Banfield Pet Hospital
Reviews and Complaints

As a new pet owner I took my dog to local Banfield in June for rabies shot. Since I already owned a Care Credit card (healthcare financing card) I decided to use that for my $92 cost instead of enrolling into their wellness plan. No problem.

Three weeks later I return to same clinic for booster shot and learned my pet had double ear infections. By the time the vet and nurse had given me my instructions and medications and cleaned out the ears, I had been there over close to 3 hrs. I am handed a bill for $192. I give my Care Credit card again and was told I could not use it since the day's charges were under $250. I said Care Credit does not have this policy; nurse told me it was a Banfield corporate decision. I told staff member I used it 3 weeks prior for $92 and they took it. She said it was an error on the office staff's part. I asked to speak to office mgr and while waiting I called Care Credit. Customer Service person said they should be taking it and was confused why they would not. I requested banfield mgr to talk to customer service at CareCredit, and she did explaining how it was a Banfield corporate policy that they had in place with previous card carrier, pet credit. It was clear the Care Credit did not agree with this policy.

After their phone conversation, I strongly stated that I would not pay $250 out of pocket when they do not have this "corporate" policy stated anywhere in the facility -- no sign no rider on care credit application forms, no previous clarification during first visit. I told mgr that I have been unemployed since Oct. 2009 and it amount would be 1/2 of my check. I offered to make payments to them. They do not have payment plan policy. She suggested if I purchased frontline special for $50 it would be enough to put me over the $250. I already had a 6 month supply. Then she suggested that I purchase the Basic Plus wellness plan for one year upfront since my dog would need a dental cleaning and it would cover all services - and put the yearly fee on the Care Credit card. I felt I was coerced into this option because of Banfield's hidden policy. I spent 3 1/2 hrs in a clinic that should have been a 1/2 visit. Waste of my time and $$$$. Both organizations will be getting a complaint letter from me. Care Credit needs to know how one of their providers is operating, as well as the Better Business Bureau. BE ADVISED AND WARNED ABOUT BANFIELD'S $250 MINIMUM CHARGE POLICY

I took my 4 week old puppy to Banfield, for her her puppy shots, and the showed me their brochure which convince me that I would be saving money on all the puppy shots. Shortly after the puppy contacted mange, and I took her to Banfield, and they gave her medication which they said is a discount price because of the plan (55.00). That first treatment did not work, I had to take her back to them a second, third and fourth time, this is a chihuahua poor thing was scratching so much and so hard, imagine a 3.5 pound puppy. Each time I went there I had to shell out a exorbitant amount of money, for medication. Think about this not only did I have to pay money each time with the plan mind you, but me and my daughter and the puppy had t wait in the foul, funky smelling exam rooms for 3.5 hours, with one tech sticking her head in about every 20-30 minutes. We waited and waited, and here the punch line we don't do parvo shots after 6pm, this issue happen twice, but they did not hesitate to say that she needed more medication at a cost of course. Finally I got sick and tired of this poor little dog having this horrible itching going on that I took her to another vet, that was 3 weeks ago, first of all the shots were much cheaper $6.00 bucks and the medication was 7.95, I even got my other dog her rabies shot now here is the clincher all that plus office visit included for 30.00 bucks now is that cool or what. That was 3 weeks ago today she has hair and she has stopped scratching. I called the corporate offices to make a complaint and they connected me with client services, who acted liked they really cared they gave me a whole bunch of bullsh — it lines, and then closed my case with out me being notified. Please don't take your pet to Banfield Pet Hospital, they will only get sicker. Today I want all my money back cause the dog was ill at the time that I took her to see another vet. Banfield Richmond Sucks!

I have two dogs, that have always gotten their shots at the same time, ever since I got them as pups. They were on the wellness plan at this location. I noticed that over time, the two dogs were on increasingly different shot schedules. After digging into this, it seems the purpose is to game the timing of shots so you end up paying for shots that would be covered for free by waiting next month under the plan. Some shots are "given early" to one dog but not the other. Also, I was charged for a "test" that does not appear in the dogs chart. It serve no purpose to call he national office as any compliant just goes back to the local store (the Business Officer Manager at the Stafford location rather gleefully pointed this out).

My nephew and niece purchased a care plan for their kitten. They were notified to bring the kitten in for her one year checkup. At that time, they were told that the one yr old kitten needed her teeth cleaned!
They left Marlee there; the next thing they knew was that Banfield called them and told them their little kitten had died, the heart gave out.

Of course they are devastated. I went with them to talk to the veterinarian and office staff. They were told the kitten had shown signs of agressiveness and needed more anesthetic! Unbelievable--I asked the vet why they did not notify my niece about her "agressive" kitten which was a Siamese--

He just looked at us--

A word of warning---DO NOT TAKE YOUR PETS TO ANY BANFIELD--they kill animals--if they do not know how to take care of a one year old kitten they should not be in business. This was a perfectly healthy animal--I asked the vet how much tarter the little one year had and he replied, "A moderate amount" A kitten that old did not need her teeth cleaned--Banfield just wants to make money.

When leaving the clinic area, my niece and nephew crying and so sad and upset, we were told to "Have a nice day"--

DO NOT go to Banfield.

I took my dog into this clinic because she was bleeding when she urinated. The vet couldn't tell me the cost to do tests to find out what was wrong. Dr. Mills left the room, then sent another person in and told me it would cost $412 to run the tests necessary to diagnose problem. I left very angry and went to another vet office and my dog was treated like a princess and she had a severe UTI (which any woman could have diagnosed also because she had the same symptoms I have when I get one). The other office, diagnosed, xrayed, shots, urinanalysis, 2 kids of meds, for $100 (which I expected). DO NOT GOT TO BANFIELD, RUN AWAY FAST!

I had been using Banfield for a while, primarily because of the convenience of being able to bring my pet in on weekends. Stupidly, I enrolled in their "wellness" program. I paid the sum of around $29 a month only to be overcharged on services and medications.
For some reason, I have noticed that in both Banfield locations I used, the service declined to an unacceptable point not long after changing locations. Going in there with my dog was like going to a cattle drive, with the doctor packing in so many pets that its difficult to even speak to the vet directly.
The last straw for me was when I took in my pet Dalmatian about a month ago. She had managed to injure her rear right leg while I was out of the house, and while not a huge emergency, she was in pain. This was on a sunday afternoon, around lunchtime. I drove about a half hour through heavy traffic to midtown to take her to the vets. There was only 1 person being waited on, in the examination room, and I saw my vet through the window of the room. Upon explaining to the receptionist what had transpired, I asked if the vet could spare just a few minutes to look at my dog and perhaps prescribe some pain medication as I didn't have any on hand at home. She lied to me, stating that the doctor was not there, to which I replied, "Then is that a mirage I'm seeing through the window?" She huffed off into the back, presumably to speak to the vet, then returned and informed me that I would have to wait 1 1/2 hours to be seen as there were too many dogs in the back waiting. This was unacceptable, particularly since I had been paying on insurance with them for at least 4 years.

I ended up taking my dog to the emergency vet which cost me over $200. She managed to reinjure her leg several weeks later, so this time I made an appointment and took her in, only to have yet another bad experience. First, the tech and the vet neither one listened to me when I explained that my dog had an old bite scar on the paw that was injured where she had been bitten by another dog at one time. The vet insisted on keeping her for xrays, etc. which necessitated my making yet another trip back and forth. I was given an estimate of $364 for all services (this was supposed to include my discount). Upon picking her up that evening, I was charged $554! I was also told her paw was shaved, and "they couldn't find any punctures", which was not what I told them at all. The vet had also upset me, saying I needed to cage my dog to keep her quiet, etc. I also told the vet about how upset I was over my earlier experience, where I had to go elsewhere for treatment and spend money. She only shrugged, and said, well, I should have been accomodated, when it was probably her making that decision to begin with. No offer to make amends either for the additional money I spent.

When I got home and examined the bill closely, I discovered that they charged me on every single thing they possibly could, including hospitalization, nurse care, etc. The charges on that bill were ridiculous. A week later, although my dog was feeling better, I made the decision to dump these people and go to a private vet I'd had 16 years previously. I went over there yesterday and showed her the Banfield bill, and she was appalled. She stated that they had pretty much doubled or tripled what the cost should have been on these services. One of the medicines I was given at Banfield, I was charged nearly $45 for, which she refilled, and the cost was $15.

I have cancelled my contract with these people, and will never use Banfield again due to this. It's a shame that you pressure people into getting insurance with you with the promise of a discount, only to take the discount back with the inflated prices and lack of service when you do bring your pet in. The last three times I was in there, they ran my bill up over $300 each time!

I used to work for Banfield in Lacey WA. Apparently I was the only one who ever cared about animals in that whole place. They mistreated the animals, they are rude to customers, they have no heart for the diseased animals, I had to bag the pets and put them in the freezer because they were too lazy to do it since they were busy gossiping and reading magazines. I can't look at a dead animal it makes me sad, but they just throw them on the ground in the laundry room where I was at most of my shift. Banfield should be put out of business and or sued for being the worse vet clinic I've ever seen!

I started with taking my Puppy Charlie to Banfield Pet Hosptial. It looked like a great deal to buy a plan which covered all of my dogs shots and neuter for one base price. I was so thrilled by the idea I signed one of my kittens up too (my other kitten was one day too old to sign up). Both My puppy and my kitten got their fist set of boosters, a week later the vet just disappeared. Although there were "pet nurses" there, they could not offer any vet care because there was no vet, and could not tel me why. I ended up having to take my puppy and kitten to another vet to get their second set of boosters. The vet was disgusted when he saw what vaccines Banfield had given my pets. They had given my kitten the "FIP vaccine" and my puppy the "corona vaccine". Both vaccines have not been used in years by other vets because it is thought they are more likely to cause the infection they are supposed to prevent. Needless to say my kitten now has an extreemly high corona titer. She passed corona on to my other kitten who ultimately developed FIP and passed at the age of 8 months old. I can now not get another cat or kitten until my kitten is gone due to the risk of her infecting another cat/kitten. My poor kitten is so depressed and lonely now because her buddy is gone, and she has no one to play or cuddle with any more, and there is nothing I can do about it.
When my puppy was 6 months old I wanted to get him put on Heart guard because he was to be coming to work on the farm with me. The vet at Banfield refused to sign for the online order of heart guard. She wanted me to buy Banfields version, and assured me it was exactly the same. A few months later I get a letter in the mail stating that the heart worm preventative they sole me was deffective and all dogs needed to be tested for heat worms ASAP. I took my puppy in to be tested and they refused to test him because ofa problem with my kittens account. It took me a few days to be able to get him into another vet. The new vet tested him, and he ultimately tested positive. Banfield refused to treat him because of the problem with my kittens account. Thankfully my puppies breeder came through and covered the heart worm treatment. He will be 2 this year, and although he now has life long health problems from the heart worms and treatment, he is here with me today no thanks to Banfield.
To add insult to injury Banfield is now trying to collect a little over $300 because I "broke my contract" with them by taking my pets to another vet. They refused my pets care and now they want me to pay them because I was foreced to go somewhere else!?

This place needs to be closed down. This whole company is a scam, they are just in it for the money.

I wanted to share a terrible experience at your Benfield Veterinary clinic in Parker CO on 5/26/2010. I called the location on 5/25/10 because my kitty cat of 16, almost 17, years was extremely sick and we could not get him into our regular vet until 5/27/10. We brought him in, got checked in, and waited for the vet to come in. When the vet came in she informed me there was nothing she could do until she performed blood tests in the amount of $255 dollars to diagnose him. Now, I can understand if there were no physical symptoms or if the cat was healthy and vibrant that these tests would be required. My cat was extremely old, frail, was losing significant amounts of weight, clearly dehydrated, had basically stopped eating, and I had already been asked multiple times how long he had been lethargic. I explained to the vet that I did not want to make him needlessly suffer and did not feel that these expensive blood tests were going to change the outcome; it was time to let him go. Shockingly, your doctor refused.in fact, she began to explain to me that it was company policy that these tests be performed. She explained she had never seen him before and he wasn’t "comatosed" or anything, she would not euthanize him. I was extremely upset, expressed that we had another appointment the next day and were only there because I felt it was necessary to have him seen so soon. I also stated that I found it unusual that your company policy was to force grieving families to spend unnecessary money in an effort to treat a pet that had lived a long life and clearly had dire medical issues going on. She still declined. Interestingly enough, she offered to send me home with antibiotics for him. I asked how she could prescribe antibiotics when she hadn’t performed the blood tests. Interesting, seems the company policy is only in effect for customers who have been profiled as able to pay the price? Either way, I want you to know we took him to our regular vet yesterday morning where he was humanely put to sleep like he should have been the day before. He was put to sleep because our regular vet could clearly see that there was one of three things wrong. His kidneys were failing, his liver was failing, or he was diabetic and would require lifetime injections. It seems odd to me that your vet could not see what was going on, but another could?
The point of my letter is to let someone know how incredibly in-humane I find this entire experience. We were forced to take a sick kitty in and out, back and forth, to two different doctors to be poked and prodded because your vet continued to do nothing but quote company policy! Company policy is the way products are returned, or why you can’t get cash back without a receipt, NOT why your family member is clearly forced to suffer while the doctor continues down her power trip! I am disgusted, horrified, and don’t think I can continue to spend my money in a store that does not practice humane treatment, even when that means euthanasia. Yesterday, I told my neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members what happened at Pet Smart and I can assure you they will think twice when faced with a choice of where to take their animals.

They killed my persian kitty! My kitty went into have a routine procedure and was pronounced dead only after 4 hours of delivery of my pet. After I got the call from the doctor, I was appalled to find out that there was additional charges for "trying to save her life" on top of the cremation and burying of my pet. I asked for copies of the doctors notes and was further upset to find out that recorded on the records that they had "difficulty" just placing an intubation tube. It took 2 doctors and 2 nurses to keep my kitty from recieving enough oxygen before suffocating her and therefore she went into caridiac arrest. The doctor said that the kitty had "a sensitivity" to the general anesthesia. Yet, I don't find the doctors records making any reference to this. There is no rvt on site at this location. This should be a must with any clinic you go to. My advice, is ask. Found out that the "assistants" without proper training our allowed to "practice" their book learned skills. It took the general manager over a week to call me and agreed that an thorough investigation would be completed and I would be called. Well that was 2 months ago and now finding that for the last few months I have been charged monthly for the wellness plan for a kitty that is no longer alive to recieve treatment. Several phone calls later... There is a cancellation fee... Imagine that!

I took my pet in for a leg injury, they did an x-ray and told me they didn't know what was wrong, helped others who arrived after me, then improperly bandaged his leg with a little cotton and an ace bandage and it swelled to double it's size. They charged me over $300 dollars. When I called back after I saw the swelling the customer service lady was very rude and defensive and told me she would do nothing to fix the situation. They charge an x-ray set up fee of 40.00 then each x-ray cost 31.00 then there's an x-ray diagnosis fee of 80.00. For a total of $180.00 to tell me they don't know. I called around to other vets and the whole x-ray fee is 75.00. Definately take your pet somewhere else!

A friend took her cat to Banfield because her mouth was drooling and she was chewing at her body. She was put to sleep and given a bath, cut her nails (missed a nail) and they checked her teeth. She was given some First Shield to put on the cat. Nothing was said about the drooling. A week later she was taken to another vet and come to find out the cat's toungue had been cut by something that had been around it. Banfield should have caught this when they checked her over. Won't go back to them.

Bob hall
July 2005 – may 1, 2010

Cared for on april 30, 2010 by:

10:30 am – 6:00 pm: banfield pet hospital
petsmart
7777 dr martin luther king st n
st petersburg, fl 33702
[protected]
care of: dr. merari cruz

At 4 am on friday april 30, I noticed bob trying to use the litter box, but did not see a urine or fecal sample. unsure what trouble he was having, I watched him try four or more times over the course of three hours and noticed that he looked like he was in pain every time he tried. I made plans to take him to the vet immediately.

I began phoning vets and took him to banfield pet hospital on 9th street before 11 am where he could be seen immediately. bob was alert, agile and completely normal except for the pain in his abdomen when manipulated. I explained that it seemed he had unsuccessful litter box attempts for a few hours, which was first discovered at 4 am when I awoke, but he was otherwise normal. dr. merari cruz felt his abdomen and told me that he felt impacted with feces which was blocking his urethra, needed an enema with manual breakup of the blockage and that would relieve the pressure off of his urethra which was preventing him from urinating. (witness, bill rice, in room.) I agreed to their estimate for this procedure for $188, was relieved and went home to await any news.

Within an hour they called to tell me that he was indeed not constipated, he had a full urinary blockage. they did not ask me to come in to discuss necessary procedures or fees or sign any other authorization forms, but asked for blanket approval to do anything they wanted, which made me uncomfortable because I did not have unlimited funds on such short notice and I did not want to agree to treatments and tests that could total thousands of dollars without my ability to discuss what they were individually and decide what I felt necessary and able to pay for.

I asked to call back in a few minutes. I called a several other vets to compare prices and ask what were the absolutely necessary procedures for a urinary blockage and received very uniform answers, but could not get an immediate appointment elsewhere. I called to be sure I could borrow the funds necessary to cover the average costs of around $600 with blood work for the procedures as quoted by the other vet offices I spoke to and decided it was best not to move him. I called banfield back within 10 minutes to authorize very specifically that they (1) remove the blockage, (2) flush his bladder, (3) put in a catheter, (4) provide him any necessary medications and (5) provide iv fluids as is standard procedure for this type of blockage. I then asked them to tell me exactly the costs of these procedures and the girl on the phone told me it would be $310. I agreed and authorized that they do the five things requested and call me if he needed anything else.

They never called me or told me that he needed additional medications, procedures or fluids. I called around 3 pm to check on him. they said he was starting to come out of his sedation, they had removed the blockage, installed the catheter successfully and I could pick him up around 6 pm, as they closed at 7 pm and I must have him out of there by then. seems they were more concerned with going home early than the health of my “child”. I had to insist on speaking with the doctor. dr cruz came to the phone and warned me that he was not out of the woods yet and I needed to watch that urine production continued steadily through the night to be sure his kidneys were functioning. I assured her that I was quite capable of caring for him with proper instructions and I would be his nurse constantly through the night, every single minute for his care. I asked if he would have an iv bag and catheter collection bag to ensure that he was receiving enough fluids and processing them. she said that there was too much risk of the tubes being kinked, which could block him again causing his death and she did not want to do it. I just needed to be sure to watch him to see that fluids were flowing.

When I arrived at 6 pm to pick bob up, they asked me to pay $420 without presenting me with an itemized bill and without my seeing my animal or the doctor for a follow up to discuss the procedures completed, his current condition, prognosis or other necessary procedures they felt were essential to ensure his survival. they were busy at the counter and would not give me a private room to speak with the doctor but I continued to ask two different girls at the front desk about follow up care, for an itemized statement and an explanation of what exact procedures were done that caused my bill to increase more than $100 than quoted. I was not unwilling or unable to pay the bill, I simply wanted exact explanations of all charges and itemized statement so I was certain what procedures had been done. they would not allow me to see my animal until I paid my bill. I continued to insist and they presented an itemized bill, but I was still very confused about the charges, unsure about the full extent of procedures they administered to my animal and continued to ask questions without receiving direct answers.

Dr. cruz finally met me out in an aisle of the pet store as if it were an inconvenience and I was a problem, rather than in an exam room with my pet. she told me that she had to give him a shot during his procedure because he had vomited and that was why my charge was $100 more than quoted. she showed me the blockage that was removed (the diameter of a sewing needle), told me to watch his catheter tube to be sure fluids were flowing and take him to an emergency vet if he vomited or cried out. I then asked if he had received any fluids during or after the procedure. she was interrupted and walked away without answering or returning. as it turns out he was never administered any iv fluids during the procedure or after, thus causing his acute dehydration and demise (which I did not know at the time) but I was not able to determine this for sure from my invoice or their lack of direct answers and proper attention to me as a paying customer.

Two other cashiers tried to answer questions for me in between helping other customers at the counter, again treating me as if I were a nuisance. I was there, I was a paying customer with a gravely ill pet, I had waited for 20 minutes while they helped other customers before me, I had paid them over $400 without ever seeing the state of my animal and they still would not give me the direct attention necessary.in all, five different people came in and out of doors, as if I were interrupting them to answer questions and none were fully answered by any of them. finally, a girl gives me the number of an emergency vet to contact if he had any problems or more questions, gave me medications and instructions to dose him when I got him home and comfortable.

I asked for a copy of all his medical records including his lab test results, just in case I needed to rush him to an emergency vet through the night and was told they could not give it to me because it had not been entered into the system yet, they do it at night. I asked for a photo copy of whatever they did have and they refused, asking me to just wait until the morning. I was distressed, exhausted, I had already paid the bill because they would not let me see my animal until I did and they finally brought out a comatose cat, put it in my arms telling me that he is just still a “little groggy from the sedatives”, told me to bring him back in the morning and walked away. at that point my bill was paid, the cat was in my hands, I was in complete shock and they began helping other customers as if I were continuing to be a nuisance. bewildered, overwhelmed and in incredible emotional pain over the state of my beloved pet limp in my arms, I left as there was clearly nothing more they would do. it was now after 6 pm on a friday, other vets were no longer open, I was not sure what to do, they assured me he would be ok as soon as his sedatives wore off, “he was just groggy” they said, and told me again to come back in the morning.

I arrived home with him around 7 pm, his condition the same as when I left banfield. I was gravely concerned about his condition but reluctant to rush him to the emergency vet if he was simply still “groggy” from the sedatives.

He was slightly responsive but did not seem right, he seemed in pain so I gave him the pain medications as they had instructed. he had a drip coming from the tube so I thought things were going like they are supposed to, but he was not able to drink fluids due to his state. I tired unsuccessfully to get him to drink fluids, watched him hoping that the “groggy” would start to wear off soon and he kept looking worse. he started to cry out, heave as if he might be trying to vomit and breathe fast around 9:30 pm.

By 11 pm, I arrive at the emergency care center on belcher road with him in this distressed state. they confirmed that he was in shock, was experiencing hypothermia, he was more dehydrated than they have ever experienced in the entire history of their practice and immediately began iv fluids and oxygen with him on a hot pad to bring up his temperature. dr lisa driben explained to bill rice and myself how she could not understand why they did not administer iv fluids, did not have a closed iv system on the cat or why they sent him home in his condition and still so heavily sedated. she explained that the proper procedure was to administer fluids in a closed system to ensure that kidneys were functioning properly and she also said that she has had several pets come to her is such deplorable conditions from banfield. it is common knowledge to any trained veterinarian that an animal who can not drink fluids of its own accord, being drained by a catheter will dehydrate and perish.

He was unable to be revived and passed around 4 am on may 1st.

On may 3rd, I finally receive the full records from both offices to discover that the documentation in the banfield records is incorrect to the point of blatant and intentional falsification to avoid responsibility for their negligent care. they stated that I told them the cat could not pee for days, when I clearly told them I first discovered this at 4 am the same day. I personally watched the girl write it in the file. they refused to give me a copy of their hand written notes.

Their records indicate that I refused iv fluids, blockage removal, catheterization and a bladder flush when they clearly performed these procedures, which I authorized over the phone around 3 pm. all of these procedures are documented on an itemized bill received upon bob’s discharge, so this also clearly indicates that they have false information in their records. they did not administer fluids, their report says that I refused to authorize it. I specifically requested it when I approved the other procedures and thought they had done it or I would never have left with him in his condition. if dr cruz sincerely thought that I had refused to supply iv fluids for this procedure she is negligent for not telling me that it will kill the animal and that it is cruel. dr cruz should have told me he would not survive without iv fluids and never allowed him to leave in his state if she legitimately thought I had refused it.

Not only is this facility grossly negligent in the care of my family member, but if they allowed him to leave in that state and die such a horrific death that I had to witness, will never ever forget and possibly now need therapy for because of the heinous emotional distress I went through with him, it should be considered both animal and human cruelty.

I don’t and can’t have children. bob, was my child and he wasn’t even 5 yet. when he arrived at their location at 11 am on friday, he needed care but was healthy and alert. by 6 pm when they discharged him to me so unprofessionally, he looked like he was still under complete sedation and by 9:30 pm he began to go into shock. they made me take this cat home in this condition because they wanted to go home at 7 pm. they never once told me that I should take this cat immediately to another vet for continued care in his condition. they told me he was groggy and he’d come out of it soon.

This is gross negligence, abuse and cruelty all in one incident that should not go overlooked or unpunished.

If their office was incapable of handling such a serious medical condition because they do not provide over night icu care to animals, they never should have told me they could handle the case and referred me to a specialist instead of taking my money and killing my family member.

They preferred to empty my wallet at the expense of my child, leaving me $1200 in debt, paying for the loss of my most loved family member who was in the prime of his life and the absolute center of mine.

Banfield pet hospital killed the equivalent of my son in the cruelest way possible and forced me to be an unwilling participant in it.

If you have a similar story please contact me at kcproductions4fl at hotmail dot com. I want to create change and it takes more than just one person. please help and feel free to send any recommendations, links, referrals or legal agency contacts as I plan to take either direct or class legal action.

~teresa~

After the experiences I have had with Banfield. The ladies at the front desk are very nice and helpful but I have no confidence in trusting my dogs health to the vet. I would say they are adequate for routine shots but nothing more. Long story short they did not catch that my puppy had tape worms even though I told them I thought he did. Apparently the routine dewormer is not enough to kill tapeworms which require a special shot that they did not think to tell me until my poor puppy had suffered from tapeworms for 2 1/2 weeks, despite numerous calls asking when the worms were supposed to be gone.
After bringing him in at 5 months because he was limping they told me he may have something broken and they would need to do an xray-while he was under anesthesia.. estimated cost: $550.00 - I felt like they were trying to rip me off when they said they would not recommend doing the xrays while he was under for his neutering to save money and the danger of putting him under twice.
We did end up combing the procedures which saved three hundred dollars. They only took x-rays of his knee which Dr. Studdard said was the problem. She referred us to an orthopedic vet and when I took him there the new vet said his knee was fine and it was his hip. So I had to pay 250 more to have the new place xray his hip (while he was awake, apparently you do not need to put a dog under for a hip xray)

So it is his hip and we are having the new vet do the surgery to fix it.
We cannot get our money back from Banfield for the wasted xrays they performed. I understand she may not be a orthopedic vet but common sense would tell me that if she was unsure of what may be wrong with a dog (while his owners were paying hundreds of dollars to find out) she should probably take xrays of the hip and knee just in case.

Also the fact that nothing is actually wrong with his knee and she "interpreted" (there was a 70.00 interpretation of xray fee) the xray to me as if there were many things wrong with it bothers me.
I would think that a vet would know a little more about general structure of dog bones, even if that is not your specialty.
While I am upset about wasting 250 dollars on these worthless xrays due to the lack of common sense by the vets at Banfield I am more worried about the animals that are taken there for things other than normal shots.

Banfield Pet Hospital is proscribing medications that lack an Expiration Date. The product sold had no potency or effectiveness - was a Fish Oil Vitamin that contains NO fish, just oil ($26).

I returned the product, and the second batch WAS the same thing - just Oil. What make's it so bad - THEY JUST DON'T CARE. My experience was with the Roseville, MI Banfield, but the Corporate office is also indifferent and hostile to Customer Issues. DON'T TAKE YOUR PET TO THESE PEOPLE.

I took my new puppy to Banfield Pet Hospital in Columbia, Maryland for diahrrea. The vet told me he had Giardia, and put him and my other puppy on Panacur for 5 days. He told me to bring the puppy back in 3 days for a recheck. The girl in the front office told me it would cost $32.95, and it would be covered under todays visit. When I came back 3 days later, the same vet kept trying to get me to sign up for the wellness plan, before he even checked the puppy. I asked him why he didn't tell me about the plan before I spent $410.69 on the first visit. He said it was because the puppy was sick. He then told me the puppy was fine, and charged me another $67.11. (Evidently, the girl behind the desk was wrong when she told me that the visit was covered.) The puppy continued to have diahrrea, so I took him to another local vet. This vet diagnosed the problem correctly, and told me that a Giardia test is totally useless. The puppy had Coccidia, and was well within 5 days after being on Albon and Metronidazole tablets. They only charged me $131.42, and fixed the problem the first time. I am still receiving calls from Banfield at home, trying to get me to sign up for the wellness plan. NEVER in a million years!

Please, please - before you sign up for any of Banfield's pet wellness programs that allows them to bill directly to your credit card - be aware that you can NOT stop the billing, even if you go through all the hurdles they've placed in contacting them. The local people are required to push these wellness plans or lose their jobs. The local people who sell you the plan are not the people you (finally) reach to try and cancel. And the communication between those two groups is conveniently vague. Banfield's account management can be contacted @ [protected]. This number is not posted on any of their websites. The people you finally reach there are powerless to do anything but read you the corporate mumbo-jumbo and accept payments. Banfield will continue to bill you even if you've gotten through to a live person and requested cancellation. They will continue to bill you even if your pet died three years before. If you try to stop the billing by cancelling the credit card, Banfield will turn your account over to one of their collection agencies, one being I. C. Systems @ [protected]. These agencies will start "hounding" you relentlessly and you'll have a huge black mark on your credit report. You can either pay them the money plus 40% for the collection agency, you can spend a couple of $thousand for an attorney to successfully clear it up, or you can put up with the harrassment for years on end. Those are your only options. Their hospitals are for the most part, good people doing a good job. Their wellness plans are one of the biggest frauds perpetrated on the public. I urge you to look for other complaints, discuss this with others, and again, please do your homework before stepping into this astonishing trap.

I took my new pet to the veterinary in December 2008 to get it vaccinated. I was offered an insurance membership with the understanding that it could be canceled. I called in August 2009 to cancel the membership, I was informed by a rude lady that I could not cancel the membership that I had to pay for a ful year. After a long discussion, I asked her to cancel it in December. I forgot to call in December and there is an automatic withdraw from my account so I did not really noticed it. I called today to cancel the membership and I was told once again by a staff name Lili Flores so she said, that I could not cancel my membership and that I had to wait til December to cancel. She stated that I took my dog to the vetlas month and that the visit was $330. The visit was a well check up visit. Human well check ups are about $75. I feel trap. I told Lili that I do not longer have the dog and that I had paid enough money. I have taken the dog to the vet in the 2 years I had him about 3 times. I feel this company and system is a rip off. I want to get out of this memebership. The vets in Grand Junction should not recommend this insurance to their customers.

Banfield seems like they offer a great deal of a wellness plan, especially when you have more than one pet, and you want them to have every 6-month exams. But remember the old adage that you get what you pay for. The vets are on a revolving door (4 vets in less than a year of being their client), and I have to ask specifically and forcefully for what I think our pets need to treat their problems. They seem to be very busy pushing the food and the medicated wipes and selling you over-priced over-the counter-meds at prescription strength prices (Benadryl for example). They on the whole are not a caring staff. My cat passed away within two months of joining the plan, and not a single word of condolence, which was a kick in the teeth when you have to keep paying on a monthly basis for the plan, even though the pet is deceased. Another complaint mentioned that there is a lot that goes on behind closed doors, and I am suspicious too. This is the first office I have ever been to, where the vet doesn't give injections, medications nor treatments in front of the pet owner. I wonder how much of what they charge, that they really DO. Don't bother with Banfield. Your pets deserve better.