Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews
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Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews
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Reviewed Aug. 1, 2009
We had found a kitten that was malnourished and had chronic diarrhea to the point that its anal and genital areas were inflamed and swollen. We took it to Banfield, where we waited a long time. We had a stool sample with us. The kitten had eyes that had not changed color yet and barely had teeth. I suspected it to be a little over 3 weeks old. The boisterous receptionist said she was at least 6 weeks. The kitten weighed one pound. The stool sample indicated that the kitten had coccidiosis, and she was dehydrated. I mentioned that her meow had become a bit raspy too. They gave her a shot of antibiotics, oral medicine for me to administer daily. I told the vet I had been giving her 3 drops per day of Kaopectate and he said that was fine. He prescribed the Rx food to maximize calorie intake.
While we were getting the items we needed, we talked to the volunteers from Sad Sac, who told us about the KRM, which my book had recommended and about putting some Neosporin with pain relief on the inflamed area. The kitten was really coming around. She was eating like a pig and drinking her water. It was clear that she wasn't used to drinking out of a dish. She walked around and loved to be held, and even took her medicine without too much difficulty. She even groomed herself and used the litter box. On her follow up visit to the vet 4 days later, they wanted to do the labs for FIP and FLV, which I knew were costly, and could easily give a false positive or negative due to the kitten's age. They said she was doing well, and in that time had gained .2 lbs. We got more medicine for the coccidiosis, as they had not mentioned how easily it could recur, and the safety measures that needed to be taken.
In asking about the Neosporin use that seemed to be working, though slowly, the vet advised me to get some ointment used for diaper rash that contained zinc. We used cotton to apply it, once in the morning and once at night. The next day, the kitten seemed a bit distressed as she was wanting to be held more. She ate. But she didn't eat with her normal vigor. When I got up in the morning to get her, she was sprawled in her litter, gasping faintly for air. She was limp and her mouth was white. I tried to make sure nothing was in the airway. She looked at me, gasped, and then I saw her pupils blow. I tried CPR to revive her, but got nothing. I spent the majority of the morning crying, "Why?" I then looked at the tube of ointment that indicated that if it was ingested, call poison control. Then, I revisited the veterinary book I keep on hand and the internet, finding multiple warnings of zinc ointment toxicity to both cats and dogs, though cats are more likely to lick it off. This kitten was a little trooper, who would still be alive if not for the negligence of another Banfield vet.
Reviewed 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 doctor 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 was in spite of our question on the necessity of the action as it would certainly upset him and our suggestion that she give him a cookie because he is a shy dog and this is the routine that he hass 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 six hours as he was so stressed by the situation.
The office also pushed repeatedly to sell product - heartworm medication when I had just told them 3 weeks before (at the pet's regular checkup) that we didn't need more 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 had 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 have seen is to hear them repeatedly say that: 1) they aren't canceling the plan (there are only two months left for a total of $32); 2) they maintain that they acted appropriately; 3) I could request and they could note on their file that I only see a certain doctor; and 4) I'm responsible for paying out the plan or they'll send me to a collection agency. This is the most unprofessional organization and they are clearly only out for the buck, not for your pet's best care.
Reviewed 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 doctor's office. She came back and told me my cat only had 20 minutes left. I was stunned and asked, "What do you mean?" The girl yelled at me and said, "Your cat doesn't want to be here anymore." She told me to get her to this other emergency hospital where they ran tests and then asked if I wanted to let her go. I said yes and this would be the most humane thing to do.
When I called to speak with the manager, she expressed concern. So she went back and asked the reception if she had done this. When the manager 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 wouldn’t leave." The doctor there ** also spoke with me and said if I continue to be difficult, they would not want my business anymore. I was to apologize to the manager and the reception would apologize to me but getting an apology from someone that doesn’t believe she said this doesn’t mean anything to me. And the doctors turned on me. It also was handled very unprofessionally as the whole office knew about this situation.
Well, my dog's appointment came up and we got a confirmation 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 was 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 they both said they wouldn’t want our business anymore. My cat died on 3/7 and I don’t feel this staff cared enough about a sick cat. I will be taking my business elsewhere as soon as my dog's wellness plan is up. I don’t ever want to deal with such crazy, inconsiderate, and unprofessional people with no integrity. And that the fact I have scared the staff, this means they don’t belong in this field.
Reviewed July 17, 2009
I went to get my dogs vaccinated and for some reasons, my debit card didn't work and Marian told me that if I don't pay before 7:00PM, she was going to send it to collection. We have been customers for years and we spent good money at Banfield because we have 2 dogs. She did not have to threaten me, so I called my bank and they came to Banfield and brought me cash. But the point is the way I was treated, it's not right. So I will never use Banfield's service again.
Reviewed 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 three 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 third 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.
Reviewed July 11, 2009
I took my dog in for surgery due to his Cherry Eye. I requested the gland be removed and they told me they could not remove 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 that 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.
Reviewed 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 six-day stay and over $1500 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 what 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.
Reviewed 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 refused to acknowledge they might 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. I will continue to pursue Banfield Pet Hospital in order that no other pet will have to go through what mine is going through right now. Banfield Pet Hospital does not care for your pet or for your feelings when your pet is injured by their negligence, ignorance, and stupidity.
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! I will continue to spread the word regarding these facts and about why I hate Banfield Pet Hospital and why you should, too.
Reviewed 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, at the back, outside of my view, where they said they would clean his ears and give him antibiotics. All of this cost me $128. Makes me wonder. Once home, he seemed okay but within an hour, he began to hold his head tilted to one side and started stumbling when he walked. He got so bad that 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 diagnosed 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 admitting 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 admitting they made a mistake.
Reviewed July 9, 2009
This office diagnosed my cat with kidney disease and gave me a prescription to purchase the special food she needed. 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 than a money-making scam presented as concern for the health of my cat.
Reviewed 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 occurred 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 but it 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 urinalysis, she told me she saw some bacteria but needed to do more tests. I asked if she could just give her an antibiotic to cure the urinary problem, but she refused since I wouldn't allow them to continue testing her. Seeing that I was upset, she offered some inflammatory pills to give her.
The following day, I took my dog to her regular vet who gave me an antibiotic based on the urinalysis they did. It is my considered opinion that these people at Banfield are nothing but charlatans looking to take advantage of people in a most pathetic way and should be put out of business.
Reviewed July 7, 2009
I am enrolled in the Wellness Plan at Banfield Hospital where you pay a monthly fee and vaccines,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. ** in June 2009 for Atopic Dermatitis. Dr. ** prescribed Atopica capsules and advised me my pet could take this for several months. Dr. ** was well aware of my pets history of cancer. I had provided extensive legible medical records, including pathology reports. I had even mentioned my pet's cancer that 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. ** contacted me, 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 outweigh the risks. I was appalled and stated that it is quite the opposite. Increasing my pet's risk of a recurrence of the cancer hardly outweighs the benefits 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 from 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.
Reviewed 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 on July 4th, 2009. So I made an appointment 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 pet's yearly check-up that was scheduled for July 2nd. Her response to my comment was, "That is weird; we don't schedule check-ups 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 too comfortable. But she told me that being that Thursday was Wellness day, they are making an exception with my pet. So I proceeded 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 - a Distemper Parvo DAP Vaccine and a Leptospirosis 4-way Vaccine. I had mentioned to the physician on duty that she had an allergic reaction towards one of those shots last year. So I warned her beforehand. 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 dog's nose was swollen and I called the clinic. The physician was leaving for the day and they told me that I had to take my dog to the closest emergency clinic and said their goodbyes. I was left with my pet having this reaction and I found myself having to take her to emergency because your physician 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 Benadryl. This exam cost me $177.25 which I feel was unnecessary for me to pay, having just taken my pet to see your physician and sign up for another year.
I took my pet home and monitored her as the physician from the Country Animal Clinic instructed me. Sunday came along and my pet was vomiting 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. Now, I am not satisfied with the service you have provided me and I would like to discontinue the 2009 - 2010 contract and my $177.25. You push the customer to sign the contract and the service that you provide when an emergency occurs does not meet my expectations. Thank you.
Reviewed July 6, 2009
I called 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.
Reviewed July 6, 2009
My dog is a 4-month-old shelter rescue. I took him into Banfield because I thought 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 3 pm) 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.
Second, I'll respond to Jacqueline of San Clemente, CA's comment on June 12, 2009. Jacky stated: "First of all, there are over 700 Banfield Pet Hospitals in the United States. You can not judge every clinic based off of one bad experience. Banfield veterinarians are just as good as a 'real vet.' That's because they are real vets."
Jacky, Banfield Pet Hospitals are a chain. Because of this, they all have the same codes, same hiring practices, same training, same procedures, and the exact same treatment plans. You absolutely can judge all of them from a bad experience at one. If you get a hamburger from McDonald’s that you don't like, you can say, "I don't like hamburger X from McDonalds," not just, "I don't like hamburger X from McDonald’s at this address with this person making it." That's foolish. They carry the name and a mark on one is a mark on all - as it should be.
Also, you're right, there are "real vets" at Banfield. But, they are the bottom of the barrel. With 700 locations and a company with thousands of owners, the dollar is the bottom line. Their vets are not the top of the class, they are sub-par, and Banfield is where you end up after vet school if you have no other options. In sum, a mark on one should be a mark on all when dealing with a massive corporation that is uniform throughout. Also, they are out to make money, not to make your pets better. They will upcharge where they can and they will not give you the help you need for your loved one when you need it most, as the vast majority of the accounts here have shown. Also, with hundreds of negative reviews, many of them devastatingly tragic, from all over the country, how is it that you can even think of saying something along the lines of, "You haven't brought your pets to all 700 locations, so don't judge”? Foolish.
Reviewed July 3, 2009
We brought my cat to the Banfield vet services inside the Petsmart store. It was recommended 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 checked him and said he had infection on his paw and she needed to do blood work. Our cat was old and was looking was very weak, but we okayed the blood work to see if he were dying or he just had an infection.
We waited about another 25 minutes because we got an estimate on the blood work cost. They told us we needed to leave the cat because the blood work would take awhile. We were told that around 8:30 p.m. we could pick him up. They never called 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 pick 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 did 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.
What really upset me was, why the vet did not complete the blood work and why they were telling us the cat was okay and also giving him an antibiotic injection for his paw when he was dying anyway. I feel they just tried to drain for any money they could get. My bill was $565 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.
Reviewed 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, especially Jenna, a vet tech, and Dr. Atwal. 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 everything. I would recommend this location #0772 to anyone.
Reviewed July 2, 2009
On June 26, I took my pet maltese to Petmarts to be seen for symptoms of allergies she had been having. When I walked up to the counter, I spoke with Juliet of client services and asked was it possible for Morgan to be seen. Juliet asked some questions about Morgan like if it was her first visit and her name. I asked how much was the visit. She said the office visit is free from the hours of 2-4 p.m. and any vaccinations or other diagnosis are additional.
I stayed for the visit which they tried to get me to sign up for the wellness plan but I never made a final decision that day. The vet told me that Morgan had an ear infection and prescribed medication for about three different things. He told me the total for the meds came to 122 dollars. When I went to pay for the meds, I realized they prescribed a medication that Morgan was already using so she discarded it and was about to charge the same amount. I asked why the price would be the same if I'm not purchasing one of the items any longer, so she made the proper deductions. When I got home and looked at the invoice, I noticed that I was also charged an office visit that was supposed to be complimentary for the first visit.
When I called, I was connected to Mimi who said she is the supervisor and her title is a Maryland field trainer. While explaining to Mimi the situation, she interrupted and told me there's nothing they could do and that I should have checked my invoice. She also said that the visit is free for healthy pets. I asked why wasn't I told that before the visit and she said, "I'm not the one who processed you." She told me that I shouldn't have signed for the doctor to treat Morgan.
They lied to me to get my money and I don't believe the diagnosis is right either. I lost $86.38 for a visit that did not solve the problem. Morgan had to be seen once again by a vet to get the right diagnosis. This has been too expensive and time consuming.
Reviewed June 30, 2009
I signed my 13 week old Maltese puppy up for a wellness plan. I went for one 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 dog's previous vaccination records from the breeder. The assistant also recorded inaccurate information into the computer. When the doctor 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 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 charge 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 runaround.
Reviewed June 29, 2009
Don’t buy the wellness contract. When you cancel it, they keep charging you. Read the entire thing with a fine tooth comb. Seriously, it will rake you over the coals. When you call to cancel it, get an email confirmation! Don't expect them to be polite about it either!
Reviewed June 22, 2009
On February 2009, I signed my two dogs up for the Banfield wellness plan. I was told what a wonderful plan it was and how I would save roughly $1900 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 one day is $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. There was always something wrong every time I went. To make a long story short. I've paid about $1500 to Banfield from February '09 to June '09. I took my dog to get sprayed 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 an extreme amount of money in such a short time. I was told I could not cancel until February 2009 even though my baby is gone and I 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.
Reviewed 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 antibiotics 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 lose 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 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 deceptive and dishonest. I believe Banfield is engaging in consumer fraud.
Reviewed June 17, 2009
They sold me a $300-$350 Wellness plan for my dog. When I brought her in several months later when 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, vaccinations 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 and they said she was busy and they'd leave a message.
Reviewed June 16, 2009
The reason for this letter is to explain the chain of events which resulted in the loss of my very best friend and companion, Coby, my eight-year old kitty. My goal is to have assistance in an investigation of Bansfield/Pet Smart for possible animal malpractice by any or all media outlets, including any applicable pet rights groups. His sickness was a time sensitive one that I regrettably depended on Banfield/Pet Smart for help and answers. My cat suffered from pulmonary edema (fluid filled lungs) due to some unidentified condition of the heart which resulted in labored breathing, depression and anorexia. After doing my own research on the web, I took Coby to Banfield’s 4 days after I had noticed the progressive changes in his breathing. At first, I thought it was just me and I was being a paranoid mother.
The doctor and assistant at Banfield’s acted like he was breathing fine and it was his weight that was the culprit. I specifically asked about x-rays on his lungs. They suggested blood work and said they could find out more that way. Being in a position to do what ever it took to help him, I agreed, though I was surprised that’s how they wanted to move forward. I had the blood work done and waited by the phone to get the results, to my dismay. I received a follow up call from someone completely different that wanted to know how Coby’s vomiting and diarrhea were doing. He never had these symptoms to begin with, so obviously their means of health intake are skewed and unreliable.
Finally, I get some results from the doctor stating that he had a urinary tract infection and special food, along with oral meds were necessary. I went directly there to pick up the supplies and paid $136.00 on top of the $322.00 I had just paid for the blood work and exam. Coby graciously took the pills and ate what food his body would permit the next two days.
Waiting to hear results from further testing at Banfield, I watched my precious little guy fade before my eyes. Not seeing time to wait any longer, I frantically searched for nearby veterinarians I could get him to in emergency. Luckily, I found the best vet in Houston closest to me, but it was too late at this point. The new doctor checked his pulse, tapped his side twice and wrapped him in a towel to rush him back to ICU, which is down the hall a few steps from the exam room.
His words were, “This cat is in critical condition. We need x-rays stat!” I lost composure as he showed me the condition of Coby's lungs. 20% lung capacity at that point was all he had to his advantage. Unfortunately, that was not enough to sustain life any longer. Coby passed away in the ICU at the new vet, which I will return to as long as I reside in Bellaire. The point of all of this is to make pet owners aware that Banfield may be good enough to take your pet for grooming or getting their claws trimmed, but never ever depend on their experts to save the life of a beloved pet. Don't let the time come that you urgently need to seek help for your pet. Find a real good family doctor as if you were taking your children. I can not have babies so my pets are my family and I have learned a very hard lesson with the loss of my beautiful Coby.
Reviewed June 15, 2009
While walking my dogs through the neighborhood, my dog Sunshine was attacked and injured by pit bulls. It happened directly behind the Banfield clinic where she receives her regular care, so I quickly walked her there for care.
Even though she stood dripping blood onto their floor, they refused to treat her or even check her out to see if she was okay to walk home. They initially claimed it was because they were too busy dealing with another emergency. That emergency turned out to be a constipated cat. But as I sat there and waited, the assistant came out and told the young woman who was waiting for the cat that the cat was using the litter pan and would be okay. So clearly, they were not too busy to at least look at Sunshine and there were no other people or patients waiting at the time. After they refused several times to even look at her, we left, but Sunshine was bleeding so badly on the walk home that I went back and begged them to look at her.
They then took her in back for a few seconds and returned with her stating that she might need stitches and that might take too long so they weren’t willing to help her. This is from a company that boasts about legendary client service. I ended up walking all the way home with Sunshine and then driving her to the University Small Animal Hospital for care.
Why did Banfield behave this way? When I’d bring my dogs in to Banfield for care, they would always pressure me to leave them at the clinic, no matter how minor the problem. This allowed them to charge double because they’d charge for both the visit and the stay. They could also then fit additional appointments in to what should have been my 15 minute appointment. I eventually started to question this practice (other area vets don’t do this) which was unnecessarily expensive and very stressful for my dogs. I also didn’t like one of the vets, who had recommended $700 worth of x-rays for an allergy problem. They were unhappy that I voiced my concerns about these and other issues, and I believe the vet in charge that day was being vindictive because of this.
Reviewed June 14, 2009
I have a great concern regarding their emergency medical procedures due to an incident that occurred in your facility on May 28, 2009, Thursday morning regarding our cat, Princess. My father brought her in because the cat was not eating for approximately 5 days, in addition to not having any bowel movements. Although no one was able to assist my father since Ms. Susan **, the office manager, informed my father that it will cost him an approximate total of $300 including the medicine fee just to examine her (x-ray and enema). What is very strange is that Princess, the cat, was physically examined on March 19, 2009 by one of their staffs during her yearly exam, which states on the report that the cat was normal with the exception to her weight - she was a little overweight, required tartar control for her stained teeth and had a mild pigmentation on her left eye, which the staff stated in parenthesis "normal". Also, the medical report had no signature from an attending veterinarian and/or staffs. Nothing on the report stated any major ailments.
We currently have a health insurance plan through Banfield in order for Princess to receive her annual examination. We chose Banfield since we purchased Princess when she was only a kitten through PetSmart. During their adoption period, which we already built our trust with PetSmart, it was not a difficult choice to choose Banfield Pet Hospital as her primary care facility due to its affiliation with PetSmart. As of Friday, May 29, 2009, Princess passed away in the early morning. Her caused of death was unknown due to Banfield's veterinarians in Oxnard neglecting to assist her further on Thursday, May 28, 2009, when my father brought her in. The only way they were going to perform the examination was to charge my father with a $300 bill. This cost would have put a financial strain on my father as he is on a limited budget income. My father did inform Ms. Susan ** of this financial strain, but she was unwilling to help without my father agreeing to pay the $300 examination fee. Her neglect caused our pet cat Princess's chance of survival.
Prior to the Banfield Pet Hospital visit in Oxnard, my father performed his own physical examination of Princess, but he was unable to locate any visible cause of her ailments. No bug, spider and other animal bites, no open wounds, etc. In addition, Princess was a house cat so we never had her roam outside, not even on the patio or in the back and/or front yard. Princess was not a cat that would also run outside when the door was open. So in conclusion, Princess was not eating for an approximate of 5 days, no bowel movements, no vomiting and sluggish physical movements prior to the pet hospital visit on May 28, 2009. She died early morning on Friday, May 29, 2009. Her last physical examination with Banfield Pet Hospital in Oxnard, CA was on March 19, 2009.
I feel this neglect is an inhumane treatment to any animal, especially at a time when she really needed urgent medical care. If this is a facility whose main reason of business is to treat and care for these animals, then the procedure to assist Princess would have never been neglected. It should not have been the deciding factor if my father was able to pay for the cost of $300 or not in order to treat Princess's illness. I feel their company took advantage of my father and put him in a position to choose over his financial strain or pay $300 in hopes your pet hospital would be able to help her, which there was no guarantee. If their facility follows and believes the main reason of business, then perhaps Princess would still be alive today. No doctors and/or staffs should be working at any of these facilities where care and treatment for these animals is a priority and if these people are only working in these careers just for income purposes and they don't have the passion and belief in caring for these animals in order to save them.
An examination cost at any amount should not be placed as an obstacle in order to make the right decision to treat an animal with urgent medical care. Their facilities require extensive training for all staffs including office managers to perform their actions in a humane way and be reminded that they are hired to care and treat these animals, not as disposable items but with respect, compassion and understanding. Your company should not hire anyone just because they have a certification and license, but mainly because of their desire and passion to work, care and treat all types of animals in general.
In the past, when we have taken "Princess" in for her annual exam, we recalled on one occasion that she was returned to us with some parts of her body covered in her own vomit and feces. We spoke to one of your staffs, which they responded that they had no knowledge this occurred and was apologetic although this incident should have never occurred if they only took better care of her. We specifically informed them to omit from feeding her wet food and milk products. But we had no proven facts if they did or not. The health insurance plan cost my father $16.95 per month, which was being deducted from his bankcard. He has been a customer with Banfield Wellness Plan for a few years. If your company hired adequate people who really cared for these animals, then "Princess" would possibly still be alive and they would not have lost a customer.
Father is requesting to cancel the monthly Health Insurance Bill of $16.95 commencing as of Friday, May 29, 2009. Please apply this request immediately. I have already contacted the corporate office located in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, June 04, 2009, and spoke to one of their representatives, Janell, who stated that I would need to forward a correspondence requesting to cancel the insurance in order to stop receiving the monthly bill. She said they will apply it as soon as they receive the request. Our pet cat "Princess" died due to the neglectful actions from Banfield, The Pet Hospital in Oxnard, CA.
Reviewed June 12, 2009
First of all, there are over 700 Banfield Pet Hospitals in the United States. You cannot judge every clinic based off of one bad experience. Banfield veterinarians are just as good as a "real vet." That's because they are real vets. They've been to school just like someone who owns a private practice. You are treating hundreds of hospitals (with multiple doctors at each hospital) as though it is one place.
Additionally, Banfield doesn't offer "pet insurance," they offer "wellness plans" and the contract that you sign when you sign up for one tells you exactly that, in addition to the services and discounts included. If you have a problem with the way the contract is written, maybe you should read important documents before you sign the dotted line.
My cat and dog have two different vets at Banfield and they are both amazing individuals that I trust completely with my beloved pets. They are both extremely intelligent men with excellent bedside manner. I'm not saying that some of you haven't had horrible experiences, but you are generalizing too much to be fair.
Reviewed June 9, 2009
My dogs, Meg and Sadie, visited the Banfield Clinic from July 2006 through December 2008. Meg suffered from chronic scratching and constant shedding and an occasional infection. I was told she had very sensitive skin and was very likely reacting to flea bites. I was advised to spray the yard for fleas, use a special medicated shampoo, and use a prescription flea repellant sold by the clinic. After saturating my yard with pesticides and regularly applying the flea medication and probably over washing my dog, the condition persisted.
Both dogs were signed up for the Banfield Wellness Plan on January 15, 2008. After moving out of the area in April of this year, I took Meg to a local veterinary clinic, where she was diagnosed as having a thyroid imbalance. The thought of the years of discomfort Meg has gone through because of poor medical attention misdiagnosis and becoming dissatisfied with their service and moving, I decided to cancel the Banfield Plan. When I called the home office to cancel the plan, I was told the plan could only be placed on a "non- renewable" status until a $400.00 balance was paid. When I requested a written statement explaining the balance, I was told this was not possible. At this point, I advise anyone considering the Banfield Wellness Plan to be very careful and do much research.
Reviewed June 6, 2009
On May 1, 2009, I took my cat in to be checked out since one day prior he had eaten a toad. He had had toxic smelling diarrhea for two days. I took him in on the second day. The employees were in their weekly meeting. Two different vet assistants came out and looked into his cage. One of the assistants said, "We are closed now for our meeting and will reopen at 3pm." This was more than an hour away. I was very insistent he see the vet. One of the vet assistants said, "Let me get the nurse." She came out, opened his carrier, felt around on his head like she was petting him, and closed the door. She then said, "If we get done with our meeting early, then we can take him in as an emergency walk-in," and there would be an extra charge since I did not have an appointment. After waiting more than an hour, he is finally seen by Veterinarian C. **. I repeated my story about him eating a toad the day prior and about the diarrhea. They listed over $500 worth of test to do.
I am unemployed right now. I got laid off. I said, "Let's start with an x-ray first to see what we are dealing with." This whole time no one has told me about toads being poisonous. I found out on my own through the internet research. The vet prescribed Carafate and Probotic Powder and their prescription food. I did everything she told me. He seemed to be getting better through the week and the diarrhea was gone. Then as days went on, it seemed he was not feeling well. He was still eating and drinking water so I thought he was still recovering from the extreme bout of diarrhea. He was now down to 5.1 lbs from 12lbs. Into the fourth week, he was breathing as though he was going to heave up a fur ball but he never did. Other than that, he seemed okay.
By beginning of June, he was still breathing this way so I was taking him back to the vet, where on the way to the vet, he started acting as though he was choking and no sound was coming out or air. I immediately opened his carrier where I felt him to see if he was breathing, he was not. Once I arrived at the vet, the man vet pronounced him DOA. When I spoke with Dr. ** , he sure could do the spinning talk.
My complaint was that they made me wait that day and that no one, even the vet C. **, knew all toads were poisonous. The manager vet and the other man vet knew. Maybe if she had be trained properly, maybe she could have tried to induce vomiting or given him something to help absorb the toxin. But she did not. Dr. ** went on and on and on about how much training they go through and how they close down every Friday for one and a half hours for meetings, for training. Dr. ** kept dancing around that he would have animals dying everyday if they had eaten a toad. He said it just does not happen.
Since then, my husband and I have spoken to many people we know and many of them had bad experiences with Banfield vets as a whole. I do not usually have the need for a vet because my cats stay indoors and are not exposed to other animals. This toad got into the house after a rain storm. I made it very clear that I would tell as many people as possible to stay away from Banfield vets. And since Petsmart sponsors them under their roof, I told the assistant manager Michelle, that I would no longer be shopping at their store.
Reviewed June 5, 2009
My dog was not eating and was acting strange. Because it was a Sunday and my regular vet was not open, I took my dog to Banfield. After 3 hours, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and was given antibiotics and special food which totalled $345 with the office visit and tests.
After two days, he seemed worse. I brought him to my regular vet and the vet found he has a back problem (thru x-rays and a physical exam) and was flabbergasted that he had been diagnosed with pancreatitis because he did not have any of the classic symptoms. I am livid that my dog suffered for two more days because of a bad diagnosis. My paperwork states that at Banfield, he exhibited normal behavior and no physical complaints which was obviously wrong because if you touched my dog anywhere on the back, he yelped! I want a refund and an explanation. I am going to go back to Banfield to complain and if nothing is done, I am writing the company.
It makes me so mad and sick to my stomach to find out that this seems to be a major problem for Banfield. That was $345 down the drain, a waste of time, misdiagnosis, 2 more days of pain for my dog, 3 hours of my time. I could have brought my dog to an emergency vet and most likely found comfort for my dog.
Reviewed June 4, 2009
Previously, I have used Banfield in Tigard, OR with no complaints. This time, I took a 14- year-old cat in to be put down. I called and made the appointment, which they couldn't find. Then the vet took so much time trying to convince us how bad we were and how she wanted to do all these labs and ultrasounds, etc. I told her 3 times very clearly we just wanted her put to sleep. Eventually, the cat bit one of the techs, which caused all kinds of chaos. It ended up costing us $400, that’s without getting the cat given back to us, and taking 4 hours. It was distressing to the cat, and horrible for our family. I will never go back to a Banfield again. To add insult to injury, the bottom of the estimate had a paragraph suggesting we get pet insurance for her, and how much it would save us for today’s visit. How insensitive is that? And, of course, after the bite, she told my hysterical daughter that they would have to cut the cats head off and send it in for testing! We had already told them we didn't need the cat returned to us, so why even say that?
Reviewed June 2, 2009
I took my dog in after 3 days of progressively getting sick with hindquarter weakness, vomiting, no appetite. She had a lump that was biopsied to see if that could be the problem. Blood was drawn also. That was the only things done to her. She was wearing a muzzle at the time and we had also given her 15 mg. of Valium before bringing her in.
Along with the sedation and muzzle, in addition to the weakness from being ill, she was in no shape, and did not offer much resistance to anything that was done. We were there during the complete and total time that she was there. Physically with her at all times. Most control of her was done by myself, my husband & our son. They said she needed x-rays but their machine was down and they would call me as soon as it was functioning.
I got no call to return for x-rays. No other tests or procedures were done other than described above. I was given a receipt for services that were not performed at all. I wasn't charged for all services that they had listed but they were supposedly done - they were not. The list is too long to go into but I would be more than happy to talk with an attorney if deemed worthy. The worst thing about all of this mess was that, I am now having to take my pet to a private vet and time has been wasted to what damage to my baby is yet to be seen.
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Reviewed April 21, 2009
Well, I brought my Bengal in for a UTI. They ran blood work, etc. All this I was willing to pay for because it comes as a responsibility of owning a pet. When it came time, the technician, who is an old woman, handed me three vials of Clavamox. One was made up for me already. She explained I would need to add water to the others to make them. I said that shouldn't be a problem. She then handed me a 15 mL syringe and showed me the line she had drawn with a permanent marker at the 14 ml mark. She said, "Fill it to here." I said that that was simple enough. And she asked if I knew how to give the meds to my kitty, and I said I was a seasoned veteran at getting a cat to swallow meds and she left me.
I went home, read the instructions on the vet made label that said 1cc, filled the syringe to the 14 ml mark the nurse had marked, and gave it to my kitty. I did this the next day as well. When I was in the PetSmart that afternoon, I ran into the vet and asked if I was really supposed to give her the whole 14 ml her tech had marked for me because it seemed like a little much. She had me rush the cat back to her and the cat was lethargic and drunk looking.
The vet ran bloodwork, charged me for it, charged me for the emergency visit, and told me my cat had slight liver problems. I asked them to pay for their mistake, and they wouldn't. I could not afford the mistake they made and figured that from the way the cat was acting before, it was better not to make her suffer, so I told them I would pay for her euthanization and they refused to do so. They wanted me to sign her over to them so they could treat her and adopt her out. I told them, "No! She is my cat and I want her euthanized so she doesn't suffer!" They gave me no choice, so I took their recommendations and I treated the cat with Adenosine for 14 days.
The Dr. also had me for the days after that bring the cat in for IV fluids that were administered there in a bolus. During that time, they tried to re-prescribe my cat with more Clavamox. I consulted with a vet tech from Texas and she read the liver values, researched them, spoke with co-workers of hers, and determined the cat was in severe liver failure. Her values were at 243 when they should have been below 100. I went back to the vet and asked another secretary there to print out all of her notes about my cat from the computer. The vet even wrote on the report that my cat's liver was more severely damaged than I was told. I had had about enough of their screw ups, so I demanded to be present when they gave her the bolus so they wouldn't kill her.
The vet tech, Kevin, refused. I asked for the bag of IV fluids I had purchased from them and he refused, saying it was against the law. I explained I wanted to bring it to my family vet in Apache Junction who had given me fluids to treat my elderly cat at home just before she passed away last year of kidney failure and old age. He refused. So I told him I will go somewhere else. He said, "Fine." I asked if he could administer the fluids that day so my cat would recover. He said, "No. You have to find someone else." And with a flourish of his hand, waved me through the open door. Dr. ** tried to rectify the first mistake by waiving the office fees for the IV fluids. She tried to rectify Kevin booting me out the door by doing a free blood panel for the cat while I watched through a window. She said she could not refund my previous monies spent.
I have a witness that Dr. ** called her husband, a vet tech at a different local office, and complained about that mistake made by her elderly vet tech and that it was the elderly vet tech's fault. This is not all of the experience either, but I fear for the life of any animals brought to that Banfield location ... and I work at that PetSmart!
Reviewed April 16, 2009
This is just in regards to what others have listed below. Pets are expensive. I don't understand why you get a pet without doing some research on the kind of pet you are getting to know about health issues. Also, especially if you work in the medical field, then you know that you are not going to provide any service without payment of some sort. Like an office visit, no doctor will see you without payment upfront. It's just the same with pets! Pets are expensive so don't get one unless you are willing to pay or submit to the fact that you may have to euthanize your pet. I don't feel it's fair to that hospital that someone thinks that they should get a free hand-out. They have yearly set ups where you can get vaccinations really cheap and there are special clinics for that as well. Banfield is more of an upscale do all necessary medical treatment places and probably wasn't the place for you. So, again, do some research before purchasing or adopting a pet!
Reviewed April 15, 2009
On 4/15/09, I have had the unfortunate challenge of taking my dog to Banfield Pet Hospital located in Newport News, Virginia for the treatment of parvo for my pet. I tried two days before my puppy was diagnosed to get his routine exam but was not able to do so because of the miscommunication of staff. Before he received his treatment, I discussed in confidence with the nursing staff that I wanted to get him the treatment that was required to keep him healthy; one, because I did not want to incur additional cost that was not necessary and two, because when I took him in, I was not financially able to pay an extended amount for their services.
As I was leaving the hospital, the pet nurse informed me that since I was unable to pay for their services, I could put him in foster care. I have worked in the medical field and I am fully aware of how these institutions increase the cost of medical service at the expense of the pet because sometimes families may not be able to afford the cost they are requesting. I called another Banfield in Williamsburg, VA and they wanted to charge me additional fees for services that I previously had and at the end of the day, the puppy is the one who is unfortunate not to receive the care he needs to get better.
Reviewed April 14, 2009
On 04/13/2009, my fiance came home from work while I was at the airport dropping my nephew off. He called and said that our 13-week Teacup Yorkie was laying on his back with his legs stiff in the air. He then proceeded to bring our puppy up to Banfield vet located inside of PetSmart. I met him there shortly after they had taken Max (our puppy) back. They called me back and told me they wanted to try to save our dog but needed to do blood work. The cost of that was to be over 400 dollars.
We explained that we didn't have that kind of money and that was the start of the visit. They then explained to us that our puppy may have liver shunt which if he did have it that he would need a 2000-dollar surgery. And that was not even going to guarantee his life. The vet told us that this puppy was suffering and we needed to make a decision quick. We had no other choice but to put the puppy to sleep. So we thought. After deciding to do that, the nurse came out with a 234-dollar bill to put Max to sleep. We then told her that we didn't have that kind of money either. She rolled her eyes and went back in with the bill, came back out and said we can do it for free but you will need to sign him over to us.
We struggled with the decision for sometime and then decided that it would be best. It was going to cost a lot of money to keep this poor puppy up to par. We walked in the back and said our goodbyes. Both distraught, we walked out to our vehicles and were heading home. The lady from Banfield came out and asked us to come back in and that the doctor wanted to speak with us. This was after we signed the papers to have Max put to sleep. I can't remember what exactly he wanted but to throw more bills in our face.
Shelby, a lady who works in PetSmart came out and handed us this number for a lady named Joanne **. She is the director of Li'l lapdog rescue of Central FL. She came rushing up quick. This lady was soon going to save our puppy. Shelby came out in the parking lot to explain what the nurse was saying at Banfield vet. After the vet nurse came out to get us, Shelby, a PetSmart employee, asked her what was going on for she had seen us in there before. The nurse said, "Well, they can't afford to get the puppy better so I guess I will be taking him home!"
My jaw just hit the ground! I just signed to have my puppy who we all love so much put to sleep and that's not what they are even planning on doing? Who gave this woman the authority to keep my puppy? And it's to my understanding that I am not the only one this has happened to. Fortunately for us, we were able to go in and get Max and hand him over to Joanne so she could get him the help he needed. The nurse's jaw dropped when I went in and told her we were taking our puppy.
Max's condition is still just stable but he is in great hands. After trying to rip me off with a $400 bill not including a $2000 surgery bill, these people have played with my emotions. They look down on you because you can't shell out that kind of money and then want to tell you that they are going to put your dog to sleep and slip him out the back door?! We have a full bred Yorkie, AKC registered, and this lady saw that as a money-making opportunity. I know that the PetSmart employee will talk as well as the gentleman who brought his puppy there too. And I hope if you help me with this, many others will speak up as well and we can to stop this from happening to other pet owners.
I was told that if I complained to corporate from Shelby, the PetSmart employee, that they will just shrug it off and never investigate the matter. The office manager at the vet will be sent a letter and they will lay low for a while. Then when nobody is looking, they will try to screw another average working American family that is suffering with the economy crisis we have going on.
Reviewed April 12, 2009
Okay. I just figured I should write to all these little comments about Banfield. I love how people are so quick to get on the internet and complain about bad experiences but when you have a good experience, you don't say anything about it. I personally have never had a single problem with Banfield. I think everyone that works there works just as hard as any of you, people. Everyone needs to understand that Banfield is a corporate company and there are rules and regulations that all employees have to follow or they will get in trouble, just as with any other corporate company. Certain illnesses or problems come with certain diagnostic testing or medication that is required by the certified board of veterinarians that work for Banfield.
Everyone that comes in needs to stop complaining and threatening the staff because it really is not their fault. I personally do not think I have ever seen a group of people work as hard as this group seeing as the inside issues they have to work through. I am very proud of this group of people because they have pulled together as a team despite all of the things that have happened and actually made that place a good hospital. Everyone in that area needs to have some respect and maybe once in a while sit back and think that maybe you could write some good things on here or anywhere else for that matter instead of just the bad. Just because you don't get exactly what you want for an extremely cheap price doesn't mean you need to act like a spoiled brat and whine about it to everyone on the internet. Get over yourself! And if you are too cheap to pay for what your pet needs, maybe you shouldn't have a pet.
Reviewed April 7, 2009
I recently got a rescue dog (a few months now) and have had a few appointments with Banfield under the wellness plan. Up until now, I thought they did a pretty good job. Unfortunately today was just awful. They were busy, so it took over 2 hours for our appointment. I was late for my appointment because of car trouble; but 2 hours still seems ridiculous. It's not like they were treating my dog for even half of that time.
My dog has Giardia parasites; it’s not that hard of a test to do. Fecal exams are pretty easy and quick. They charged me over $32 (even on the plan) for a medication that I later found to be over-the-counter for about 1/3 of the price in an easier form than liquid; I have to force it in her mouth. The vet came in twice and told me the same thing both times. All I wanted to do was pay and get my dog, but there was only one person at the front desk and several people waiting in front of me. Some people just left, others asked for their pets back so they could go elsewhere. I don't think they handled anything properly, and they are not properly staffed. They even made me leave the exam room so someone else could be seen; I could have just left or come back!
I used to work at a vet and we would get busy, but we would tell our patients what was happening and we had several people to assist with checking in and out in a timely manner. Waiting over 30 minutes just to pay is ridiculous. I didn't need the vet to explain over and over about a simple parasite; I am not an idiot. I have a vet manual at home so I can take care of my 6 pets without having to waste my money at vets constantly. I don't understand why it costs so much to do a fecal exam which I do at home with a microscope and solution that doesn't cost that much. My dog was doing very poorly after her dental cleaning recently. Today, she is not feeling well after the medications I assume. I felt so bad that she had to be there for 2 hours in a cage with no food or water.
I am nervous about going back to Banfield and how much everything is going to cost. I just hope if my dog has anything more than a parasite that they know what they are doing and don't take days to do it. They have always called the next day to ask how my dog is doing. They are usually friendly. But my concerns are the costs; they don't give any information about medication side effects. My dog got vaccinated then got the parasite?! They are too busy; they don't clean enough, etc.
Reviewed April 5, 2009
I came home one day and my Pit Bull puppy had a huge gash on its leg. The cut was about 4 inches long and at least 3/4 inch deep. I was so glad I had signed up for the Banfield insurance plan. I took him in and, in about 3 hours, the nurse came in and told me the bill would cost $1500 but since I had the insurance, it would be only $500. They told me both(?) his cuts would need stitches and staples. They didn't have time to do the procedure. We went in at 10 am. They sent him home and told me to bring him back.
First of all, he only had one cut on one leg. Second, they told me that I didn't have to put a cone on him overnight. This made no sense to me. I called my parents' vet in Kensington and took him there. She told me they should have closed the wound immediately and that they had no business sending him home with no cone! In the long run. She stapled him up and gave him a cone in ten minutes. It cost $130.05. That's $1350 cheaper than their first quote! I couldn't believe it. They are scammers there. As far as the contract I signed, it will be cancelled. They gave me a number to call Monday!
Reviewed April 3, 2009
I have to add a little to this. I started with Banfield because they seemed a reasonable alternative to the regular vets in the area who are going increasingly crazy with their prices. My problem with Banfield is that they use very young veterinarians, for the most part, who have never lived in the real world and have very little practical experience. The result is that they over utilize services and run up charges needlessly. If they worked in managed care in the human world, they would quickly learn to be more practical and reasonable. But hey, what do they care? You are paying for it, right?
I also am a little put off with their attitude. They act judgmental and condescending, as if everything that is not perfect with an animal is the result of a "bad human". They also misdiagnose. For their monthly fee, they also do not or cannot do surgery. It is a lot like a people's "capitated" plan in that regard. If it is too much trouble, off you go to a specialist. Next! Like one of the other contributors, my experiences have not been all bad and certainly not all good! The docs turn over frequently, and so does the staff. They appear to not have good listening skills, or else they are not intelligent enough to understand. When it comes to med refills for a med my pet has been on forever, I get different opinions from different docs.
They do not listen to my experience as a pet owner of what works and what does not. Some techs have to talk to the doc to refill, and others say "No problem, here you go!" The benefit for the monthly premium of the Optimum Plan keeps dwindling down. They are supposed to have a quality assurance program. But there is nothing published for the consumer as to what they are focusing on, and how they are making changes to improve. There is nothing that I can tell in the way of educating you on where to file a complaint with Banfield Corporate if you are unhappy with care at a local vet. This ought to be a minimum standard! Supposedly, they have this fund to help older people with pets pay for vet care. I cannot find anything that describes how you can recommend someone to this program, or how people are identified and enrolled in to it. I would be happy to contribute if they were a little more forthcoming.
Recently, they diagnosed my dog with an infection in his leg that had surgery. They treated me like I neglected him. I did not! We kept his bandage changed as scheduled, and he was on ABX with the surgeon. I only went there because I thought that the dog had a GI or GU problem. They ran CBC, Lytes, Chem (thought those were the same, but they charge extra). They wanted to do x-rays, but I refused because they did not have access to the surgeon's prior x-rays for comparison. I told them that the surgeon said it would take months to heal. The vet acted like 3 months for a crushing facture with 3 rods should have been healed by now (puleeze!).
Well, long story short, they did not even give me results. They did not fax to the surgeon. They just gave me ABX, changed the bandage, treated me like a bad owner, and charged me $179.00 for the privilege. I saw the surgeon 3 days later. The surgeon said there was no infection, but that the ABX change was okay. I had to ask Banfield to fax the notes to the surgeon, so much for continuity of care. They seem very good at making an appointment, getting your pet checked in, seeing your pet, treating your pet, charging you money, checking you out and giving you lots of papers, wellness care.
They need improvement in listening, taking proper information down at check-in, communicating with you, looking at all options for care, and not just the most expensive and giving you choices and consequences of each. They need to improve on being more experienced in their profession, continuity of care, and communicating with all stakeholders in a case. Being transparent, they benefit subscribers and other customers. Posting complaint information and quality of care information.
Reviewed April 3, 2009
I do not recommend the wellness plan Banfield has to offer. I took my 12-month Pomeranian to have her first round of shots done at Banfield, and they talked me into joining the Wellness Program. At the time, it seemed like the better choice to make for my dog's basic needs. Anyhow, I gave a letter to the nurse from my breeder stating that she does not recommend small dogs be given any boosters with Lepto, it being too stressful on a small dog. The nurse advised me that their shots do contain Lepto, and assured me that they administer this shot to small dogs all the time. I figured it must be okay, if the nurse was saying it was.
A half an hour after I came home, I noticed my dog's head was becoming swollen and she was rubbing her head on the rug trying to stop the itch. By that time, Banfield was closed for the day and gave a number to a 24-hour emergency hospital. The person I spoke to stated that my dog was having an allergic reaction to her shot and I should take her in ASAP. When I took her in, they gave her a steroid and a shot of Benadryl. They advised me to give her baby Benadryl if the swelling didn't go down by the next day, something I could also do when she had her next round of shots.
This emergency visit cost me around $125, in addition to the nearly $500 I paid for a year of the Wellness Program. They did contact Banfield and that following Monday, and the nurse from Banfield contacted me. He advised that the next time my dog came in for boosters, they keep her for three hours to monitor. This will cost me an additional fee of $90 to monitor her, and any other fee for any medication they gave her. I thought this was ridiculous! I said the vet told me I could give Daisy the Benadryl myself before and after her shot, rather than cough up some more money. I should not have been surprised when he told me that it was procedure, and they would not be able to give her the shots if I was not willing to let her stay for them to monitor her. For what, so they could just milk me for more money? From reading the other posts, they obviously don't care about the well-being of my dog.
Reviewed April 2, 2009
My Yorkie was sick a week and a half ago. Banfield ran a ton of tests on him and charged me close to $400. They couldn't tell what was wrong with him after they got the results. So they wanted to run more tests, which meant more money. I couldn't afford all the tests they needed, so I did one which was close to $120. That test didn't give them anything either. In the meantime, his health got worse. There was blood in his stool, and I called Banfield and left a message for the vet. It took the doctor 3 days to get back to me. My dog passed away a few days later, and they didn't even bother to check on him. They seemed only interested in my dog's health when we were in the hospital spending money. I spent a lot of money, and I have no answers. I have another dog and I don't know if he will suffer the same fate as my Yorkie. Now, I have to pay for an autopsy to find out just what happened.
Reviewed April 1, 2009
Four days ago, our beloved family dog, Godiva, swallowed some rat poison. She vomited immediately so I watched for any dangerous signs. There were none until this morning at 8 am. I called Banfield (she used to get her shots here) and told them the situation and was told the doctor would not be in until 9 am. We waited. I arrived at 8:59 only to have the receptionist ask me 6 times how to spell Godiva (we were already in the system so I don't know what the problem was). Anyway, 15 min. later, we were in a room and waited and waited.
Finally, the same brain-dead receptionist came back in with a bill for $468-$569. I asked her what for, when no one has even looked at her. I then demanded a doctor and she said I would have to see a nurse first. I told her to "Go get someone, my dog is dying right here, right now!" She wanted me to sign off on the papers and I asked her what was going to be done to my dog. With that she answered, "I honestly don't know." I then asked, "How the hell does she know what it is going to cost if she doesn't know what procedures if any are to be performed?" I was losing precious moments with my dog. She died less than two hours later. My dog passed away due to the lack of care and speed of any type of care and their putting money ahead of animal health.
Reviewed April 1, 2009
I brought my puppy in to get looked at. The vet was in the room no more than 5 minutes and the puppy was never taken out of the room and I was charged $250. There was not even as much as a Q-tip taken out.
Reviewed March 28, 2009
On 03/17/2009 my wife took babygirl to Banfield HHospital because we were worried about some lumps on her chest. The doctor told her she had a plan that would pay 15%, this too long to talk about. I will make it short, Banfield don't give a ** about our pets, just the money. I've contacted my Attorney General and the B.B.B. And also a local T.V. Station they are looking into it. I advice you word of mouth will help prevent this from happening to someone else. Call your Attorney General. Tell anyone who has a pet.
Reviewed March 27, 2009
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Reviewed March 8, 2009
This Dr does not know how to speak to her clients. She talked over me and as the owner she did not want to hear anything I had to say about my pet. I will continue to go to this location because everyone else is very sweet but I will never see that DR again.
Reviewed March 8, 2009
Reviewed March 7, 2009
This is my second and 'last' year on the Wellness plan. I thought about canceling at the beginning of the second year and regret I didn't. However, I only stayed with Banfield because the head vet is great and there is one other vet that's good. Even the Petsmart dog trainer told me she wouldn't go to Banfield if the head vet wasn't there. WOW! My issues with Banfield are they run an abundance of tests. On one occasion, the vet thought my dog ate something he shouldn't have so she wanted to run 5 tests. I was pissed because she called me and said the first 3 tests were negative. However, none of them dealt with what she thought the problem was. She was going to run that test next. Why didn't she run it 'first'?
I know a pet can't tell you what's wrong but if you notice several dogs with particular symptoms and 99% of the time the diagnose is x, why not run the test for x 'first' and then go from there. If I left it up to Banfield, I would spend hundreds of dollars on tests. That's why I always ask for the head vet because he's the only one that seems to know off top what's wrong and doesn't run an abundance of tests. On another occasion, one of the vets wormed my dog, mind you I mentioned in our conversation I already wormed him. She told me, "You would be surprised how many people say they give their pets meds and don't." I told her I take care of my dog and she had the nerve to say, "I went ahead and wormed him anyway to make sure."
Thank goodness he didn't drop dead! And another big issue I have noticed is it doesn't matter if I have an appt or not and if the only thing I am there for is a couple of routine vaccinations, I never leave the hospital under 1.5 hrs!! So I definitely have started researching local vet offices. Petsmart/Banfield is a business and a business is out to make money. I only hope the lead vet is still there through the end of my plan.
Reviewed March 3, 2009
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Reviewed Feb. 17, 2009
Banfield insists that I vaccinate my 2 dogs every 6mo for bordatella even though the vaccine is warranted for 1yr. Their boarding facility also attached to their vet practice insists it's necessary. I asked several boarding facilities and other private vet practices about this need for bordatella every 6mo and was told... Banfield wants the $$$$$ by requiring a shot every 6mo. This is over-vaccinating these dogs!!! The dogs get sick for several days and are very lethargic. I'll board somewhere else from now on...
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2009
My cat, Java 17.5 years old, suddenly passed blood in her urine, and became incontinent. I took her to local Petsmart, where my Siberian had received excellent care. There was a new doctor who proceeded, after 30 seconds, to tell me that they would keep her overnight, do bloodwork, x-rays and a urine test for $700.00. If a stone was found I would be charged an additional $900.00 for surgery on my 17.5 year old baby. There was no discussion in his mind. When I asked if he could draw blood and retrieve urine while I was there to avoid kennel bill, he said if I could not afford to do it his way, I could adopt my cat out to give her a better chance at survival. Who would adopt my Java with a $1600.00 vet bill over her head? How dare this so-called DOCTOR try to intimidate me and my daughter into guilt!
When all was said and done, after Dr. **'s many tries at GUILTING me to pay for his outrageous suggestions we agreed to a treatment of antibiotics and prescription cat food. Now that I have time to do some research, I find that the prescription cat food has MORE!!!!!!!!!!!! ash content than a commercial urinary tract health canned cat food. My Java is doing fine, no blood urine and no incontinence (2 months later) thanks to the Amoxicillin. Please do not take your beloved animal to Banfield in The Petsmart store Cortlandt Manor, NY without your resolve intact.
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2009
What part of Package of services don't you people understand? A wellness plan is that, you use services you owe for those service. How do you think the hospital is paid? So let's say you buy a wellness plan, you opt for 12 installments, you no longer have your pet because of gave pet away, pet died, or whatever the reason, should you owe for the remainder of the the 12 payments? Well let's say you paid 43.90 toward 512.00 in services, the remainder of the wellness plan would be much less.
Why don't people understand this is a package of services? What makes them think it's insurance and even when insurance is canceled don't they still owe the doctor's office for anything the insurance company did not cover??? What makes people think they can use over $500.00 in services and cancel something either little or no money paid? My next question if you don't understand the contract, why do you put your mark saying you do???
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2009
I just wanted to post a message in response to all of the negative posts about Banfield Pet Hospitals. I have 3 dogs signed up on the wellness plan - 2 are on the basic plan and one is on the optimum plan because of her old age. I do not mind at all paying the average of about $50 a month for my dogs. I have only had the dogs signed up for around 2 years or so. During those 2 years my pets and I have experienced life threatening altercations. One had a very serious U.T.I., the other had demodectic mange, and the other was beaten and left for dead at a car wash. All 3 received care from the Banfield Pet Hospital. The care in which they received is indescribable. A very big thank you to the people at Banfield for taking care of my dogs.
As for all of the complaints about Banfield, I find myself in agreement with the other postings on this site. You should have read the policy for the wellness plan a bit closer. It does not cover medical treatment, only preventative care (which includes A LOT). You can't expect to be able to take your pet that has just been struck by a car, or beaten up by a bigger animal, or anything of the sort to a vet and have the work done for free... It's just not in the cards. If that were the case there wouldn't even be a Banfield pet hospital. They would have went out of business before they even opened.
The up side of the wellness plan, whenever I take my dogs to the vet for something to be taken care of, I RARELY have any out of pocket expenses. The staff at Banfield work with me on everything to ensure my pets' health is in supreme conditions. With having 3 dogs on the wellness plan, I have saved over $3,000 dollars in expenses for making sure my pets are in good health. Now don't get me wrong, I don't always get out of there without having to pay something, but 90% of the time, I am charged nothing. My out of pocket expenses are no more than $800. That includes blood work for a U.T.I., a skin scrape for demodectic mange, that includes all medicine prescribed to my pets, all special treatment shampoos, all flea treatments.
Let's see you go to any other vet clinic and have work done for a cheaper price. I had to take my dog that contracted the U.T.I. to a 24 hour emergency vet place that charged me over $500 for a blood work test and a hydration shot. Took pet to Banfield the next day when they were open and had the same exact work done for the price of the blood work which was like $75. It would have been for free had I asked the emergency vet place for a copy of the blood work.
Just because a select few of you have problems at what is in my opinion, one of the best places to take an animal for health care, don't try to ruin a reputation of a business that has worked hard for many years to build. And as far as the wellness plan goes, take a little more time to read before you sign on the dotted line. Don't think because you pay 20 bucks a month that the service is going to be free. Sure it comes out to $240 a year, but you get 2 FREE doctor visits, FREE vaccinations, and many other services FREE that will help your loved pet live for many more years. I would recommend Banfield to anyone that would like to see that their pets are cared for. Dr. ** and her staff at the Banfield in Memphis, TN are a bunch of friendly animal loving employees.
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2009
I have sent both of my dogs to Banfield in Woodbury, MN since 1999. Both of my dogs had specific medical issues that required numerous visits to the Vet. I am usually at this Banfield location monthly for one issue or another. The posting of Pengfei regarding a Mr. ** from the Woodbury, MN Banfield location is puzzling me. I have known every Vet that has practiced at this location since 1999 and there has never been a Mr. ** there. From the time my 9 week old puppy broke his leg in 1999, to yesterday (Feb 11, 2009), this Banfield location has been beyond incredible. Yesterday I had to put down my second dog in less than 2 months. My first dog simply could not move around anymore and my second dog died of a broken soul because he missed his friend.
On BOTH occasions, Dr. ** came in on her day off to personally handle the euthanization. The way in which the staff handled themselves was beyond professional. I would like to see anyone put down 2 dogs in less than 2 months with any Vet that would have been better. I doubt it would be possible. For those persons that are angry about their Wellness plans, they should have read the agreement PRIOR to signing it. The plan simply allows you to pay for services monthly at a reduced rate and not worry about paying for office visits for routine questions/issues. If you expected more, then you are wrong, not Banfield. Again, you should have READ the agreement. As with any business, there are good/competent people and there are idiots in every organization. The Banfield in Woodbury, MN is incredible because of its staff.
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2009
I've read through the complaints about Banfield and they honestly surprise me. I work with a rescue organization and we use them for emergencies. Dr. ** has always been great. She is very courteous, understanding and knows what she is doing. She truly cares about the cat/kitten we bring in. Like I said, I'm surprised by this. She's a great vet! Please keep it up.
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2009
Our dog was hit by a car and, as a result of the accident, passed away recently. Despite the fact that our dog is now deceased, Banfield feels it is their right to continue to charge my account for services that we will (obviously) no longer use (for an additional 6 months). Banfield claims that they have the right to do this as a result of the contract we signed. If this is true, this should have been made this fact MUCH more clear (I would never has signed the contract). In addition, I feel that the services we have received (prior to the death of our dog) were less than professional and certainly not worth the monthly cost.
On top of the lengthy wait times, one vet had to inform me that she had mistakenly given our dog a vaccine via shot (despite the fact the vaccination was only supposed to be administered through the dog's nose). Oops. Thankfully, our dog did not develop an infection (which was a possible side effect of the mistake). Simply said - be CAREFUL. BANFIELD is NOT, in my opinion, a good place to have your loved one cared for.
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2009
I took my dog in for her regular schedule vaccines, and told Dr. Amy ** at that time that I wanted to reduce my wellness plan, specifically omit the dental portion of the plan. Dr. ** told me that I should have my pet's (Sydney) teeth done first since she was due for a dental exam and then cancel the plan. So, I took her advice. When I called the number they gave me to reduce the wellness plan to the lowest basic plan, I was informed that since I utilized the service I was locked in to the plan until 11/12/09. Otherwise I would have to pay almost $252 to reduce the plan. Needless to say I was furious. Dr. ** encouraged me to have the work done before I cancelled the plan and never told me by doing so I would not be able to change the plan until 11/12/09 as a result. She told me I could have the work done and then reduce the plan immediately thereafter.
That was downright unethical and with these difficult economic times, my family and I have to reduce our monthly cost wherever possible. I was dealt with completely dishonestly and as a result I never want to do business with Banfield again. Dr. Amy ** has added to the hardship my family and I are dealing with as a result of the economy, and I personally feel she should be held responsible not me. She completely misrepresented the terms of the plan and Banfield. This is just as bad as what the banks have done, taking advantage of the consumers for their own self gain.
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2009
After finding out my previous vet had raised their prices and were selling to another owner I shopped around for another vet for my two dogs and my son's two cats. I called Banfield and was quoted a very reasonable price for vacs. When I arrived they pressured me to sign up for their wellness program, stated that it would save me money and include additional services as part of the wellness program. So I signed all four pets up, they received their vacs and appointments were made for the free checkups. Well I thought I was in heaven but as it turned out after the wellness check the vet informed me my oldest dog (7-8 yrs old) has a 'slight' abnormality in the blood test relating to my dog's liver and said it was very important to have a special test at $75.00.
I paid the money and the test came back as inconclusive and that I should have the test redone. I question this and was told that my dog could die if this issue was not resolved. I refused the test since the first one didn't tell them anything more than the blood test and the $75.00 test. He then suggested that I put him on a liver support medicine (no prescription needed) and could be purchased for $300 for a month's supply (my dog would need to be on it for 6 months). I asked if there was another avenue to obtain the support medicine that would not cost as much. I was told they did not know but if I found it for less they would honor the reduced cost.
After many conversations and much investigation by me this liver support is a non-FDA approved OTC product that can be purchased at any health food store or from an online 'vitamin' store for less than $10.00 for more than a month's supply that the vet recommended for my dog. I purchased the product and took it to the vet to make sure I would not harm my dog and was told yes it was ok to give it to him. Months went by and what I found was that every time I took the animals in for their annual checkups I was confronted with additional problems with my pets and for the sum of $300.00 or more it could be correct.
They are nothing but a bait and switch operation. The entire purpose of the wellness check is to bait you into additional costs for what turns out most of the time to be unwarranted treatment. There is never a definite determination just a 'possible' or 'maybe scenario' that will put you into bankruptcy. I cancelled all four contracts much to their disdain and all their threats to turn me over to a collection agency. I paid for almost a year on four animals and the bottom line cost was more than I would ever had paid for the services I received. They would print out 'cost saving' papers on how much I saved by having the wellness plan. What a bunch of bunk! Not only is the plan savings false but allows them to scare their clients into spending excessive money for additional services on no definitive diagnosis.
They need to be put out of business. After finding a new vet and talking with him about my experience with Banfield I was told that many of his clients are former Banfield wellness participants that ran for their life and their wallets. Their practices are deceptive and just another scam perpetrated on well meaning pet owners.
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2009
I signed up for the wellness plan they have at Banfield thinking that it would offer good protection for my dog that I just adopted at a local animal shelter. As it ends up, it offers absolutely nothing except for shots that I could probably get for cheaper at a low-cost clinic. Anyhow, my dog got into a bit of a pickle and ate something he shouldn't have and was throwing up for a full day. I took him in thinking that something might be covered, but they wanted to charge me 400-600 dollars for x-rays! Anyhow, I refused because that's just absurd. As someone who works on a large animal farm, I knew there was no possible way it could cost that much. After I got that news, I took him to the vet that my mom takes her dogs to. How much were the X-Rays? $120. The prices charged by Banfield are absurd, even if you are on the wellness program.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2009
I took two of my three dogs for their shots. The puppy was fine and they administered his shots and it was quick. But, the nightmare began with my 7-year- old Pomeranian. At first, the nurse told me he was fine after listening to his heart. Then the vet checked him and left the room and sent the nurse in to tell me that my dog had a murmur and would not be able to go on any plan. I told them how unfair it was to do this to him. After talking to the manager, they accepted him into the plan. They told me to leave him there to check him and see how bad his heart was. He was there 5 hours without giving me any information on his medical condition. Only that he is fine - but no dog. Well, finally, the vet came out and told that his heart was fine, but there was a problem with his throat. No medication was given for his condition - and now when I pick up my dog, he is in pain from the method used to take his X-rays. I thought that maybe he would feel better after a couple of days but he's worse.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2009
These complaints are so funny to read over. What do you people not understand about the plan not being insurance so don't compare it to ASPCA INSURANCE. Maybe you should read over your contract before you sign it??? I have a wellness plan and its wonderful. It covers all the PREVENTATIVE care items my pet would need, just as described in my contract! No more no less!
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2009
I subscribed to Banfield wellness plan over the phone for my new kitten in October 2008 and signed the contract at PetSmart in Irvine. I was happy to discover that the PetSmart in Tustin Marketplace opened up their own Banfield, because that location is more convenient to me. I approached their receptionist and asked if I could make an appointment for my cat's neutering. She told me yes, she just needs to call the other Banfield and do the transfer. That was last month, January 2009. I brought my cat in today for the surgery. Again the receptionist told me she would transfer the plan, when I dropped him off this morning. Then when I was picking him up, a different receptionist, a Ms. Caroline **, told me that I would need to pay the first month of plan and sign a new yearly contract, which would start today.
I hadn't planned on renewing after the first year, so now I was forced into starting a new contract, after the surgery was already done! On top of that, I would be charged the new increased monthly rate for this new contract. Either that or I pay some $1000 charge for today's service! After I paid and signed and got home and let my cat out of the carrier, guess what, they were so busy charging money, they had forgotten to take off the IV inlet on my cat! I had to put the poor thing in the carrier again, drive him to a critical care center and have the IV inlet removed.
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2009
Met with vet who made it obviously clear that the Wellness Plan was for well pets ONLY and nothing else... so much so... that my pet who was ill and not eating was NOT treated and sent home for "Let's see what happens in the next few days..." I ended up going to another vet and having him hospitalized for five days. The vet made it clear that if my pet is not going to be here in one year from now, he was not going to put him on the plan. SO REIGNS THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR AT BANFIELD!!!! As far as I know, only God can answer whether the animal will be here in a year from now. This action borders on negligence.
My cat was hospitalized five days and at a bill of $1000.00 and we will never know what we could have avoided if the cat was in sooner. I realize Banfield has its contractual limitations; however, subject to it's own interpretations, my cat should have been treated!!!! These actions border on negligence and malpractice. Be careful who you go to and check them thoroughly. Trust me, Banfield is interpreting their contracts to their own advantages. BE CAREFUL!!!
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2009
We took our 12-year-old Jack Russell Terrier to Banfield for his annual wellness exam. He had the wellness plan since he was adopted as an 8-week-old puppy. We noted on the questionnaire that he had not eaten for 2 days. He was given a clean bill of health, other than an ear infection and skin irritation. The nurse insisted that we buy a 2-month supply of medications, at a cost of $292, to treat him. Six days later, he was still not eating so we brought him back. This time we received the devastating news that he had lymphosarcoma (cancer) and that he was terminally ill. They wanted another $1500 to conduct tests on him. We refused and took him home. We loved up on him his last week and had him put to sleep on 11/23/08.
When I called Banfield to cancel the wellness plan, I was informed that we were obligated to pay on the wellness plan until it ended in August. So, they were going to continue taking money out of my checking account every month for medical care for a dead dog. When I protested, they said that my dog used a lot of services the last month of his life (duh!) and that we had to continue to pay. I think they are heartless as well as incompetent and I will never take another pet to Banfield.
Reviewed Jan. 27, 2009
From the time I got my puppy a year ago, he has been with Banfield. We have nothing but posit