Paragonreferrals Reviews 4

Thank you for everything. You did for jasper excellent

If I could give this zero stars I would be happier. Paragon Vet Referrals is owned by Linnaeus Group & so is Calder Vets. My dog was referred from Calder Vets to Paragon in an emergency situation with my dog. I paid £1743.55 for them to remove a piece of a treat that had stuck in his throat. I willingly paid my bill with the intention of claiming from my insurance & now is where I am disgusted. Calder Vets (remember same group as Paragon) gave my insurance company the information that was needed & my insurance company paid with 24 hrs however Paragon had not. I spoke to my insurance company who advised that they had sent a request to Paragon but had not heard back. I called Paragon who told me there had been no request made, however they would double check ‘the portal’ aha, here’s the request said the lady on the phone. Were you told that you have to pay a £45 administrator fee in order for us to send the information to your insurer? I advised that no one had mentioned anything about a £45 administrator fee. The lady said - well until that’s paid we cannot give the information to the insurer. Flabbergasted? Absolutely!!!! Disgusted? You betcha!!! Talk about money for old rope! These people should at least wear a mask & carry bags with ‘SWAG’ on so that we know what they’re really about straight away! £45 is absolutely extortionate & I am utterly shocked & furious that this company is taking such massive advantage of people at what is sometimes very e of the most stressful times of their lives! Shame on you Paragon!!! Avoid like the plague that this company is!!!

We were referred to Paragon from our vets as they had drawn a blank. i feel i need to tell you all about my gorgeous daughter Roxy who was a border collie from start to finish to give a very balanced and fair review. To not do just wouldnt be fair
We were referred on a Tuesday, we paid the deposit to see them - understandable. We saw them on the Thursday, she had a full MRI and diagnosis to two possible outcomes Lymphoma or a lung disease. We found out on Friday it was Lymphoma - the blood tests came back that quickly
We started chemo on the following Monday - so all less than a week.
Throughout Paragon have been excellent answering any question we had, not rushing us at all.
Sadly Roxy lost her fight on the 13th Jan - nearly a year to the day she was first referred.
thank you to all staff but especially the brilliant Danni and Patricia who cared for her during each chemo visit and truly loved her which was very much mutual.
It was never going to be the outcome as pet parents we would like but the level of care, compassion that they gave was second to none.
we were given time with her when the end came and only left when we felt we were able - not that you ever are really.
We were able to leave by the back door and we wont have to pay the final bill until we pick up her ashes. Something in our state we were very grateful for - so thank you for this last act of kindness.
We will be forever grateful for the extra 12 months you enabled us to have with her. This was time we truly treasured.
Thank you for all you have done from the bottom of our hearts.

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