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I had been a Wellness Plan client at Banfield Pet Hospital in Oxnard, CA for over two years when I decided to cancel the plan. I was told to come into the Banfield to pay the last two months and that vaccinations were due for my dog at which time I could cancel the plan. I paid the last months fee and was told that my plan was canceled. Two months later I was contacted by Banfield Oxnard and told that my account was two months late in payment. I discussed this with the manager who said that since I had the vaccinations I was now obligated to pay the cost of the vaccination (a ridiculous fee over $300) or pay for the plan for another year at $20 a month. I asked for this to be put in writing this time because this was not what I was told when they canceled the plan two months prior. The manager said she would not put anything in writing and summoned me to her office to make the payment immediately or she would send my account to collections. I was appalled at the treatment and extortion especially after being a good paying customer for years. Now I'm left with submitting to their extortion or they will attempt to ruin my perfect credit history.
I actually worked for Banfield for approx 6 months. Some people, like my partner, are really there for the pets and are knowledgeable, caring, and good. Those kinds of people, I urge, to get out asap. Unfortunately, the director of petnursing that I worked under at N. Point in A******A, Georgia is not one of those needed people. I ultimately resigned because she gossiped way too much for her own good instead of treating the pets, clients, and helping out. She even stooped as low as to hire her best friend and promise him a management position before he even started. He knew people's salaries, work history, write-up history, the whole NINE yards and he was only a receptionist! I was in shock! Nobody there seemed to care that he knew so much about everyone except for a close co-worker of mine, my partner and myself. Needless to say, I will gladly be taking all of my pets elsewhere because it's pretty sad when the Chief of Staff has more complaints than ANYBODY.
Steven, Houston TX
Banfield early renewal my Wellness Plan without my permission. Barney (dachnsand) was very sick with a deadly liver infection and had to be put to sleep. But to my surprised, THEY KNEW they will be losing a patient, so the contacted the Corporate office and Early renew his plan by two months.
So I cancel my credit card and now these ###S have contacted a collection firm.
To make matters worse, Banfield have totally mixed up both of my pets medical records. Procedures that were for Barney were listed under Dipstick's medical history.
I've tried to get this cleared up, but Banfield's Corporate is NOT willing to correct the issue.
I advised anyone who is interested in this plan not too! The montly cost is too experience in the long run.
I am sorry to hear that they mixed up your pet records.
I am considering working for a Banfield, so I am carefully reviewing many of the posts on websites regarding the positive and negative experiences.
A few things.
I have worked at a few hospitals in my day, and mixed up records does happen. I would not attribute it to being Banfield. In fact, if there were a complaint forum for any major veterinary hospital, you would find complaints.
From what I understand there is a contract you sign to begin the wellness plan. So, I guess the real question is if you read your contract about the renewal policy.
What happened with Barney is very said, and I am sorry for your loss. However, I have come across quite a few postings where the renewal 2 months prior seemed to be pretty standard, so not sure what to think of that.
The cost of the plan. Having worked for 4 non-corporate practices, I can tell you the plan can be steal and a half.
I have many clients that go crazy over the recheck fee they have to pay for ongoing problems and the cost of certain tests. If your pet has ongoing allergies or any other chronic problem, the money saved with all of the included exams is excellent.
Either way, your post caught my eye because of Barney and you have my deepest sympathy for your loss.
similar situation happened to me. I am unemployed, and I called to cancel when my contract was due to renew. The girl looped me into another contract by telling me they would give me 3 months for free. What she forgot to mention was that as soon as I took my pet to the vet once, I would have to pay back all the money for services rendered. She told me I could cancel after the three months if I still wanted to cancel without any penalties. Now I owe $359 for a fecal exam and a doctor's visit. I took my other pet to Animal clinic of Casselberry, and they tested and cured her for $50. now I asked them to cancel my plan, and they won't cancel. I have to call the vte and plead with him to please consider dropping or lowering the charges so I don't get stuck with a bad mark on my credit. I have been unemployed since January, with no income.
Banfield is an evil company that has no concern for their customers, because they have a shady contract, which allows them to pretty much do what ever they want. Do not sign the contract. Insurance for pets is a scam!
Do not use Banfield!
So far it sounds like most comments that are good about banfield are from those that work there. It may be "the best place to work, " but it is definately not the best place for your pet or your purse! My one cat had a really bad cough so I brought him in, they sent me home saying it was hairballs. Two days later he was vomiting and struggling to breath. I brought him back in as an emergency walk in. IT TOOK them FOUR HOURS to just look at him, while he was stuggling with every breath, once they looked at him they said...you need to take him to the ICU...thanks banfield...the closest one was an hour away. So I took him there and he ended up having aspiration pneomonia and spent two days in an ICU in an oxygen tank with antibiotics, fluids and neb treatment and I almost had to put him to sleep...it cost me $2, 400.00 to save him because he got so bad, all he needed was antibiotics before it got to this point and he became so dehydrated.
A year before I brough my second cat in, he had some blood in his stool. (he was barely a year old). I asked them if they thought it was a food allergy, they said it could be, but instead of just trying to change his food to a hypoallergenic food like i suggested, they did a blood workup, checked his thyroid, kidneys and even told me he had a murmur and thought he had a heart condition. I told them that no he did not have a murmur, I am a nurse and know what a heart murmur sounds like, and they said well a little heart can sound much different then a human adult heart, I said a murmur sounds like a murmur no matter what the size, and I am a Neonatal ICU nurse...never-the-less they had me get an echo done...and of course it turned out fine...all in all after this one visit which in the long run, he only needed the food to be changed like i originally suggested, it cost me $1200.00.
I had also needed to bring in the same cat a few months ago because he was vomiting and I was afraid he might have eaten something and formed a blockage... All for one simple Xray they charged me
44.95 for the vet visit
42.93 for positioning and 1 resrait ( which my cat does not need restrait)
91.58 for interpretation of the XRAy (which they told me they could not read it and want to recheck tomorrow)
42.38 X2 for radiograph exposure
17.78 for an anacid
06.25 for waste disposal (ummm...yeah)
That is a total of $337.09 all for one XRAY that they could not intrepret because of his positioning...which i had to pay for ! go figure!
Unfortunately its the only vet within an hour of where i live, but from know on I realize that driving one hour is much more worth it.
I Took my Dog Macy to Banfield to get a fecal test to make sure she was worm free. The test came back negative. I had questions about my dog's allergies. Shes been scratching, wheezing, and has watery eyes. The vet told me she sounded like she had a little bit of a congestion and recommend she gets a chest xray for 200 dollars. I have no problem what so ever spending money if my dog is sick. But really? I asked her if it wouldnt make more sense to try allergy meds first to see if it all clears up before a chest Xray is necessary? She told me ohh no that could make it worse if she has some kind of infection. So i said ok.. .well what can i do about the scratching and the watery eyes? She tells me give Macy kids Benadryl. Right after she told me that any allergy medicine would just make it worse. They are constantly trying to sell you different things/procedures. They treat you like you are a bad pet owner because you don't fall for their scams.AND without asking me they set me up another appointment within the next two weeks. No, hey are you available or would you like to bring macy back to make sure everything has cleared up and then maybe do an xray check? I will not be going back and will be warning any/every person i know with a pet to stay clear of Banfield. Take your dog to a place where if you do have to pay a lot of money its because its for something your pet really needs.Not for petty BS that is only to benefit the vet and their wallet!
Google the following words, "complaints against Banfield Pet Hospital" and you'll be shocked at the hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints against them. Here's a suggestion that I found online that I thought was interested...
"As a consumer dispute resolution counselor, here’s what I advise with regard to Banfield if you want to get resolution and possibly compensation for your Banfield billing and animal care experiences:
Join in on one of the THREE class action lawsuits that are being considered or in preparation against Banfield Pet Hospitals by going to the law firms’ websites and listing your complaints. Definition of a class action can be found at: http://www.claiminformation.com/classactions.htm The more people that sign-up, the greater the resolution and possibility that you’ll be compensated for your emotional distress down the road. The law firms are as follows:
http://www.schneiderwallace.com/PracticeAreas/ClassActions.htm
Once there clink on "Inquire About Your Potential Case" and fill out the online form giving specific details of your problems regarding Banfield. Please, make sure that you include either your phone number or send them an email on the link within the "Inquire" link.
http://www.price-law.com/CM/FSDP/PracticeCenter/Personal-Injury/Class-Actions.asp
Complete the online form outlining your experiences.
http://www.barronberry.com/CM/Custom/Contact.asp
Complete the online form outlining your experiences.
Please, make sure that you share your experiences regarding billing issues, pet care (or lack therefore of), names of staff, location of hospitals and if you've ever written to the corporate offices and if so, what was the response if any. Remember, the more people that join the class action lawsuits, the greater the chances of resolution and restitution (financial compensation for your losses and emotional distress).
2.Go to www.ftc.gov (http://www.ftc.gov/) (Federal Trade Commission) and file a very quick online complaint. Make sure that you give any contract numbers, names of staff, address of the hospital that you used, leave out unnecessary details and get to the point (short and sweet) and name the CEO as the contact person: Dr. Scott Campbell, CEO, Banfield, The Pet Hospital, 8000 NE Tillamook
Portland, OR 97213. [protected] Fax [protected] email: scott.campbell@banfield.net The FTC will issue fines if they receive enough complaints.
3.Google your state’s Governor’s Office or Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Affairs and file a complaint. Most will allow you to do this online. It’s quick and easy just include specific names, addresses, dates, details of problems (short and to the point) contract numbers, if any, and your contact information. Consumer Affairs will issue fines if they receive enough complaints.
4.Contact the American Association of Veterinary State Boards by calling [protected] or http://www.aavsb.org/ContactUs/ContactUs.aspx (http://www.aavsb.org/ContactUs/ContactUs.aspx) and ask them for the website, phone number and/or address for the regulatory board for your state, then file a complaint against Banfield’s license in that state.
5.Write directly to the CEO of Banfield(or at least print and copy all of your complaints to all of the agencies above and mail a copy to: Dr. Scott Campbell, CEO, Banfield, The Pet Hospital, 8000 NE Tillamook Portland, OR 97213 Phone [protected] Fax [protected] email: scott.campbell@banfield.net (scott.campbell@banfield.net) VP of Operations direct line [protected] fax [protected].
6.Post these instructions on every complaint forum and website mentioning Banfield that you can find on Google.
7.Remember there’s strength in numbers. If you’re not going to take the time to file a complaint then don’t take the time to post a complaint. Change only comes through efforts to make change.
Contact the CEO of PetSmart and let them know that you’ll NOT shop PetSmart until they kick Banfield to the curb. They are separate companies but who would want to support a store that allows another business to operate using such bad business practices while being inside their stores? Contact: Philip L. Francis, CEO, PetSmart, Inc., 19601 N. 27th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85027, phone [protected]."
I also was appalled at the treatment and extortion after a billing of some $500.00 over "estimate" at Delaware Banfield, despite having been a regular customer for years. All veterinary clinics, in my opinion, soak customers, but Banfield exceeded this on the fees for the days I was overbilled by 500.00. And yes they were most insistent that I would be placed with a collections agency and they meant it. Also if I wanted, for convenience, to pick up medicine at one Banfield instead of the local office, I could not. I am certain in my mind it had all to do with the cash staying at the particular Banfield branch over any inconvience however substantial for the pet owner.
Maureen
They will charge you for an office visit unless you know about doing a walk-in? Office visits consist of taking the dogs temperature and charging you $50. If you go on Sundays between 11 and 12:30 you can get a vaccination for the cost of the vaccination. Also, be prepared for the sales pitch of a wellness program that is ridiculously priced and nearly impossible to opt out of once you've signed up. Basically, only use Banfield for the vaccinations. They are only interested in making money. They could care less about your pet. In fact, they will also attempt to scare you into thinking you need dozens of expensive vaccinations for precautionary reasons. Some of these vaccines are actually unhealthy and dangerous for some animals. Make sure you do your research before you let them use you and your pet to help them meet their quota. An evil company that should be avoided.
Healthcare costs money. Don't shoot down someone who is trying to help you. This is not a non-profit organization, i repeat NOT a non-profit organization. If you are taking this time to complain, take the time to compare the type of medicine they use against other hospitals; injectable anesthesia vs gas anesthesia; full blood panel including CBC/IOF/DIFF vs only a CBC; and the extra procedures and attention given to allow for humane euthanasia. You will find that you are paying for what you receive, quality MEDICINE.
Quality medicine is not only meant to protect your pets, but also yourself. Doctors take an oath to provide the best care and ensure a healthy COMMUNITY. So when they recommend that routine deworming to prevent roundworms, you see a bill, they see them preventing your child from becoming blind. You see a unneeded bill for an x-ray "interpretation", they still have that student loan that enabled them to have that trained eye and "take a quick look at a picture", who pays for that? Can you do that yourself? You see an unnecessary physical exam when all you want is a rabies vaccination, they see them ensuring your pet is healthy enough to receive the vaccination so your pet does not die from the requirement that your city/state is upholding- It happens.
As for those who are upset about Optimum Wellness Plans, read what you sign. They are INTENDED TO BE USED, unlike insurance plans which you hope you do not need to. So when you begin to get upset about costs think back to when you did not have to pay for a visit. Even your insurance has you pay a Co-Pay...
In the end, a doctor told you what was recommended for your pet. Just as one did for you, your mother and for your child. The difference, you have to dig into your wallet, sometimes deep. Your pets sleep in your bed, they walk through your kitchen and they kiss your face. If you have the answers and don't want the help or opinion of a company whose sole responsibility is to treat pets like family and keep your family free of zoonotic diseases, you have the option to decline care. Your decision.
Like everyone else i can not exlaim how aggervated i am with Banfield. My girlfriend and I have a apx. 6 month old puppy that we thought was getting the best possible healthcare plan- Banfield Wellness Plan. We just got her back after she has been spayed. Her underside looks so horrible, like a two year made the incision. We also got charged for a microchip that was suppose to be part of the plan. We got a description of what it would have cost us if we didnt have the Wellness Plan. While i didnt have to pay the before price, i was insulted at the figure, over 1, 000 dollars to have my puppy spayed.
Anyhow like everyone else i will join any class action suit i can. I currently have someone who has showed dogs for a living looking at the pics to tell me how aweful of a job they did before i send them off to a lawyer.
I have been with Banfield for a couple years now, I think they're the greatest ! They are always so caring and friendly. Whenever my cat has needed to go in for any procedure they have been wonderful. I live near Seattle and go to the one at Southcenter.
I spent over $500.00 to try and save my pets life with these crooks. They had me go to walmart to buy meds that they should have had on hand. Then they broke the bottle of insulin and kept saying they could not get my pets glucose levels down. Well I guess not because you broke the bottle and did not replace it and kept giving him IV solution for nothing but to line thier pockets with my money. I took him to a real vet Monday and he saved my dog without IV's but only used the insulin "R" THAT WAS NEEDED TO BRING MY DOGS LEVELS DOWN in the first place. Banfield had broke the bottle two days before that I purchased when my dog was in Banfields care. They tried to refer Me to the university of Ga which would have been another $4000 for nothing. Banfield sucks! they had broke the bottle of "R" banfield and never replaced. If you live in Conyers, Ga go to Rockdale Animal hospital, they are the best!
The Wellness Plans cannot ruin your credit. If someone said it will if you do not pay, they were just trying to scare you. If you said that your credit was ruined because of a Wellness Plan, well, then you are lying.
The Banfield Wellness Plans are a year-long contract. If you don't want that then don't sign up! However, if you actually use the plan for all of the services that it offers (these are clearly listed out in the brochure) then you do save money. You get a 10% discount on additional medications that your pet may need over time, and don't have to keep paying an office visit charge each time you come in. The wellness plan gets pets seen by a veterinarian at least twice a year which benefits the pet in the long run. Ear and skin infections are caught early and treated BEFORE they become a major, costly problem. Urinary tract infections are caught from yearly urinalyses. Vaccines are kept up-to-date. Anal glands get expressed before the dog starts scooting on your carpet. Nails get trimmed before they get too long and tear at the base, becoming a painful bleeding mess. In my years of experience Banfield is doing a great job at practicing PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE.
I strongly encourage people NOT to take their pets to the Banfield Pet Practice on Victory Drive in savannah. The vet is totally incompetent and is only interested in charging for as many services as possible. I took my elderly cat in for symptoms of a recurring urinary tract infection. After 2 visits and over $500, there was no diagnosis and my car was seriously ill. Dr Wallani did a physical exam, including a rectal and list on office form that all was normal. When my cat could no longer have a bowel movement, she gave her an enema. The next day I got her in to our regular vet. In less than 5 minutes, he found a badly abscessed anal gland. Dr Wallani didn't see this less than 24 hours earlier! She also tried to "sell" me that my cat had liver issues and started discussing ultra sounds, medications, etc. she has no liver issues!
Banfield is totally incompetent and horribly over-priced. The vet should be delivering pizzas! Please tell everyone you can to avoid the place for the sake of their pets.
My one yr old dog was vaccinated without consent with Bordatella nasally when she was at lowest risk of contracting kennel cough. She had severe reaction and had to be hospitalized at an emergency hospital after they said nothing wrong. This now appears to be a life long problem of congestion /breathing issues. This is malpractice that caused harm
I just simply want the vet that prescribed the medicine that took my boy away from me fired and License revoked and for banfield to get me another puppy I feel so lost without my boy my house isn't the same with out him I just want my boy back
They punctured my cat's eardrum, after I made it very clear that I didn't want them to clean his ears for this very reason. They had previous owners complaining about that issue on Yelp.
She was rough with animals and had a snotty attitude. Will never go again. Beware.
you always get my id and password wrong, and i can never, ever set up an appt via the app or the website, can you fire whoever is in charge of it now
I cannot afford to bring my pet into the vet and yet, I am still charged monthly for services not rendered. I can barely afford gas, food, and shelter for myself and children, and yet, I am still obligated to pay $50 per month for services I will not use. Do not sign on the dotted line. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!
I took my puppy to the vet in 2020 and was not informed that the monthly wellness program was a recurring charge! The lady who signed me up said "no big deal get the discount and cancel it later today!" IN which I did it right after my dogs shots. SHE never told me that it would still haunt me 3 years later! Now I have a delinquent account on my credit from BANFIELD!
My dog was attacked by pitbull in front of me while in veterinary care.
I was charged $555.00 by the Banfield Corporation for an extra year of the Wellness Program which I paid, under protest, so that they would not infiltrate my credit score. I wanted only to get my medications from Chewy, but continue to use Banfield’s services. The CEO was rude and unrelenting when I spoke with him!
We have tried to discontinue the wellness plan because our passed away. And they told us Too Bad pay up anyway. What rude reps. His name is Matthew. They should fire him. Our pet was 12 years old and we have been with Banfield since he was 7 weeks old paying every month $67.85 for his care.
Help!
Cynthia and Mathew Dovens Herndon Va