like he tried to get money from the insurance company for treatments he'd already been paid for and then when he didn't tried to get the money from me, not expecting me to be so on the ball with everything that I'd paid upfront. Also, the fact that he lied on the invoice about what I was actually being charged for. My dog has very complex needs and needs constant ongoing treatment and changing vets would be difficult and stressful for him as he is very afraid of going to the vets and this vet understands his nervous nature and his condition is so complex that it would be a nightmare starting from scratch and with this vet we have been able to manage it, and the medication, between us. On the other hand though this is not the first time I've had doubts about the vet and I don't want to line the pockets of someone who is essentially dishonest and would have been happy to rip off either the insurance company or me.
What would you do?