Banfield – The Pet Hospital Run By Con Artists!
I don’t know how many of you have has the displeasure of taking your pet to Banfield – The Pet Hospital. You know the place, its the veterinary hospital located oh so conveniently inside PetSmart. Why they haven’t been shut down by a class action lawsuit is beyond me. Someone needs to sue these bastards!! Here’s my view on them.,
Crusty loves pets!
It’s a fair statement to say that Crusty and Mrs. Crusty love pets. We have 2 Fila Brasiliero (Brazilian Mastiff) puppies, a miniature pinscher, two alexandrine parrots, and numerous fish tanks.
We bought the Filas at 7 weeks old from a breeder. They were due for their shots, so we figured we would look into Banfield Pet Hospital as they seemed to be very convenient since we were always in PetSmart buying pet stuff AND they always seemed to have a bunch of customers there. With all those customers, they must be popular.
We walk over the desk and explain that we have 2 Filas that will need their annual shots and rabies vaccine within the next week The girl at the desk explained that it would be about $350 a piece for the annual shots and rabies vaccine. Spaying or neutering (we have a male and a female) would be some other astronomical number. But fear not! There is a wellness plan we can sign up for which gives us HUGE discounts and a monthly payment.
Since I’m always looking for a deal, the Basic Optimum Wellness Plan for puppies seemed like a good deal. It was $140 to sign up and 25.99 per dog each month for a year. This also covers the spaying and neutering!
Here’s the link to their plans, they deleted the handy graphic i had linked here: Banfield Plans
To join, you sign a CONTRACT that you will pay the monthly fee etc. When you become a member, you can tke your dog there every day of the week if you want and won’t have to pay for an office visit (saving 40 bucks a visit). Sounds great right?
Bend over and say ahhh!!!
First, one of the veterinarians assistants (usually a girl for whatever reason) makes you sign a release form saying the veterinarian can look at your dog and then she goes through the list of things you want done.
Before giving the dogs any shots, they try to sell (guilt) you into paying for a hydrocortizone shot ($20 or so) to lessen and pain or ill effects for the dog. You don’t want you precious little puppy hurt do you? Then they try to sell you a cherry flavor pain medicine ($12 or so) to lessen soreness. After this they try to sell you a specialized heartworm preventative ($13 minimum per pill) and of course a Advantix flea/tick control medication ($25 a dose). But wait, theres more! Do you need your nails clipped for 9 bucks?
You are at the veterinarians office for at least 20 minutes going through this bullshit, are required to sign the quote for the things to be done and authorizing the veterinarian to perform them. By now you are probably shelling out another $100 or so. Up until this point….
The veterinarian has not even seen your pet!
None of the stuff above is included in the wellness plan! After the veterinarians assistant leave the room, the veterinarian walks in. He has never heard of our breed of dog!!! This is a guy with years of veterinary education, a degree, and one who is supposed to keep up with the latest and greatest. He walks in like flash, sticks the dog with multiple shots and leaves in a flash. Total time veterinarian? 3 minutes. The assistant took all the vitals (listened to the heartbeat, stuck the thermometer up the dogs ass, etc.)
A week later, we go through the same bullshit with our 2nd Fila and have spent over $200 extra on the dogs over the price of the puppy plans.
Fast Forward 3 months.
Per the veterinarians recommendation, we should have our female Fila spayed at the 5 month mark. We take her in for a checkup and to schedule. Reread the paragraphs above, because we go through the same thing. When the veterinarian mentions the spay, he says it will cost extra because the dog is over 50 pounds (Mastiffs are HUGE dogs, and ours is perfectly fit and is 85 pounds and 5 months old). I ask how much this is and he says $86.08 extra. Holy shitarrooooo Batman! I ask him to point this out in the plan, since the plan only mentions extras in the case of a obese dog (she is not obese) or if dogs nuts haven’t dropped yet (on our male fila, his have dropped and are swinging proudly). He says “It is not in the plan and I am telling you that is what I am going to charge! It takes extra time and anesthesia due to the dogs size. I tell him we’ll think about it. See update below for newly added fine print,
Crusty is pissed!
I am the type that doesn’t take shit from anybody, so I call the Banfield corporate office. I talk to a lady (I use that term loosely) and politely explain the situation. She tells me that the doctors can charge whatever they feel appropriate if extra services or time is required. I said that is wrong because we have a signed contract and it doesn’t stipulate that. “No sir, you are wrong, we are right. The doctor has to be paid for his services.” As you see from the graphic higher up, it covers anesthesia. That is right from their site. Also say the same in the brochure for the plan. Do they charge less for our miniature pinscher who weight 8 pounds? HELL NO! This play should be based on averages, on some dogs they would make more, on some dogs they would make less. Above all, they should have informed me of this before I signed up for the damn plan!
The veterinarian informed us that a spay/neuter without the plan is typically $600, I went to see another veterinarian with our dogs, and they quoted me a price of $350 for it, without any prepaid plan needed.
Other interesting facts:
If your pet dies before paying the full 12 months, tough shit. You still have pay for it.
You cannot cancel your plan, if you ask to cancel it, you are responsible for the treatments and services you have received at the NON-plan price. Any extra, which there isn’t any, would be refunded to you. Since the jack up the prices to sell more plans, you would end up paying even more.
The Bottom Line:
Someone needs to put these bastards out of business
Update 5/20/09:
Banfield has, at some point, updated their plan to reflect the fact that the veterinarian may charge extra on spaying/neutering for puppies over 50 lbs.
Here’s the updated plan chart and fine print.
Banfield Puppy Wellness Plan
The fine print:
*We recommend that spays or neuters be performed before your Pet is 6 months of age. Additional surgical fees may apply if your Pet is over 6 months old, over 50 pounds or other atypical conditions exist. At Banfield, all anesthetic procedures include pre-anesthetic blood testing to ensure Pets are healthy enough to undergo surgery/anesthesia. If your Pet’s surgery is postponed due to a condition revealed in the pre-anesthetic blood testing, you will be responsible for the cost of the blood testing at the time the abnormality is found. The pre-anesthetic blood testing included in the Wellness Plan is for the surgical procedure and is available only on the day the surgery is performed.
It doesn’t change my opinion, I still think they are a bunch of con artists!
Reader's Comments
I was forced to pay off the rest of the plan after our dog died. I think this should be Illegal in any state of the union. That is my opinion.
I agree. They almost killed my cat twice giving
her so called required vaccines. Then I had to take her back to have fluids given because she was running a temperature of 105. This happened
twice. They charged me $229.00 for something they
caused. I am really pissed also. Mary
I am also MAD – MAD – MAD!!! My beautiful baby was just put to sleep and I’m hoping it was called for after reading all these comments! He was healthy in January after his annual check up….hmmmm? I am upset that we are FORCED to pay for the balance of his wellness plan ever AFTER his death. I think we should get together and look into a class action lawsuit here….
Look at it this way:
If you took your pet in to get vaccinated and a month later the pet passed away, you would not go back to the vet and ask for a refund on the vaccines because you barely got to use them. If you opt to pay for something on a monthly basis you can’t expect someone to forgive all debts because you do not require FUTURE services. If you take out a loan for a car and then crash the car, you are still responsible for the balance of the loan are you not? I’m not trying to minimize what happened to the original poster of the message, it should have been stated originally that an over 50lbs fee is charged at the time of the spay or neuter, or it should have been waived if they opted to spay your pet at the 5 month mark knowing full well she would be over at the time. There is also an additional fee if the pet is over 6 mos and/or in heat at the time the procedure is completed. However, requiring someone to fulfill their portion of a financial obligation that they signed a contract for is definitely not a reason to file a class action lawsuit.
Veronica,
I believe you are missing the point here. When I first took both of my dogs in, there were both over 50 pounds each. I signed the first dog up, and there was NO MENTION of an extra fee for dogs 50 pounds or over. The contract also does not mention this, nor does ANY of the marketing brochures. When I signed up my 2nd dog (also over 50 pounds) a week later, again NO MENTION of an extra fee for dogs over 50 pounds. It wasn’t until the 3rd or 4th visit that the Veterinarian said he would charge extra for both dogs My original intent for signing up for the plan was to spread out the cost of the neutering/spaying so that I did not have to pay $1000 at once to have both dogs done. Banfield clearly has breached the contract by not providing services at the agreed upon pricing for which the contract was signed.
If you need an analogy, lets say you buy a car. You get financing from your bank and drive the car home. Out of the blue, 4 months later the bank informs you that you will have to pay $5000 extra because your car is red. Would you be upset?
Crusty
i work for banfield and everything they do is a scam. not only do they scam their customers but they scam their employees. working there has shown me the exact definition of what a bad job is. many people are charged for services their pet never received. do not be duped into purchasing the wellness plan!!! the amount of money you will be pay over the year is the same amount, maybe even less, if you go to your local vet and pay out of pocket. do not fall victim to another corporate gimmick!!!! it’s not worth your pet’s life or your wallet!!
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:
1. 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 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. 800-838-6738 Fax 866-477-5120 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 1-877-698-8482 or 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 800-838-6738 Fax 866-477-5120 email: scott.campbell@banfield.net VP of Operations direct line 503-922-5244 fax 503-922-6244.
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.
8. 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 623-580-6100.
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
Why are all of you people taking your pets back a 2nd time after they screw you or almost kill your animals? Even if I was paying for the plan, I don’t think I would take my pet back to someone that almost killed him. That is your responsibility as a pet owner. You can put them out of business by not going back you idiots.
Thanks, good article. Do you know any other places that discuss this?
Great article, adding it to my bookmarks!
Each person whom Banfield can lie to and cohearse into the Wellness Plan is a “sucker” to Banfield, and I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “there’s a sucker born every minute”, you can not put them out of business simply by not going back. Use them at least to claim the services that you have paid for under the wellness plan you trust your vet to safely perform. Tell them prior to each appointment that you will not pay anything beyond the wellness plan and that if there is medication necessary, you will order it online. Then join the class action suits above. And, thank you, Atlanta Dog Lover, for all of the additional information. It is very helpful. Also, did you know that if your pet has ever had a reaction to a vaccine, no matter how slight, Banfield will not give the vaccines for free under the Wellness Plan. That is not written in the plan either.
Your writing style is quite a good role model for me – I have recently started my own blog and I am really struggling to write articles!
I am a vet rip off victim also, they lied to me and there are others out there. People belive these vets and they are lairs like lawyers they lie for each other.
I also was forced to pay the balance of the useless Banfield Pet Hospital Wellness plan. The only purpose of the plan is to rip off the public. Completely unethical. I tried to fight it for six months, complained to the Better Business Bureau, and even attempted a compromise. The Banfield Pet Hospital not only refused, but turned the case to a debt collection company. Man, what sleaze.
I’ll never take any pet I ever have now or any time in the future to that place. What a con game!
The problem is CORPORATE initiated and trickles to every Banfield Pet Hospital in every city or town where one is located.
DON’T complain to the Corporate office. They’re the initiators!
I had just moved away from my usually Vet and I had to take my cat in as she was very sick. I called Banfield Hospital in Oxnard CA and they offered me a free examination. I took my sick cat to the Banfield Hospital in Oxnard and they examined her and gave her an IV. I told the Vet what the other diagnosis from her real Vet was and had the last test results faxed to them. My Cat had kidney problems which we knew and were treating for with the other Vet. We brought her into Banfield Hospital in Oxnard 2 other times just for the IV. The same day of the 3rd visit we decided to let her go. She was too sick. The Vet administered the final shot and my cat screamed and screamed until she died. I have never seen anything like that!! They immediately gave us a bill for $263.90. We were both so distraught and crying over what we just witnessed. The clerk said it was for the cremation fees. She did not go over the detail of every line. We were so devastated we signed the bill and left. 2 days later we looked at the bill and saw they charged for an exam on the day she died. I later called to get a refund and the Office Manager Sue Singleton refused to give us a refund and said that we had received 3 free other office visits which was not true. She was cold and her demeanor was non human. I only had an IV drip put in which the technician did not the Vet. The Vet never saw her that day and we didn’t ask her too. She accused us of getting a free visit and we told her that was YOUR offer when we called not ours. I tried to speak to her again and my calls are screened and she will not talk to me. To add insult to injury they stapled an exam report to the receipt which stated that my cat (who was on deaths door) was in perfect health. My cat only was examined once by Banfield Hospital and the last time we took her in was only to be put to sleep humanely and that did not happen. My cat screamed and fought until she passed. We will forever have that memory etched into our minds of our baby dying. The Corp monkey for this company name is Steve Gwen and will not and would not refund this money back to us. This place is about money and used us at our most venerable time to take advantage of us and deceive us. Not only that, my cat suffered a horrible execution. This company should be shut down. There corporate monkey’s Steve Gwen and Sue Singleton should be fired immediately. WE WERE CHARGED FOR AN OFFICE EXAM, WHICH NEVER OCCURED. WE TOOK HER THERE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PUTTING HER TO SLEEP – THAT’S IT…
I work for a Banfield outside of Tampa, FL. We are a charter hospital, meaning while we work under the Banfield logo we do not have to follow all of their rules and regulations. At my hospital we work very hard to maintain an atmosphere of a caring, local vet. We only have one doctor and a small support staff. I personally know almost all of our 600 patients by name and love and remember them all. If these stories are accurate, they are NOT indicative of the way all the hospitals are run. We have never lost a patient, we do everything we can to work with our clients financially without losing our shirts and the doctor and myself or the other nurses spend a good deal of time talking to and treating our patients. Further, we do not perform ANY services that will be charged for without first discussing the service, the reason and the cost associated with the Pet Parents, you will never receive a “surprise bill” at our clinic and never should at any Banfield, they are all supposed to have signed estimates or telephone “okays” before any treatment begins. Banfield has an upwards of 400 hospitals, don’t denegrate the entire company due to a few bad eggs. I will be the first to tell you that I would NEVER take my dog to one of the other Banfields in this area; however, each hospital IS different and a lot of it is based on whether the hospital is charter, corporate, or an “associate” hospital (a kind of middle ground.)
Banfield’s site has updated the plan to say that the veterinarian MAY charge more for puppies over 50 pounds. I have updated the original post above to reflect the new plan.
Crusty
Kathryn,
While the possibility exists for there to be an honest and reputable Banfield veterinary office. A search of Google on Banfield Pet Hospital and several chats with the Banfield Customer Service line really makes me wonder, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, since I haven’t dealt with your particular veterinary office before.
Out of curiosity though, how much does YOUR office charge to spay or neuter a 5 month old male/female (I have one of each) Fila Brasiliaro (Brazilian Mastiff) that is on the Puppy Wellness Plan and weighs 85lbs and is perfectly fit, not overweight.
My original post was based on a Banfield office in Maryland. Strangely enough I moved from Maryland to Brandon, FL and lived a couple blocks from a Banfield shortly after posting the original article. Of course, by then Banfield had already screwed me and I have no plans to ever take any of my pets to another Banfield.
Crusty likes being fair though and will post both good and bad comments people send in on this topic.
Crusty
My puppies just got spayed and neutered (i have a boy and a girl boxer) and it ended up costing me MORE with the wellness plan than I have payed at other vets for the same service and NO wellness plan. They must be stopped!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and to top it all off the vet told me that my boy boxer almost went into cardiac arrest, but they saved him. I’m shocked they didn’t charge me extra for that!
My wife took our 2 Boxers in to Banfield yesterday to be fixed. As is normal with them, there were all kinds of extra fees this worthless plan did not pay for. When I purchased the plan the lady working there who was the office manager stated and I quote “Everything is covered with this plan, you can bring your dogs in every day if you choose and you will pay nothing”. LIAR!!!! The dogs ended up with mange from the original owner not being real clean, so we had to pay well over $500.00 for that treatment. I asked about the plan and me not having to pay ANYTHING and was told I misunderstood. O/K, I am not a retard and I dang sure do not EVER misunderstand when it comes to the cost of things in life. These people flat out lied to me and misrepresented themselves. This is ileagal and will be addressed. We pay the stupid monthly fee and have been treating them for mange and they both are finaly well. We took them in and had a scrape done and was told they were fine, and of course again we were charged for that. When my wife took the dogs in for the surgery they told her the dogs had to be scraped one last time to make double sure they were healed of the mange, again a fee was charged. Then all the extra crap for the spaying/neutering. Then my wife was called later and told the dogs were resting fine and she could pick them up in a while. When she got there she was told our (ACTIVE AND HEALTHY) male boxer had stopped breathing and his heart stopped during surgery. WHAT THE CRAP IS THAT!!!!! I have had dogs all my life and have never heard of this before. I know with any surgery there are risk but come on. But of course since this happened there were things they said they had to do in order to bring him back (you know where this is going). Yes more money!!!!! SO our so called FREE/INCLUDED in the plan spaying/neutering ended up costing $200.00 for what should have been included. CROOKS & LIARS. Thats all they are. And for general info the Banfield we are going to is
Flower Mound #1282
6060 Long Prairie
Flower Mound, TX 75028
972-539-0476
SO DO NOT GO THERE!!!!!!!!
About a year ago I brought my 3 year old cat in because he had all of sudden got really sick. Mind you, I have been with Banfield for 3 years and I keep it just for emergencys. My cat at this time was in really bad condition and it had almost happened over night. I brought him to Banfield (the pet hospital my ass) and they immediately put him on an IV. They told me that we need to get a series of x-rays done because they thought he might of swallowed something. They thought this because he was having a hard time going to the bathroom. They said that when cats swallow strings and things it can actually become almost like a saw. As the body moves it can “saw” at organs and things become messed up. The result is he could die. That is literally how they explained it to me! So of course you don’t want your animal to die, so I agreed with it. Mind you again that I am a 23 year old, single girl that at this time is very emotional and will do anything to save me four legged friend. These x-rays with the dye were unfreakin’ believable in price! After we did that and decided nothing was wrong that we “could see” it was time for the next approach. They would keep my cat there and “watch him” and also do some tests. They charged me almost $1,500 just in tests!! I am not kidding you!!! Plus they charged to keep IV’s in him, pain medication, in his IV’s had to be something with nutritional value(since he wasn’t eating)and they even had a “boarding” fee! I had absolutely no choice, he would not eat or drink at all so I had to bring him there every morning and pick him up every night for freakin’ four days! By day five he was just not getting any better, he was actually getting worse. When I would pick him up at night now they were putting a water bag under his skin so that it would keep water in him through the night. The next day I brought him in and decided to ask them “the question.” I told them that my cat wasn’t getting any better and he was in so much pain. When we would come home at night I would have to put him on the bed because he couldn’t jump anymore and he would just lie there. He would try to sleep but with every exhale you could hear a cry. I told them I couldn’t watch this anymore and I was being selfish to think I could save him. Well after they made me feel like SHIT about my question, they said that they would not do it. They would just take him from me and put him up for adoption AFTER they had treated him! They say this after I have spent over 4 thousand dollars in a freakin’ week!!! At this time I am through my whole savings and on to credit cards. I am crying, I can’t even breathe I am so upset. I go to my moms and tell her what they said. My mom is so upset, she takes my cat and storms out of the door. She goes to Banfield and tells them that she wants to speak to the doctor right now. The doctor comes out and gets my mom and brings her back. My mom stated that she wants all the paperwork documenting what ALL has been done to my cat. My mom sits there and looks over all the paperwork as the doctor stands there. She jumps up and says, “You have not given the cat a blood test, are you kidding me?” The doctor argues and looks at the paperwork. Finally he states that is was a “minor overlook.” He gives the my cat the test and finds out that he has a severe kidney and bladder infection. What cats get ALL of the time!!!!! They haven’t ben giving him any antibiotics or anything!! But don’t you worry they did charge us for the blood test and all of the antibiotics to go long with it. I spent clost to $4,800.00 dollars on something that I could of treated for $350.00. My cat hates going to the vet now, I could only imagine what they did to him. The reason they wouldn’t let me put him down is because the whole time they knew what it was. I was an easy target and they sucked as much money out of me as possible. By doing that they risked my cat’s life. My cat is fine now and I will never deal with them again. Nothing is covered under the stupid plan. The visits are but in the visits they tack on several other things they want to do that cost a fortune. I don’t ever leave my cats alone now. I will go back and watch EVERYTHING they do on them. No office will tell you no unless they are doing things that they shouldn’t be doing. I am sorry for everyone on this page that Banfield has hurt. Just remember…what goes around comes around.
I just saw your response to my previous post. If you are on a puppy plan, we have an additional fee of approximately 45 dollars if they are over 50 pounds. The reason for this is because it takes more of all of the medications (anesthesia, premeds, antibiotic injection and pain injection.)
I can understand your point about the law of averages theory; however, the average dog is not over 50 pounds by the time they reach the age to spay/neuter. To keep the costs of plans down they use the averages theory for puppies that will be under fifty pounds and only raise the price for those few who are over. No reason for everyone to pay more because of a small percentage of those who cost the practice more. Sometimes my vet will waive it if we are doing a neuter because those are easier and take about the same time no matter the size of the dog. However, for a spay on a dog over 50 pounds there is much more involved. It takes longer and is more dangerous so the doctor must be extremely careful as all the vessels are bigger (and in turn pump harder). So there is more risk of having sututres pop off, etc.
Overall, you should have been made aware of the cost as they saw the trend in your dog’s weight. We don’t typically tell people about the fees at sign up (of course we mainly see small breeds) but if the dog hits 30 pounds before spay day, we definitely make them aware. If somehow it slips through the cracks and they were not told and are upset, we will waive it as it is our fault that the client was not told (however, we put everything we discuss with a client in the medical notes, so if a client tries to lie and say that they weren’t told, it is in the records which are permenantly stored each night and cannot be amended.)
As for the client with the two boxers with mange: you should really read any contract that you sign thoroughly, plus I have learned from experience that many people hear what they want to hear and disregard that which they don’t like.
As for the last post about the cat: you too should read your contracts, you say you only keep Banfield for emergencies? That is the exact opposite of what the WELLness plans are intended. They are meant to cover your normal preventive care and help give you a break on everything else (5-20% off).
You seem to find these extra fees outrageous. You mean to tell me they ACTUALLY charged you for the pain meds they administered? They REALLY charged you for the considerable time that doctors and nurses must spend with critically ill hospitalized pets? Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass it is to have a dog/cat on IV fluids? Every time the pet changes positions, the line will kink, the machine beeps at you and you have to go fix it. Or sometimes the pet will chew through the line in which case you have to place a new catheter and use a new line and fluid bag because now nothing is sterile. This takes a lot of time. When you think about how much they could make spending that time in rooms with other sick pets that just need basic testing and medications, they lose money when they hospitalize pets.
I went to Banfield for 3 years with my baby before I began working there. (It was the level of care that he received which prompted me to apply). I was an obsessive puppy mom. I was at Banfield once a week for the first 4 months that I had him. I was always listened to, they explained things to me and if anything, I had to insist on them running their tests and xrays (which of course always came up normal). They didn’t try to gouge me and push me into getting unnecessary treatments, I had to ask for them because it was obvious to anyone experienced in the field that they were not needed (as I can now see as a member of the veterinary field), I just wanted them done for my own peace of mind.
Oh, and by the way, I too was a broke, single college girl at the time, but when I got a dog, I also took out a credit card that was reserved for any emergency expenses with my dog. I loved his wellness plan because I could at least keep up with his preventive care and get break on the rest.
Can you go other places and get things done cheaper? Absolutely. Will everything most likely be okay? Eh, maybe. But when things do go wrong, will it make you feel better that you have the extra few dollars in your bank account?
As a closing note, some people feel that our prices on surgeries are “outrageous.” Well, you should the “outrageous” things we do in preparation for and after a surgery. Just try going to a low cost clinic for spay/neuter. Almost every pet we have seen that went to one came out with kennel cough or something else that required treatment that had them spending about what they would have had they come to us in the first place!
Karhryn, thanks for the reply. FORTUNATELY, Banfield has updated their corporate website to mention that their may be additional surgical fees if the pet is over 50 pounds.
One thing did catch my eye in your comment though.
“Overall, you should have been made aware of the cost as they saw the trend in your dog’s weight. We don’t typically tell people about the fees at sign up (of course we mainly see small breeds) but if the dog hits 30 pounds before spay day, we definitely make them aware.”
After a customer signs up for the plan, it is too late to wait until you see a trend in the dog’s weight. The customer has entered a legally binding contract, and it will just tick them off if you mention it AFTER they signed up. Sure, its their responsibility to read everything front and back, but with the hard sell that the Banfield I went to does before you head out the door, it is hard to do. It is definitely a high pressure sales pitch, not the mention the video we had to watch while waiting for the vet. Of course, my experience was before the updated Banfield website AND the updated brochures. It’s just a good business practice to remind people of any additional fees they may incure BEFORE entering in to a contract.
Ok, I work at Banfield in North OKC. I can’t believe some of the things I’m hearing. I mean almost $5000 for 4 days of treatment. I will agree, that is very ridiculous.
In our hospital, we are not car salesman. We mention the wellness plans, but we do not push them. Also, our doctors don’t push crap that is unneccesary. If anything, we give away stuff for free probably a few times a day, ie(pedicure,pain injection,anal gland expression,etc). The doctors I work with are very caring and on many occasions have spent hours with clients talking about their pets, family, life in general.
Granted, not all doctors are great. I have met a few crappy doctors who I will never work with again. But for the most part, the doctors actually care.
The plans are for preventative care only. Thats why they are called WELLNESS plans. Some of the plans do offer bloodwork, radiographs, etc which do help cover costs when your pet does get sick. I personally had my pets on plans for 2 1/2 years before I started at Banfield. I never had a problem. If my dog got sick, I paid for diagnostics not covered by the plan and meds. At a discounted price, of course.
I’m not really sure as to why so many people have a problem with the plan. They are great for puppies and kittens, especially if you plan to spay or neuter. At our hospital a spay cost about $250 alone. With the plan you pay $363 and some change over the year and that includes the spay, all vaccines(and with puppies and kittens all the vaccines need to be boostered at least 2 times), fecals, dewormings, etc.
I’m sorry for all the bad Banfield experiences out there. Banfield is a corporation after all. I can’t make it right by you. But I do strongly urge you to think twice before badmouthing EVERY Banfield.
I hate banfield!! They disgust me! I had a wellness plan for my cat. She has had recurring skin infections her whole life (once every few years she scratches a bald spot in her fur, I don’t know what prompts it…but it seems to pop up every once in a while). I recently moved to Las Vegas, and I brought my cat in. I have also had this skin problem solved for around $100 at other vets in the past. Well, banfield wanted to charge me over $300. They would not honor my free office visit and they would not give me my 15% discount…I have a wellness plan!! Then my cat hissed once or twice at the vet (the cat is afraid and they stuck the thermometer up her butt)…and the vet told me should would not renew my wellness plan and she refused to see my cat again. She said my cat is “fractious”, and now refuses to see the cat. Uh…ok vet…man the f**k up!!! You’re a vet! You can’t deal with a scared cat hiss? Give me a break!! I wont even get into how banfield charged my parents thousands of $$$ for their dalmation. They never even helped the dalmation, and he almost died! This place is the worst. I am in las vegas on fort apache and w. russell rd. If anyone reads this, do not bring your pet to that place. I am also going to stop shopping @ PetSmart altogether. Please also go to consumeraffairs.com and you look up banfield there. You will find 37 pages of complaints.
I just filed a complaint with consumer affairs, and with the FTC. I will also be emailing Scott Campbell (banfield CEO), and I will contacting the CEO of PetSmart to let him know that I will not spend another $ in Petsmart. Thanks guys! I hope everyone here will take some action as well.
The corporate practice of medicine seems alive and well in the animal AND human world as well. The proprietary animal hospital seems to be morphing into the large corporate entity that, as the above posts attest, care little about the people and animals they serve.
I own a chocolate Labrador retriever that I have taken to my hometown vet for years. The other week I took him in to have his anal glands expressed. There was a new office person and other staff but the vet was the same. I asked her what was going on and she indicated that she was forced to sell the practice, that her uncle and dad had started 45 years ago, to a corporation. Things were changing, she noted, but not for the better. The scenario equals that of the Wal-mart from mom and pop shopping milieu that is responsible for the undoing of just so many Main Streets across the country. It’s sad. As long as tax and spend democrats make/keep it impossible for small businesses to thrive and survive, this trend will continue.
Maxy’s anal glands, and his dad’s views, have been expressed. Thanks.
I worked at a Banfield for a little over a 2 month period. That was the most miserable job I have ever had, and the employees were miserable as well. The staff is given a commission for selling customers the wellness plan, we were also encouraged to get people to sign up for services that didn’t cost the company any money.Frankly, I couldn’t do anything right because it went against my morals. The main motif of this company ,or at least the clinic I was at was greed. I came from a smaller community vet clinic where I had worked for 2 years and knew the community, to a Banfield clinic in a suburban neighborhood. I was chastised repeatedly for spending time immediately after an appointment to process people’s lab work and make sure it was received by the lab company on time( lab work can easily be 130$ and can determine the well being of your pets’ health. The reason for this was to get people into an exam room that had been double or triple booked.
I remember specific examples where a customer was charged 2 physical restraint fees (16$ each ) because their dog couldn’t hold still. If you work in a vet clinic that should be just part of the job. The reason for this extra physical restrain varied from doctor to doctor and there was never a set definition.
My manager was a misanthrope who had a past career in retail and carried those principals over to a vet clinic.
I am very happy not being a part of the company any more, work can be tough in any profession, however when your job is to let people know that they owe 200$ extra dollars for a procedure they had not budgeted for and $125 were non essential including the 16$ physical restraint fee, I’d rather be a used car salesman, at least people know they’re probably being taken advantage of, and they are not as attached to their cars as they are their beloved pets.
As for a solution to this company and it’s practices, there are a few. Many people who sign are first time pet owners who trust that the relationship with Petsmart means low prices and a nationwide network. This is a false assumption because a) the wellness plans do not carry over from clinic to clinic.
b) there is a very limited relationship between petsmart and Banfield.
c) many private clinics work with clients and offer them payment plans, banfield does not for non preventative care
d) prices are decided by individual DVMs and can be discounted according to your care situaton
Consumer power and recommendations are a force to be reckoned with, give advice to other pet owners who are looking for a new clinic, tell them to look for private practices. If you feel that you or your animal has been done wrong contact the veterinary board, they will investigate.
Also don’t stop using the WWW, I’ve found these things very helpful in dealing with many companies. I’ve actually found solutions to problems I’ve faced!
I worked for Banfield briefly as a collections rep at the corporate office in Portland, Oregon. The post by Daniel is perfectly indicative of the Corporate atmosphere as well. The Wellness Plans are made for one reason only, TO MAKE THE COMPANY MONEY! All day long I talked to people who were told by the hospital that the plan could be canceled at any time. I Know for a fact that the corporate office is aware of this misinformation and deliberately does not advise there hospitals to correct this. The actual production cost of the services provided by the wellness plans is often less than $100, but the “Retail Value” of the services can be in excess of $1000.00. I understand that a company obviously needs to make money, but the markup on these services is outrageous on top of the unethical lack of information given to the clients by the hospital staff (generally speaking) about their options for canceling the wellness plan. In addition to this the billing for the company is all “paperless”. You have to give a credit card to be automatically billed every month. If something happens and the payments aren’t automatically processed for several months the wellness plan is canceled to collections. At this point, even if the “Retail Value” of the services used is LESS than the cost of the plan they are going to send you to IC Systems (a collection agency) for the whole year’s cost of the wellness plan plus collection fees, if said fees are allowed in your state. This means that if you took your pet in to the hospital all you had done were 2 shots and some kind of fecal exam, and later on the payments are defaulted on (sometimes the “automatic billing system” randomly just stopped taking payments for, SERIOUSLY, no reason!) you are going to be sent to collections for up to $400.00. Granted, it is ultimately the client’s responsibility to make sure their bills are being paid, but how easy could it be to miss that 21.95 wasn’t deducted from your account? SOMETIMES the clients will be mailed a letter saying the payments are not being made and SOMETIMES a phone call is generated in the system, but by no means does this happen with every client. I would say it happens maybe 30% of the time. I know, this is all I did all day long for two months while in the Wellness Plan collections department. I have never in my life worked for a company where all day long I had to listed to people threatening legal action. I really believe that it can’t be legal that they cancel the wellness plans to collections for more then the retail value of the services that were used, and I also think this is in direct contradiction with what the actual contracts say. This is one of the shittiest jobs with the shittiest company I’ve ever had in my life.
I to am having a horrible experiance with the Banfield in Burleson,Texas. I took my kitten Tiny in 2wks ago at 6 wks of age due to the fact he was vomitting and had diarrhea. The Vet Tech.. Aka sales girl at the front was very prompt into pressuring me to by the wellness plan at that moment I declined wanting to see the vet first(I knew he was very sick & wasn’t sure if he would make it). The vet saw him told me he had worms and the parasite in his stool that humans get from drinking water in Mexico. I found this hard to believe due to the fact Tiny was born in my closet and was not an outside cat…I was then informed he could’ve contracted it from his mother who was a stray that I took in that passed away when the kittens were 5wks(neighbors dog attacked her on the porch with my kids next to her). Once I told the vet that she then recommended that I buy the smallest bag of cat food I have ever seen for $20 to ensure he was getting extra nutrients….I got the plan once the vet ensured me that Tiny was going to be Ok & would not be dying on me anytime soon…I walked out of there paying $133 for plan, three types of medications & food. Fast forward 2wks to this past Sat 04/24/10. Tiny has a 6:00 appt for his 1st set of shots, we get there on time. Wait forever for the vet to see us. Once she is in I proceed to tell her that Tiny was acting weird the night before that he ran in my room real fast flopped over then wasn’t able to use his back legs,acted like he couldn’t see me & his face was spasming but that he hadn’t had an instance since last night at 12 am. She said he seemed fine now,the tech said his face was twitching due to fleas(He had no fleas on the 1st visit)so the decided to give him his shots…Fast forward 4hrs I am reading a book and Tiny is curled up on top of my feet when all the sudden he cries out a strange cry. I sit up to grab him & his whole baby body is in a fit of seizures. I call for help & my 12yr.old comes in with a towel & we wrap Tiny up, as soon as that seizure passes he has another he has 4 in 15mins. & we are on our way to the vet ER. Tiny has two more on the way there then four more with the tech & vet seeing him. The vet informs us that he NEVER should have gotten vaccinated being such a sick kitten and that the humane thing for us to do is put him down which I do. I went to Banfield when they upened up on Tues. the sales girl gave me a card with a toll free number on it I was on hold three different tomes and got diconnect all three times! I got throught today and noe I am waiting on a representive to call me back in 3 to 5 days not to mention it will cost me $126 to cancell my plan! I requested corp # & address in which I was told I was speaking to. I am filing a complaint & thanks to this site have Banfields corporate # & address!
If only everybody adored kittens and cats just like we all do. Perhaps you have heard concerning the Epa and flea preventive products? It’ pretty disturbing everything that some of those products are doing to our kitties. Distressing: Flea Products Killing Pets
Even an ex vet is saying that Banfield uses unethical practices that endanger their patients:
“A veterinarian fired from a Banfield, The Pet Hospital, clinic outside Portland, Ore., is taking the company to court, claiming he was wrongfully discharged after he complained that his employers engaged in unethical medical and business practices that endangered the well-being of patients and gouged their owners.”
SOURCE: http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=15884
This information on Banfield amazes me and I found it while looking for a specific female conartist. I will tell everyone I know, however, here in San Antonio, I have found a number of veternerians push services a little too hard. I use to take my cat to Veternerian Assoc on Nacogdoches until they started pushing services a bit too much and now my current vet doubled the price of tooth extracttions in one year from 298 to $450. The big thing are these “wellness profiles.” I will never go to Banfield and I will never buy a wellness plan. Thanks for a great website.
This article is complete bullshit…it’s all common sense when you sign your pet up on the plan. I had 3 animals on Wellness Plans and they saved me an astronomical amount of money…as long as you aren’t retarded they make perfect sense. Also, of course they are going to recommend heartworm medication, and unless you are heartless and cheap it isn’t that expensive compared to the amount of money you will spend on the treatment, which your pet probably won’t even survive. Unless you are a trained veterinarian I don’t really see your opinion on any of this of being worth anything.
Katy,
You obviously didn’t read the article completely, so let me summarize it for you.
1. I had 2 eight week old Brazilian mastiffs.
2. I signed BOTH of them up for the puppy Wellness plan (which said it covered spay/neuter and DID NOT mention any extra charges for size of the dog in the paperwork or the website. They have since added this to their literature).
3. It was $140 to sign up and 25.99 per dog each month for a year. So after one month, I had already spent over $300.00
4. The Veterinarian recommended having the pups spay/neutered at the 5 month mark. Because of their size (over 50 pounds), he said it would cost $86.08 extra for EACH PUP to have them spayed/neutered. NOWHERE IN their contact did it say anything about extra charges based on size.
You are bound by contract to pay off the rest of the contract regardless of whether you use their services or not. The veterinarian CAN charge extra for things if he feels it is necessary (according to the Banfield Corporate Office), and you will pay it if you want that procedure done by him. Other veterinarians often charge less if you ask around.
When I sign a contract for ANYTHING (pet plans, cell phone, etc) I expect to pay the price listed and have any possible extra charges DOCUMENTED before I sign the contract.
Are you a veterinarian? Probably not, unless you work as one for Banfield. So I guess your opinion isn’t worth anything either, by your own definition.
Started our puppy with the Banfield wellness plan, at an Urgent Care Banfield in the D/FW metroplex. Our baby was spay at 10weeks old, hum, not a successful encounter, we remained on the plan, noticing the end of the contract was near, we looked and noticed some services had not been provided. Ultimately refusing, to complete the contract, then stating we were no longer eligible for a wellness plan because our dog WAS A SICK DOG. (short version, our dog was due a fecal examine, and needed one due to soft stools)
During our first wellness plan we met an awesome vet that actually worked at another Banfield hospital, This vet was happy to help our dog, and does an outstanding job. Every now and then, for convenience we attempt the other BAD banfield, for simple things (nails trimmed, flea meds, oh and urgent care) and EVERY single time we are outraged, Every single time we swear to never go back,.. Finally, Finally,.. we will NEVER go back. Being informed by the cute young vet tech that she INTENTIONALLY quicked our dogs toenail while clipping them, just to see where the quick was,,,,,,,,,unF’Nbelievable, sure accidents can happen,.. but to intentionally inflict pain, Seriously!!!! I hope the cute one gets her toenails ripped out for no good reason.
If your complaint is related to the care given by a vet, don’t forget to write a letter to the school they graduated from!! It’s more of an embarrassment for the vet, rather than a judicial punishment however it will get back to the inept vet quickly!!!
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