Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews

People now want the cheapest and fastest way to make their pets better, w/o understanding that there may be needed test to perform they are not all useless. If the doctors did not perform the needed test and your pets suffer then there should be valued complaints. We as individuals need to stop the complaining because mistakes happen along w/ miscommunication w/ staff members. Take a few minutes and look at other jobs fields no one is perfect.

Also most people complain about cost w/o understanding how much the hospitals are charged to vaccinate or medicate your pets. It is expensive to run a successful vet hospital due to our out of pocket costs too. We have bills to pay in the hospital too just like costumers. Just get over it.

When we arrived there was a sign posted saying the clinic would not be available that day. When I questioned the staff saying that I had called earlier they proceeded to argue in front of me and make the decision if they would be able to see Barley that day. The reason the clinic was closed was that a surgery performed earlier that day went wrong and the doctor was too tired to see any patents. Either way, they convinced me that my dog must be seen by the doctor and a blood test was required. I agreed to see the doctor because at this point I didnt want to take another day off work to get my dogs medication.

When the vet-tech arrived in the room she was very short with me and not very pleasant to my dog either. This was only the third time my dog, Barley had seen a vet (He is very young and the previous owner gave him all of his vaccines) and he was very nervous. The vet-tech did not give Barley enough time to warm up to her and immediately began touching him. When she placed the stethoscope on him he almost jumped off the table because it scared him so much. Then she took him back for his blood work. When he returned he was even more scared and was shaking and loosing large amounts of hair.

Then the doctor arrived, he was very rude and callous with me and kept tapping my dog on the head with his finger. I think this was his way of letting the dog warm up to him. At one point, the doctor said to me I dont like the way your dog is looking at me, I think he may bite. I told the doctor that he has never shown and signs of aggression but I agreed to hold the dogs head either way. Then the doctor reached for the dog and Barley snapped at him (He was really, really scared). The doctor became very angry. He proceeded to get close to my face and yell, Thats why I asked you to hold your freaking dog! Then he turned around and slammed the door behind him so hard that it shook the walls of the exam room. He never came in to finish the exam.

The vet tech came back, asked if I wanted to purchase the heartworm medication and then said thanks see you again. No one, including the doctor, ever apologized for the behavior. I quickly left the Petsmart and was so upset and angry I didnt know what to do. My poor dog was also completely traumatized. Even though he typically is a very independent dog he never left my side and was still loosing hair late into the evening. I have never been treated with such disrespect in my life. I cannot believe that rude staff, screaming in a clients face, and slamming doors. I will never retrun to a Banfield or Petsmart again.

Also, if you feel rushed, you can take your copy of the plan home and then read it. If you don't like it, you can cancel within 72 hours without penalty (you just need to pay for services provided). Banfield is the world's largest vet hospital and has been around since the 50's. The doctors at my current Banfield in Ann Arbor, Michigan are always friendly, smart, and I never feel rushed when asking questions. This is not a money-hungry business. They are all about what is best for the pet and the parent.

Yes, Banfield may cost more then a clinic but they have the most state of the art equipment in veterinary medicine today. All of them will be somewhat different. And Wellness Plans are transferrable to other Banfield's by the way. It does restart your year agreement though. So please ladies and gentlemen, read the contract before you sign. If you have questions, ask. Don't just sign and then be upset at Banfield for something that was clearly already pointed out to you. Lastly, I know there has to be horrid Banfield's out there, but I firmly believe that the majority are hard-working, caring, and have your pet's best interest at heart.

A reputable vet hospital would have offered the option of a prescription that could have been filled on-line at a place like Pet-Meds that offers discount prices. Ear infections are not crises, there was time to have the medication sent, and the pet owner could have saved some money. Charged $9.20 to collect **** from one of the dogs. These may seem like little things, but they add up. My vet does a fecal test on one dog from each litter. If there are protozoa or parasites, the whole litter must be treated. Banfield did tests on both dogs.

I concur with those people who have said that Banfield takes advantage of every possibility to run a test and run up a client's bill. I would never go there. I would recommend that no one go there. Although I did not go to Banfield personally, the dog owner sent me a copy of the bill and I have verification in front of me of their services and charges. Thank you for listening to my experience. The consumer was charged for redundant tests and was not given the option of cheaper, equally effective medication or a prescription for medication that could have been purchased elsewhere for a more reasonable price.

When we arrived at the other pet hospital we were informed that the hospital Banfield's staff recommended had only medical technicians on staff with no on-call doctor available to care for Sally's condition. What was their staff thinking making that type of referral? It was their responsibility to make an appropriate referral to care for Sally's condition instead the last thing Banfielf's staff said to us before left Banfield was "Good luck". Banfield wasted valuable time in caring for my dog's critical condition!

On Monday July 28th at 7:45 after a licensed doctor came into the office, we received a call that Sally was internally bleeding to death, as evidenced by the blood in her stool and urine, and the best option was to put her to sleep. We then made a painful decision to let our friend sleep eternally and then had to tell a 7 year old little boy that his best friend was never coming home to play. Sally was put to sleep. She was only 1-1/2 years old!

Four days later, she is still listless, and recovering. Dental cleaning was done on 7/25/08, and today (7/29/08), my dog is still not herself. SINCE WHEN DOES A ROUTINE DENTAL CLEANING ALMOST KILL A DOG. The wellness plan implemented almost took the life of my dog.

2 hours later finally the Dr. arrived. She took a look at him and said he needed a fungai culture, skin scraping and skin impression. This I approved. 10 minutes later Nicole comes back and says they did not see anything under the microscope but that they recommend 3 different antibiotics including a shot, a version of their shampoo and a ton of other stuff that almost amounted to over 300 dollars. In addition I asked about getting his Advantix and Heartworm medicine. This I remind you I had to ask for.

So I was told there was no record of Max having a heartworm test and unless I could provide that I had to pay for that specific test. I pulled from his file the previous vets record from last year his heatworm testing and his medicine record. She leaves and comes back and then proceeds to tell me the policy has changed and now he has to have the heartwom test regardless of his past testing and history. This is in addition to the constant aggravation of replying with a FIRM emphatic NO to their WELLNESS PLAN and how much money it will save you! THE BILL CONTINUES TO GROW!

I then told her the Banfield upsell was way too much for me to continue on with and that I will cut it off now and go back to my previous vet even as they are located in a different town. Yes, in my own opinion, Banfield Pet Hospitals are money hungry and will take you to the cleaners in the guise of providing the proper health care for your loving pet. BEWARE BEWARE It still cost me over 100 dollars to walk out of there. But they have lost more than that in future revenue with myself and Max only.

2 scraped areas-1 over each eye to draw blood/hair samples and time off of work to the tune of over 3 hours.

While I was trying to find other resources to see what other options we had, we kept him there thinking that they would at least give him fluids. You know keep him well while he was there. Before we went to go pick him up, I had a very rude phone call from a worker there named Liz. She was being very smart alec with me, and her and co workers were all laughing in the background. When we went to go pick him up he was still in the cage where I had place him in, laying un touched. Because of them my puppy is now dead! They could of done something to prevent his death, but instead all they did was ridicule us and laughed in our face.

The reason why we went there is because on their website, it says they treat Pets like family. Well I'll be the first to tell you, thats a false advertisement. They do not practice what they preach! The place I went to go get his treatment the first time were really helpful and assisted my puppy right away. They also said that by law they should of done something to help him. Instead, they let him sit in a cage for 10 hours and feel every second of his suffering pain. This is a form of cruelty and neglect.

That place was a big mistake in my part. I hope that what happened to my puppy, will not happen to anybody else. And I will not let this die down the way they let my puppy die. It's a shame how people who are supposed to care for pets can be so cold hearted to an innocent little puppy! The place I went to was in Fort Worth , Texas Pets Mart Banfield Hospital. I will also proceed in pressing charges!

They called us with an estimate, and I explained to them that I wouldn't get paid till Friday. My intention was not to leave him there get him treated and not pay. I just did not want him to die. She said I had to come pick him up!

While I was trying to find other resources to see what other options we had, we kept him there thinking that they would at least give him fluids. You know keep him well while he was there. Before we went to go pick him up, I had a very rude phone call from a worker there named Liz. She was being very smart alec with me, and her and co workers were all laughing in the background. When we went to go pick him up he was still in the cage where I had place him in, laying un touched.

Because of them my puppy is now dead! They could of done something to prevent his death, but instead all they did was ridicule us and laughed in our face. The reason why we went there is because on their website, it says they treat Pets like family. Well I'll be the first to tell you, thats a false advertisement. They do not practice what they preach!! The place I went to go get his treatment the first time were really helpful and assisted my puppy right away. They also said that by law they should of done something to help him. Instead, they let him sit in a cage for 10 hours and feel every second of his suffering pain. This is a form of cruelty and neglect.

The girl I would especially like to report is named Liz! I will also proceed in pressing charges! Please contact me immediately to see what can be done. And also from preventing this from ever happening again.

Give me a break. I see my dog everyday and can tell when hr is down. Banfield is a greed driven corporation. additionally. i had a 11 am appointment and still had to wait 45 minutes. Why don't they pay me for the time I waited? The parking is good. It's in PetsMart. i will never refer anybody to Banfield. I do have one more horror story about my last dog that died but i'll get too upset rethinking.

The costs are not told upfront. Aka the hidden disposal fee.

When I moved away from that facility area, I brought my dog to another one of their locations, one that was close to my new location--figured my insurance would just transfer with me. I actually liked the doctors there, they NEVER put her through what the other facility had. However I learned then that the insurance they sold me couldn't be transferred to another facility. They don't tell you that, they rush you to sign the paperwork when you're in there (because they're always busy and completely disorganized).

They advertise themselves as ONE company with multiple locations, they're all found through one web site. Any other company I've ever done business with has contracts that apply to ALL locations. They completely misrepresent themselves. And in the end, your animals have to suffer as they put them through one needless test after another.

I've stopped going to them. I can't subject my dog to it any longer. I would have stayed with the second location in Lone Tree through the end of the contract because they showed some restraint and more actual caring for animals, but they wouldn't let me do that. I called their central office and was told That's just the way it is. Now they've sent me to collection because I didn't finish the contract. These people are just in it to make as much money as possible, they couldn't care less about the animals.

Here are a 3 examples: You want to get a Rx filled somewhere else, they will charge you $11 just for a piece of paper, unless they don't sell it there. They will match prices, but you have to have that proof on hand and it has to be for the exact quantity that they sell. Their wellness plan covers office visits, but there is usually always other costs. My dog had yeast in his ear. It was $27.50 just to get his ear swabbed. They wanted him to come back for a recheck in 2 weeks for another $27.50. That doesn't include the medicine that was $25.

My dog has hip problems. They wanted to run tests that were over $200 and put him on medicine to see if it would fix the problem. I had to ask if we could just try the medicine first before the test, since that was all they were going to do to fix the problem.

I dropped my dog off, because he was having diarrhea. I wrote down that I had given him Imodium AD how much and when. When I picked him up they charged me $10 for 2 pills of loperamide. After I got home, I looked at the Rx bottle and noticed what they gave me. Lopermide is Imodium. They gave me what I already had at home. Their pills were capsules with powder inside that they wanted me to split in half. I bought a whole box of that stuff for less than 2 pills. Not even that, my dog had already been on it for 2 days, which is the max. he should have been on it. That is why I took him in.

Now I can't trust that the medicine they give me can't be bought cheaper at Walgreens or maybe something I already have at home. I can't trust that the procedures aren't excessive. Again, the staff and doctor were great most of the time. But they are pushed to follow procedures that are only about the money.

A couple hours later Colby started having a severe allergic reaction to her shots. We had to rush her to the closest pet hospital (VCA) for emergency treatment. While they were treating her they said who on earth would give a pug 7 vaccines all at once? The doctor also asked what happened with her paw. I explained that it had come off while clipping and the vet bandaged it. The ER vet unwrapped it and the inside (quick) of the nail was still sticking out. He said this will never heal this way. He told us they should have removed the rest of the nail (the inside) in order for it to heal, and that the compression bandage was the wrong thing to have done. So we paid VCA to do a mini-surgery to fix this, in addition to the fees to take care of her reaction to the 7 shots.

The next week I took my other dog for his shots (but insisted that they not give all at once) and told the office staff and vet that the hospital said that they should never give 7 shots to a dog under 25 lbs all on the same day. They acted very surprised and said they do it all the time. I explained Colby's reaction and they said you refused the option to have her admitted all day so she could be given benadryl and monitored afterwards. I told them that it had never been suggested and they said it had been an option. I also told the vet about the toenail issue and she said she had not heard of any problems like that, and that it would have healed eventually, probably just not as fast. (I asked for a different vet so this was not the one that made the error).

Basically, nobody at the Long Beach CA office seemed to care or express any concern over these issues. I called headquarters today to see about transferring my contract to the Buena Park office which I had been to before and the staff were much more friendly. After discussing how this works, I asked to talk to someone about my concerns of the care at Long Beach and was told by Carrie that this is not a complaint department. I asked if they had a quality care department at corporate that monitored quality at the different hospitals and was told Sorry, but no. I asked if they just didn't care about their reputation and these issues and again was told, Sorry but no.

I was SHOCKED that the corporate offices have NO quality control process over the individual Pet Hospitals! So I'm going to transfer to another hospital that is managed better. The moral is to find a Banfield you like because they are all run differently (I've already prepaid for the whole year so I'm stuck with the Banfield system for now).

I had to pay over $400 to deal with my pug's allergic reaction to having 7 vaccines all at once and to have her toenail surgically removed in order for it to properly heal.

I explained that I had informed Banfield three times about this stitch and was told not to worry about it. The Dr. made no comment on this. She told me to bring my dog in the next day Saturday June 21,08 in the morning and she would perform the surgery and my dog would have to stay all day. I found a friend who was kind enough to take serveral hours from work to drive us Saturday morning. The receptionist had me fill out forms and told me they would call when my dog was ready to go home. Four hours later they called my home and said the surgery was not performed because they do not do surgery on Saturdays.

It was so hard to get her there and this was the only chance I had to bring her in I was quite upset when I was able to go back and get her I spoke to a pet nurse and expressed my dissatisfaction and asked why the dr who works with this hospital does not know that surgery is not performed on Saturdays and the receptionist does not know this as well. She had no answer, she apoligized I explained my situation she had no answer. I had put on the pre-surgery forms that I needed Frontline it was never offered to me until I asked for it.

My dog remained caged for six hours for no reason has not had the surgery. She is on a antibiotic which I had to ask for the first time I brought her in and a topical antibiotic which I also asked for. I also had to pay a office visit and for the oral and topical antibiotics which I feel was wrong because this was a oversight by the vet staff. I would not recommend Banfield to anyone.

I will need to bring her to a new vet for the surgery and I have a plan with Banfield that I paid for for a year.

A few weeks later: she was okay for awhile, back to normal, then all of the sudden it was back and even worse. What do you know... my cat has asthma! Banfield robbed me. They misdiagnosed my cat, I could have used that money and time to actually HELP her than help her get worse.

One of the cats we took their, Chip (R.I.P) was sick when we adopted him in December with what was described by the adoption manager as a chronic cold. The vet we took him to at Banfield started him on antibiotics for three weeks, then followed up again for another three weeks. When that did not work they started him on something stronger. Eventually he was prescribed a human strength 250 MG antiviral (we picked up at CVS) 1/2 pill daily for a week then every other day until gone. At the same time he was on another antibiotic and they eventually started Chip on Prednisone (an immune suppressant).

He did not know the antiviral was 250MG pills, he said they were 5mg. He also said the Prednisone should have been stopped after 10 days, but the instructions said take until gone. Which he said would be 10 days, but he gave us 14 days worth of pills. Which he admitted was a mistake and admitted that he does give patients more pills incase they have problems administering them. I also read later that you are never supposed to just stop Prednisone, but slowly decrease the amount.

Well, Scotty, our other cat started to have some eye discharge so I called another Bandfield and made an appointment to bring him in. I explained to the person there that I was not happy with the El Cajon location we were taking them to and she said I could transfer them both over. So I filled out the paperwork to do this for Scotty only (we were going to bring Chip to see a specialist)

What I was not informed about was that it was not really a transfer? like they call it, but instead I had to sign Scotty up for a year at that location. This was on March 8th.

For the next few months I was still being charged $16.95 so I called and spoke to a new person, Jennifer at corp. She said that I had three plans going, two for Scotty (one at El Cajon and one at Santee) and while I had closed the two at the first location (El Cajon for Chip and Scotty), the one at the new location (Santee) was never closed. I asked why if I did a transfer? would they not have closed the one at the first location immediately. They said they were not sure why but that it was my responsibility to tell them I did the transfer? when I called to cancel the plans.

So we cancelled the one at the 2nd location, but they won't give me my money back.

I asked them why they did not take care of this in the first place and she said it's not their responsibility. So I asked if when they did the transfer? like she said, they did not cancel the other plan at El Cajon and why she was even calling it a transfer? when they made me sign up for a new year. She said she would not argue the semantics with me. So I asked if the "transfer" happened and if they pulled his medical records to the new location and she said she was not sure, I explained to her that if they did not then they were being negligent. She said she couldn't help me any further and would not argue with me any more.

About three weeks ago, my beloved Chip has euthanized because he was slowly dying, from what the new vet thinks was FIP (although there is not test for that). The other doctor we took him to (the specialist) diagnosed two staph infections in him and the proper antibiotic for each, but it was too late, he was too far gone to recover and only got worse, dropping down to 6 lbs.

I am very sickened, that Banfield could be so negligent in their care of patients and rude to customers and overall incompetent.

Please read everything before you sign up. Please note that if your bet dies (even in their car) you still can not cancel the plan with out a penalty.

Within twenty minutes of this call, Sadie had ripped out half of her stitches and all her staples by scratching. I called immediately and was told they were closing in ten minutes. I explained the extreme nature of her injury and was told wrap some ace bandage or whatever you have around her and bring her in at 7:00 a.m. I told the receptionist I was almost there. He again spoke with Dr. Tilley who would not wait FIVE minutes to see her. I told John that I was totally disappointed in their refusal to treat a regular client in severe distress.

the day before heer sutures and staples were due to be removed i called to see if I needed an appointment or if I should just "walk in". I was told to walk in. Within twenty minutes of this call, Sadie had ripped out half of her stitches and all her staples by scratching. I called immediately and was told they were closing in ten minutes. I explained the extreme nature of her injury and was told "wrap some ace bandage or whatever you have around her and bring her in at 7:00 a.m." I told the receptionist I was lamost there. he again spoke with Dr. T who would not wait FIVE minutes to see her. i told "John" that I was totally disappointed in their refusal to treat a regular client in severe distress.

I received a call from the vet 2 hours later asking if my cat could be sedated (because it was not included on the sheet I signed acknowledging the charge for the sedation they had not done it yet). Come to find out my cat had been sitting in his carrier the entire time panting and crying. I asked that the sedation be done immediately and explained how upset I was that this had not already been done. The vet said that he would speak to the front office woman and straighten out the misunderstanding. When I picked my cat up that afternoon I was told that the situation had been handled.

On June 7, 2008 I took my cat in for a follow up. Because of his needing to be sedated I was to drop him off at 9:00 and then pick him up later. The same front office woman checked me in. I again stressed the need for him to be sedated and asked that it be done as soon as he went back. She once again assured me it would. I pointed out that she had not put the request on the information she asked me to sign. She responded that she had made note for the doctor and vet tech. After she took my cat back, I asked her again if he would be sedated immediately and she stated yes.

I received a call at 11:00 from Banfield with a question and I asked if my cat was sedated and doing okay. I was told that he had not been seen yet and so he was not sedated. I insisted on speaking to the doctor who told me that they never sedated an animal upon arrival in the morning because they are too busy with the number animals coming at that time. I told the vet that I would be back to pick up my cat immediately and that they were to do nothing with him.

When he was brought out to me it was obvious that he had not been removed from his carrier during his two-hour stay and was left to sit in his own feces and urine the entire time. Had I known that he was not going to be sedated as I requested I would not have left him on his own. I have to wonder since this happened on two different occasions, is this Banfields corporate policy when it comes to treating their patients or is it simply the incompetence of their local representation.

On April 4, 2008 we were at Banfield again to see Dr. Godfry for the next set of distemper and leukemia vaccines and a well checkup. At this visit Dr. Godfry seemed disorganized and unsure of what vaccines the kittens were suppose to have. Once figured out, the vaccines were administered. The next morning, April 5, 2008 Tiger was completely lethargic and unresponsive to stimuli. I brought him back to Banfield and he was treated with antihistamines and observed for the remainder of the day. I feel the kitten was given the wrong vaccine. Visit totaled $129.04. At this visit I made an appointment for both kittens to be declawed and spayed/neutered on May 20, 2008 specifically when Dr. Godfry was not working. The appointment was made on a day I was told Dr. Godfry was not working.

On May 20, 2008 I dropped the kittens off for the procedures and found out Dr. Godfry was performing the surgeries. The kitten had not eaten since midnight the prior evening as requested by Banfield. At 4pm I found out that Tiger was out of surgery and okay. Oreo was going in. At 5pm I received a call from Dr. Godfry asking for my permission to treat Oreo at the emergency care center because he thought Oreo was a female so he proceeded to open the abdomen and search for ovaries. He had difficulty finding the ovaries and found what he thought was an ovary and followed it down and ligated the tube in two places. What he ligated was actually the ureter from the kidneys. He had mistakenly said the kitten was female when he was a male. Therefore, he performed the wrong surgery because he failed to check the sex of the kitten and carelessly cut a ureter. Oreo was taken to the emergency center were a left nephrectomy and neuter were performed. After speaking with Dr. Godfry at 5:30pm and giving him my cellphone number to call me as soon as he knew what was happening I have never heard from him again.

I have tried resolving this matter with the Banfield Corporate office in Portland Oregon without success. I filed the complaint with them on 5/21 and called twice after that and no one has responded.

Economically I have paid out $780.75 for both kittens treatment. In the future I will pay out an indefinite amount of money for yearly kidney function tests and who know what else related to this mistake. Physically, Oreo has lost an organ. This kitten was depressed for a week after due to a hard collar in place, stitches and mutiple operations. The whole event has been a physical and emotional hardship on my children, myself and my whole family.

Granted the ladies behind the desk can be short but how would you feel for 10 hours a day, dealing with customers who are irrated to begin with. I have both cats on the wellness plan and it has saved me money. However those other Banfields are being run is sad if there are that many disappointed customers but I give a big bravo to the clinic in Silverdale.

Then never actually gave treatment because they wanted more tests. This put off vacinations and they charged extra fee for missing scheduled vacination, Clerk said, That's just the way it works. Dog is still alive, no observable health problem, and he never received their critical treatment. Banfield renewed yearly contract without notice, so to cancel insur, must wait until 12 month period over. Refused payment (my check) delivered by my son because I was not personally there. Sometimes will not let him bring dogs in, other times it's okay for him to bring dogs in. We never know what Banfield Hosp staff if going to say/demand.

Tired of losing money on worthless insurance and needless medical tests. Vet has us bringing dogs back often, dogs may be suffering from improper meds, gettings tests they don't need and are painful. Keeps my grandkids worrying when vet requests new tests - kids ask are they going to die?

$35 not oringally quoted

My dog Maverick had severe diarrhea, after it took 2 days to get an appointment. I waited 2 and a half hours, no vet, but they came back with a bill saying that he need iv therapy because he was dehydrated, and a host of other tests. The final bill would be $400!! For diarrhea!! I got mad, left and got another appointment at a local vet. She was fantastic, she did not want to run all of the tests because they would be expensive and try a broad spectrum antibiotic. Guess what, $65 and my dog is completely fine now. I have only met the vet 1 time, and I have been there 6 or 7 times for puppy shots. I hate banfield and will not go back, even for covered routine shots. I feel my puppy's health is more important. Don't use Banfield!

It started becoming a pain when I went for her second round of shots and they asked me to leave her all day, I thought that was kind of odd, but left her. I got a printout of what they did but never, STILL, saw a vet just the techs. I took her time after time and again, I only saw the vet on the very first visit when I got her for the first time, but never again.

Every time I went to visit, the front desk ladies were not very polite, they took calls in the middle of you explaining, YET AGAIN, why you had an appointment scheduled - you'd figure they had all that information in the system. Once I waited for an hour and half in the room and no one came by, I finally stepped out and asked and they said they were sorry that if I had the last room they usually forget someone is there.

The next time I visited, a year later almost, I was told he had tartar and that she needed a teeth cleanin and I had to leave her the whole day because they were going to pretty much drug her up for the pain, I was asked to upgrade my health plan (which starts the contract all over again, which they didn't explain) and I did so she could have her teeth cleaned.

A month later I get a letter in the mail from the county for a ticket I was issued for $261 for not having her rabbies shot. I was SHOCKED because Banfield's receptionists and techs told me they now sold the tags and did the certificates for the rabbies shots which they didn't previously. So I trusted that they tag they gave me and the certificate was all I needed. Never having had a dog before I figured that was it. Well, they didn't bother telling me that I still had to send it to the county for their tag. So I had to take time off of work, go to the county office and show them that I did have her vaccinated and they discouted the ticket down to 200. So I call and ask Banfield to confirm and they said yes that I should have gotten a yellow copy (which I never did) and had to send that in myself. Now I'm an organized person, extremely, to avoid situations like these and I know there was not copy given to me to mail to the county.

Next thing... A few months ago, she started vomiting a lot and didn't eat and didn't **** at all, so I go there with my sister in law and her dog since she had the last appointment of the day and ask if I can see the vet for an emergency... The girl said to wait that she wouuld as the vet, she came out and said no, to go to another clinic that was open 24 hrs (not at all related to Banfield) and I said that she was really sick, and she said, sorry the Vet said no - meanwhile I never saw the vet nor was allowed to speak to him at all. I also told them I was very upset because the PLAN I was paying for was with them, NOT the other clinic so I wasn't able to pay emergency fees . What choice did I have but to take her home and hope for the best.

Now I don't have children so she is like my child, and this was EXTREMELY upsetting for me, that they didn't care about the life of my little one. I asked if there was anything in the store I could buy to help her feel better and they didn't answer, so I left. Next time I went in (a couple weeks ago) for her shots, I decided not to leave her there but to wait until they put the shots, in front of me, the TECH AGAIN - no VET did all this. Out of curiosity I asked what the third shot was for right before he was about to put it in. The tech replied it's her rabbies, I immediately told him to stop, her rabbies was given to her earlier this year and lasts until 2010. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE! I thought everything was in the system, then he said oh yea you're right like if nothing was wrong. I was SOOOO upset, I vowed never to go back again.

The worse part is that I 'm stuck paying the stupid plan until November because I can't cancel it and I cant downgrade it to a basic plan because they contract will start all over again if I change it. I'm not the only one either, my sister in law is never going back, her dog has been taken numerous time and the techs tell her she needs the dogs teeth pulled out, about 8 of them, and that it'll be a lot of money and when she said she would think about it, the vet wrote in the notes she got that she declined alternate treatment - WHAT alternate treatment?? They never even told her there was another option.

Recently, she was ******* pools of blood and she took her to another clinic that really took care of her. If you have a pet and love that pet like your child - DO NOT put them in Banfield's TECH's hands - obviously you will find it hard to see a vet there. It's hard to believe that some people go into the Vet field to make money out of poor people that love their pets. They treat the poor defenseless animals like if they didn't matter. Too bad dogs/cats don't talk because Banfield would be out of business once everyone hears how they really treat animals. It's a shame and we are 2 less people that they will have as customers.

The damage would have been that both my little dog and my sister in law's would have died due to negligence and lack of care.

1. DO NOT ADOPT AN ANIMAL IF YOU CANNOT PAY FOR IT'S CARE. I'm sorry, but having an animal is a CHOICE and it should not be taken lightly. Depending on the breed, animal, etc.. there can be large vet bills and if you are thinking of adopting/buying an animal you need to be responsible for these.

2. As for the story about the dog with Parvo in the other room. I don't know how each Banfield works, but we do see dogs with Parvo. What are we supposed to do? Turn away a dog with bloody diarrhea and vomit when it MAY or MAY NOT be Parvo, a disease that if not treated with quickly result in DEATH for the dog? So, what? It's completely ok for us to see your dog, but I guess you really don't care about the person in the other room who's dogs is DYING. MY mistake. Your Banfield, OBVIOUSLY, should have looked out for YOUR best interest.... screw anyone else. (We also disinfect every surface the infected dog touches after it's been in a room with hospital grade disinfectant).

3. As for not being able to cancel Wellness plans. WPs are NOT insurance. They are more of a payment plan, you end up saving money in the long run, anyway. You are paying for the basic services performed on your animals every month in the form of your monthly draft as opposed to paying, say, $200 for all your vaccines in one visit. You cannot cancel the WP because if you did you wouldn't even be paying the MINIMUM for the services provided.

4. If you're having a problem with Banfield, read over your WP forms again, it most probably explains why. Or ask your receptionist. Generally, they'll be happy to explain. But, in the end the animal is your CHOICE, not ours. We'll do our best, but don't be upset with us because you CHOSE to enter into an agreement you weren't responsible enough to enter into in the first place.

9/27/07, our cat was seen for her 6 month check up. The doctor told us that she was sick and described the condition as treatable, but did not tell us she could die. We did what was recommended, until 2 days later when I noticed that my cats ears and eyes were yellow. Yellow = very sick rushed her to emergency, spent $7,000.

Went back to hospital to pick up records, & the doctor aggressively confronted me (something a doctor should not do). After speaking to Cheryl, someone from corporate, she said that they would only allow for her wellness plan to be canceled (we have 3 cats and 2 dogs total & I wanted to cancel all of them. Doctor isn't good, why would I go back?).

We had 1 last check up left, so I agreed to transfer to Oxnard for the visit (unhappy about doing so). Oxnard they lost the fecal sample we brought in, they lied about the blood work they ran on our animals (said they ran it, talked to us about everyone being in good health. We went to pick up the paperwork from the blood work, and nothing was ever run. Several days later, they called and said a completely different story. How do I know my animals were seen? Doctor from Oxnard was confused, said she did a dental. They never did a dental on my dog!).

Spoke to Cheryl again, & she blatantly laughed 4 separate times at me (my story was nothing to laugh about). She also lied about calling corporate and would not return my calls. I tried to go up the ladder to resolved issue & was told nothing could be done. Banfield did not live up to their part of the contract! They did not provide adequate/reliable care for my 5 animals lives, which I entrusted in them. I would like a refund. I now need to take my animals to a new vet and will spend hundreds of dollars (if not thousands) in doing so. The vet care that I'm now seeking, will need to be redone by our new vet, who I have no clue if it was done properly, or ever done at all, by Banfield. After all of the reports I filed, they continue to defiant, rude, and not willing to work with me whatsoever.

My animals are now under NEW vet care at a wonderful veterinarian office, they are all doing good. Since this incident with Banfield, I have been sick to my stomach that a company would do this. I have taken countless days off to deal with corporate. No matter what I say, or how much I cry, they could care less about my animals and only care about their money. Banfield is disgusting and should be shut down.

General irritation

Ive actually seen a doctor be [angry] because the dog got better on conservative therapy because they wanted to run more tests to up their profits! While working there i have actually had a doctor tell me to disregard the protocol to keep any unvaccinated puppy out of a room where we have just discovered PARVO in another dog! This is so they can get you in and out of rooms so they can scrape in more money. Parvo is highly contagious and almost always results in death! RIDICULOUS! I was actually remanded for taking off tests from the estimate we never got around to doing during a comprehensive exam. Go to a REAL vet unless you dont care about your animal!

You would think they would have said something about the deposit but they waited until everything was done to inform me that they needed 100 dollars before they could put the credit through now they are threatening me to put it on my credit the entire amount owed which i still am unaware of the total and to top it all my 1 cat is still very ill and could die from this infection which they told me he was better and hes not at all better.

I am facing losing my cat and this 100 dollars there demanding that i dont have and wont have. They are demanding it now or they will put the entire bill on my credit i feel this was a very deceptive way to do business and would like to know my rights here in this situation. we also informed them not to go over the approved credit because we had no money to give them now they are also harrassing us on the phone. this only took place on friday 5/2/08

The doctor checked him out head, neck, spine and hips and then look at me and said he thinks he may have something going on with his abdomin. He said he wanted to run these test CPL, CBC , UA, Blood cell count and take some x-rays of his stomache. All tests came back fine but the x-ray in which he said he sees a blockage. Neeko deficated that morning at 5:00am and this was 8:00am when I took him and there was also no vomitting. He said to take him home and feed him chicken and rice and let hime know the following morning if he *****.

My husband took him outside to go pee while I finished up the paperwork and as soon as Neeko went outside he ****** once and peed three times. The symptoms for prompting a CPL test is vomitting and not ******* which he had not vomitted and did **** prior to us bringing him in. The blockage on the x-ray was **** because nobody took him to go in the nine hours he was there.

Neeko didn't get better and he progressively got worse through the night. The doctor sent us home with the x-rays in case we had to take him to a 24hour emergency center. At 5:30AM the following morning off we went to the 24hour vet center with x-rays in hand. As soon as we got inside the vet tech noticed he was limping in the front in pain. They asked us what has been going on and again I told them the same exact thing I told the three people at Banfield.

The immediatley wanted to take and x-ray of his upper body and also noticed he was'nt looking up and didn't want to as if it hurt which we didn't even notice. They gave him some pain med's and muscle relaxer for the x-ray. The doctor looked at the Banfield x-rays while they were taking the upper body ones and said his intestine looked good and that the obstruction was **** like we had thought. Neeko has a strained or pulled muscle from his collar and rest and some anti-inflamitories should get him back on track.

We are out 366.00 for test that were wrong and did'nt have anything to do with the reason why we brought him into see the doctor at Banfield in the first place. I had to take two days off of work to deal with this and the mental toll it has taken on my family and Neeko has been damaging. The emergency vet did in three and a half hours what it took Banfield to try and get wrong in 9hours. I am really considering a lawyer.

I have been using their Wellness Plan for my 2 chihuahuas and find that it has saved me alot of money and many a headache.

When the vet finally came in, she examined our guinea pig and said that her breathing was labored, but her lungs sounded fine. She was given a complete exam, and we were told she needed antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection, but that otherwise she was healthy and would be fine. My daughter was very concerned, but the vet reassured her that our pig was otherwise healthy. We took her home, and gave her the first dose of antibiotics. Our pig ate some timothy hay, drank her water, and was running around and seemed fine.

The next morning, my daughter started screaming - our pig was dead in her bed. I called Banfield, and was told they were sorry but that these things happen. How is an animal fine one day, then after one dose of antibiotics, she's dead? We had her for 3 years, and she was my daughter's little buddy. I'm so disgusted right now - and I feel like I have no recourse in this matter.

My daughter is heart broken. We had our little pig for almost 3 years and were very attached to her. She would run to the cage door when we came home - all excited to see us. Every night she would squeak at my daughter to play. The cost isn't significant, the guinea pig was $30. It's the emotional toll that this is taking on my daughter that concerns me - to see her pig dead in the morning after being told by someone she thought she could trust - a Veterinarian - that her pet would be fine.

A friend of mine who is a vet tech went to the vet with me. WHY? Because my dog was found dead not even 3 days later. When we went to the vet to tell Dr. Scott what was going on my friend questioned what was done with my dog whom is the vet tech. Doctor scott then said that my dog was not given a blood test after we asked. The medical records were shown that I myself read and saw and half of the stuff said that I declined what needed to be done when they did not even mention half of the medical treatements that my puppy needed. I then showed Dr. Scott of my picture healthy, he then close my phone and smirked and laughed in my face and said I did not kill the puppy. I then said, I need answers, what did my puppy die from? He smirks and said prove I killed the puppy.

What kind of veterinarian does this to an animal? He is in it for the money. That is really all banfield cares about. NOT the animals but the money. Pathetic! To anybody who is reading this, I strongly would think twice about ever bringing your animal/animals to any Banfiels Animal Hospital. It discusts me to have this happin to me and to see it happin to anyone else. Not only did i loose a best friend but my other dog lost a friend as well and that breaks my heart even more. banfield should be shut down for good! I googled banfield to find out there corporate number and it does not even show up even after Dr. Scott Swetman refused to give me the corporate number. My dogs are like family members to me and i lost a family member due to the INCOMPITENCE of Dr. Scott Swetman and banfield animal hospital.

LOSS OF A BEST FRIEND, LOSS OF A FAMILY MEMBER , GAVE HIM MEDICATION THAT ATE AWAY HIS SKIN AND GAVE HIM INFECTIONS. I AM DEVISTATED AND DISCUSTED THAT A LICENSED VETERINARIAN COULD AND WOULD DO THIS TO SOMEONE THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME .

I then went on line to read about the product, K9 Advantix. what I found shocked me. The product isn't a medicine but is listed as a Pesticide which is to be applied to the dogs skin and absorbed into the body. I read about what other consumers had to say about the product and found that it caused neurological damage to their pets. I decided that I ABSOLUTELY would NOT apply this on my dogs.

I called Banfield the next day and they said I would have to talk to the Manager, Gerard who would be in on Monday. I left a message and asked that he return my call. He did not return my call. I called again on Tuesday, and was told that he was with a client and if he could call me back. I said that I had already left a message and he did not return my call, so I told her I would hold. He came on the phone and I told him about the product and that I wanted to return it. He said that he could not take it back. I then brought to his attention that it was NOT a prescription but was purchased over the counter and that it was listed as a pesticide. He then said, Let me check.: He then came back on line and said that he could take it back but said that it would take 6-8 weeks for me to receive a refund.

So I waited until the check cleared a couple of days later and the following Saturday, took the product back with the receipt and a copy of both front and back of the check showing that it had in fact cleared. He was not in and they said that according to his notes, I would receive a refund in the next 6-8 weeks. I asked that they contact him by phone and let me speak to him. He absolutely would not give me the refund and told me that I had agreed to wait 6-8 weeks for the refund. I told him that I had proof that the check had cleared and that I should be entitled to a refund on the spot. He wouldn't budge and I told him that I was appealing to his sense of fairness and that when HE returned a product anywhere else, that he didn't have to wait 6-8 weeks to get his money back. He would't budge and I told him that I was going to call the corporate office on Monday. He then threatened me that if I called the corporate office, that HE WOULD NOT give me a refund at all. He also said that if I had used a credit card for the purchase that he could reverse it at that time but since it was cash, I would have to wait.

My question...Is ther ANYTHING I can do to get my refund now? Proof that the check had cleared should have been sufficient reason to refund my money. One of the clerks, Deb, was totally sympathetic to me and also did not understand why he was doing this. She signed a card showing that I had in fact left both product and receipt (and copy of the cleared check) at Banfield and made a notation on the Message log that I had been there.

Not only did I not get my money back but developed a splitting headache from the encounter with him and was unable to function the rest of the day. I had to put off the rest of my errands and had to cancel a 4pm appointment because I was unable to deal with it because of the headache. I went home and went to bed. Today, I am still not feeling well. May seem really petty but it's the principal and unfairness of the situation that has warranted my complaint as well as being threatened.

The vet at Banfield was fully aware of the condition that existed because it was a prt of Tango's records at Banfield. Even after being given a substantial dosage of Valium to sedate him, he still continued to have multiple seizures. Tango developed brain damage from the seizures and on April 12, 2008 we ultimately made the decision to have him euthanized.

That evening we went home and Mochas' condition got way worse. Returning again on Tuesday morning with Mocha only to be told that he needed an x-ray to see if he had swallowed something. $214 dollars later(because that wasn't covered by insurance either) I was told Mocha had a foreign body in his large intestine the size of a ping pong ball!!

With a copy of the x-ray I was rushed to the emergency vet in Annapolis. Told that Mocha would need a $1200 surgery. Arriving there the doctor on call said the x-ray was not accurate.That it looked like the object moved around in each picture!! I was also told that the bloodwork taken was non-conclusive and would need to be retaken along with another x-ray. Mocha went through more testing even though he was dehydrated and lathargic!!! I received a call from the emergency hospital Tuesday evening only to be told nothing was in Mocha's intestine. The Dr. there told me that it looked like a severe case of Pancreatitis!!!! Mocha needed I.V fluids and pain medicine. This all cost another $700 dollars!!!!

Wednesday I recieved a call telling me that if finances were a problem then I should maybe consider putting the dog down. At this point I was running out of money because two weeks prior I was at Banfield and spent $400 dollars when Mocha suffered a seizure and they needed bloodwork then too!!!! Talking me into renewing and upgrading my wellness plan to save me alot of Money(HAHA).

Thursday I collected all records from Banfield and Annapolis and went to a vet willing to help me try to save my dogs'life. Everhardt Animal Hospital was the only people that treated me and my dog with respect!! They had three Dr.'s that reviewed all the records and said What an intresting case! They were really sorry that I didn't come to them three days prior. I had no choice but to release Mocha from his suffering. This was very hard on the whole family(Four kids included that cried Themselves to sleep!!!)This cost another three hundred dollars.

When I called Banfield to tell them the news, I was told to call a one hundred #. Calling this number they told me the plan was just renewed and I still have to pay another 6 months.

As a student, I do not have the finances to continue to pay for a dead animal. By the fact they will not allow you to cancel, they have no respect for my dead pet or myself and I am very disappointed and shocked that they allow these practices.

It is now five weeks later and she has not returned my phone calls, nor has anyone called me to schedule the surgery. My dog is now out of the (7) pain pills she gave him to tide him over until the surgery. I was able to talk to her one week after my dog's appointment. She said that the hospital was ordering equiptment small enough for my dog (who weighs almost 17 pounds- he's not THAT small). That was one month ago.

Since that phone call, I have left 4 messages for her- none of which she responded to. I am very angry about this malpractice, so I tried to cancel my wellness plan. I was told that I could not cancel it because my dog had received $800 worth of services. They told me that I would have to wait for one year- until my plan expires-and continue to make monthly payments. If I do not make the payments or have by bank dispute the payments, they told me that my case will go to their collections agency, which will affect my credit.

My dog's pain gets worse every day. I know this this beacuse when he puts his foot on the ground, he cries. He whimpers/cries at least three to four times a day- more than before we sought treatment from Banfield. He ran out of pain medication and they will not give us more. I will have to keep paying my monthly dues of $35.00 for the next 12 months for a services which I will not allow my dog to receive.

What a waste of time and gas -today I arrived for a 10 wellness check which usually is a drop off but when I set the appointment I told them I want an appointent as to not gas and time so they said ok and made it for ten- when i go in they ask when do i want to come back -I told them no this is an appointment and they said no its a drop off and I explain that this was discussed and approved and they say well we had a full 9am schedule so it will be a while so I could go walk around for a while and wait - I said either see my dog now or I am cancelling and they coldly handed me a card with the number to cancel which I did - unless you like looking at dog food for hours on end stay away!

I have the wellness program w/Banfield, I FAITHFULLY took him in for his comps. I brought him in in Feb. he was having episodes where he wouldn't lay down at night, could only go backwards. The Vet told me sometimes they can have these episodes. He told me that maybe we should have a Neurologist look at him, or better yet, videotape one of these episodes for him to view. Well, a little over a month later, my best friend is gone. He had cancer. WHY wasn't this shown in the blood tests? AND with the vet PATTING his STOMACH as HARD as he could because my golden was OVERSIZED.....

I am ANGRY.....as hell and haven't gotten of mind yet to tackle this. At the point I took him in at the end of Feb., that blood test should have shown that the red cells where depleted. Did they EVEN TAKE BLOOD? I am wondering about how MUCH they really do for those comp exams.

NOONE can replace my dog. After becoming empty nesters, that boy entertained me, guilted me into exercise....listened when I talked...sometimes even answering with his low howl.

And out of the blue I had to be told that he only had hours to live. AND that was AFTER Banfield told me to take him to another vet as they wouldn't be able to handle it.....

So why the insurance? It didn't cover ONE bit of the 1K it cost us yesterday to find out WHAT was going on with our pet and then to put him to peace.

When I calm down, I WILL approach Banfield with WHY....didn't they REALLY guide me, not give it as a thing I could do.....it should have been a YOU MUST issue......

I have words for them and they are NOT professional, not compared to the vet hospital I took him to yesterday....they are hacks as far as my mind is concerned.

I WILL get ALL my pets records and investigate, not that it will bring him back, but it may help another pet owner not HAVE to go through what we are going through this moment.

And DON'T tell me it is because I am grieving and in my angry stage, because I am not angry. I am needing answers why they didn't DO THEIR JOB.......

They ran some test and took his temp to find out that he tested positive for parvo and had a temperature much higher then anyone really knew. So what do they do? They give him a HOT bath where he began to have convulsions and all they do is make my sister pay $250 (because I was at the hospital with my husband who had just gotten out of surgery) so she could leave due to a family emergency. I call them, as they had instructed my sister to have me do, and they tell me my options.

A. they can treat him for parvo which would come out to roughly $3000 per week, B. wait and see how he does over night with just some I.V. fluids then start treatment in the morning, and C. I can have him put down. I could not make this decision with out talking to my husband first. I hung up the phone and I asked my husband who was not quite awake from his surgery yet. He tells me to start the treatment and I called them back and give them our decision. I called them that night and they tell us he looks better.

Then, the next morning I call to check on him and they tell me that they had not started the treatment yet and that he had passed over night. We go to say our goodbyes and they ask us what we wanted to do with him and we had him cremated. We also requested that we find out what he truly had because the facts and symtoms they had told us and the things they had done did not match. Come to find out he had distemper and there was really nothing that could have been done. Had we known this we would have had him put down and not have let him sit in a cage suffering.

Then we get the bill. We were charged for many tests that we had not even known about and for 3 sets of the parvo treatment that he was never even given, along with many other things. My husband and I didn't have the time or the energy to protest the bill and the people at the front desk were so rude and heartless that we just didn't bother arguing with them. We paid the bill, got the remains of our puppy and went home. My family has had many other problems with Banfield in many different states. Yes, they will be nice to you on your first visit but after that they are very rude and heartless. You should never have to pay for this type of treatment.

They told me he was dehydrated and had ear mites. They gave him fluids and sent us home with mite meds. When he continued to get worse I called them and they suggested with his age I should just have put him to sleep. I took him to a different vet!!

Vet #2 did exams and found he had cancer. I had asked Banfield to check him for anything. I had a 12 yr old cat who passed a few years back from cancer, so I SPECIFICALLY asked for them to check for cancer, told them I would pay, they told me they did.

Since then I have contacted Banfield numerous times pleading for either an apology or some reason for why this happened and an account of the recourse that was taken. They have only responded by offering a settlement that included a refund of our money in conjunction with a nondisclosure statement. This is not what I asked for! I WANT ACCOUNTABILITY! We rejected their refund. The grief is still unbearable. As a side note, the day of the settlement meeting, I had a chance encounter at the grocery store with a woman who said she now has a three legged dog because of Banfield. She would not say anymore because she had signed the nondisclosure statement but was wracked with guilt about doing so. It was no accident that we met, I believe. But of course, this is anecdotal. But this problem is bigger than anyone even knows.

By the time I got Aster into the vet they told me that he had acute kidney failure, and that it was so extensive that there was nothing that could be done to save his life at that point.... Needless to say after holding onto him for as long as they would let me, he had to be put to sleep. I blame the death of my cat on Banfield and the ignorance of its employees.If it wasn't for their not having equipment to do procedures that were supposed to be covered, my cat would still be alive.

The third visit I took him to was at that point that they began to tell me about the insurance plan for the dog. It seemed like a great plan and the prices to me where unbeatable compared to the other Vet offices I had called around on. I opted not to enroll at that time. A month later when I decided to get my puppy neutered, I enrolled in the program. When I signed up, the only reason why I did was because the Vet Tech told me the total bill for the surgery would be roughly around $175. I was amazed so I went through with it. That day he needed some boosters and because of the plan that I chose he was able to get a few other things.

When he was done and I picked him up he could barely walk and had welts all over his body from where I assume he was given the boosters. When I took him home that night to give him a bath he began to shiver very badly and yelped every time we went to pick him up or even touch his hips. He could barely walk around the house and was whimpering every time he would move. When the day came for the surgery I brought my dog in and they told me to wait for the call to come and pick him up. I received a phone call later that afternoon around 3:30 telling me to come and get him. When I got there he had blood on his two front legs that they didn't even wipe off and his incision was crooked and he was shaved in place that he should not have been shaved. When I went to the counter to pay, the total bill was $313.19. I was outraged, paid the bill, and left. I cancelled my service with them. I have four other dogs that are at my parent's house who have all been neutered and I have never been treated so rudely at a vets office as I was there.

Well, let me tell you that these people were not sympathetic at all! They turned around and said well... if you didn't want your dog neutered why did you purchase the package with the neutering? I was extremely upset. I complained to the manager, and he was just as stupid as his staff. I had to explain to them after they put me and my pup through unnecessary surgery, that the package was purchased just in case down the road it was necessary. They also administered a vaccination that I never even knew they gave him. They would tell me that they were administering one thing, and the next thing I know they are giving him unnecessary vaccinations without my approval.

Yes, it is the pet owner's responsible to follow up and follow through, but it is also the responsibility to provide your clients with the utmost respect, care, and accurate information. They have a duty legally to ensure the safety and care to the pets they care for. I think it's horrendous when they can turn around and tell me that I couldn't get out of my contract because I would be breaking it, and it will have to come out of pocket. So I have been stuck with them for a year and pay my monthly fee because I have no other choice. The staff is not courteous and does not provide you with enough information up front.

The vet techs are not educated enough to provide the care that they advertise. Everything associated with this place is a rush. They rush to get you in and out. They also take your pet to the back and claim that this is necessary for one thing, and then they end up doing, only God knows what and return him to you without even letting you know if they administered anything extra. The only reason I knew about the extra vaccinations is because I requested them to be faxed over to me, which took them 2 hours to fax 2 sheets of paper. I guess that is the reason that they say you get what you pay for! Banfield is the worst place to take your beloved pet. Trust me, it is so much more worth paying the extra money so you can get the care that your pet deserves.

My dog is a beautiful pure breed that I was planning on breeding one day, for the sake of having one of his litters when my children get older. My kids were looking forward to this, and now that will not be possible. I had to stay stuck paying for a service that was terrible, and I believe they are legally liable for neutering my pet without my ok. They should be held accountable for that. I didn't even get an "I'm Sorry!" I wish I would have done some more research on Banfield because I know for a fact I am not the only one who has encountered a bad experience--and I am sure I won't be the last. This organization should not even be in operation. My experience at Banfield was the worst experience of my life, and I am happy to have now found a great vet. Please do yourself a favor, and don't take your pet there! It is not worth it.

The receptionist mixed up the cats paperwork and put the wrong name/paperwork on the wrong cage.

The anesthesiologist never checked the sex of the cat in the pre-op exam.

The Vet never checked the sex of the cat in the pre-op exam.

So my MALE CAT WAS CUT OPEN FOR A SPAY.

Do you get the level of incompetence here? It took 3 people screwing up for this to happen.

How can there be no checks and balances in place???

Why is there no identification ON THE ANIMAL???

When I brought my kitten in last December, she had ear mites. I was given medication and told to return with the medication in 3 weeks. No one told me I was supposed to GIVE HER THE MEDICATION. So my other cat got a serious case of ear mites.

There is only 1 Vet at that hospital. It is obviously understaffed and highly incompetent.

Surgery cost $400 and the biopsy $90! I suffered anxiety and great distress due to DVM's rash misdiagnoses.

Have a lawyer contact me. MY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PET IS DEAD, AND THEY CHARGED ME 9 months after my contract was terminated without authority and after my dog had passed. Yes, they knew she was gone.... How dare they? I have called repeatedly trying to resolve this issue, and they have not so much as tried to cooperate.

Now I am left to wait in a room for another hour with a trembling dog. Her records have yet to arrive, and the DOCTOR IS WINGING IT. I end up telling him what to do and where to look. Somewhere in the middle of the consult I call my trainer who called the Original office and then they talked to the Manager and got the doctor to return and treat my dog--not just look at her ear. A heart murmur was identified, an enlarged heart, a cough of unknown origin--not kennel cough--was noted and bloodwork was done. This and more meds were given. When I was to check out I was given an unbelievable bill that should have been covered by the insurance. That is when the clerk told me that my Banfield insurance was null and void at the Orange Park location. I was dumb struck! I explained that I called before, spoke to the vet teck and the vet at the other location prior to coming to this location and asked specifically about the charges, and I asked to speak with the manager. I was left to wait yet another 50 minutes. I am also diabetic. By now, I am ready to pass out as my sugar level plummets. I was faint, sweating, dizzy, feeling disoriented and they are yelling at me about paying an almost $800 bill. I was too sick to be outraged. I called my friend for a ride as I couldn't even drive.

I called my trainer to speak with the Manager and told the clerk that I was having a medical problem. THEY TOOK MY CREDIT CARD PRIOR TO TREATING MY DOG AND HAD SWIPPED IT TO SEE IF I HAD AN ACCOUNT WITH BANFIELD, WHICH I FOUND STRANGE. I told her I was leaving and gave her my phone number. My trainer called the office manager and spoke with her for over an hour. I called the other mall location by the Jacksonville Airport location to try to find out what happened. The vet tech had left for the day. Someone else was now there. I receive a call from the Orange Park location, threatening to call the police on me for leaving without paying. This, and my dog is still sick. My trainer and I were both on the phone with the vets and the office manager and then headquarter trying to get an answer as to how this can happen.

I NEVER USED THEIR SERVICES AGAIN. TWO MONTHS LATER, MY BELOVED DOG DIED OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. BANFIELD CHARGED MY ACCOUT EVERY MONTH AN ADDITIONAL MONTHLY CHARGE-AFTER THAT VISIT EVEN THOUGH I HAD COVERAGE FOR A YEAR. THERE WERE ALMOST 9 MONTHS OF UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES FOR A DEAD DOG. I THINK THIS IS CALLED FRAUD IN SOME STATES.THIS PET SAVED MY LIFE WHEN I SUFFERED A TIA 4 YEARS AGO. SHE WAS NOT JUST A COMPANION. SHE CARED FOR ME AND COMFORTED ME WHEN I WAS CRIPPLED WITH PAIN. SHE NEVER LEFT MY SIDE, AND I AM A YOUNG, VIBRANT WOMAN WHO WAS STRIKEN WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS BUT BLESSED BY A FOUR LEGGED ANGEL. BANFEILD CLINIC SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR THEIR CONDUCT, THEIR LACK OF PROFESIONALISM AND THEY HAS CROSSED THE LINE. THEY HAVE MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT INTEGRITY. THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO BE TRUSTED WITH OUR PETS. THEY DO NOT DESERVE OUR MONEY AND THEY WILL NOT GET MY MONEY ANYMORE.

MY DOG IS DEAD AND THEY MISDIAGNOSED HER ILLNESS.

She said she needed to do a bunch of tests on him and recommend him for hip surgery and therapy. We said absolutely not because at that point it seemed like they just wanted our money and didn't even bother to notice it was his KNEE, not his hip! After we denied her, she told us to take him home and maybe it would go away! After taking him home and watching him for a few weeks, his limping got worse and worse and he shreiked in pain whenever his knee popped out...which was happening more and more often. There was NEVER anything wrong with our dog before this, and now he couldn't even walk on a leash without limping.

Banfield charged us money for the visit and all the medications that he was prescribed, and we said we should not have to pay since they injured him at a FOLLOW UP EYE EXAM. They fought back and said they did nothing, and it was VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A NURSE TO HURT A JOINT. We took him to another vet who told us that it wasn't his hip at all, but rather the force of the nurse had caused his knee cap to pop and would need future knee surgery which could run into the upper thousands. Banfield employees and doctors are extremely incompetent and do nothing but make situations worse. Now my poor dog will have to endure an operation for something that should've and COULD'VE been prevented. I will take this to court if I have to. I refuse to pay for all of these bills because these Banfield people hurt him out of NEGLIGENCE.

I will now have to pay for another vet to look at my dog to write me the prescription. It will cost me time and money, and most importantly I am disgusted that a Banfield veterinarian refused to return my calls or to do research himself on a product that is now being recommended by many knowledgeable veterinarians. The receptionists were beyond rude, and I am very disappointed.

I hear great things about Dr.Laura from the people who are happy with this clinic. I am confused, because the vet I had was very much an older man, but Dr. Laura is a female, and it is her name on my bills, though it was not a Dr. Laura or even a female who treated my dog. Also, they scared the heck out of me about ghiradia, which other vets say isn't a huge deal and is common. Not only did they scare me, but much of the stuff they told me contradicted what the pamphlet they gave me said. Everything they put in front of me they said they, Strongly suggested. If a vet strongly suggests I need something to save my dog, I agree. They said parasites were eating her insides and my toddler could contact this, they they said treating it was optional. How it was described to me, it would be inhumane on several levels to NOT treat it.

After my second time there and vet bills totaling $543.52 for both visits; This was over a two week time span and they tried to set up a 3rd. appointment for 10 days away. Then the woman went on for 20 minutes saying why I needed their wellness plan--I said NO 6 times before she said I would pay less today. I should have only had to say No one time. I asked why if it was such a deal, why they didn't tell me about it the week before; She said it's not talked about on the first visit because you may not stay at that clinic. When I went to sign for it, I saw the part of $34.99 being deducted from my bank account each month. In that woman's 20 minute schpeil, she neglected to mention this. I put my foot down; To be at this fee, plus the dog's other costs in 2 weeks...I felt like I was being taken. In the last week, I have brought her to two different vets who have both looked over the Banfield vet bill and they agreed that I had been taken for a ride. In addition to absurd charges, they said immunizations that my dog needs weren't given. They also said you can spay a dog at 6 months, but Banfield told me not until 1 year. (My dog is between 7-9 months). I am just warning you to beware. If you have costs, such as children and a mortgage, car payments, field trips and you go in and feel like youre experience is going how mine was, definitely find a new place. I would suggest you start with the new place, though. If only I had!

Bills totaling $543.52 that were unnecessary, in addition to stress and fear for both my dog and my family.

I had to hunt the doctor down and ask about his blood work and getting a prescription for insulin. She seemed really put out and said that she would call a prescription in to the local pharmacy. Two days later I go to pick up the insulin and she had never called it in. I called Banfield and the lady on the phone promises the doctor will call the preceription in, and yet it never happened. I took Jabu back one more time in hopes that this time they would actually do something about his diabetes and had to force the doctor to do tests. Of course, they take him out of the examining room and come back 10 minutes later with Jabu and say they will call with the results. Apparently, while in the back they gave him another rabies shot! Jabu was sick from that shot for two days. I finally had to call and ask for the blood work results and there were no results to be had! (I am afraid to find out what happens in the back.)

Out of frustration, Jabu and I went to another vet who simply took blood from Jabu's ear and used a regular glucometer and gave me instant results. The new vet didn't even charge me! He took the time and explained what to look for when it comes to diabetic cats and even wrote a prescription for me to hand to the pharmacy and asked me to come back in two weeks for a follow up. I went in to Banfield to complain and to cancel my wellness plan and they said that I had to pay for the remainder of the plan or for the services rendered. What services? They also said that they would have the district supervisor call me and, of course, she did not. I also requested Jabu's records and there is no supporting evidence that any tests were ever done. They also continually put extra charges on the bill that I did not want-- things like flea controm medicine and pedicures. If I didn't read the bill before leaving, I would have paid for things Jabu didn't need and that I didn't ask for. To be honest, I am still not sure what I paid for... except for the vaccinations that he did not even need. Spend your money wisely - go to a real vet.

I think that the doctor and techs are negligent. The did not perform the services that they said they did. They also were constantly trying to sell me things I did not need. Jabu was declawed by his first owner (I am the third) and they offered a pedicure service. Look at the cat's feet! The doctors spent the least amount of time with me and were hard to get a hold of when there was a problem or questions.

He made it through the surgery. (This month is one year anniversary of his near fatal death and now he is doing well.) The vet at VCA said that this problem has been going on for a long time for my cat. She stated that the vet at Banfield should have noticed it in the blood work quickly. She also stated that she looked into my cat's arms and did not see any needle marks showing that Banfield commited a malpratice by faking tests and charging me for services that I never received. I also signed up for the wellness plan. They told me that the wellness plan will cover his surgery and everything. When I asked Banfield to cover his surgery due to the vet's mistakes, they refused to do so. I ended up with $5,000 dollar vet bill for the emergency surgery that could have been easily prevented by administrating the correct oral medicine much earlier.

When I took her to Banfield in South Charlotte for a cut on her back pad, the vet said she had all these problems with her hips and that she had to have x-rays and treatment and convinced me to sign up for their wellness program at 600 bucks a year. They also told me that if she died within that year, say of cancer, I would still be obligated to pay the plan. Well, wouldn't you know it, a month or so after I first took her there, I found some lumps under her chin and in the groin area. I took her in and had to pay 200 more dollars for tests and guess what, she got diagnosed with lymphoma and gave her 4-6 months to live, suggested chemo at 500 bucks a month and suggested steriods at 50 dollars a month.

I put her on the medication and 3 months later it was time for her to leave us. Never once did any other vet over 6 years suggest x-rays, treatment, anything. They just asked if she was happy and she was an extremely happy dog, went everywhere with me, never leashed, always by my side. After 2 and a half months I am still paying the wellness plan and have tried continously through corporate AND the location I took Shelby to, to stop this. They said I have saved THOUSANDS by being in the wellness plan with my free visits and such. Well, isn't it odd that a healthy happy dog comes down with cancer less than 2 months after her first visit?And isn't it odd that they mentioned cancer when they explained I would have to pay the plan even if she died from cancer. HMMM??

By the way, after her x-rays, the vet told me She has extremely good hips for a lab her age. Also, I had to pay TWICE to put her under for the x-rays and teeth cleaning that come with the plan, 70 bucks a piece that is NOT included in the wellness plan because the first time they put her under in which they were suppose to do both x-rays AND teeth cleaning, they did the teeth and then called me and said, sorry we can't fit her into x-rays today so she will need to come back. Great scheduling office manager. This is the WORST place you can take your animal.

Treating your pet like Family yeah right, i get told that i can't get reimbursed for the amount taken out of my account, because their company has already taken a lose on the account. NOW, I think I'm the one taking a lose here...not them, Where do they get off talking to people this way.

Upon opening the first x-ray image, the new vet was appalled at what she saw. It was evident the dog was suffering from a fracture of the tibial tuberosity from the tibia. Callus formation was already evident between the displaced tuberosity and the tibia, meaning that the healing process had begun, and this piece of bone that had broken off was setting itself incorrectly. Surgery was now a very likely possibility. Luckily, we were able to utilize a series of wrapping techniques and physical therapy in later weeks to allow the bone to grow in a somewhat normal location that would not hinder her mobility, and we are working on rehabilitation; but she has lost so much muscle mass in her leg that she still refuses to use it completely. The second vet feels strongly if she had received adequate treatment from Banfield immediately, she may have made a full recovery without atrophy to such a large extent and would most likely be using the leg already.

I was outraged by Banfield because I paid $600 only to find out Dr. never intended to perform surgery because she's not qualified to perform surgery. I called corporate, but they say they have nothing to do with the individual Banfields. I had a meeting with Dr. and office manager - still useless, however, Dr. ADMITTED in front of Office manager she was not qualified to perform surgery and admitted she lied to me. Now, I've rec'd a certified letter from Banfield telling ME they didn't want to treat my dog anymore. I called to make sure my program was canceled and to get owner's name; office manager said she'd TRY to get the auto deduct canceled and would not give me Medical Director's or owner's name indicating I needed to call head office. I called head office and again, they say they prefer to stay out of it. I need an attorney to sue them.

$600 for nothing. Poor dog - now needs surgery and I have spent all my money on Banfield for zip. The estimate so far (only one doctor) is $1,000 to remove lump--and now she's got TWO.

I gave her the prescription (Climinax). It seemed to be working to a degree, but the dog still had the problem. After the prescription completely ran out, the problem got worse. I called Banfield to speak with a doctor, and the receptionist put me on hold, then rudely questioned why I needed to speak to the doctor. I explained, but she said the doctor is busy and would call back. I said the dog is in discomfort, and to please have the vet call as soon as possible. I never got a call back.

The following day I called the doctor and finally got her on the phone after being persistent. She said in a nasty voice that she'd called me twice and left a message; but she had not--my cell phone had not rung all day. She said she couldn't renew the prescription but had to bring in my dog for further tests. We went in for x-ray and another urine test. They gave the same prescription again, and it cost me several hundred dollars more for this visit. After that, no improvement. They said the dog had to get a liver test done.

After getting nowhere with Banfield and spending $1000 at their facility this year, I decided to go to another vet since Banfield didn't know what was wrong with the animal--just wanted to do tests that had nothing to do with the problem and drain my wallet. I found a good vet with an excellent reputation; he found the problem and gave me a new and different prescription. Within in a few days the bladder infection went away. I mentioned to the new vet that Banfield Pet hospital wanted me to have an ECT liver test on the dog. He said that has nothing to do with her problem and is a completely different organ. Then he informed me that that test is $300-$400.

My animal was in discomfort for a month and was getting worse, and I actually thought I might lose the dog . Banfield cost me a great deal of money and didn't solve the problem . It cost me time from work that I had to take off from my job, not to mention the stress levels I had from dealing with that place and their unprofessional staff.

My fiance started the meds and fluids per the doctors orders. The vet did stop in to look at her and said she was getting better since the vomiting/diarrhea was slowing. Once all the meds had been done for the day we took her home again that night. We took our dog back to Banfield the next day, and assumed the meds were being given (was my fiance's day off). Around 6pm we received a call from the vet that we need to rush there to take our pet to the emergency hospital. She had just done her exam on her, and our dog only having a 50/50 chance of survival, one would think the vet would check several times in a day.

We rushed and took the pup to the emer. vets office. During our trip to the second vet the first VET called with a personal credit card to pay for $400 of the fees since she was going to be reimbursed for this amount from Fort Dodge; Banfield would get $600.00 (already used for nothing). This shows we could have taken her to the emer. vet in the first place. The emergency hospital vet explained that our puppy had not received adequate treatment and hydration, per the Banfield vet's improper and incorrect instructions.

Over the next two days our beloved animal received the best treatment possible with every option given to save her life; sadly on the second morning of her being there she took her final turn for the worst, and her stomach and intestines basically shut down. As a responsible pet owner we had her put down. Upon seeing the Dr. Kimmel shortly thereafter (my fiance had to do her work for Sunday) we were again told point blank she did not know what went wrong, she had never lost a pet to parvo, she assured us we had done nothing wrong (except for letting her touch our sick dog!), she stated we gave our pet the best meds and love and care possible. Now we are looking at a bill for over $1000.00 for the second vet who if given the first shot with our dog--hydrated-- would have had a better chance at saving her life. By allowing the $400.00 to be placed on a credit card shows me that the bottom line was Banfield vet getting as much of the insurance money into Banfield, and not giving our pet the best chance at life.

We would have spent around $400.00 if the second hospital had seen our dog from the start. We had already spent hundreds for meds and wellness plan fees until my fiance was working there 3 months, and the plan became free with no dog to show now. The emotional toll on our family and other pets are high, and the original cost of the dog is lost, and now facing the high cost of replacing with another AKC Great Dane.

The phone rings again, my dog needs a steroid shot and it will be $725 for treatment and medication needed to treat their ears.

When we arrive to pick the dogs up we find out that they have not had their annual shots and this cost is for the treatment of their ears only!

We bring them back the following Friday for their follow up appointments and their shots quoted at $158.78 to $198.47. Again, the phone starts to ring, they now need to sedate my dog to clean her ears and then another phone call to inform me they need to sedate the other one. I speak to the vet and find out they also need to give them a round of shots, including all these random shots that help them recover from the other shots.

I am then informed that if I don't sign up for the oh-so-famous WELLNESS plan my balance will be almost $900. That's a total of $1600 for ear treatment and annual shots in a 1 week span!

So, I am forced to agree to the wellness plan for $425. By the time my husband gets into the car to drive 3 minutes to pick them up the balance increased another $25. Seems they found a flea on my dog and it is policy to treat them immediately. They have been there 2 times in the past week and on the way out the door a flea is my issue.

I called to cancel and they told me that i couldn't cancel until November because I signed him up in November. I explained the transfer to the Westminster Banfield. The receptionist told me that whenever you transfer your pet your plan starts all over again. She said that she explains that to all her of customers when they do this. I know that she did not tell me this when I transferred. I called the corporate office, leaving messages for the Executive Assistant. She had someone else call me back, and they said they were going to make this exception and cancel the plan.

So now we are 6 months later, and a charge appears on my credit card from Banfield. I call the 800 number and one girl tells me it was a glitch in their system, I should see a credit within a few days. After two weeks, no credit--I call again. They said there was never any glitch and that they charged me my monthly fee. I said I canceled him with someone else from the Corporate Office. She said it was never canceled. After I said I would call corporate again, she said she would cancel it and credit the fee. I asked for something in writing, but she said they can't due to not having a formal letter.

If I would have known from the beginning that all of this was going to happen I would have never signed up. Banfield is just out to get money from people who sincerely want to give the best care for their dogs. I told my new vet about the vaccinations that Banfield gave, and he said those are not necessary in Colorado. I'm so frustrated right now; I'm hoping that all who read this will not go to Banfield or sign up for their Wellness Plans. They are liars.

Shadow just needed to be caught up on his shots, which I can't be sure he even received. Banfield has a very good sale pitch and I purchased the Wellness Plan to benefit Shadow. The Micro-Chip is not worth the damage they did to him - his back bumped up and his fur has not grown back to cover up the scar that the chip has left.

Did not get issue resolved!

When I called to find out what the cost was going to be, I reverified the $199 quoted price. When I picked up my drugged, drousy dog the price was twice as high as what they quoted me. While I am trying to hold my poor dog and argue with these liars, I got $35 knocked off the bill. When she went in for her 6 month set of shots, which should have taken only a few minutes, they came out and told me they gave her the wrong shot and had to put her on an IV and that her kidneys were failing; they had to keep her the entire day. She is now on a special diet for the rest of her life. Needless to say I do not use them but did have to pay for the entire year. I found a wonderful vet in replacement of this horrid Banfield place; they should not be in business.

The vet didn't explain the nature, health risks, nor possible contamination to humans, I had to find that out on my own through the internet and here my cat is, 2 months later, with a roundworm infection worse than it was when I took him. The vet didn't even ask if I wanted to schedule another visit, he just assumed that I knew I had to, this being my first cat with roundworm, I was ignorant to this.

My cat hasn't eaten in a few days, he's losing his hair, weight and overall general wellness, and I have to take him to another vet to treat a worsened case of roundworm with money I don't really have to spend.

I wrote another certified letter to Banfield stating I did not wish to renew the insurance in June'08. That was when I received a phone call letting me know they had already canceled the insurance. She stated I owed $0 balance. When I questioned her as to why the receipt said I owed money, she put me on hold. When she returned she stated she had made a mistake and I still owed $135.60.

I asked her to reinstate the insurance until June '08 to which she replied that she would the corp office because I was within the 30 day grace period.The following day, they called me back stating once again they had made a mistake, there was no 30 day grace and they would not reopen the insurance.

I filed a complaint w/BBB who sent a formal complaint to the Banfield Clinic. Today is November 9th, and I haven't heard back from Banfield.

I spent much more for the private cremation than I would have in the group cremation. But more importantly, it was the emotional damage my daughter and the family received that was far worse. Banfield is highly unprofessional.

We are out $131.00 and our credit report is still showing a negative account, even though the account was paid in full almost 3 years ago.

This new clinic is amazing. They charged me nearly half what Banfield was charging me. Even a tablet like Clavamox was nearly 4 times cheaper (.64/tablet. Banfield charged 2.40/tablet). Banfield suggested that my dog needed certain tests that would cost almost a thousand dollars if he was to live. I took him for a second opinion and ended up paying just over $100 bucks!

I feel ripped off because I am paying for a service that I can't use. Why am I being penalized?

More recently, I adopted a puppy and again was talked into purchasing the wellness plan. When a change in my job required more office time I had to "re-home" my puppy after having her only 1 week. One of my son's classmates and his family took her in.

They can't use the insurance, because it is non-transferable. I lose another $300 because I can't transfer the insurance and I still have to pay for it even though I no longer have the dog.

After two weeks my dog could not walk. I took him to the pet emergency hospital and found out that he had a ruptured disk in his back that had paralized him from the waist down. They could do surgery but there was a 50/50 chance that he would walk again. I had to put him down.

The emergency center made a comment that his condition should have shown up on a regular X-Ray and we could have prevented my loss if we caught it early.

I'm out of $700, no dog, and stuck in their stupid contract for the wellness plan.

They refunded the cost of the valium as well as the medicine that gave my dog the seizure, but they gave my dog an unnecessary seizure to which a dollar amount is inconsequential. The whole situation was traumatic for my dog as well as myself.

My dog has a ear infection, not only did they tried to charge us $150+, the ointment they gave did not work! I had to bring my dog to another vet that only charged $60 and it cured my dog. I've had quite a few of these incidents.

2) When I try to cancel the insurance after being it in for 1.5 years, they did not let me. They said every May, it automatically renews itself for 1 year! They said, even if your dog is dead, you have to pay for that year!

3) Whenever you bring your pet there, they will recommand this treatment, that treatment so you end up paying for all these treatments that are not really unnecessary.

They called to confirm his next appointment the following week and we told them he had died. About a month after, we got a bill in the mail for the balance of the health care plan. I called and talked to the office manager and she acted as if they did not know Roman had died and said the girl I spoke to did not convey the information. So, I relayed the entire story to her. She said she would take care of it. Now, I have a call today from a collection agency asking for over 200.00 to settle this issue.

We did not try to come back on Banfield for any negligence. They called to confirm his next appointment the following week and we told them he had died. About a month after, we got a bill in the mail for the balance of the health care plan.

I called and talked to the office manager and she acted as if they did not know Roman had died and said the girl I spoke to did not convey the information. So, I relayed the entire story to her. She said she would take care of it. Now, I have a call today from a collection agency asking for over 200.00 to settle this issue. We have already paid Banfield a large amount of money for Roman's health care and were told that if he died the plan could be cancelled. They have been completely uncooperative and mis-leading. Our dog passed (possibly due to questionable vet care) and we did not pursue it at all. Now they are trying to pursue us for a policy that was sold to us under wrong pretense and we did cancel the policy yet they are still trying to pursue us. The collection agency today told me that I had not cancelled this and it auto-renewed for another year. This is ridiculous. Our dog passed in the first month, they did not cancel this, acted like they did not receive the phone call from me, repeatedly. Please help us clear up this issue with a very disreputable company that is supposed to be offering health care for your beloved pet. We are also going to contact the Ohio Vet Board regarding this issue. Thank you!!!

They have contacted a collection agency and reported us for monies we do not owe.

All of the information that the second hospital used to make this diagnosis was available to Banfield in their initial test results. I attempted to contact Banfield in person and via telephone, fax and e-mail on 13 occasions regarding a refund and never received a response. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which they ignored as well. After trying to rectify the situation with Banfield for so long, I finally contact my credit card company to dispute the charge and was told that they couldn't do anything because too much time had passed.

Every month on my statement I see two deductions for Banfield. Of course I was surprised to see that we had a received a collection notice in the mail. GO FIGURE!!! I would not recommend Banfield or their wellness plan. My two dogs haven't needed it, thank goodness, since their rabies shot. I kept it for the just in case moments, but I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Now my husband is in a collection agency for $30.45! They have reported him to the national credit bureau for this small amount. We would pay the amount but it is the principle that they took money out of our account every month for the two dogs and now I feel that they are trying to make us pay for something that has been already paid!!!

I think the Wellness Program is a RACKET!

At first what bothered me was just that they wouldn't let me sit with my dog while they examined her. I HAD to drop her off and pick her up later. They are supposed to call you when they are through so you can pick her up. I never got a call everytime I took her. We usually called them and found out that my dog had been done for hours and just sitting in a cage.

At first that was my only complaint. Until the last time I took her in when they did extra procedures that were unnecessary and that I did not approve. I had to pay them even though my wellness plan was supposed to cover everything. After talking to them and them still amking me pay even though I did not ask for these procedures I decided to cancel my plan. But since I am in a stupid contract even though I will never take my dog there again I have to pay out the rest of my plan.

Friends I have that have taken their animals there have had worse things happen to them then this. One friend even had his dog die on their watch when he had been perfectly healthy. They STILL made him pay out the rest of his plan on a dead dog.

Monday morning we went back to get him and they told us then that he had had pnuemonia in May and then told us he had a tumor and that he had no chance of surviving. We ended up putting him to sleep.

Not only did Banfield mistreat him, but now they won't let me cancel or transfer my wellness plan that I signed up for in May (the first time I took him in for the cough). I will never go to a Banfield or recommend them to anyone. When it was all said and done, I spent $1500.00 and Pooch is still gone.

Long story short, they did not send off for a culture so they were giving him the wrong antibiotics and the wrong dosage for his weight. After each week's of medication was gone they made my dog come back and sit in a cage all day so they could get a new urnalysis.

Two days later (today, 8/1/2007) he died. I called to tell them about it. I told the office that since Dr. Morden had assured me the pup's life was NOT in danger and he died anyway, I wanted my $108.09 back, or credited to my account. They refused, saying the Dr told you if the puppy developed pnemonia, his life would be in danger and that's probably how he died.

I breed Shih Tzus. They sell for $550. Had Dr Morden told me there was a good chance the puppy would die, I would have had him put to sleep, instead of making him suffer for two days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We called the Banfield office and they told us to come in. It took us 18 minutes to get there and when we get there, the vet had left on an emergency. They directed us to another vet.

It turned out the "emergency" was the vet's lunch hour!

When I called the collection agency and asked what this charge was for and why wasn't I notified by Banfield, they replied that Banfield does this all the time. I called Banfield and asked the same. I received a rude response that they do not send out bills. In addition, I stopped using Banfield hospital because the service was very cold.

After she was given some of the shots (some where given three at a time) my dog developed allergies. It started having yeast infections over its entire body and suffer from ear infections . They put her on steroids and many other types of medications that would clear it up on a temporary basics,and charge me a lot of money for these medications.

I have since been to other vets. I was told by one, that some of the shots my dog had at Banfield they would Never give to dogs under 25 lbs. (My dog only weighs 10 lbs. ) I recently went to a new vet clinic and got a vet who was a former employee of Banfield Hospital. She said that Banfield was over medicating and giving animals shots for diseases that do NOT exist in the state of Florida.

I said that no one mentioned that to me and she rudely stated that it was in my contract. I said okay and asked to at least be credited for the last one and she said no and that they need 30 days notice of cancellation.

I couldn't believe that the year was up but they were still going to charge me and say that the fine print on my contract made it okay.

Not once did I see or speak to a vet following the surgery. My questions were not answered by the ignorant front desk staff. The staff tends to be uneducated about medications as well, not reassuring. Instead of just having the vet explanation in 5 minutes, I had to spend 30 minutes at the desk while the girl ran to the back room to get an answer for me.

After that surgery the doctor prescribed Etogesic for Xuxa. Xuxa just wasn't herself. She wouldn't eat, had serious diarrhea, and could barely walk. Two days later she had what looked like a seizure. The doctor prescribe Phenobarbital for Xuxa. A week later Xuxa started having abnormal breathing. The doctor said that her heart has become so enlarged and the doctor wanted to do a ultrasound on her heart. The results came back-- there was NOTHING wrong with her heart.

4 days later Xuxa dies.

Xuxa was a perfectly healthy dog, the doctors at Banfield misdiagnosed her and ended aiding in her early death! I've only had the Wellness plan for 2 weeks and I have to continue paying for her death for the rest of the year! It was not until she was near death was when the doctors inform me that are not really allowed to put dogs on the wellness plan after the age of 10 yrs. They were fully aware of Xuxa's age but said that she was so healthy , they couldn't foresee any problems.

After sitting there until 4:27p.m., we were told that we could not be seen because they are running out of time and needed to go home. When we started to complain the RUDE receptionist told us that it was our choice that we sat there all day. We pointed out the sign hanging on the wall that said "sick and injured pets are seen first" and were told all animals are sick. I could not believe how we were treated and that they did not care that my animal was in pain.

I took my dog back to my former Vet, half the charges, more honest and compassionate.

I wound up having to euthanize him for a large cancerous tumor. When I reported he expired and they would not cancel my plan.

I noted, but did not get upset when the nurse jabbed my cat 3 times to take an unsuccessful temperature and that the vet did not know the gender of my cat. I chocked all of that up to inattentiveness and inexperience. I was peeved, though, when the rude vet told me that my cat had a congenital heart defect and required a $300 echocardiogram.

I thought this was fishy, given that the cat had already successfully undergone a spay procedure and was evaluated last December by my normal vet and given a clean bill of health. I work in healthcare, and we don't even give echocardiograms to humans unless they are symptomatic or in need of a baseline measure. My kitty is energentic and appears VERY healthy.

Although concerned, and not wanting to dispute the rude vet's finding, I had my cat checked with another veterinarian who is not motivated by greed. She is fine!! No cardiac problem.

Thank goodness my relationship with Banfield began and ended with only an annual distemper shot!! Shame on Banfield!!

Last Friday my 2 pups were stolen. Banfields said they would suspend the account, in hopes that the dogs are returned, but they wouldn't refund my money. Also no other dogs (new pups) can continue on this plan. If I purchase 2 new pups I have to pay this $225.24 again!

Later in the day I was advised of some other treatment Rusty needed for his ears and agreed to charges totaling $187.91. They also gave me estimates for test and treatments for lumps found on Rusty. After some consideration I did not have high confidence in their diagnosis and the treatment costs quoted seemed excessive. I decided at this point to take Rusty to another vet for a second opinion.

At this point I was advised the program charges were $281.71, plus a monthly charge. I no longer felt this program was in my, or Rusty's best interests. I told the staff person I chose not to participate in their Wellness Program. I was told my charges would now be an ADDITIONAL $400 higher than I was advised if I did not participate in their program!

I refused to pay for treatments that I had not authorized (apparently these treatments are included free as part of their Wellness Program) and was only willing to pay the $281.70 I was quoted. After much debate they agreed to accept payment for that amount and I left with my dog and a receipt for payment of $281.71.

Banfield corporate is now seeking to collect an additional $400.02 for services I did not authorize and have no proof of performance.

I arrived at the hospital in hopes of removing my half alive dog from the awful situation and get her to REAL hospital. No one was around Mildred. When they saw me they began to attend to her. They came out ten minutes later and said well we did just secure a transfusion donor for Mildred, but she has passed away. Her spleen was bleeding. "Sorry, these things happen."

Dr. M story was inconsistent from what she told my husband when he called earlier. She acted as though she was covering up for something. She had no health issues whatsoever until I dropped her off that day and she was dead a few hours later. I had to go home to my precious children and explain the unexplainable.

The vet who saw Chloe seemed very inexperienced and not confident around dogs. When I mentioned that Chloe was shaking her head to the side and acting like she was gagging. The vet tried to open Chloe's mouth and was all freaked that Chloe was going to bite her, although I assured the vet that in all her 10 years, she has never bit anyone. She tried to leverage her mouth open with something that looked like a letter opener! She said she found nothing and then examined her ears and made a sympathy sound. However, she said nothing about a problem.

She gave me some Rimadyl because she said maybe Chloe was in pain because of some remaining sores she had from her almost-healed skin infection. After no improvement, I took Chloe to my regular vet on Monday morning. It turns out Chloe had a double ear infection! She had to suffer 3 extra days because the vet totally ignored her infection. I'm wondering if she was a clerk with a vet nametag.

Unfortunately we recently had to give Gio away to a friend of ours (because of personal reasons). We told our friend about the contract we had with Banfield and that she could use it any time she would like. She declined because she already had a relationship with a different vet. Within a week of giving Giovanni away, his new vet found that he had an ear infection. Banfield had ignored this for months, telling us that his ears were fine. When I confronted Banfield with the diagnosis they claimed that it was a just a coincidence and that he must have gotten the infection after his last visit to them.

When I asked for my money back, or even for them to cancel the contract so that I would not have to continue paying them for something that I couldn't use, they refused. Fortunately Gio is now being treated by a knowledgeable vet and will no longer be tormented by infected ears.

Before I could leave the premises, the veterinarian insisted that he discuss with me the Banfield Wellness Program which, if she qualified through blood test, would cover most of the dental bill and subsequent visits to the clinic for one year. I agreed to the blood test and he returned saying her blood work turned out good and she qualified for the program. This Wellness Program would cost $556 for one year. If I agreed to sign up for the Wellness Program that day, I was told it would cost us $124 for that day's procedure which included $70 membership fee and first month payment of $28. He convinced us through hard sell, it was the way to go. We agreed to take this wellness program. My husband and I left the clinic with confidence that he would take care of the cat and we could pick her up in two or three hours.

Second, STAY AWAY FROM THE WELLNESS PLANS. These plans give pet owners a false sense of financial security. Depending on whether you have a cat or dog, or the level of wellness you choose, you'll be asked to pay $200 to $400 a year for a coverage plan that is the equivalent to a yearly physical. Additional fees are charged for care that falls outside the guidelines of your plan. This could mean paying up to additional thousands of dollars. Each Wellness Plan level offers a discount off of what many believe to be inflated rates, giving the illusion that they're giving you a great deal.

They had told me in order to transfer it that I had to sign all kinds of paperwork and use a POA to get everything transferred over there since everything was in my husband's name. Which sounded fine at the time so I did. They said that there was going to be a transfer fee that I had to pay which I just went ahead and agreed to it since Pauly was so swollen and in need of Vet attention. They had also asked for my bank information so that I could start the payments for his plan. My husband and I do not have the same account so I just gave them mine thinking that I would only be paying for the remainder of what was left.

That October I went to Korea without Pauly leaving him in the care of my in-laws. Letting them know that if anything should happen that he can be taken to the Banfield in Hoover.

Well, while I was away Pauly got hit by a car and died. I was absolutely devastated. I then had to call from Korea the Banfield in Hoover, AL to have them cancel his plan. As I did they said that I could not cancel it that I would have to pay the remainder of the plan, which I thought was stupid since I wouldn't be using it anymore. But instead of arguing and making it harder for me I just went ahead and said fine, how much do I have left? And when she told me the amount, that sounded wrong because my husband and I had been paying for it since April and that sounded like the balance that we had in the beginning month or two.

My husband took 1/2 day off work and took him in and because we hadn't transferred the plan back and the plan was put on my credit card -- they refused to see my dog. They said I had to physically come in and sign some form to have it transferred. After many phone calls to Albuquerque and Florida Banfield we thought we had it taken care of. My husband took off another 1/2 day and took Toby in. They weren't going to see him at first but my husband got a little irate. The dr saw him and wanted to do blood work to the tune of $200.00 which is normally covered under the wellness plan. My husband got so mad he took our Toby out of there and got the number for the corporate office. They were no help.

I went in today 9/7 and brought my paperwork showing I have wellness care from 1/06 thur 1/07. They said if I would pay $147.58 they would extend my plan from 9/06 to 9/07. I told them I wanted to just finish out my plan and would be moving on to a real vet. They said I couldn't do that. In order to transfer I had to extend my plan. I told them to forget it. As a matter of fact, I want my money back since you won't see my Toby. They refused. I'm going to take this to the local tv station and see what they can do since the local office nor the corporate office will give me a refund since I paid the plan in cash upfront. It's a shame because they tell you when they try and sell the plan that you can go to any Banfield in the US & Canada. But the gimmick is to have you extend it and start the plan over.

Ended up making many calls to other vets to see the dog. Was told that an open wound needed ER care!! Finally found Savanna Animal Hospital who would see him. $201.41 later, dog is stitched up as he should be, today! Follow up care should have been included in my Wellness Plan with Banfield. Regardless of the doctor working for the day! And was told that I cannot be released from my contract!

Trauma to the dog, AGAIN!!! Another $200 bill that I should not have had to pay! AND stuck in a contract that I cannot believe that they would hold me to!

My whole family is terribly upset. We now have a three legged cat, who was misdiagnosed by Banfield.

When I went to pick up his remains the vet (who turned out to be a relief vet who fills in when the regular vets are sick or on vacation) asked me if I had been giving Phipps his heartworm medication regularly. I guiltily admitted that I had missed a dose in February. He said Phipps' most likely had heartworms and combined with the anesthesia it was too much a strain on his heart. I demanded to know why they hadn't asked me about his meds before beginning this procedure, but no one had any anwers.

I called another vet clinic for a 2nd opinion and was told to bring Phipps' body in immediately for a necropsy. Thank God we had this procedure performed! It was found that Phipps had been healthy in every way -- not even any heartworms! HOWEVER, his lungs had been over-inflated until they'd ruptured. The vet who did the necropsy also informed me that it is impossible for a dog to get heartworms just from missing one pill, and he also said that every vet knows this. I called Banfield and complained to the owner (Dr. Smith), but he only had excuses and condolences (I received a grubby, stained sympathy card in the mail without even one Dr.'s signature on it). I have not heard from Banfield again.

My beloved dog is dead and nothing can bring him back. I had to sit my children down and tell them their little brother was dead. My heart is broken and I have been clinically depressed for a month. I have had no vindication (I am still awaiting a reply from the vet board) and no satisfaction. I paid for a wellness plan I cannot use, I have lost a dog who was like a child to me. He was worth $1000 on the market, but he is priceless in my heart. I have paid $100 for a necropsy, $150 for a cremation. I have paid for my ignorance about Banfield with my pet's life.

Upon discussions with friends before the appt, I decided to get a second opinion. I took my dog to another vet which was highly recommended. The vet looked at the results from Banfield and also checked out the cyst and agreed it needed to be removed but they only charged me $75 to do the procedure. I do feel I was being completely ripped off at Banfield.

We brought with us to the visit her detailed medical records from birth. Each time she was given a vaccine, she was given a shot of an antihistamine. The records were ignored by Banfield, and she had an allergic reaction to a shot. $150, pain and suffering for both pet and owners, and an Emergency Room visit later, the swelling in Cherie's face finally subsided. We called the next day to fight the contract and tell them what happened, and the manager blamed my wife for not telling the doctor about Cherie's allergy.

We thought that the medical records would be enough, and we are lay persons that don't know what everything is on the records. She then tried to keep us on the plan, and tell us how great they are. We terminated the plan, paid the inflated fees for the visit we had and were done with them. So $325 got my dog an hour of poking, prodding and discomfort, 2 hours in the ER with more shots, 2 bouts of vomiting, a swollen face and feet, 24 hours of misery, 24 more hours of lethargy, and parents who are angry and worried sick. Banfield's motto is Treating your pet like family. I pray that nobody's family treats them like Banfield treats pets or their owners.

The reason I was trying to get out of my contract was that the vet removed the stitches from my pet too early and wanted to charge me over $100 to put them back in! When I confronted the vet, they took it as a personal attack and got very defensive and rude with me. On top of that, the receptionist was rude with me as well. I just want everyone to know what kind of a place Banfield really is (the one in Oviedo, FL anyway).

I am stuck paying the rest of my year's contract when I wasn't told that this would be the case (supposedly they were supposed to tell me this).

When I arrived in Denver, I took my dog down and asked to have his wellness plan switched over and have, his records downloaded from one site to the other. Of course, that is just not possible. Some woman at the counter called and scribbled down his vaccination dates on the back of a piece of junk mail right in front of me. My next visit was just two days ago and what an experience it was.

First, they keep the dog in a cage most of the day with no food. He was supposed to have a grooming session that afternoon and I verified with the clerk that he would not be receiving any vaccination that day, since it is a requirement of the groomers. I called to check on the dog after several hours and was told that they could not walk my dog 20 paces and drop him off at the groomer that is located in the SAME STORE! I would have to come up and get him and he would not be ready until 4:30 that afternoon. I arrived at 4:30 only to be told that he would not be ready for another 15 minutes or so. Then, I was presented with paperwork showing that he had been given a rabies vaccination that he was not supposed to have for another year.

As far as the wait goes, I certainly understand that emergencies occur but the director of the facility tells me in one breath that they are not an emergency hospital and then attempts to use the emergency excuse as a reason for the delay. The director also seems unfazed that he was overmedicated. Fortunately, the dog did not have any adverse reaction to this immunological roller coaster. After consulting another vet, I was told about several problems that could occur due to over vaccinating pets. These include, immune suppression, allergic reactions and there is evidence that vaccines can on rare occasions induce immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) in dogs. Of course, no one called Sunday to check to see if any of these events were occurring, which further demonstrates the apathy of this clinic.

Now I'm stuck paying their fee every month for a service that I will not be using.

When I showed up for the appointment, on time, Banfield was closed. The Petsmart manager let me in and informed me that they were closed the 30th and 31st. I was in disbelief and ask her, Lenere, to check the appointment book. She confirmed that I had an appointment on Jan 30 2006 @ 7:00am. This situation was dissappointing to say the least. I now had to scramble to have my pet spay by a different vet whom I did not know and was concerned. Banfield demonstrated total disregard by acknowledging twice, an appointment for a valued customer who uses not only their vet but the groomer as well.

FAST FORWARD: blood test shows that his white blood cell count in low and i should take him to a specialist for a bone marrow test ($1200 at the specialist, and he would go home with pain meds). They told me if thats what he had he would die within the year. I was terrified (borderline suicidal, i love my cat!!). I didnt agree with the procedure but i took him in to the specialist for a consultation. The vet said that on Banfields test the platelets were clumped and therefore this was not an accurate reading and we should do the test again. We did, and his test came back 100% perfect!

At 11:30am I get the phone call that Kodi was dead! The vet had the cashier call me to tell me. I found this odd and later found out the reason. The vet dr Hazard had over dosed my dog with shots he was not due for, one of which was the dhpp. They were told of his allergy problem to this shot even though he was not due for this shot. They were given his records from his vet in Fla.

As a result of the loss of my healthy dog Kodi, I have trouble sleeping without him. I have lost weight about 20 pounds. I miss him somthing terrible. I will never have him back. I put my trust in the vet that she knew what she was doing. I never got an I am sorry for your loss from them. I never even got compensated at least for what I paid for him. I am out my companion and friend. I am out of 1,200.00 that I paid for him in 2000. I have reported the vet to SC vet board. They are still looking into this vet in regards to this matter. RIP Kodi pug 11-12-00 - 03-01-05.

We took her on a 2 week long vacation, brought her home, and immediately had her final shots and checkup. We were telling them she was vomiting up weird stuff, smelled very strongly like death (sorry to be so blunt), even after her bath. They told us she was fine, gave her a clean bill of health and sent us home. Three days later, she died of convulsions. They have the gall to blame ME, and tell me I still have to pay for the rest of the plan. NO WAY! Now I know why they offer a plan that seems too good to be true...it is!

I never saw a vet, when I dropped my dog off for his checkup, the assistants would tell me that he was ok and if I needed to address anything. There were never vets available when I was there. I got lots of printouts of what they said they did, but, no verification of anything. The director told me I should be DAMN grateful that I was only paying $34.00 a month and that he could up it if I messed with him and I could not do a thing about it! Calling Banfield to complain got me nowhere, they don't care. I do not know if my dog is healthy or not!

Over $450.00 in expenses to be treated disrespectfully, and lots of wasted time going to the vet to find them closed.

My problem is not really with that outlet, but the Banfield main office. I began to get calls demanded my credit card. I told them that I had already paid for the day, but had canceled the service. They continued to call and had turned it over to a collection agency which has been very threatening. I have tried to get in touch with someone other that the customer non service folks but they have refused to give me the name of anyone that can help me. I am very frustrated that they have not been willing to help me resolve this issue. I certainly want to inform others of this major rip off in the pet industry.

I was mortified when I thought my Jack Russel was going to expire. It took her weeks to become her old self again, and still she sometimes shakes uncontrollably. These folks have forced me to make a payment to keep them from reporting on my credit and I am afraid that I will be out the total amount of nearly $500.

The next day I took him to Banfield where I always go for check ups and vaccinations. He would not allow them to look too closely no less trim it. Just about 2 months prior I had him in for his wellness check up at that time I signed a piece of paper asking for his nails to be clipped. They clipped Rafferty's who had his check up at the same time. I had even dropped them off on a Sat morning so the hospital had plenty of time to perform the services I asked. I hadn't noticed initially because he is a Scottie and his hair is long on his feet. Now they want to charge me $142 plus dollars because they say they need to sedate him to trim the nails. I feel this is partly their fault because his nail probably wouldn't have split and now my friend Bailey and me are the ones paying the price in more ways than one for their neglect.

Bailey is there now and have not gotten the call about his progress. I will just go pay the bill and probably cancel the insurance I have on all 3 and find another vet that really cares for the animals.

For example, I purchased the plan June 16, 2004 with an initial membership fee of $69.95 plus the first months fee of $27.95. This is set up to deduct the monthly fee from your checking account. So the first month is basically 97.90. So I am paying $335.40 a year for this service. Next if the pet has a health issue which mine did at that time there were additional charges that day of $186.72. but wait, if I did not have the plan the charges would have been a whopping $372.20! My Lab dog went in again in December 2004 with ear problems, again we did not leave without paying $160.53 and again if not for having the Banfield plan would have cost another whopping $511.20.

In June of 2005 she went for her annual shots and dental prophylaxis. Two of her teeth needed to be removed so on this date we paid an additional $152.46 but without Banfield it would have cost $860.76! But here is the clincher. Our dog had a sudden growth growing from inside her lip on the gum. We took her to Banfield to have it removed and were told it would cost $723.95! At that point I told them to forget it, I would take her to another vet. Get this, it cost $50.00 to have the growth cut off, including sedation.