Question regarding emergency veterinary bill — balance due after invoice at 0$
Hi, I’d like to get your opinions on a situation with an emergency veterinary clinic in Quebec.
I brought my dog in for an emergency a few days ago. At the end of the visit, I paid the amount they asked for on site. After that, I received the official invoice by email. The invoice shows a total paid in full by Mastercard, with a $0.00 balance.
A few days later, I received a voicemail from the clinic saying there was still a balance to pay. I haven’t called them back yet. At first glance, I think they may have forgotten to charge the emergency consultation fee, because there is no line on the invoice for “consultation,” “exam,” “emergency,” or “professional fees.” And every test are on the bill However, I’m not the one who prepared the invoice, and the invoice I received clearly says everything was paid.
My question is: can a clinic come back after the fact and claim an additional amount for a line they forgot to include, even after sending a final invoice showing a $0.00 balance? Am I obligated to pay if it was their administrative mistake?
I understand that a real service that was provided can be billable, but at the same time, I find it frustrating to receive a paid invoice and then get a call later saying there is still a balance. I don’t want to refuse to pay something legitimate, but I also don’t want to pay just based on someone’s word.
Do you think this is the right way to handle it? Has anyone here ever experienced a similar situation with a veterinary clinic or with an invoice being corrected after the fact?
Thanks in advance