A very heated, polarizing topic. I hope you can forgive a soapbox moment: The fact that this family lost a pet it devastating. Truly. But seriously-- death threats?? I can guarantee this was devastating to the veterinarian and the staff members involved as well. Ive been there. They offered options. The client declined. On an average month I have approximately 50% of a typical months revenue in accounts receivable. Sad to say, many of these people NEVER pay. The ones least able? THOSE are the ones faithfully sending $20 every month to pay their bill. Sure: I can take them to small claims court or collections: that takes more money and time and still doesnt guarantee they will pay. Even with a court order, it takes more money invested to try to garnish wages. More money dumped after bad debt. In the mean time, through the power of social networking, I can SEE the new toys you are buying, the vacations you take-- while still choosing not to pay your vet bill. (While the client who has been out of work for months or just lost her home-- she is sending money faithfully.) My assistant VOLUNTEERS her time to help me. My creditors are patient while I pay what I can. My student loans have been deferred so many times I cant request it any more. And people make DEATH THREATS because a clinic wouldnt provide services for free to a client they had never met??? Ill bet if I walked into the auto shop, told them I will pay $50 now and pay the rest later to have my brakes repaired they would be happy to escort me back out the door. But they love cars! They devoted their lives to keeping cars safe for the people driving them. Why are they so heartless?? And Ill bet they dont have $200,000 in student loans and employees volunteering their time. And I bet they have never received death threats for refusing to provide service for free. Why do people not understand that veterinarians need to have money to survive too?? I cant just charge more to the clients who DO pay or look to the government to subsidize. If I dont get paid, it comes directly out of my pocket. Sorry if I have offended, but seriously. Name ANY other profession that workers have invested as much into being in the field, get paid as poorly, work as hard, and are constantly bad-mouthed for refusing to provide service for free? Apologies. Resume your day. I feel better now...
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 14:29:21 +0000
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