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Banfield Pet Hospital

Sarah of Eagan MN (07/11/07)
When we first got our Akita puppy, Mikko, I decided to bring him into Banfield, in Burnsville, MN. I had heard about their wellness plans, and how much money it saves, so we signed up. About 1/2 way through the plan I realized that I didn't like the vets there, but since we were signed up for the plan, it didn't make sense to leave.

A few months ago Mikko was in for a check-up and the vet said he had a ear infection and acted like I didn't take care of my dog. I was mad, so I went to a different vet. She looked in his ear and said there wasn't ANYTHING in there to make her think he had an ear infection. NOTHING!

So, I find out today that our plan was automatically renewed. Before the puppy plan had expired, I had told someone at the corporate office and someone at the vet office that we were not going to renew our plan. They didn't say a peep, so I figured no big deal....until I find out they do it automatically, and we have to pay for the whole year!

Claire of Houston, TX July 11, 2007

Claire of Houston TX (07/11/07)
I had to bring my 3 year old tabby cat in to Banfield because of an emergency situation. He had a blocked bladder and was not able to urinate. The vet thoroughly explained to me that all they had to do was administer a catheter to drain the bladder. He did say that this is not entirely uncommon in large male cats and it may happen again and may require surgery in the future.

After two days of treatment i brought my cat home, and he was none the better. He was still leaking all over my house and in great pain. I took him back on a Saturday and talked to another vet who was unexplainably rude and pretentious. He tried to charge me all over again and i explained to him that the first two days of treatment were to no avail and i was not going to pay for care that didn’t help my pet! After another two day stay, my pet was brought back again, and still no improvement. I finally took him to another private vet (not a corporate conglomerate) and they told me that because my pet had been administrated catheters he had developed scar tissue completely blocking his urine tract. He has now had major surgery and finally he can urinate!

Cindy of Elkridge, MD July 4, 2007

I noticed the vet and a tech working on a dog. She yelled out shut up and then hit him/her over the head. (hit the dog). I felt so terrible about poor little innocent dog who was doing nothing but yelping and needed help, but they had to get brutal with him/her.

Jan of Lanham, MD July 3, 2007
I rescued an orphaned feral kitten. He's about three weeks old and very small.

Banfield's vet couldn't help him eliminate during the first visit and requested I call if he hadn't managed it by the next day.  I was told, after some questions, that it would be another 42 just to bring him in again.  It sounded a lot like a set-up, leaving my kitten sick to pocket an extra fee, so I googled Banfield, found their Consumer Affairs listing, called them back, told the receptionist what I'd found and informed her politely that we would not be back.

I assume it's corporate that makes them pull this stunt  because the vet and techs were really friendly there. There was a hard sell from the tech for the kitten plan, but the vet advised to get it later, when he needed shots.

Oh, and another vet's office told me over the phone how to fix the problem, for free, and they offer follow-up visits for 25. My kitten is going there from now on.

Leiha of Raleigh, NC June 20, 2007

I brought my baby Chihuahua in for a check up; of course they talked me into the wellness plan. They gave her three shots, which she had a very bad reaction to. I had to pay for the steroid shots to fix the problem. when I got home I went online to look up the shots she had gotten, two of which I found were not needed in the state of North Carolina, and not recommended for dogs under 10 pounds (mine was 2 lbs).

I printed the pages and brought them back to show the vet. I have never been treated so rude! Against my better judgment I brought her in for her second set of shots. I told them to only give her the rabies and distemper shots. When I came back to get my baby, her face was huge. She couldn't open her eyes and they said they were waiting to see if it would go away! I yelled at them for a half hour to try to get them to do something, finally they gave her the steroid shots again, and gave me the bill. On the bill were the distemper and the rabies, also the two shots that I told them not to give her.

I told them I wanted to cancel the plan and they said no, I couldn't. So now I pay for the plan, but she is never going to go back to any Banfield.

Vikki of Pinellas Park, FL May 22, 2007

I took my 8 year old Pug, Angus, to the Largo, Florida Banfield on Friday, March 29, 2007. At that time I purchased the Optima Wellness Plan knowing that he would be needing dental surgery very soon. On March 29, I paid 69.95 down plus the first month's payment of 35.95 PLUS I was charged another 97.00 for medications NOT covered under the plan (total 202.77). Monday, April 2, I took Angus in for his teeth cleaning. (The outcome of the surgery was that only one very simple one-root extraction was needed.) I picked up Angus that evening.

Less than 24 hours later my daughter called to inform me that Angus was not doing well. I rushed him back in to Banfield where they did x-rays, notified me that his sudden pneumonia was NOT related to the surgery and proceeded to charge me another 205.00. (Note: The on-call doctor diagnosed the problem as water on his lungs. When I mentioned that it sounded just like pneumonia she looked a little perplexed.)

Angus died a few hours later. Earlier today, I checked my account and found that Banfield had charged my credit card another 35.95 for this month's Optima Plan payment! I called Banfield and told them that the plan should have been canceled when Angus died. They said 'no', payments would continue for the next 10 ten months as I had signed a contract. I told the person on the phone that I had signed up for the plan to care for my LIVE dog and didn't understand why I should continue to pay for a wellness plan on my dead dog - the dog that had died because of the surgery they performed!

The loss of my Angus whose life had no monetary value as there is not enough money in this world to replace him. The heartbreak over my loss and the fact that every time that 35.95 comes out of my account for the next 10 months I will be reminded how much I miss my dog.

Betsy of Aurora, IL May 21, 2007

Betsy of Aurora IL (05/21/07)
On Friday 5/18/07 my dog Linus severely hurt his foot by stepping on what I think were nails running in field by my house after his ball. He came limping back, and his front leg was coated with blood, and blood was splattered on him from face to tail. I picked him up and carried him inside...quickly realizing that immediate help was needed. It was after 6 so my vet was closed so I took Linus to the next nearest vet (Banfield attached to the Petsmart on rt 59 in Aurora IL).

I walked in at 6:30 pm. By this time I was covered in blood, he was covered in blood, and the towel I had him in was soaked. THEY REFUSED TO HELP HIM OR EVEN LOOK AT HIM. I was told they have two husky pups to give shots to, we close at 7 and you did not make an appointment FOR AN EMERGENCY? Pointed out the fact that he was badly injured and they hand me two sheets with emergency vets info and said there was nothing they could do...AND WALKED AWAY!!

I had to drive another 20 mins to get my poor dog to a vet to care for him. He had already bled for an hour by then and it took over 2 hours more in a pressure wrap to get it to stop.

Teresa of Dallas, GA May 19, 2007

I have been with Banfield for over 2 yrs. I am a good customer and always pay my bills. I am just tired of their non-caring attitude. They are rude, they seem to not care how they treat customer nor their pets. My dog is with them right now but when I get her back she will not return.

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