HORRIBLE experience last week which unfortunately ended my 8 year relationship with Banfield as a loyal customer. I had been taking my kitties since they were kittens to the Banfield Pet Hospital since 2003... I had them on the wellness plan- which acts almost as cat insurance-- and significantly decreases the vet bills and yearly shots. My unfortunate and particular visit last week provided me numerous reasons why I will no longer set foot in a Banfield establishment--- 1. I have always been auto-drafted once a month from my checking acct-- not once has Banfield skipped removing funds from my acct in the past 8 years. However, on my particular visit last week- the front desk gal informed me that I haven't been on the wellness plan since 2007! ""WHAT?! I have been paying every month since 2003!"" I exclaim... ""We have changed our policy and system and can no longer access your account with us-- you'll need to call this 800 number and figure out what is going on.."" she replies to me, handing me a phone number to call and waste my time trying to figure out THEIR account problem!... who has time for this?? and on top of all of that-- you get charged a higher fee if not on the wellness plan... which leads me to --- 2. A pet exam is $55 for the first cat and $29 for the second cat... (or at least that's what they were charging me) The doctor (who was more than likely a D+ student that finished grad school last year) informed me that he would not be able to fully inspect Leo since Leo was not very happy being touched by the vet. (Leo is very uncomfortable around vets- and growls and hisses when touched. But as long as I'm there- he puts up with it) So the doc doesn't even perform any exam on Cat #1. Cat #2 is up-- Oso is a lot mellower and although, clearly not happy to be at the vet- he allows the doc to check his heart rate and check for plaque on the teeth.. He then basically informs me that he can not do the full exam on either cat and that they should be sedated, (which is $100 per cat and another $50 on top of that per cat to ""un-sedate"" them) I said, no thanks-- I will not put my cats under just to get an exam -- I will go elsewhere.... 3. Upon checkout time- I'm stunned to learn that I'm being charged the full amount for both cats! I would have been fine to pay the exam fee for both IF A FULL EXAM WAS PERFORMED FOR BOTH CATS! ""Am I missing something?"" I ask the front desk gal... Apparently, the ""consultation"" is what I'm getting charged for... for the doc's time. As far as I'm concerned-- It was a total WASTE OF TIME! I learned nothing beneficial except that Banfield employs incompetent docs and will hire anyone-- and I learned that I am taking my business elsewhere where I'm not getting ripped off and where my cats are getting the proper care and treatment they need in a stressful vet visit. They ended up giving me a discount off of the 2nd cat charge.. but still-- I paid $70 for the doc to look at one of my cats and tell me his heart rate is normal and he has a little plaque on his teeth. :(
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