The Consumer Ombudsman has prepared guidelines for veterinary companies to help them address shortcomings in their online appointment booking systems. The price of the service is often not stated in the system, even though it is one of the most important details affecting the consumer’s decision-making.
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) recently reported about its survey, which found that the concentration of the veterinary market has led to higher prices. During the survey, it was also noted that most companies report the prices of their services inadequately.
Almost 80% of the 122 companies that responded to the FCCA survey use an online booking system. Less than 10 of the companies responding to the survey indicate the price of the service in the view displayed to users when they book appointments.
Misleading drip pricing was also observed in the survey. This means that the service is divided into separately priced parts, even though the consumer must purchase all of them to receive the service.
”For example, if the operation on the animal requires anaesthesia, the price of anaesthesia cannot be separated from the actual procedure as if purchasing it was voluntary. The consumer has the right to know in as much detail as possible what the total cost of the service will be.”
The price of the service must be indicated on the booking screen
When the consumer is booking a veterinary service, they must receive clear information about the price and what is included in the price. The price cannot be indicated only in a separate price list; instead, it must be displayed on the booking screen and in the correct stage of the booking process before the booking is confirmed. If it is not possible to indicate the final price of the service, the grounds for the price formation, such as the hourly price, must be stated.
The survey on veterinary companies also involved providing companies with guidelines on how to report prices, and now the guidelines have also been published online.
”This makes it easy for companies to improve their approaches. Unclear pricing practices make services more difficult to compare and impair price competition.”
In 2023, the Consumer Ombudsman drew attention to similar problems in the price notification of private health service companies and also prepared guidelines for these companies to comply with the law.
Read more:
- Guidelines on the obligations related to presenting the prices of veterinary services and booking appointments (in Finnish)
- FCCA Press release 5.11.2024: Study: Consolidation in the veterinary sector has increased prices – FCCA cannot intervene without call-in option
- FCCA Press release 12.10.2023 (in Finnish): The Consumer Ombudsman urges health service companies to sort out their online appointments processes