Price comparison service launched for UK vet practices

VetHelpDirect was launched in 2006 to help pet owners find the right vet by providing detailed information, including review ratings, value for money, RCVS accreditation and health plan details.

Now the firm has included prices for 1,600 UK vet practices to its directory and will soon be adding prescription fees, out-of-hours consultation fees and a wider range of species-specific fees.

Research

Susie Samuel, founder of VetHelpDirect said: “Most practices will give out these prices over the telephone, but there’s no way for the client to find them without directly getting in touch – something people are less and less likely to want to do nowadays.

“Our research data suggests that people want to find this information online, just as they would in any other service industry. When they can’t find any information at all on pricing, there can be a perception of secrecy that can do damage to the vet-owner relationship.”

Price guide

Customers can find out the comparative costs by searching for veterinary practices within their home town or postcode. An overall price guide is displayed against each participating practice, with available prices listed on each vet’s VetHelpDirect profile page.

Dr Samuel added: ”True comparison for vet practices is, of course, very complex, and no basket of services is ever going to capture the whole complexity. Every practice is different – from facilities and team qualifications, to the time allotted for consultations, to monitoring equipment for surgery – and, of course, the level of investigations undertaken, which can also vary from vet to vet.

“The aim is to provide commonly requested prices for owners to easily access and to add more and more detail on the vet practices over time so that owners can make the most informed choice on the vet that’s most appropriate for them and their pet.”

Benchmark

Data has been collected by contacting vet practices via email and phone across the UK, with the starting point being to include first consultation, dog castrate and health plans, using a 35kg dog as the benchmark.

Practices whose prices are not currently included on the service can contact VetHelpDirect to be added. Similarly, if practices would prefer not to have their prices displayed, they can ask for them to be removed.