Bad debt relief?

Re: Bad debt relief?

Rajat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 19:55:44 GMT

[quote user="Lorna McHardy"]

[quote user="Rajat"]

.the NHS really is an awful thing for Vets ppl think medical care should be free for one and all (tho it is great overall for the denizens of the country)

[/quote]

Cuts both ways, that effect. Basically, people have little or no idea of what a reasonable cost would be; so when you present a bill, regardless of how much it's for, you'll get anything from an outraged "HOW MUCH?????" to a happy "Oh! I thought that'd be much more :0))))"

Although what with one recession and another, the how-much response seems to be increasing proportionally

[/quote]

You are lucky, I hardly get that, even the wealthy seem to be gobsmacked at bills sometimes having forgotten the estimate they signed..and everyone thinks we drive posh cars, I point out my S reg honda sometimes and it shuts them up!

Re: Bad debt relief?

Lorna McHardy — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:49:49 GMT

[quote user="Rajat"]

.the NHS really is an awful thing for Vets ppl think medical care should be free for one and all (tho it is great overall for the denizens of the country)

[/quote]

Although what with one recession and another, the how-much response seems to be increasing proportionally

Re: Bad debt relief?

Rajat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:02:39 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

An assistant of mine, demanded that the very large client of African descent, leave his expensive leather coat as security for his unpaid fee......

Got the dosh quick!

[/quote]

haha great thinking!

David M the way I see it is we all struggle with getting bills paid from some people, but lets not punish the animals, whose welfare we are charged with..

another approach my ex boss used is to gently warn the people that to leave without paying bills is equivalent to theft and the police will be informed immediately...that often brings them back to reality....the NHS really is an awful thing for Vets ppl think medical care should be free for one and all (tho it is great overall for the denizens of the country)

Re: Bad debt relief?

Anthony Todd — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:31:30 GMT

[quote user="Rajat"]I love it![/quote]

An assistant of mine, demanded that the very large client of African descent, leave his expensive leather coat as security for his unpaid fee......

Got the dosh quick!

Re: Bad debt relief?

Rajat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:41:13 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Dreadful thing to do Now I would have sympathy with giving bad debtors laxative chocolate after telling them that if either they or the animal developed diarrhoea the animals treatment would have to be altered

Wynne

[/quote]

I love it!

Re: Bad debt relief?

Wren — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:37:06 GMT

Steering well clear of the ethical debate...

I have a POS/Switch terminal in my car for getting payments from equine clients - we offer a discount incentive for payment at the time the work is done. People always seem amazed that this technology exists and I wonder why more people don't do this. It's so simple even I can manage and cuts down hugely on paperwork/sending bills.

Re: Bad debt relief?

James Laidlaw — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:34:12 GMT

Jokes about malpractice/bad ethics/inappropriate behaviour are funny.

Actual malpractice/bad ethics/inappropriate behaviour is not funny.

Re: Bad debt relief?

Mark Holmes — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:00:16 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

What a weird thread this is, I'm staggered that anyone could find the events in the OP funny.

[/quote]

I find it very funny, there are loads of things to find humour in even if you don't agree with them. I love the twisted way of thinking, the originality of thought and the way it pulls people's strings. It is of course completely unnecessary the bulk of people are honest and for every person who rips you off there are plenty who don't. Its too easy to get hung up on the bad ones. There is also humour in the sense that this is obviously somebody who has spent a long time getting pretty fed up and resentful of times he has been taken for a ride and has developped this reponse which probably does more for his sense of "up yours world" than his bad debt list. It is also an echo of the days when practice was much more liberal, which is nice in a dying breed sort of way.

Re: Bad debt relief?

Niall Taylor — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:25:27 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"] if we take into account all stakeholders in this[/quote]

Good grief

[quote user="David Mills"]Fewer bad debtors/more paying customers increases cash flow into the practice, which means more money for equipment, training... blah blah[/quote]

Absolutely agree with this bit - the way to reduce bad debts though is not to jab random dogs with unnecessary drugs.

[quote user="David Mills"].. there are far more serious areas that are breached every day..[/quote]

Oh well of course that makes it completely acceptible - I'm just off to stock up on homeopathy and voodoo dolls

What a weird thread this is, I'm staggered that anyone could find the events in the OP funny.

Niall

Re: Bad debt relief?

James Laidlaw — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:33:44 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]Is it really though? [/quote]

Yes.

Re: Bad debt relief?

David Mills — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:02:42 GMT

[quote user="Rajat"]

Awful. Malpractice. Unethical.

[/quote]

Is it really though? The utilitarian viewpoint says not if we take into account all stakeholders in this. Fewer bad debtors/more paying customers increases cash flow into the practice, which means more money for equipment, training, or even a freeze on fees. All these benefit far more animals for longer than the temporary PU caused by a one-off frusemide. I assume he chooses his cases carefully i.e. ones that wouldn't be clinically affected by frusemide so where, to the dog/cat, is the harm? I think on this one there is a case to be made on any cost-benefit analysis in favour of the person in question.

Regarding the questionable ethical boundaries of this, I think there are far more serious areas that are breached every day without batting an eyelid. Neutraceuticals (glucosamine, cystease, fibre tablets) or other treatments with absolutely no evidence for efficacy sold at vast profits based on anecdotal evidence of the vet prescribing. Operations on ATEs. Operations without informed consent setting our surgeon experience, success rate, likely complications. These happen every day with the taciturn complicity of the veterinary profession. Two wrongs don't make a right, but in the grand scheme - if this is indeed unethical this frusemide thing - if we are quick to judge others, lest us be judged equally.

Re: Bad debt relief?

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:41:13 GMT

Of course it depends on the person - it might be a nice bit of revenge, good idea.

Re: Bad debt relief?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:32:19 GMT

Wynne

Re: Bad debt relief?

Rajat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:12:05 GMT

Awful. Malpractice. Unethical. Should retire before he gets struck off.

Re: Bad debt relief?

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:03:32 GMT

Sounds to me that its more likely he'll waste the cost of an injection of Frusemide as committed bad debtors are hardly likely to give a sh1t if the animals is polyuric anyway. Plus perhaps he should get his act together and update his methods of accepting payment rather than compromise the welfare of the patient. I think this one fell rather flat David.

Re: Bad debt relief?

James Laidlaw — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:09:45 GMT

Maybe I'm missing the joke, but I really hope deep down that that's not something a vet would actually do...

Re: Bad debt relief?

Nicola Lawlor — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:13:09 GMT

I appreciate the humour but am not too impressed with the fact that it isn't in the animal's best interests to be doing this really.