Banfield Pet Hospital
Reviews and Complaints
Refused service in an emergency... again
Vet Mis- diagnosed on New Years Eve Big time
Banfield almost killed my dog and charged me for it!
Frist Shield Trio Side Effects
After using Banfields First Shiels Trio the first month neither of my dogs showed any adverse reactions. But, the second month my 9 lb shih tzu began acting crazy.
The side effects didnt start until the day after is medication was applied, she was unble to stay still and would *** and jump while tossing her head. We were up all nigt with her !The skin where the First Shiels was applied was bright red and irratated. I gave her a bath in Dawn dishwashing soap as advised by the vet at Banfield, as it cuts through the oily base of the medication.I was advised not to give Benedryl, in hind sight I wish we had given her Benedryl. With still no relief, we applied Aquaphor Adanced Therapy healing ointment to the ares the inflamed, and saw an immediate relief.
We comtinued to aply avery few four hours or s for the remainder of the day. Happy to say she is fine. Just wanted you to find the solution faster than we did.
Hope this helps. Mo
Suing Banfield Pet Hospital
This is the worst possible place you can take your pet. I took my 3 year old boxer there because he had been throwing up for two days.
I was literally the only person in the office and managed to still be there for two hours. When they finally checked me in, they did a $140 blood test and came back in and told me that he had Pancreatitis. The put him on one day of treatment wrote a prescription and told me to go home. The total was $600.
The next day I was told to bring him back in for IV fluid treatments at nine in the morning so I did. Well at about three oclock they called and asked if I wanted medicine in the IV. I was told the previous day that this was included in the $600 payment, well not quiet. She said for another $300...I mean if you have it!!
What does that mean? I said I can't afford that and she replied, Well we'll take him off of the IV's now so you can come and get him. My sister picked him up and they tried to charge me another $89 for him being there for the day. I said NO.
They gave Casper a prescription and we left and filled it. Well this was on Christmas eve. Over the next couple of days I noticed that Casper was getting worse so I took him to another vet. The other vet diagnosed him with Parvo, kept him for three days on IV fluids consistently and he improved by 1000x.
He told me that Banfield should have done a Parvo test because its simply a rectal swab.
Casper was down to his last breath before I took him to the new vet and I had to end up paying him $875. Thank god he didn't make me pay him all up front, he was kind enough to work with me because he knew Banfield had just screwed my *** so now he's going to write everything he needs to for my lawsuit so this doesn't happen to anybody else again!!!
Banfield, wellness plans, 1800petmeds: myths and truths
After reviewing many reviews on this website, I'd like to take the time to honestly address some of the more common issues.
1. Banfield prescription prices
A lot of people complain that Banfield "rips off" the consumer in that they overcharge for prescriptions. The truth is, MOST of the medications are priced competitively when compared to other veterinary clinics. Having worked in numerous hospitals, I can only think of a few items Banfield carries that are priced more than competitors. Yes, the truth is you can get medications cheaper from 1-800-petmeds. This does NOT mean that Banfield is trying to rip you off. A large online pharmacy is simply able to keep a larger stock and prescribe a greater quantity of medications. They purchase in bulk (reducing their cost) and sell mass quantities every day. Therefore, they can offer them at a lower price. At any veterinary HOSPITAL, they only order what they can sell in a timely manner, so that medications do not expire and are wasted. In addition, they have limited space to store medications, they can't just stockpile them. For this reason, everything is shipped in small quantities. Shipping is expensive. Also, a veterinary assistant/technician will make up your meds, not some minimum wage warehouse worker. This also adds to inflated costs. Lastly, your meds are ready right away, so you also have the added benefit of convenience. Unfortunately, veterinary hospitals just cannot compete with the prices of online pharmacies due to all their added expenses (better paid workers, shipping costs, increasing purchasing costs). This is the reality of things. They don't jack up the prices just to rip off the consumer.
2. Banfield Wellness Plans
Banfield Wellness Plans are intended for PREVENTIVE care. They are NOT insurance. Are employees encouraged to sign up new clients? Of course. Does it turn a profit for the company. Yes. However, the plans are designed to keep your pets in good health and to detect problems early on with routine bloodwork, fecal testing, dental cleanings, etc. They weren't designed to scam the consumer. One thing I would like to make clear is that veterinary assistants do NOT get commission or bonuses for signing up pets.
Also, should you chose to cancel your plan or your pet passes away, you are only responsible for what services were completed on your pet. Since services are bundled and offered at a deep discount, you can't use up all the services then decide to cancel and not pay anymore. This is what happens if you need to cancel your plan: the retail amount of the services your pet used during the time on the plan will be calculated. This will be compared to what you already paid in monthly payments. You then either have the option of paying Banfield the balance of what you would have paid for the services had they been rendered at retail value OR just paying the remainder of the plan, WHICHEVER IS CHEAPER FOR YOU. I'd say that's a pretty nice policy - to make you pay the LESSER. I'll come up with an example to illustrate this point (this is very specific, but I've seen people try to pull this): Say you sign up on the Basic Plus plan (the one that includes a dental cleaning) and get a comprehensive exam done the first day and all of your pet's vaccines. Because your pet has really bad teeth, the doctor recommends you return in 1 week to have the dental cleaning performed. So you've only paid the sign-up fee (69.95) and first month's payment (39.95) for a total of $110. You then decide to cancel your plan immediately following the dental. So you've received a comprehensive exam and vaccines (let's say a $120 value) and a dental cleaning ($259 retail). So you've used about $380 in services, but have only paid $110 thus far. You then try to cancel your plan. Basically the plan splits the cost of these services over a 12 month period, so you can't just pay the first month then cancel. You would be responsible for paying what you would have if your pet was not on the plan ($380 minus what you paid for the first month) OR just paying the remainder of the plan off (39.95 x 11 months) OR just keeping your pet on the plan for the remainder of the contract (39.95 for 11 more months) - WHATEVER IS CHEAPER FOR YOU, THE CONSUMER.
3. Banfield is only interested in money, they don't care about your pets.
Bottom line: Banfield has 2 goals: to provide quality medical care and to make money. It's a business. We are not a not-for-profit company. That being said, we are not in the business of ripping people off. Do you think all of us look at you as walking dollar signs? The vets at Banfield are vets because they care about pets, not because they are trying to get rich. You can't get rich working at a Banfield. Truth. The vet techs aren't paid very much either. No, vet techs don't make commission. However, the vets are paid on "production" - meaning that their salary depends on how much they bring in. This is a fair practice, despite what a lot of people may think. Just think about it - if a vet owned his own practice, his income would depend on his "production" as well. The vets I work for are honest. Yes, they recommend pricey diagnostics, but it is in the best interest of your pet.
A lot of people blame the vets for being unethical for recommending expensive treatment. Sorry, but treatment is expensive. Medical equipment is very expensive, as is insurance and the money required to pay the rest of the staff. Most vets have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt after vet school as well. You are paying for their expertise. They went to school for 4 years to acquire all the knowledge required to treat a pet.
Lastly, I've seen some people complain about Banfield not providing pro-bono care. Simply False. Banfield has a charitable trust that they use in situations in which a person cannot pay for services. This is not an unlimited fund, however. Sadly, the number of people who can't afford treatment far exceeds what Banfield is able to provide pro-bono.
Anyway. I hope that helps everyone. I'd like to end by saying that the techs and vets working within the hospitals truly do care. We are there to provide quality care for your pet. Yes, there is a corporation behind us interested in turning a profit, but that does not affect our dedication and love for animals. I understand that I cannot speak for everyone, and I'm sure there are hospitals which need improvement, but for the most part I believe Banfield hires quality staff to work in their hospitals.
Banfield Poor Service-Missouri City, TX
Banfield Pet Hospital Over Charges Monthly Billing Schedule!
I mistakenly signed up for the Puppy Wellness Plan with auto monthly payments...BIG MISTAKE!... Once Banfield has your credit card on file; you are subject to whatever they choose to bill on a monthly basis. Invariably Banfield will bill early or very late from the scheduled billing cycle; by doing so, they hope to generate return payment fees. I contacted Banfield regarding their billing cycle and was informed, they bill four days after my scheduled payment. I asked for the billing to be adjusted to the 15th of the month, to fit my auto deposit payroll cycle. I was informed they couldn't bill at different times; they only go by their cycle, which is the 19th and 30th of the month. Additionally, I was informed I couldn't cancel my contract until it ran out; or, I would be hit with the remainder of the contract billing fees.
Additionally, Banfield agreed to waive a "one time " monthly fee reversal as a courtesy. THIS NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED... FINALLY, BEWARE... ALL CONTRACT PLAN REVERT TO AUTO RENEWAL UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY CANCEL YOUR PLAN PRIOR BEGINNING MONTH OF NEW CONTRACT...
WATCH OUT FOR THIS COMPANY... BANFIELD PET HOSPITAL IS ONLY INTERESTED IN MAKING MONEY.. ANY WAY THEY CAN...
Banfield Stinks
No good
BANFIELD, KNOXVILLE TN (WESTHILLS)
AFTER LEAVING BANFIELD 6 YEARS AGO I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY THEM OUT AGAIN, WOW WALKED IN AND JESSIE AT THE FRONT DESK CALL GORDAN (CHOW/LAB) RIGHT OVER TOLD HER I NEEDED HIS SHOTS FOR THE YEAR AND NAILS DONE WAS PLACED IN THE EX ROOM TO TOLD TO WATCH A VIDEO THEM SOME YOUNG GIRL KNCKED ON DOOR. GORDEN BARKED STANDING UP AS SHE WALKED IN SHE STOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND SAID "THIS IS MY ROOM WE DON T BARK IN HERE" THEN SHE WALKED OVER TO COMP AND GAVE ME A PRICE OF 151.00...
WHEN I TOLD HER THAT IS HIGH SHE JUST SAID OH WELL I TOLD HER NEVER MIND AND WE PARTED WAYS... I CALLED BACK TO THE BANFIELD ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE VET SHE WAS IN SURGERY, ASKED WHO THE OWNER WAS IT TOOK 15 MINS TO GET THAT OUT OF THEM. WHEN I CALLED HE (DR ROBERSON) WAS AT LUNCH TIL 2 PM NEVER HEARD FROM HIM WHEN I CALLED AFTER TO HE WAS IN SURGERY. I TRIED TO CALL BANFIELD CORP BUT THEY WILL NOT LET YOU SPEAK TO ANYONE...
STANDARD ANSWER IS I DON T HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO TRNFER YOUR CALL.
BE VERY AWEAR OF NOT ONLY BANFIELD BUT THIS DR OWNS THE BANFIELD HOSPITAL IN JOHNSON CITY TN, AND ROBERSON VET HOSPITAL IN DOWNTOWN JOHNSON CITY, SEEM HE WILL GET YOU ONE WAS OR ANOTHER.....BEST WAS TO PUT AN END TO POOR BUSINESS PRACTICE AND POOR VET CARE IS TO TAKE YOUR MONEY ELSE WHERE... I WENT TO MY REG VET ACROSS TOWN GOT ALL OF THE SAME SERVICES FOR 107.00 AND A GREAT STAFF THAT LOVE AND HUG ON YOUR PET....
Banfield - Terrible
"Retail" Vets -- More interested in the upsell
I took my cat to Banfield for a couple of lumps. The vet couldn't find them (neither could I) at the time, probably due to stress at the time.
The vet recommended I get a kitty dental only so they could try to find the lumps at the same time and do a biopsey. What???? The entire time the vet tried to hardcore sell me on their wellness program, food, surgeries. Wow, what a turn off.
I ended up feeling like I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
I won't be going back there again, going to go see a "Real" vet next time. :-(
BANFIELD PRISON
in short, if banefeild treats pets "like family" it must the the Manson family they are refering to- they destroyed my pet to the point I cant even put her leash on without her whimpering-the doctors, lets be real, if they were anygood why would they be working in a shopping mall department store...simple answer -there only concerned is money, they are sales people. they want to help themselfs before helping animals,its all about money to them...if you want to kill your pet or have them tortured go to any banfield hospital and you will see....just google or bing "banfield killed my pet" I wish i did before i went there.
Banfield is the Worst!
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YOU ARE A SICK *** AND YOU TAKE MONEY FROM PEOPLE AND SURE DO NOT RETURN IT LIKE YOU SHOULD....I WAITED 2 HOURS IN A ROOM AND I HAD AN APPOINTMENT....WELL????? I HAVE BEEN WAITING 3 WEEKS TO GET MY MONEY BACK...WHILE MY CAT IS GETTING WORSE....MAY YOU ALL GO TO *** WHERE YOU BELONG....I HOPE YOU GET PAID BACK IN BAD HELATH AND SUFFER LIKE YOU HAVE MADE SO MANY OTHERS DO SO...
Hate to tell you, but it's the responsible thing to refer you to emergency if they are booked up. I've seen clinics take in emergencies when they should have referred out because they wanted the money.
When this happens, everyone suffers: the emergency pet, pets already in the care of the hospital, and pets that were scheduled for later appointments. This is because they don't have available staff and resources to give your pet the attention it needs in an emergency. Think about it: if your pet required careful monitoring, would you want to leave it somewhere that is so busy they don't have any openings for 2 days? It's really common sense.
Emergency situation = emergency hospital.
I'm curious - what dog vaccines did they give to your cat?
Thank you so much for posting on behalf of Banfield. That is exactly the snarky attitude that has so many people hating/disliking them.
I have since contacted numerous clinics who have all stated that they wouldn't have turned away a dog bleeding in such a manner. They would have requested that the animal be brought to them immediately. What I gather from your comment is this "As to your question: why do you pay if you are denied service when it really counts?? Well you pay for a WELLNESS PLAN.
It's not an EMERGENCY INSURANCE PLAN." You're right, absolutely right. I will NO LONGER pay for a wellness plan when I can have pet insurance instead. I'm tired of my cat being given vaccines meant for dogs.
I'm just tired of Banfield, period. Goodbye.
Banfield is not an emergency clinic. If they say they can't fit you in, it's not because they're being rude or unaccommodating, it's because they have the best interest of YOUR pet and the pets of OTHERS at heart. Have you ever been to a people emergency room? It's a lot different from your primary care provider's office, isn't it? Would you expect your primary care provider to cancel all of his/her appointments because you have an emergency? No, your doctor would tell you to go to the ER. This is for 2 reasons. 1.) It's unfair to cancel other people's appointments to squeeze your emergency in, and 2.) they are not equipped properly to handle emergencies.
It's the same thing at the vet's office. If you call and they don't have any openings, why should everybody else be inconvenienced? Also, they are not set up for emergencies. Emergency hospitals are properly equipped with the right equipment and professionals specially trained in emergency treatment. So it's actually best for your pet to go to an emergency clinic if it is truly experiencing an emergency.
The reason why sometimes Banfield does get backed up due to emergencies is because people often burst through the door with an emergency and we have to see the pet once it is there, because to deny them treatment and waste time to have them drive to another clinic could cost the pet its life. We usually stabilize the pet, then send it to an emergency hospital for continued treatment. Another reason is because sometimes a pet who ALREADY has an appointment requires immediate attention, and more time than was previously anticipated.
I'm really tired of people complaining that they can't get an appointment right away. Guess what? I have to wait WEEKS to see my doctor. It's the same thing with animals. If it's an emergency - go to an emergency hospital. It's not rocket science, people. As to your question: why do you pay if you are denied service when it really counts?? Well you pay for a WELLNESS PLAN. It's not an EMERGENCY INSURANCE PLAN.
It's medicine people. Same as for people.