Money first, care later
Paragon is a specialist vetinerary opthalmologist. You have to be referred to them by your own vet and they contact you to make the appointment. Their website promises nice touches like pheromone soaked bandanas to help calm nervous dogs.
We recently discovered our beloved dog, Chalky, has a genetic eye disorder. When they called to arrange the appointment (£330 for 1hr!!), the first thing they want is a deposit and to know if you have insurance. When we got there, there were no nice touches, they didn't even engage with Chalky who was shaking like a leaf. They confirmed the deposit had been paid and asked if we wanted to pay a further £45 for them to handle all claims directly with our insurer. I declined as I have always submitted claims myself.
The appointment was OK, but just 50mins long, in which we were told Chalky's vision and even eyes are under threat and that he will eventually go blind. 3 drops were prescribed and provided at an additional cost of £73, including prescription fee.
It all seemed very money first and didn't feel right so we went to get a 2nd opinion at the independent Animal Eye Care in Warrington. As we walked in, the greeted us and made a fuss over Chalky. Our appointment cost £230, we spoke with the surgeon for 2hrs, going through all the options and eventually deciding on a course of action. He prescribed 2 eyedrops (2 we already had, the 3rd he said was pointless) but suggested we get them online as it would be much cheaper (£12.19 as opposed to £43.62 at Paragon). The prescription charge was £15 and is valid for 5 repeats.
At the end of this whirlwind of a few days, after which we were reeling and upset with Chalky's diagnosis, I submitted my claims. The Animal Eye Care one was paid within a week, but the Paragon one remains unpaid. The insurer tells me they have chased Paragon 3 times and not had a response. So I chased them myself and was told, in spite of the conversation I had with them on the day of the appointment, that it would be £45 for them to respond (literally a 10min max job). I explained this was not a direct claim and that they had already been paid handsomely, but was referred to their Ts&Cs. What Ts&Cs, I said. I had never been shown these, let alone agreed to them, and had specifically declined their direct claim option. (A direct claim is when they take the policy number and manage the whole claim process themselves. But for every claim they have to confirm their diagnosis -ie copy and paste their notes - and invoice anyway).
My dispute with them is ongoing. It is not the money as such, far more the principle involved. We went to them to get their help with a highly distressing and traumatic situation and were mugged. Investigation shows Paragon Referrals are part of the Mars family portfolio and the wider takeover of UK vets by large American Corporations. The result is a money first, care later approach that is so apparent at Paragon. Of course, we should spare a thought for the poor Mars family, who will be finding things tough in the cost of living crisis, with only £130 billion or so to share between ALL of them.
UPDATE TO THE ABOVE
Having eventually got through to Debbie, the practice manager, who was very helpful, Paragon have now agreed to send my insurers the information requested so that my claim can be paid. Of course, it is a real shame that it should ever have come to that (and in truth probably doesn't reflect the motivations of the individual staff involved) but it is the world of corporate greed we live in. It is not sufficient to pay lip service to customer care. Customers always notice when they're been fleeced
21 listopada 2025
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