Check every fee in writing before you agree
The vets and nurses who treated our cat in July 2026 were good, and I want to be fair about that. This review is about billing and how the practice handled it when challenged.
When we collected our cat after three days of treatment, we were told £418.11 had to be paid before he came home. Part of it was a 20% insurance "co-payment" of £271.41. We queried it at the desk and were told it was in our policy. We went home, read our policy again, phoned the practice, and it was refunded that same evening: it had never applied to us. It also included a £47.70 fee for handling our insurance claim. No document we were given, including the consent form and the written estimate, mentions that fee, and the practice later confirmed in writing that my wife was told only that a fee existed, not what it was. Their own internal paperwork listed it at a different figure (£37.50) from the amount we paid.
The practice has declined to refund the £47.70 or offer any gesture, and considers the matter closed. We have moved both our cats elsewhere. My advice to any pet owner here: ask for every fee in writing before you agree to anything, and check your own insurance policy rather than taking a verbal assurance at the desk.