RCVS retention fees

Re: RCVS retention fees

katie mountford — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:17:11 GMT

am i right in thinking the rcvs ask you not to ring them to check the payment has gone through but to check your bank statements instead? whilst i'm lucky enough to have my employer pay my retention themselves ( a big corporate) once i hand over my form to the boss thats the last i see of it so have no idea if it's been paid correctly or not (unless i ring HR which is often more trouble than its worth!) perhaps the college could set up an automated email that sends when they have processed your payment. amazon and other internet companies use similar emails but i'm less interested to know that my order for the odd book has been dispatched than knowing i'm potentially practising illegally!

Re: RCVS retention fees

Wren — Sat, 29 May 2010 12:39:59 GMT

I fell foul of this last year and was, unbeknownst to me, removed from the register. We had a problem with our post at the time so none of the usual warnings reached me in time. I paid the £300 to be restored, plus the retention fee, immediately (very broke at the time and it took some doing!) but was more worried about the work I'd carried out in the (albeit brief) interim. The registrar's office said not to worry, and it wouldn't be a problem!!!!!

If it's not a problem why bother to be registered at all? I suspect that the VDS, courts et al might see it as a problem if there were ever any issues arising from the work I carried out in that period!

Re: RCVS retention fees

Kate Richardson — Sat, 15 May 2010 22:35:37 GMT

Thanks Mark, I do just assume it has been paid by direct debit (and would probably forget to pay it if I didn't do it this way) each year, but I will be double checking now to be sure. Bit rich being fined £300 for a mistake that you didn't make- glad you got it back.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Mark Patteson — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:51:15 GMT

It would seem logical that they could retain a copy of a publication that they produce and use that to contact people who they need to write to, but no, that would be too much effort

But don't assume that they accidentally lose member's addresses, they deliberately delete them if they get information from a "reliable source" that leads them to believe that you have moved. In my case they maintained for a year that they had information from an equine clinic where I was listed on the practice register (but not in the RCVS member's register) that I had moved because I was not on the updates practice register list that they sent them (because I was working then as a consultant to them). In fact I never had had the equine address in the member's register yet they still took it to mean that they should delete my small animal hospital address. Nearly a year later that have said: ah sorry, that doesn't look right, we just deleted accidentally.

The background is that they made me pay £300 to have my name restored after I was given a tip off that my name was on the removed list (fortunately I didn't work for 6 weeks unregistered). This was after they had sent me a renewal notice saying that my payment would be taken by direct debit and that I need take no further action. Do not be fooled by those letters, the college then say that if you don't check that the DD has gone through and payment is not received, then you are liable, even though they accepted that they did not send mea reminder because they had deleted my details without consulting me. Sorry that we deleted them they said, but pay the fine anyway.

16 e-mails, 4 recorded deliveries and 2 Presidents later I eventually got the money back after the registrar attempted a dutch auction to see how little refund they could get away with. Fortunately the current President could see that it was a matter of principle that the fine was returned

Beware.

Send all communication by recorded delivery, check bank balances to ensure that direct debits have been taken and cheques cashed, do not rely on any reminder system and periodically check that they have not deleted you address based on information from "reliable sources" other than you the member concerned.

I have been told that the system would improve after installation of a new database in the autumn (of 2009!). Hopefully this system will be more secure but they still insist on the principle that they can delete your address based on information from a third party without consulting you remains in force.

I am sure that there are a lot of good people there but the handling of members' data is to my mind inadequate and quite possibly in contravention of the data protection act.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Bob Russell — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:49:57 GMT

Presumably in these days of 'duty of care' the RCVS have a degree of responsibility for maintaining accurate details (as we do of course) so there would be a nice little claim against them in the offing if we suffer any loss because of their failures!!!!

Re: RCVS retention fees

Laurence Webb — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:39:31 GMT

Perhaps they could use the spare £79.99 left over to print off a hard copy of the register so they could look in that if they delete someone by accident. I could even post them last year's copy of the register if they need a spare.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Ian Mostyn — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:22:17 GMT

They could use some of the £80 I sent to register my practice premises on a database. It surely can't cost that much EACH YEAR so there is plenty left to improve their IT systems.

Ian

Re: RCVS retention fees

Vikki Halliday LLB — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:00:36 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]major rethink [/quote]

Thinking costs nothing.

Implementation need be no more than organisation of existing responsibilities and resources. I would argue that the infrastructure already exists, it just seems that whoever is responsible for data handling and transactions of members, isn't seeing the wood for the trees at present.

Remember, the newly elected candidates are supposed to be working for us, so maybe some of them could comment?

Re: RCVS retention fees

Michael Woodhouse — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:15:51 GMT

[quote user="Vikki Halliday"]I think a major rethink of the whole system is required.[/quote]

Seems like a good idea, BUT would just end up costing us more money as they put the retention fee up to cover it.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Vikki Halliday LLB — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:46:43 GMT

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]

I have been left with an abiding image of clerks sitting on high stools, writing with quill pens by the light of a guttering candle.

Charles Dickens, your world has not disappeared completely!.

[/quote]

Maybe that's why the RCVS are so reluctant to move to larger, better equipped offices outside of the centre of London, because they will have to blow out the candles and pay the electricity bill............

Come on, in this day and age, when I can take electronic payments via PayPal, and any insurance company that has ever has any dealings with me in the last five years not only knows where I live, but the colour of my eyes and favourite food, isn't it a little tellling that the RCVS seem to have moved forward not an inch in the past decade with regards to retention fees?

What does that say about where our retention fee (when they actually manage to collect it), is going?

I think a major rethink of the whole system is required.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Tim Cheyne — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:13:24 GMT

I had a problem with RCVS fee payment about 3 years ago when my sterling account was mistakenly blocked because someone reported that I had died! As a result 4 active DDs were cancelled and BACS informed the recipients, including RCVS, of that. Undoubtedly my bank was at fault in many ways but the problem was resolved and the DDs were restored; RCVS claims that it was not informed of the restoration even though BVA and two other recipients had no problems.

I first realised the problem when, close to the payment dead-line, I received a curt 'pay up or else' letter instead of the usual 'we know you pay by DD but.....'. That was lucky because mail here can be a bit 'iffy'. My bank confirmed that the DD was active but, unlike the other three, no claim had been made on it. When contacted RCVS said that they had not been informed of the reactivation. "Ok, I am informing you now" "We need a written authorisation" "Electronic transfer then?" "We do not have facilities to receive such" (But they were considering perhaps installing them) "Credit card, AMEX, perhaps?" "Well, er, yes, but there will be a 3% administration charge."(and, as far as I could see, details would be sent over an insecure link).

In the end I express airmailed a sterling cheque that apparently arrived in time but I have been left with an abiding image of clerks sitting on high stools, writing with quill pens by the light of a guttering candle.

Charles Dickens, your world has not disappeared completely!.

Tim.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Mark Patteson — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:19:45 GMT

They retain the right to change or delete your address without contacting you.

SInce you will then get no communication from them or have an address listed by them I have refered to this as deleting your details, perhaps I should have said delete your address and fail to contact you again.

Having deleted your address they then claim that they cannot contact you to check that the change is correct - because they no longer have your address after they deleted it. They are unable to access other databases within the RCVS hence you may recieve communication from other departments, but do not assume that this means that the registration department have not deleted your address or that they can contact you. Neither should you assume that having your details correct in the printed register would give the registration department a chance to contact you by looking in their own publication, they don't use it.

Quite why they delete a member's address without consulting the member seems unfortunate to me. When they also fail to take your payment and then blame you because they cannot contact you because they deleted your address, mearly compounds the problem

Re: RCVS retention fees

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:38:04 GMT

Chuffed that this was the first place you chose to post, Mark

This letter seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch a new section I have had in mind for a while: Letters to the Editor.

I have re-published Mark's letter here: http://www.vetsurgeon.org/blogs/veterinary-letters-to-the-editor/default.aspx

The difference between Letters to the Editor and the forum is that when you post a letter, I will try and get an official response to whatever you have posted (if appropriate).

Also, a Letter to the Editor is likely to stay on the front page longer than a forum post.

Re: RCVS retention fees

Ian Mostyn — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:09:26 GMT

I have emailed the head of registration at the RCVS for clarification. Apparently, no-one will be deleted although address details can be changed.

Ian

Re: RCVS retention fees

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:21:19 GMT

Scary stuff!!!!!!!!

Wynne