- Report: #1325089
Complaint Review: Olympia Pet Emergency - Olympia Washington
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Olympia Pet Emergency
3011 Pacific Avenue Olympia, 98501 Washington, USA
Phone:
360-455-5155
Web:
olympiapetemergency.com
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Olympia Pet Emergency Olympia Emergency Veterinarian Clinic Wildly overpriced medications, including take-home meds Olympia Washington
We took our little dog to them because she had a ruptured abcess. The staff and vet were kind and tried to be helpful. No complaint with them.
I expected a high bill because this was emergency service, but I thought the bill was unusually high. Why? They sent us home with two medications, Clavamox drops (15 ml) and Neomycin Poly B ointment (which is an inexpensive triple antibiotic). They charged $54 for the Clavamox and $42 for the Neomycin (antibiotic).
The price for the neomycin raised a flag for me because I know it's inexpensive. So I checked prices online and here are the prices I found for identical products (same brand name, quantity, & package):
Clavamox Online:
$17.50 @ California Veterinary Pharmacy
$18.99 @ Allivet Veterinary Pharmacy
$54.38 from this vet
Neomycin Poly B ointment from Bausch & Lomb:
$11.95 @ Valley Vet Supply
$41.80 from this vet
I expect to pay more for a drug at a veterinarian's office than I would online. I don't mind a reasonable markup. But when we could have gotten these drugs for 29.45 total and the vet charged 96.18, a markup of more than 327%, that is outrageous.
I am not saying to avoid this veterinarian in an emergency, but realize that you will be charged more than 3 times the retail price for any medications they give you to take home. Unless the medication is needed urgently, say "thanks but no thanks," save your money, and get it later.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Thank you for the explanation
#2Author of original report
Mon, September 05, 2016
Thank you for your kind and informative response. The realities of the effect of scale in business is understandable, reasonable and fair. As I said in my original posting, one would expect to pay more for a product such as medications from a small business than from a major supplier - within reason. And it's not just Oly Emergency Vet, all vet's offices charge wildly inflated prices for meds, food, supplements, etc., some far worse than others. I'm really frustrated with the entire pricing practice, not just at this clinic.
A suggestion: If I were a retailer in that position, I would probably ditch my supplier and purchase from a major retail supplier and mark up from there. That is, I would pay the retail price at a major retailer and mark it up perhaps 100%. I would double my money, and pay considerably less buying retail than my supplier was charging. My customers would know they're getting the same medications, the same quality, and wouldn't feel like they were being charged three of four times retail price (or more). And I would be underpricing my competition, which would build customer trust and loyalty!
Thanks for your consideration and reply to my concerns. I hope my suggestion helps. :-)
Chewydog
Maple Ridge ,British Columbia,
Canada
I understand your frustration, but...
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, August 31, 2016
Veterinary clinics cannot compete with the buying power of online pharmacies who but in bulk. Here is some info: "Online pharmacies may buy larger volumes of the medications at a time, so they may get bulk pricing that might be lower (or much lower) than your veterinarian pays - so, even with a markup, some medications from an online source are being sold to you for less than your veterinarian pays to get the medication. Anybody who keeps medications in stock has to mark up the prices above what they paid because of the overhead costs involved in keeping those medications on the shelf and the losses if the medication expires and has to be discarded." I hope this helps provide some explanation. It really isn't a price gouging scheme. Cheers:o)
