Complain about a product or service

Banfield Pet Hospital

Kathryn of Lynn, MA July 7, 2009

Took my Westie to the pet store with me to pick up a few things she needed. While in the store, she urinated and I realized she had a urinary tract infection. She has a regular vet, however, this occured on a Saturday and the regular vet was closed. I asked the clerk if they had any medicine in the store I could give her and the clerk told me she could see the vet at Banfield. What I thought was a stroke of good luck turned out to be a 3 hour ordeal of systematically picking my wallet to the tune of 300.00 in three hours. The doctor would come in look at her for a few minutes, leave for 20 minutes, come back in, look at her for another couple of minutes, did a urinalysis, and proceeded to tell me that she needed to do more tests on her. When I asked her the result of the urinalisys, she told me she saw some bacteria but needed to do more tests. I asked if she could just give her an anibiotic to cure the uriniary problem but she refused since I wouldn't allow them to continue testing her. Seeing that I was upset, she offered some inflamatory pills to give her.

Debra of Sarasota, FL July 7, 2009

I am enrolled in the Wellness Plan at Banfield Hospital where you pay a monthly fee and vaccienes,office visits and other expenses are at a reduced cost. My dog Mister Bubbles has a history of Cancer for which he underwent two surgeries in 2008. He was seen by Dr. Klein in June 2009 for Atopic Dermatitis. Dr. Klein prescribed Atopica capsules and advised me my pet could take this for several months. Dr. Klein was well aware of my pets history of Cancer. I had provided extensive legible medical records, including pathology reports.I had even mentioned my pets Cancer the he was seen. Mister Bubbles received five doses of the medication. I happened to look it up on the computer, only to find that the only contraindication was a history of malignant neoplasia. I immediately contacted Banfield and a day later Dr. Klein contacted that he had spoken to an oncologist, but it wasn't very helpful. I then suggested that he contact the manufacturer, he did and that was also inconclusive. He told me that if the medicine works it may out way the risks. I was appalled and stated that it is quite the opposite. Increasing my pets risk of a reoccurence of the Cancer hardly outways the benefit of his allergy relief.

I contacted corporate on June 29, 2009, spoke to Duane and was advised I would be contacted in 3-5 days. I have not heard from anyone representing Banfield Hospital yet. On multiple occasions I have found the staff disorganized, always in a hurry and misinforming. I am requesting that I be withdrawn from the Wellness Plan fron June 2009 to its expiration November 2009. I have absolutely no confidence in this facility. My pet has gone through multiple surgeries in an attempt to remove all affected tissues.

Lourdes of Yonkers, NY July 6, 2009

I have been a Banfield customer for approx. one year July 4th, 2008. I received a call from the receptionist on duty on July 1st, 2009 informing me that my dog was due for a yearly check-up which she felt should be done before her Banfield agreement is up July 4th, 2009. So I made an appt for July 2nd, 2009. Upon my arrival to the clinic the receptionist on duty asked me if I was there for the Wellness program and I told her that I was not that I was scheduled for my pets yearly check-up that was scheduled for July 2nd. Her response to my comment was "That is weird we don't schedule check-up's on Wellness program days". My response to her was "I was not aware of this". So she told me to wait and someone will be with me shortly.

Approx. 15 minutes later she came back to me and told me to leave my pet with her and they will call me when she is ready for pick-up. I found this kind of odd because I had a one on one the first time I enrolled. And for me to leave my dog with them I was not to comfortable. But she told me that being that Thursday was Wellness day they are making an exception with my pet. So I proceed to leave my pet and went on my way. They told me they will call me before they proceed with any shots - check-ups etc. So I gave them my cell phone number. They called me and told me that they were going to give my pet two out of three shots 1. Distemper Parvo DAP Vaccine and 2. Leptospirosis 4-way Vaccine. I had mentioned to the physican on duty that she had a allegric reaction towards one of those shots last year. So I warned her before hand. She proceeded to give my pet the two shots. I picked up my dog and went home.

Around 5:50 p.m. I noticed that my dogs nose was swollen and I called the clinic. The physcian was leaving for the day and they told me that I had to take my dog to the closest emergency clinic and said their good byes. I was left with my pet having this reaction and I found myself having to take her to emergency because you physican could not instruct me to do what I had to do for her. I took her to the Country Animal Clinic and was informed that she only needed to take Benedryl. This exam cost me 177.25. Which I feel was unnecessary for me to pay having just taken my pet to see your physican and sign up for another year.

I took my pet home and monitored her as the physican from the Country Animal Clinic instructed me. Sunday came along and my pet was vomitting throughout the day. My husband called the Banfield clinic and they informed him that he has to take the pet back to the emergency room because they were closing.

Lynne of Palm Beach Gardens, FL July 6, 2009

I signed up with Banfield via phone about June 23, 2009. On June 23, 2009, 88.90 was taken from my checking account. Well, I decided not to use Banfield. I had not yet used any services. I called this past weekend (July 4, 2009). I was told I had only been charged 18.00. THAT IS NOT WHAT MY BANK STATEMENT SAYS.

I call back today. Now they say I had to cancel within 72 hours. Funny how the person who signed me up failed to mention this. I'm still fighting with them to get my refund.

William of Houston, TX July 6, 2009

My dog is a 4 month old shelter rescue. I took him into banfield because I though he might have worms, a possible skin infection, and a cough. He was seriously malnourished from the rescue shelter as well. It took Banfield all of 15 minutes to do 3 tests, prescribe him 3 different medications, and send him on his way. There was nothing in the paperwork to explain why he needed ANY of the medications, which I paid dearly for. Also, the vet was out for lunch (at 3pm) when I asked to speak with her so that I could find out why he needed these medications. A month later, he is still suffering from a skin infection, still has a cough, and has worms in his stool. They never even took a stool sample. We're going to a real vet today.

Lisa of East Hanover, NJ July 3, 2009

We brought my cat to the Banfield vet services inside the Petsmart store. It was recomment to us by the a local animal shelter that it was reasonable. We had to wait about 10 minutes to get into the room, A nurse came in took information and then we waiting another 10 minutes for the vet. THe vet check him and said he had infection on his paw and she needed to do bloodwork. Our cat was old and was looking was very weak, but we okay the blood work to see if he was dying or he just had an infection.

We wait about another 25 minutes becuase we got an estimate on the blood work cost. They told us we need to leave the cat becuase the blood work would take awhile. We were told around 8:30pm we could put him up. They never call us, so we called and they said the cat was okay, but they were running one more test. I was already on the way to put up my cat. When I got there the vet told me he had a fatal virus and there was no cure. We knew that cat was old and he was not drinking or eating and we do not want him to suffer anymore so we put him to sleep. It was about 9:00 and the store was closing, so my cat had to wait until the morning to be put to sleep.

Want really upset me was, why the vet did not complete the blood work becuase telling us the cat was okay and also giving him an Antibotic injection for his paw, when he was dying anyway. I feel they just try to drain for any money they could get. My bill was 565.00 to put him asleep and the blood work. There are over 100 in expenses that would should have not occurred. We are people hearts. To put my cat through this really stinks. They are overpriced.

Linda of No. Tonawanda, NY July 3, 2009

My two Maltese dogs are patients at Banfield Pet Hospital (PetSmart). I am extremely happy with the services provided there and with the professionalism of the employees, especialaly Jenna, a vet tech, and Dr. A. They are thorough, compassionate, and take the time to explain things to me. I feel the price for the insurance is very reasonable and it covers just about eveerything. I would recommend this location to anyone.

Hillary of Croton on Hudson, NY June 30, 2009

I signed my 13 week old Maltese puppy up for a wellness plan. I went for 1 visit, which included a shot and a fecal sample. I found them incompetent. The exam was largely done by a poorly trained assistant, the dog reacted to the shots, they lost the dogs previous vaccination records from the breeder.The assistant also recorded inaccurate information into the computer, when the doc came in he read the computer instead of examining the dog properly himself. I wanted to cancel the one year contract after this incompetence.

I have since taken my dog to a private Vet who is much better AND CHEAPER. Banfield claims that those services were 251.oo if ala carte. My vet charged 75 for a proper exam , by a DOCTOR, and shots. I was unable to cancel the contract so far. They make it impossible , on purpose, giving you the "CHOICE" of paying the trumped up "ala carte" charges for initial service, or paying the entire year contract, which is roughly the same- 25.91 monthly charged from your credit card for a year- whether you use them ever again or not ( I never did). They then tell you to file a written complaint , but no one knows how that would be done. It is just a time consuming run around.

Josephine of Philadelphia, PA June 19, 2009

My cat became ill in May. Having a Wellness Plan with Banfield, I took her in for vet services. The vet could not identify what exactly was wrong with my cat. After prescribing anti-biotics and other medications, blood work and x-rays she was sent home without a diagnosis. Because my cat had been seen during the year, I had to pay for services costing me approximately 800. My cat continued to loose weight and not eat. After several weeks I had to have her put to sleep. I called Banfield corporate office to cancel my Wellness Plan, the representative told me I owed them 325.00 dollars because my Wellness Plan had renewed on the 12th of May, and my cat had received services therefore I am responsible for the difference between the discount fee and regular fee.

I explained that my cat was deceased, and did not understand why you would force pet owners to pay for deceased pets. She said she would send me the contract to prove that I agreed to the terms and conditions. At the time I signed the contract, I was approached in PetSmart and told about this great contract. I was told about the savings and nothing about if your pet die or you cancel the Wellness Plan they will hold you obligated to pay. Banfield is a true rip-off and I encourage everyone to use a regular vet, do not sign a contract with this company. There are some good vets, but the corporate office is there to steal your money and take advantage of pet owners. I would be happy to speak to an attorney or participate in a class action suit. Banfield is disceptive and dishonest.

Yvonne of Portland, OR June 17, 2009

They sold me a 300-350 Wellness plan for my dog. When I brought her in several months later (she'd swallowed a raw hide and couldn't pass it) I asked why I never got any reminder calls for her wellness services. I was told "You should be." Today I received a letter stating that her Wellness Plan was up for renewal and that it was time for her wellness exam, vaccinatins and fecal exam. The letter stated "These services are part of your Wellness Plan that have already been paid for -- so be sure to have your family call us and schedule a drop-off appointment at the earliest convenience." I called them TODAY (the day I received the letter) and was told my Wellness plan was up for renewal, and she could only receive services if I signed up for another plan. I asked to speak to the manager, they said she was busy and they'd leave a message.

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