Sajid Javid doesn’t seem to know what to do with cowboys. For the British Minister of Health, they are apparently little more than rather insolent types who not only literally put the Colt on the chest of their fellow human beings. In any case, on Monday Javid accused some companies in the United Kingdom of downright “cowboy behavior”. He was referring to all those companies that sometimes collect 150 pounds for a corona test prescribed by the government, i.e. the equivalent of 175 euros. The minister now wants to take action against this rip-off.
The business conduct of some British companies has been observed for some time. Anyone who recently traveled to Great Britain should have had similar experiences when looking for a test provider. At the moment it is like this: If you want to go to Great Britain, you have to do a certain number of corona tests before and after arrival, depending on the place of departure. Fully vaccinated travelers from Germany, for example, have to present a test result when they start their journey and have themselves tested again two days after arriving in the UK. You have to book this second test before you leave. The test provider then gives you a number that you have to provide when registering digitally.
A test provider can be found on a government website. According to the Ministry of Health, 57 companies have now been removed from the list because they did not even exist or did not offer the required tests. More than 80 companies have been warned about misleading prices. “It is absolutely unacceptable for a private testing company to take advantage of vacationers, and today’s action will put a stop to this cowboy behavior,” said Health Secretary Javid on Monday.
The British consumer organization Which welcomed the move, but described it as long overdue, after all, the school summer holidays will soon be over. According to the consumer advocates, none of the ten cheapest providers, according to the government website, offered the advertised tests for the given price. At the weekend, some of the more than 400 listed providers were charging a good 300 pounds for two corona tests. It is quite possible that some cowboys would be proud of these Wild West methods.