Banfield Pet Hospital
Rick of Centreville, VA on Sept. 1, 2015
Let me share my story. I found a small lump on my dog Hera's hip/thigh area. It was smaller than a marble and we decided to take her in and have it checked out just to be safe. They did a biopsy and sent it to a lab, and it came back as spindle cell sarcoma, which is a type of cancer that rarely spreads in dogs, but IS locally invasive. We scheduled a surgery where they removed the tumor - just the tumor (The specialist I took her to after said "They just did a scoop job").
Well, this type of tumor has roots, so they wanted to do a SECOND surgery. I believe they knowingly did this just to get paid twice, as the first surgery margins were so narrow, they could be quite confident the problem was still there. After a second surgery with a specialist elsewhere, Hera is now cancer free. I would never bring another pet there - they are clearly only after your money. None of the vets had ever displayed any type of warmth towards my pet at all like at other vets. It's all business, and then "NEXT"!
jin of Jacksvnville, NC on Aug. 31, 2015
I had wellness plan for 6 years. I could not cancel it because she had one regular checkup in one year. It ended me with over 3 hundred when it is supposedly cost about 50 in other vet. It is very expensive and you can never cancel it. Ripping off tour skin. I had to pay one whole year and paid extra month to cancel it. Don't get into this money hungry thieves trick.
Eric of Jamestown, NC on Aug. 31, 2015
I signed on for two separate Banfield premium wellness plans, one for a puppy and one for a kitten. These plans were done almost a year apart. One thing they won't tell you is that the plans renew. Unless you want it to renew for another year, cancel before the expiry date! My puppy was due to one comprehensive exam shortly before her plan expired. I had her in for that exam a day after the plan expired. I contested this, but they added that visit to the next year's plan. When I tried to cancel they notified me I would owe the year and add an extra $80 on top of that. FOR A VISIT THEY OWED ME FROM THE FIRST YEAR. I later called multiple times to get a correct answer, and was told that final puppy exam was missed by 3 months, which they never scheduled or called regarding, unlike every single other visit. This was the only fault my local hospital caused.
Any company that has a "retentions" department to keep you from canceling your plan has management too concerned about money. I absolutely disgust companies that force employees to bargain with customers to keep churn down. Get real. Corporate refused to help my situation, simply pawning me off towards settling the issue with the hospital -- customer service rep actually told me the store would have to pay off my bill for this year's renewed plan. Own up to your problems. My local hospital was great but the prices are vastly inflated to make their plans seem worth it. If you remove the subsidized cost of spay/neutering and all the treatments when animals are young, it's an incredibly expensive vet, and they get you with that in case you try to cancel the subscription. Never again Banfield! I was happy, but now you've pissed me off and I will be sure as hell to let everyone know.
Nita of Keller, TX on Aug. 26, 2015
I have been with Banfield Pet Hospital for over 6 years with 3 to 4 dogs under their plans. They use to be really good and worth the money you spend on your pet. NOW they are awful. Different Vets come and go you never know who is going to see your dog and how they are going to be treated. They tell me one thing then another contradicting themselves. I have to now call them to tell them my dogs need their shots because they no longer have a clue. They also keep renewing my contract on one of my dogs that now lives 300 miles away. I keep telling them yet they keep charging me. I was last told they would report me to the credit bureau if I did not continue to pay when in fact I had already cancelled. I can't wait to be done with this company. They have poor customer service skills and should be looked at by the authorities due to their billing practices.
Alexandra of Everett, WA on Aug. 25, 2015
I got home one afternoon and my kitten Kam was acting odd (drooly and lethargic). I took him to Banfield of Everett, which is close to my house and has been giving Kam his vaccines. After waiting nearly two hours, a technician came out to tell me Kam had a broken jaw. I never once spoke to a doctor during my visit. I was told by this technician to go immediately to an emergency veterinary clinic and look into surgery, as he was in a lot of pain and no pain medication had been given yet. I was very shocked and hysterical; this is not what I was expecting at all. I was too upset to realize that I never got to speak with a doctor, a broken jaw wouldn't have made sense. He had been eating only a few hours prior and there was no blood, and why had there been no pain medicine if he was in the excruciating pain I was told he was in?
I followed their recommendation and took him to an ER vet, paying ANOTHER few hundred dollars (on top of what I had paid Banfield). He was absolutely fine. They found nothing wrong with him at all except his teeth are coming in. They gave him a pain injection and he was completely fine - back to his old self. When I called Banfield after the incident to discuss how horribly traumatizing this experience was (I was considering euthanizing him or giving him away if I couldn't afford surgery), the Dr. I spoke with was not understanding, kept cutting me off, and was condescending. Apparently, I can't even cancel my wellness plan with them without paying a large fee. I am beyond frustrated, and have tried several avenues to reconcile with them, to no avail. My only option at this point is to make others aware of my experience and hope to steer people away from this company so they don't experience what I had to experience.
Lea of Highlands Ranch , CO on Aug. 23, 2015
I called for an emergency appt for my Maltese, who had diarrhea due to them changing her food. I was on the phone for ten minutes, then Dr ** on University Ave and she said to be at the clinic by 5:00, because they were closing. I was there at 4:58 and the girl at the front rolled her eyes and took her sweet time until it was 5:05 to wait on me. She then asked me what I needed, when I told her Dr ** as soon as I got there. She went into the back to get her story straight and came out saying that Dr ** was gone for the day and there was a Dr meeting! Really? On a Sunday? What a crock of crap! I knew they were still there because I could see the Drs in the back. I'm very disgusted with that clinic! They don't accommodate anyone at that place and the med techs that check you in are terrible! This has happened so many times!
Barbara of Spokane Valley, WA on Aug. 22, 2015
We joined Banfield because we thought it would be cheaper because we have a Tea cup Chihuahua that has a heart problem and needs to have Compound medicines. We had all her medical records faxed to Banfield from our original Vet. clinic. So we took her in to get her teeth cleaned and the Vet said she needed to have her teeth cleaned and wanted us to make an appointment for that. And I do not think her medical records were even looked at because he told us to take her off of her heart medicine and within two days she was having a hard time breathing. So we took her back to our original veterinarian and they put her in oxygen for the day and put her back on the medication increased the dosage.
We took our other dog in to get her teeth cleaned and they pulled all of her teeth out that she had left. And after we took her home she kept digging at her mouth so we kept taking her back in and ask if maybe she had some stitches left in her mouth and they didn't really open her mouth to look in it but they said no and her mouth was healing just fine. But she still kept digging at her mouth and they saw her doing it in the office but the vet said he had never seen a dog do that before and he didn't know why she was doing that but maybe they would need to do surgery to close the holes that the roots were in and that the next time we took her in we had a different vet. She took her to the back room and removed 3 stitches. They charged us $ 1095.00 to pull the teeth and that was not including the medications. We still have to pay until our year is up but we will not take our dogs back.
Michelle of Spotsylvania, VA on Aug. 19, 2015
I had rescued a shih tzu puppy took her to a regular vet in the beginning when I first got her. She had fleas, worms and had never been to the vet so I wanted to get her checked out. Paid a lot of money for two visits at the first vet. So was told about Banfield. The first one I took Lucy to was in Central Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I signed her up. Now she had had shots from previous vet but they insisted on giving her more shots which at one time they give around 6 shots and they push Benadryl which is an extra cost. The regular vet told me if there were any reaction then I could give her Benadryl which she had no reaction the first time to shots. So I told the vet no. She still try selling me on Benadryl. I told her no she did not have reactions the first time which the first shots were only the normal 2 or three shots.
Banfield gave around 6 shots that day and did a deworming which she had already had done. The next visit was for a teeth cleaning. Now she was just a puppy. Had puppy teeth. The first visit she told me she would have to pull puppy teeth. I had told her, “No they will fall out on their own just clean her teeth”. So took her for the teeth cleaning. My dog sat at Banfield all day long. They call around 3 in the afternoon telling me they could not get to her now. I had an appointment. I could leave her overnight and be charged or come get her. I went and got her and called to cancel and complain: 1) the pushing of Benadryl; 2) had an appointment and my dog sat there all day long before they had called; and 3) wanting to pull puppy teeth and charge me around $600.00 to do so. So of course they had said I could not cancel but I could take her to another Banfield hospital.
So I started to take her to the one in Massaponax, Virginia. They were real nice when I got there the first time that was for the teeth cleaning. Which they did pull Lucy's teeth for free but not really because you are paying for a plan all year long. At the end of the year I wanted to cancel due to financial reasons. Of course I thought taking her in November was still from the first contract I signed but they said no and for that reason they would deducted the amount again out of my bank account for a whole year for the services just for that one visit. So in March of 2015 my dog awoke us and was having seizures. Something new and different for us from a playful 2 year old puppy. My husband took her to an animal hospital and they controlled her seizures and put her on phenobarbital. Called Banfield since they were her primary vet and said, “Bring her in. We will monitor her and run some test”.
Lucy was out of it. Her left side was not probably working right at all. They did the test I guess and come to find out they dewormed my sick dog. I had no idea until I picked her up and she had pooped all over herself. The so called vet came out and explained to me about seizures and that she would have to be on the phenobarbital for the rest of her life. That I should have another test done on her brain which was around $450.00. I said no at the time let see what happens being on the medicine. Well it took over 2 weeks. I lowered the dose myself because it was way too much for her size and weight. I started feeding her grain-free food and she got back to almost normal.
Then in April she had another seizure. Took her to Banfield. We will monitor her this time. She was not eating or drinking at all and I had told them that in my report it says something about her not eating dry dog food. My dog only ate wet food. So I left her there. Called around 3. They said I could pick her up, she was doing fine. Picked her up she was not fine. She was still having seizures and she was all over the place. Don't know what they did or what they gave her but got her home. Her head was jerking. She would not sit still and she was still not eating or drinking. I was using a syringe to give her water which I found out that they did not even give her any type of fluids while she was there all day. Ended up taking her to the animal hospital. Her temperature was elevated and she would not respond to anything the hospital was giving her. They kept her overnight. The next day I had to put down my 2 year old puppy. Worst thing ever.
Now Banfield is calling trying to collect. They never called to say. “Sorry for your loss”. The animal hospital which was the first time we ever took her there sent a condolence card, Banfield nothing. When I changed bank cards the amount stopped being taken out of my account. I called to cancel. Cannot cancel till the plan is paid for a year. Told them they did things I did not authorize them to do like deworm my dog when she was sick. How my dog had poop all over herself they did not bother cleaning her off at all. Brought her home and had to give her a bath. Had Banfield call me after 3 months after Lucy passed away apologizing and telling me, “I am so sorry for your loss. But here are the things we did and you need to pay for the services”. I will not pay. My dog was a healthy playful little ball of fur we loved dearly and got so attached to in 2 years time.
I don't think they did their job especially the last time I took her in I picked her up and she was not fine at all. What needs to be done to make Banfield pay for all these complaints and I believe are doing the wrong things. #1 giving out 6 to 8 shots a visit on top of deworming and blood work that is the #1 concern here. Not doing anything much when you take a sick dog. They seem not to be able to treat them as being a pet HOSPITAL.
Sherri of West Mifflin, PA on Aug. 15, 2015
Brought cat in July, ear problem. $150 FOR 45 MEDICAL. Came back August. Called, they want 45 after a fight to get refill. Also want me to bring her back. Told them no.
Sharon of Saint Petersburg, FL on Aug. 15, 2015
I've been going to Banfield since I got my first car 7 years ago and have loved them. The staff was always topnotch and the doctors were knowledgeable and caring. I just moved and now have to go to the Banfield in South Tampa on Dale Mabry Hwy. I called them 6 times before someone finally answered and made an appointment for my cat because I noticed a worm hanging out his butt. First of all, the guy who answered, James, was very annoyed sounding and short. He didn't ask me any questions such as what my phone number was or which pet I was even bringing in. He didn't tell me an exact time as to when I could bring my cat in either. He just said "ok" after I told him I'm bringing my cat in immediately for treatment.
It also turned out he put down the wrong cat for the appointment too. When I got to the Banfield to drop my cat off at 7 am the next day there was no one out front to greet customers so I had to stand there and wait for 10 minutes for someone to come out. Then the woman was very rude and just angry, as if me coming in ruined her day. I've never had such a terrible experience at Banfield in my life and I've been using them for 7 years. Their staff is very unorganized, rude, sloppy and trashy. I live a mile from this Banfield in south Tampa but I'm going to use the one on Hillsborough Ave in Tampa instead. Hopefully they're better. I can't imagine them being any worse!
vivian of Indlps In, IN on Aug. 14, 2015
I've been a returning client for 7 to 8 yrs. My go to Dr. or veterinary was Dr. Lee **. I loved the way he took care of my 3 cats. His care and concerns is what I liked about him. And making that special effort. Now they put him at another location. Which isn't close. I really don't like you change people. I like keeping the same Dr. Now I'm thinking about going to someone else. I'm really upset about him leaving.
Mohsen of Lake Mary, FL on Aug. 12, 2015
I signed up with Banfield insurance for my Chihuahua and as first action I had Dr. ** in Lake Mary branch to neuter my dog. I was told that stitches are self dissolving, but after over a month I realized that the stitches are not going away so I took the dog back to Banfield so they can pull the stitches. A painful process.
Some of the stitches are still protruding like thorns on my dog's belly while the doctor insisted that they will go away in time. It's been almost 5 months. I also ask the doctor if flea medication in the form of liquid tube needs any prescription and he said, "No if you get it from us". The flea medication Banfield provided has no effect and I found out that the Advantage II flea medication is far more effective and can be easy purchased over the counter. I wish I had looked at the reviews before signing up with Banfield and now I understand why everybody is upset with Banfield services. This will be the last year I sign up with their insurance plan.
Cindy of Ann Arbor, MI on Aug. 11, 2015
I purchased a wellness plan during a visit to Banfield Pet Hospital in June 2014. Other than billing my AMEX every month, I received no correspondence from the company. Not one email or notification that my plan was being renewed. On 8/8/2015 my cat was ill and I took him in for an evaluation. First, they can only do the very basic things at their clinic, I had to pay over $300 for an evaluation from an expert. What was included in the "plan" was only a blood and urine test. Long story short, my cat had heart disease (this was diagnosed by a third vet) and passed away. Now I'm left paying on a dead cat.
Jeanne of Baltimore, MD on Aug. 10, 2015
I had an appointment for my pet post op- (spay) 2 weeks after her surgery. The Banfield I go to called and cancelled even though I told them she needed stitches
out and had a rash. The girl explained that some doctors had recently left and the scheduled doctor for that day was not in (perhaps emergency? I don't recall) but I asked for a call back to reschedule. Nothing.. my dog's rash got worse and I had saved her from a local rescue so I called them and my girl there wanted me to track down my dog's doctor whom the rescue had been involved with when I first adopted her and took her to Banfield. So I tracked the doctor down via the State website and left a message with them, she called me back (awesome Vet btw) and while her clinic was not open yet, she helped me as much as she could over the phone with my dog. She also gave me a referral vet clinic with whom she would have affiliation and could speak to them about my pit.
Well finally after a great deal of money and time, we found out Hope has an auto-immune disease and she only had a bacterial infection along with tearing at the incision. Which had Banfield kept the appointment, called me back or even acted like an ethical animal treatment facility, my pet would not have suffered like she did. I will never pay them a penny. I would love to meet them in a court of law over their breach of contract. They failed to provide my dog/myself with contracted services so they can forget ever seeing any money from me or anyone I know, which also includes Petsmart. I had no idea there were so many better alternatives. There is one other thing, I disputed this on CFPB and with the State I live in. If you have concerns about the ethical treatment of your pet or operations of a clinic look up the state codes/regulations for that. The stuff for pets is simple to read and you should be aware of your rights.
nancy of Coral Springs, FL on Aug. 8, 2015
My puppy was sick and I made 3 calls trying to get a dr to call me back! I asked if I should drop her off and was told "No, Dr will call you back." Three days still no call. I called in am… was told "Dr will call as soon as he has a chance." NEVER! Called in afternoon same response. Called back when on service to have a call first thing in morning, N E V E R! They suck and their service is disgusting. One doesn't know what the other one is doing. But they take your contract money pretty fast!
Brandon or Ericka of Saint Paul , MN on Aug. 8, 2015
My dog had a cough, brought him in to be treated. The vet decided it would be a good idea to give the dog a rabies shot and a distemper shot at that time. As well as put him in an antibiotic. I trusted the vet. 3 days later my dog died! According to reputable veterinarians under no circumstances should a sick dog be give a rabies and distemper shot when they are already sick. My dog left the vet worse than when we came in. I called and asked for a liquid form antibiotic bec he wasn't taking the pill, she said I could pick it up in the morning. I explained to her that he is not doing good at all and wanted to bring him back in. That night my dog died!
I'm stuck with the bill and I shouldn't have to pay for the wrongdoings of a vet who all she wanted to do was sell, sell, sell and not treat my sick dog. I called the 24hr Emergency Vet clinic for advice and they stated it was unethical for that Vet to administer those shots when the dog was already sick and with all of that, she killed my dog! Do not ever use Banfield Animal Hospital in Woodbury, MN. They did nothing to help me. No apologies, the vet didn't even return my call. They should be sued! And I should be refunded for the cost that I incurred!
Jamil of Barrington, IL on Aug. 5, 2015
My wife and I purchased individual health plans for our 2 dogs. We were auto-debited $54.00 a month for the plans and the plans were suppose to run for 1 year each. Once the plans had expired Banfield continued to auto-debit our account for an extra 9 months even though we had not used any Banfield services for 12+ months. When I called to cancel the plans I was literally placed on hold FOR 1 HOUR!!! When I finally spoke with someone at Banfield I was told that I was placed on hold for one hour because it was the "first banking day of the month" and they were "very busy". Mind you I was calling on a Wednesday and it was the 5th day of the month. The rep then tried to cajole me to keep the plans that we had not used for 12+ months and said that if I did Banfield would send me a "four month supply of a very expensive medication" for the dogs at no cost. Mind you by the time I was making this call Banfield had already been billing me $54/month for 9 months beyond the agreed upon expiration of the plans. If you sign up for one of these plans keep a CLOSE eye on your bank account.
Cam of Orchard Park, NY on Aug. 3, 2015
We moved out of state AND needed to cancel. Phone calls to the local Banfield Hospital directed us to the 800 number. After three calls to the 800 number, which required a 15 to 20 minute wait each... we were finally able to cancel. The 45 to 60 minutes waiting on hold on the phone was ridiculous. I guess customer service only is important to Banfield when you enroll!
Maryssa of Pine Bush, NY on Aug. 3, 2015
Not happy with service. Didn't feel they gave my dog proper care, didn't like that they took him in back to do all shots and to check him out... any vet I went to, they have always checked dog in front of me and described issue or anything to you... just didn't feel comfortable there. Used services once, tried to call and cancel plan within 1 month and stated I used more services than what I owed remaining on 11 months... Again went once for routine work and to check rash on skin. Now stuck paying $29.95 a month. Definitely research before signing up with this hospital.
patricia of Swarthmore, PA on Aug. 2, 2015
Although my dog seems to be doing well after surgery and I feel she was given good care, I think the cost whether or not you buy one of their plans is outrageous. Initially, I thought I'd be saving money by getting my dog's teeth cleaned at Banfield. It was estimated, both online and in-person, to be no more than $300.00. Imagine my surprise when they called and told me that they had to extract a small tooth and a larger one and that the cost would be $700.00!!! That's more than double the original estimate.
Apparently, the big tooth in the back of her mouth was more difficult to get out, so they charged me $250.00 alone for that tooth. Of course, I also had to take her for a pre-cleaning exam and will have to take her for a post-cleaning exam, so the total bill for the removal of 2 teeth will be over $700.00. I am going to check with my regular vet to see if they charge this much extra for a large tooth. She's only 5 years old but was a rescue so I have no idea how her teeth got so bad in such a short period of time.
Needless to say, I will never, ever go to an in-store veterinarian when I can easily go to my own vet and pay at least the same or less. Of course, they constantly try to get you to sign up for The Plan. Even after I shelled out $700.00, I was informed that I had 72 hours after surgery to sign up so I'd save money in the future. So, even after shelling out $700 big ones, they thought I'd "see the error of my ways" and write another check for $450 to be part of The Plan. I actually tried to talk a young Asian woman and her boyfriend out of buying one when she asked me if I had a plan. Thanks to this site, I saw that this plan does not seem worth it any more than just getting your pet care without it.
Monica of Elgin, IL on Aug. 2, 2015
My 11 year old Bichon Frise was given First Shield Trio as a flea preventative. I applied only 1/2 the vial and within hours my dog went insane! Scratching, whining, restless, excessive panting. She would bolt off of the couch like she was on fire, just to run around and whine. I bathed her with Dawn as her skin was red and the next day when I came home from work at lunch to let her out I noticed she walking "sideways" almost lethargic and she felt so hot! I drove her to Banfield where I explained to them what she had gone though. The front desk attendant spoke to the vet and came back to tell me, "You do not have an appointment today and we can't see her. We are booked." I stood there shocked with my dog in my arms shaking. I told her, "This is an emergency. You are a hospital correct?" She told me that I needed to go to a 24 hour vet. Mind you this was in the middle of the day on a Monday.
I stormed out of there and took her to a "real" vet, in a pet hospital that I had taken her before many years ago and they saw her immediately. She was put on steroids for 2 weeks and is now back to normal. I had joined Banfield for the pet insurance. I thought it was a good deal at the time, as I was going through economic hardships and financially it made sense to me. I can say right off the bat that in the beginning I was not happy with them as they required a leave her there for 6 hours while she had yearly blood work up and vaccinations. I had never had to do that with our previous vet. My dog would always shake when we would go there and I would never get the same vet. After this episode and having her treated by a caring vet, I had all of her records transferred. They were caring, compassionate and responsive. Most of all they communicated and educated me on the dangers of this flea preventive that ONLY Banfield offers.
Years ago she was on Frontline and I should have never switched however Banfield pushes you to use their brands. I will never recommend this hospital, nor this flea preventative. I paid $130 for my emergency visit to our new vet. Honestly I thought it was going to be much more. I was paying $34 a month for Banfield's insurance. I'm sure I would have had to pay more with the emergency visit. Financially this does not make sense to me and even if it did my dog is worth more to me than the convenience that Banfield "presumes" to offer.
Michael of Bradenton, FL on July 31, 2015
We signed up with Banfield about 1 1/2 years ago for our 3 Chihuahuas. We were told the Wellness Plan was a monthly charge and that we could cancel at any time. NOT! Contract is for a year, and you can cancel but have to pay for rest of year. We could even tolerate that for 5 more months until it is eligible to end, but they started a new policy that only have drop off service to give dog shots, etc. Our girls are upset when we are not around and I've not been too impressed at the view of kennel area that I can see as the door opens. They only provide vaccinations, crap scoops, and draw blood, which causes my pets to squeal each time. Have decided that the guys there are just out of vet school and as soon as we get a good one, the next time, they are gone. As I am now... Will be at Pet Supermarket tomorrow for Rabies shots. Lot more confident.
K of Mars Hill, ME on July 30, 2015
This place is such a RIP OFF. They hire salespeople, plain and simple. I got an estimate for 2 dogs for just a routine checkup and vaccines for over $300. I went to another reputable vet and paid less than $100 total. The tech and the vet spent 30 minutes trying to sell us on expensive vaccines we could get for much less elsewhere. Their "Pet Plan" is a great way for pet owners to get socked out of $30 a month for essentially little to no coverage for their dogs. Canine health insurance costs the same and covers everything this plan doesn't. We were so offended by Banfield that we just walked out.
Steve of Glendale, AZ on July 30, 2015
I came to the Banfield pet Hospital inside the Petsmart at the arrowhead location and was told multiple times by the lady who signed us up for the puppy plan. For three of my puppies they said it would expire in a year and it cover the spray and the vaccines is about 400 and some odd dollars and lasted a year they said it was a puppy plan and will expire in a year and that apparently was a lie so for the last six months I have been charged $77 a month thinking I still owe them money but in reality six months have gone by without ever hearing from them.
If I was still on the plan you would think they would tell me that I have a vaccines due or make any sort of contact? I did sign something that came up on a little ATM machine which apparently was a contract that said the opposite of what the lady selling the plan had told me I was just starting a business back then did not have the time to read all their legalese. He is in their contract and just took the ladies' word at the counter. But even then I told them to cancel them for each dog long before the year was up because before the year is out they call you for some extensive exam where they try to get you to sign up for more stuff I think but we never went to those. We canceled them and told them to cancel everything because we didn't even have two of the dogs any longer.
We had adopted them out. I checked the Better Business Bureau for Banfield pet hospital and they had something like 300 complaints just about billing issues alone and hundreds of other complaints about other things. I have been out here with my signs and bullhorn for a couple hours in the afternoon for a few days now in front of the Petsmart letting people know not to get under contract with Banfield or at least to be very very cautious! I will be here protesting as much as possible with my bullhorn and my signs at the arrowhead Petsmart because I think Petsmart having a shady vet like that in their stores is liable as well and should lose some business. The people should just know that they can find cheaper and better veterinary care!!!!! Thank you for your time.
Linda of Escondido , CA on July 29, 2015
We had health insurance for our 2 deceased dogs. We are still getting charged for their policies. The first one passed November 2014. The second one June 2015. We received a sympathy card from the hospital staff. However, when they continued to charge us my husband was shut down from a desk assistant. He was told that we still have to pay until the end of the cycle. They are treating this special circumstances as if it is a fitness club membership. Are they taking any chances that they would have to provide medical assistance? So, if I get this straight... we are "sorry for your loss but we are still going to stuff it up to you"? We are hoping for anyone more capable to resolve this situation. We don't see that specific information under these unfortunate circumstances.
Mike of Sauk Village, IL on July 29, 2015
Brought the dog in with large cyst on back leg. I asked how much to treat the cyst and that's it. "Well now that depends," is what I heard. They told me $1000? What? “Hey we got this wonderful program that will take care of most of it.” So after buying their stupid contract they did test and other things that WERE NOT NEEDED. I told this vet not to do a worm test. He did anyway. Hey it came back negative. They will jack up the bill, so basically if you don't keep the program, THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THINGS THAT NEVER HAD TO BE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAM ARTISTS. IT COST ME $254. I found a real vet, one closer to me, her charge $45. They never explain anything until you get your bill. Oh after a complaint with the bbb, they canceled the remaining $303 of the contract, A LOT OF AGGRAVATION!!! STAY AWAY FROM THEM. Don't find out the hard way. I still did not get my contract fee back. They also charge a $45 office visit, and a $45 consult fee? I was only supposed to pay $5 with the coupon. That's how they get you in there in the first place.
Megan of Owings Mills, MD on July 29, 2015
Banfield Pet Hospital in Westminster, MD - DR. ** - I took my cat to the vet and was faced with a doctor that was extremely rough and mean to my pet. After getting my animal (who has never had issues with a vet before) all riled up, she then stated that she wouldn't be doing the tests or shots needed because he was "being difficult". The doctor was also extremely rude to me and when I told her that I had already been paying for all of this, she told me she would never work on my animal and that she runs the Banfield I went to, so I wouldn't be able to report her to anyone. Doctor ** closed the door when the vet tech walked out with my animal and she cornered me in the exam room. When I fearfully moved past her to get out of the room to safety, she stalked me down the hallway telling me that she isn't required to help my pet and that she does all the hiring in the hospital, etc. Doctor ** is clearly unstable.
When I called to complain about this experience, I was told that Banfield wouldn't be able to cancel my membership without charging me for the full period of time, which is ridiculous when you experience a situation where you are literally fearful that physical harm is going to be done to you for no reason! The customer service rep in billing then told me he would waive the next payment and we got off the phone. THE NEXT PAYMENT WAS NOT WAIVED. Obviously I chose not to renew this plan, but on my last month Banfield is now trying to charge me twice! I called and was told that I would need to call back when the second payment completed posting, send a copy of my bank statement, and wait for them to research to see if they can return the money. THIS COMPANY IS A BUNCH OF THIEVES AND LIARS!
Amy of Williamsburg, VA on July 29, 2015
I got the Wellness Plan for my dog. Part of my good faith in the contract is that they provide quality care. I haven't received it. I want to cancel my plan because they are shady. My dog was sick and they took the healthy dogs in for surgery FIRST. If a real hospital did this they would be shut down. My dog cries during the vaccines and cries for about a minute after. Then comes home and yelps in pain when you touch his shoulder or if he lays on it or walks. They can't answer my basic questions like on a growth chart how is his weight? Under 15 pounds. Well duh he is a small Pom. We should really have a class action lawsuit against them. I would like to stop payment on them and take my baby to a different vet.
James of Johnson City, TN on July 28, 2015
I owned a charter hospital in Knoxville, TN for ten years and built it into a profitable pet hospital even though it lost money for the first few years as most new veterinary hospitals do. I spent my time and money to build the unknown Banfield brand in Knoxville, Tennesee and was promised by handshake, promises, and contracts that I would be able to renew my contract. I did EVERYTHING they asked me to do, but they refused to renew my contract costing my family potential profits of $200,000 to $300,000 a year for the next five and possibly ten years.
Banfield is owned by Mars, the candy and food products company. Mars Inc is a mean and greedy company. It hides behind their five principals of business which makes it look like they are a kind and caring company. They literally stole from my family and have stolen many other Charter hospitals from the Veterinarians who started them investing their money, time, and talents to build a successful hospital only to have it stolen from them by Banfield and Mars, Inc. Banfield and Mars, Inc need to be found out and punished.
HATTIE of Asheville, NC on July 25, 2015
My puppy was three months old when we visited Banfield for the first time. The receptionist talked to me about the benefits of a wellness plan, and I agreed to have a bank withdrawal. After two visits I was told that she would be seen in eight months. Later I realized that I had to pay the premium each month and decided to cancel the bank draft. I was not aware that you could not just stop paying that you are responsible for all payments, which I was not advised of initially. I admit that it was my fault for not reading the fine print, but, being a senior citizen and on a fixed income, I could not pay $25 for eight months for nothing. Now the account has been placed with a collection agency. My advice is to make sure you ask all the questions before accepting the plan. To my knowledge, I did not sign anything, but according to them I am still responsible for $235!