UK private Covid test companies accused of failing to deliver
Private companies have been accused of cashing in on the coronavirus pandemic by providing costly Covid exams to prospects with pressing journey plans, then failing to deliver.
Most international locations now require travellers to be examined up to 72 hours earlier than they fly and dozens of unregulated companies have sprung up providing DIY swabs or on-site exams with outcomes promised inside 48 hours.
However, airline passengers who paid up to £330 for a Covid-19 journey certificates have reported lacking flights as a result of their test outcomes didn’t arrive earlier than their departure.
Violeta, who didn’t need her full identify printed, by no means obtained her test equipment after paying £82.99 to a startup agency, Confirm Testing. She was unable to make contact with the corporate and her flight departed with out her. “I lost the cost of my flight tickets and, a month on, I’ve not had the test fee refunded,” she stated.
The agency, which was registered final April, gives next-day self-test kits with a pre-paid return label. Results are promised inside 48 hours of their return.
Another reader, who didn’t need to be named, paid £149 to test supplier Medicspot three days earlier than she was due to fly to Spain for surgical procedure. It promised outcomes inside 21 hours however she had nonetheless not obtained them by her departure date and was unable to fly.
“I lost my hospital appointment and the cost of the four scans and pre-op drugs was therefore wasted,” she stated. “Getting through to Medicspot customer service was nigh impossible.”
She has been refunded for the test, however has not been in a position to get again greater than £1,000 in medical bills.
Last month, the federal government eliminated the requirement for industrial Covid testing suppliers and associate laboratories to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
Instead they’ve to apply for accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and self-declare that they adjust to authorities steerage. However, candidates have till late June to full the accreditation course of, which implies that many companies are promoting providers with out official oversight.
The Department for Health and Social Care publishes a list of firms who’ve self-declared that they meet minimal requirements, however states that it doesn’t endorse any of them.
Nonetheless, a quantity declare to be “government-approved”.
Another reader, Jennifer, paid a £249 charge for a pre-flight appointment at Vivo Clinic, a beauty remedy specialist which now gives on-site private Covid testing.
“The results were promised within 48 hours but I only realised when I got there that that was 48 working hours,” she stated. “This was too late for my flight so I had to pay another £84 for next-day results.”
She was required to administer the test herself and didn’t obtain the outcomes till days after she was due to fly. The firm blamed a mistyped electronic mail tackle and refused to refund the £333.
Vivo Clinic informs complainants on TrustPilot that Care Quality Commission guidelines forbid its employees to administer the exams throughout appointments. The Care Quality Commission, which not regulates the sector, instructed Guardian Money there has by no means been any such ban. Vivo Clinic didn’t reply to a request for a remark.
Confirm Testing didn’t reply to a request for a remark, however on its web site it stated it had suspended its PCR testing service, blaming Royal Mail supply delays.
Medicspot, which says its Covid testing service is government-approved, blamed a “severe backlog” at its associate lab for its service failures.
“We stopped taking new orders for Covid-19 tests as soon as we became aware of the problem and we have offered all customers affected a full refund,” it stated.
“We will not resume the service until we are confident we can deliver results on time and provide improved access to our dedicated customer service team.”
The client group Which? warned that the issue was seemingly to worsen when the journey market reopens with some faux web sites promoting appointments and swab kits that don’t exist.
The Which? journey editor, Rory Boland, stated: “With testing increasingly important for flights abroad, it’s vital that this sector is properly regulated to ensure passengers are not stung by rogue operators and shoddy service.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated: “We have a robust process in place to ensure that all tests meet the required high standards.
“There is a complete end-to-end accreditation scheme, run by Ukas, which covers private sector providers of Covid-19 testing and this includes test providers of test to release, used for international travel.”
