Bonjour les tous. Our old motheaten moggy (22) needed a manicure and shave (matted fur). We emailed a vet for a devis. He said she would need a local anaesthetic. That plus claws cut and shave would be 90 euros. We agreed and made an appointment. When we arrived another vet in the practice told us the procedure and said to return later. The bill was 400 euros! We protested. She said you agreed the procedure. We said we thought it was included in the agreed 90 euros and showed her the email. We are still in shock. A deal is a deal. The most dificult thing about living in a foreign country is not knowing the right bodies to complain to. Does France have ombudsman?
How does the devis compare with the final invoice in terms of treatment actually administered? Were there extra items or have you been charged more for the agreed treatment (shave & claws cut +/- local).
How good is your French?
This link might help if it gets that far.
| billybutcher Member
13 September |
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How does the devis compare with the final invoice in terms of treatment actually administered? Were there extra items
Yes
or have you been charged more for the agreed treatment (shave & claws cut +/- local)
No. She said moggy needed a blood test to see if she was able to be anaesthetised which her colleague didnât mention.
How good is your French?
not good
This link might help if it gets that far.
thank you
Never dealt with a vet but I am astonished at the poor consumer-facing procedures and apparent lack of protection in France.
It feels like pre-early 1970âs practices in the UK. For a fantastic country that gets so many things right, I donât understand why the French population accept this.
France has to follow EU provisiions er: buying online, minimum guarantees etc.
As to why it is accepted - perhaps because it has always been so, perhaps the control of small businesses and artisans, while assuring that the person you engage will be qualified, also means that it is something of a sellers market.
I think Karen is correct, it is a buyer beware culture with very thin consumer protection.
Unfortunately a deal is typically not a deal in the Republique.
Iâm pretty sure the locals do not pay 400euros to the pet groomer unless Elton Johnâs your neighbour.
I find the emotional strength of their sense of entitlement is not matched by their ability to write a tight contract. A good lawyer with rough edges I find keeps them honest, though this instance may not merit such an investment.
I hope you get some satisfaction because it sounds very unfair but I would invest in a cat comb going forward.
Really sorry to hear of your disappointment & hopefully this has not had to an adverse impact on your finances. Hopefully the cat is happy.
I have to say I donât recognise the country being described here as having âpoor consumer-facing procedures and apparent lack of protectionâ, or its peopleâs âsense of entitlementâ, etc.
Weâve lived here for the last decade - as I did in my 20s, and worked and holidayed in France frequently in between - and had no significant problems, whereas we most certainly did have lots of consumer-related problems in the UK.
Thatâs my experience - and my understanding, like Billyâs, is that as far as the legalities go, both UK and France consumer protections are based on EU standards (though the UK will no doubt depart from them soon in its downward brexit spiral).
I totally agree that the âred tapeâ that the Leave campaign wanted rid of mostly consisted of consumer and employee protections.
I think the issue in France is that you have to stand up for your rights more - they arenât as automatic and that might throw some Brits but I havenât experienced big problems. Having some French is definitely a plus but you donât need to be fluent (though I believe if you live in France you should strive to learn the language as well as you can).
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This is an aside, but have you tried a âpoodle parlorâ ? One local to me will trim cats for 50 euros.
Still, it is probably more stressful for all involved.
This was about protecting the second vet (and their insurance) as cat is 22 if it wasnât a ripoff or making the customer pay unexpectedly based on their poor communication. When they discovered they felt this extra test was necessary they should have warned you and given you the opportunity not to proceed.
Iâd refuse to pay it and check out the complaint link given by another poster, and inform them I was considering this before I actually filed a complaint.
There do seem to be mafia aspects of some communities though so I am unsure of the long term effects of you enforcing your rights - Iâm still not knowledgeable enough about these feudal aspects yet that you wouldnât have to consider in the UK
But whatâs happened to make you think like this Karen? As I said, my experience is precisely the opposite. France has always seemed to me a better regulated economy, while in the UK we came across âcowboyâ and even âmafiaâ elements not infrequently - and had big problems with household names - Northern Electric, Virgin Trains, etc⊠Here, weâve had no such issues.
Who are they, these people to whom you refer here? Whose sense of entitlement etc? Who is kept honest by a good lawyer?
Still working it out Geoff. But feudal/mafia as in local.
Agree with you about naughty companies in the UK too. But in the UK we have remedies that seem to operate.
Bonjour billybutcher (are you a butcher) thank you for this link. After discussing this with (French) friends I have finally filed a complaint. Watch this space.