Complain about a product or service

Banfield Pet Hospital

Debbie of St. Petersburg, FL July 29, 2009

We have been regular patients at this location for over two years. On a recent follow up visit my dog - their regular patient who always gets raves from how awesome he is - was muzzled by the new Dr in spite of her just playing with the dog just before. Her muzzle reaction was due to him backing away from her - her story became "he growled at her" which was a total lie as he did no such thing. This in spite of our question on the necessity of the action as it would certainly upset him & our suggestion that she give him a cookie because he is a shy dog and this is the routine that he's grown accustomed to there.

They are the ones that got him used to getting a cookie before they do anything with him and this is the only reason he was backing away - he was looking for his cookie. This is the most sensitive lovable gentle lab/boxer mix who had been severely abused when we adopted him at 11 weeks. He's 2 and 1/2 now and he's never been aggressive with another person or animal - he will back away if he's scared.

This whole muzzle act caused him to vomit for the next 6 hours as he was so stressed by the situation. The office also pushed repeatedly to sell product - heartworm medication when I'd just told them 3 weeks before (at the pet's regular checkup) that we didn't need more yet due to losing a dear friend-pet who was on the same medication. I even told them when I would need it again.

Then came the push for prescription pet shampoo and some other product for his skin when I'd just asked about his skin 3 weeks before and was told that "it was fine, he was a little dry but it's common and seasonal and would go away on its own." Considering that this pet has been their patient for over two years, I'm shocked at the lack of accurate record keeping and general knowledge of my pet - to me it's irresponsible and inappropriate.

When I called to voice the complaint and request to cancel my 'enrollment' in their pet plan since they obviously do not agree with my opinion of their care - the only action I've seen is to hear them repeatedly say, 1) they aren't canceling the plan (there are only 2 months left for a total of 32) 2) they maintain that they acted appropriately 3) I could request & they could note the file that I only see a certain doctor 4) that I'm responsible for paying out the plan or they'll send me to a collection agency.

This is a most unprofessional organization and they are clearly only out for the buck not for your pet's best care. We're left to find a new vet and pay for the remaining care contract when it is no fault of ours that we're leaving

anne of san diego, CA July 27, 2009

on 3/7 my cat was looking pretty sad and i took her in to banfield , reception said they were pretty busy but she would take the cat back to the dr's offc.she came back and told me my cat only had 20mins left.i was stunned and ask what do you mean. the girl yelled at me and said "your cat doesnt want to be here anymore" told me to get her to this other emergency hosp.where they ran tests and then askd if i wanted to let her go.i said yes and this would be the most humane thing to do.

when i called to spk w/mgr she expressed concern.so she went back and askd rectp.if she had done this.when the mgr came back she had a whole different demeanor,she almost called me a liar.i told her there was a crowd and i was so upset and stunned i could hardly move.to which she said yes my employee says you wouldnt leave.the doctor there serdy also spoke w/me and said if i continue to be difficult they would not want my business anymore.i was to apologize to the mgr and the recep.would apologize to me but getting an apology frm someone that doesnt believe she said this doesnt mean anything to me.and the doctors turned on me.

it also was handled very unprofessional as the whole offc knew about this situation. well , my dog's appt came up and we got a confrm to come in but that i was not to come since i have frightened the whole staff. i told this doctor that i thought this dead and forgotten.yet he brought it all back up and he had an attitude with me.i now have found out this particular banfield is probably doctor owned so that is why she both said they wouldnt want our business anymore. my cat died on 3/7 and i dont feel this staff cared enough about a sick cat, i will be taking my business else where as soon as my dog's wellness plan is up . i dont ever want to deal with such crazy , and inconsiderate , unprofessional and people with no intergrity. and that the fact i have scared the staff,this means they dont belong in this field.

Tonya of Jackson, MS June 22, 2009

On Feb. 2009 I signed my two dogs up for the Wellness Plan. I was told what i wonderful plan it was and how I would save roughly 1900 dollars by having them on it. I was also told that I would receive discounts on OTHER SERVICES by having the wellness plan. After signing my dogs up and after thorough examination they told me that one of my dogs had heartworms, tapeworms,ear infections,etc. The other dog had tapeworms, ear infection. etc. I was told I need worming medicine, ear infection medicine, flea and tick medicine, etc. My grand total for 1 day 468. I gladly paid because still I'm thinking this is such a GREAT deal.

Needless to say, every time I went after that I had to pay for something beside the fee for the heartworm treatment..it was always something wrong EVERY TIME I went. To make a long story short. I've paid about 1500 dollars to Banfield from Feb 09 to June 09. I took my dog to get spayed on June 18, 2009, on June 19, 2009 I found my precious dog dead in my backyard. I was told she probably threw a clot or it may have been from heat exhaustion.

I called to cancel the plan because I have already paid and extreme amount of money in such a short time. I was told I could NOT cancel play until Feb 2009 even though my baby gone and can no longer attend anymore of her doctor visits. Please do not take your dog to Banfield unless you are prepared to lose to them

mayra of acworth, GA July 17, 2009

I Went To Get My dogs vacinated and for some reason my debet card dont work and the marian told me that if i ding pay before 7.00 pm she was gonna send it to collection #1 we have been customers for years and we spend good money @banfield because we have 2 dogs and 2 she dinnot have to tretend me so i call my bank and they came to banfield and bring me cash but the point is the way i was treated not rite so i will never use banfield service again.

Debbie of San Antonio, TX July 13, 2009

I was reading all the complaints related to Banfield Veterinary clinics. When I moved to the city where I now live, I tried 3 vets before settling on Banfield. I would bet you could come up with a story of a bad experience at any vet's office. With a network like Banfield, the staff varies with each location and I'm sure they're not all equal However, I think it's wrong to just put down on the entire network. I switched from my 3rd vet in my town to Banfield on the high recommendation from friends. The vet I was using was supposed to be great. The staff there was aloof and uncaring, the fees were a disgrace and I could go on and on with my stories from there.

Another vet's office had no idea what PKD was when I asked, so I knew I was in the wrong place. MY particular Banfield vet is awesome, as is most of his staff. I've never had a group work so well with me. I breed cats, so I'm at the vet's office for kitten shots, tests, etc. on a regular basis and good, affordable care isn't so easy to find. My recommendation would be that if you don't like the vet, staff or care at the Banfield you've gone to - don't think that's representative of the entire network. Larger cities have more than one location - try another one, and make them aware of the problems you had at the other location.

Maria of Chic, IL July 11, 2009

I took my dog in for surgery on his for a Cherry Eye. I requested the gland be removed and they told me they could not removed the gland due to the the eye not producing tears. They did not do a good job on the surgery and upon picking up the dog they referred me to a specialist. The next day the dog could not see out of his eye and was in great discomfort. We took the dog to another vet who said the procedure the vet did on his eye was incorrect. He had to clean-up everything the vet at Banfield did and in addition remove the third eye lid of the dog.

Judy of Virginia Beach, VA July 10, 2009

In October 2007, I took my cat in for a routine teeth cleaning. All appeared to have gone well and I picked her up as soon as I was called and notified that she was ready to go. After being home for about two hours, I noticed that her tummy was swelling up at an alarming rate, so I called Banfield back and was told to bring her back in at once. I did so immediately and after about 45 minutes was advised that she had gone into acute Kidney Failure and she would need round the clock hospitalization and ICU treatment, that Banfield could not offer. they charged me for this visit, which I didn't pay for at the time, because the life of my beloved cat was more important.

I left Banfield and took her to an emergency vet nearby. After a 6 day stay and over 1500.00 in hospital charges, she came home and has been fine ever since. Banfield called every day not to ask how she was, but to badger me for MORE MONEY!!! After going through this for about three days, the manager at the time settled the payment and I paid was agreed upon. I shouldn't have given them a penny, because I found this whole thing had been a result of negligence on Banfield's part-failing to properly hydrate my cat during and after the procedure.

Anyway, they have now placed a collection on my credit report. I am sure that Hell will freeze over before they get another penny out of me, they are lucky I didn't sue them, but I just can't afford to.

Stephanie of Deland, FL July 10, 2009

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, I brought my cat in for his annual vaccinations according to his wellness plan. (A free visit) During the visit, I was told my cat had an outer ear infection. He had not demonstrated any signs of this at home, no scratching his ears, redness, inflammation, discharge, smells, or shaking his head, but I took their word for it. They poked around his ears with a q-tip then proceeded to take him to a treatment area ,in the back, outside of my view, where they said they would clean his ears and give him antibiotics. All of this cost me 128 dollars. (Makes me wonder...)

Once home, he seemed ok, but within an hour he began to hold his head tilted to one side and started stumbling when he walked. He got so bad, he could barely walk and would not eat. I returned to Banfield the next morning and asked how my healthy cat became so sick, when the only change had been their "caring" for him....they could not explain. They said he must have an inner ear infection and they would need to run tests, etc. which are not covered by my wellness plan. They also wanted to shoot him up with more meds. I did not feel comfortable leaving my cat with them overnight and without my supervision because of what had happened with his ear.

Later that evening, I noticed my cat had gotten worse. He could not get up from the floor without falling and his eyes were jumping back and forth rapidly. I brought him to the emergency vet who told me his eardrum had been punctured and there was "cleaning" fluid in his inner ear. She gave me some antibiotics and told me it may be 2-6 weeks before he gets better. She disgnosed him with ototoxicity- inner ear infection due to chemical poisoning. She also noted he had no evidence of ever having any kind of ear infection in the first place.

Bottom line...it has been 6 weeks, my cat now has permanent balancing and gait problems thanks to Dr. and the pet nurse at Daytona Beach Banfield. I have filed a formal complaint with Banfield. They offered to give me the 121.00 I paid for an emergency vet, but only if I signed a paper saying that they were not admiting guilt and were unable to treat him only because the emergency happened after hours. Did I not bring him back that morning and give them the opportunity to help? Also, they would not allow me to cancel the wellness plan...like I will ever bring my cat back to them. I am now out the charge for their "cleaning" of my cat's ear, the emergency room vet charge, the monthly fee for my wellness plan, and future vet bills due to this situation. It isn't as much the money as it is the lack of honesty by these people in admiting they made a mistake.

Kary of Wylie, TX July 10, 2009

It's quite a simple and heartbreaking story. I took my pet (details withheld due to pending litigation) in for a simple tooth cleaning. Banfield Pet Hospital sent her home with a dislocated hip. They refuse to acknowledge they may have done anything wrong, or were in any way negligent and/or simply unobservant. The total charges for this simple tooth cleaning came to over 1,000, but lucky me...with the Wellness plan I "only" had to pay 350.

The real vet I took my pet to informed me that a normal tooth cleaning on a small pet is actually around 150 to 200 at any reputable vet office. Tomorrow my pet will be sedated in order for her new, caring doctor to take the appropriate x-rays to determine the extent of damage and if/when my pet may have to have hip surgery. In order to cancel the Wellness Plan (what an oxymoron!) I will have to pay 240. I actually cursed the lady on the phone this morning when she told me that! They want me to pay them for injuring my pet? What a load of crap!

Patricia of Encinitas, CA July 9, 2009

This office diagnosed my cat with kidney disease and gave me a prescription to purchase the special food she needs. After consulting a friend, I realized that the vet did not explain the disease process well or offer treatment beyond the special diet. This inspired me to take my kitty elsewhere. The new vet was very informative and laid out a detailed plan on what I could do to keep my kitty as healthy as possible. For the next year I continued to get check ups at my new vet but I bought the food I needed from Petsmart because it is close to home and because the new vet doesn't sell food. When my prescription for the food expired at Banfield they insisted I pay to have my cat get a check up there before they would sell me anymore food. This is outrageous. it is nothing less then a money making scam presented as concern for the health of my cat.

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