Banfield Pet Hospital Lincoln, California Nonstandard Care - Failed Service - Poor Ethics in finding a resolution Lincoln, California
I have been a long time customer of Banfield, with both of my Labradors enrolled in Banfield's Wellness program. We have been members of the program for over seven years. We have accessed care across the Banfield network from San Diego, to Denver, to Lincoln, and back to Denver. In most cases we have been very pleased with the quality of care we have received.
However, this all changed in May of 2011. My puppy was diagnosed with knee problems and a procedure was recommended and conducted by a Banfield Doctor. During her recovery, the same doctor subsequently diagnosed, recommended and performed a second operation not more than a month later for a torn tendon, likely due to her knees not being stabilized.
We moved to Denver in June and our puppys care was entrusted to a vet at the Banfield Hospital in Littleton. To date, he has done a wonderful job and works with integrity and the highest professional conduct. In July, upon consulting with the former vet and surgeon who conducted the two operations and the owner at the Lincoln, California Banfield the current Banfield Doctor recommended we seek
an outside consult as the puppy was not progressing. In July a diagnosis was made by a specialist of Veterinary Surgical Services in Englewood, Colorado that our puppy had a bacterial infection in her knee that was not diagnosed by Banfield, and, more importantly, that she was in need of a Medial Patella Luxation Bilateral - the exact same procedure that was conducted at the Banfield Hospital in Lincoln, because it was not successful.
As we reached out to the Lincoln Banfield for an explanation and a possible solution, their behavior became boorish. They immediately stopped returning phone calls and they were curiously never available to discuss our puppys condition or how to remedy our unfortunate situation. Once this
happened they went from partners in her treatment and care to antagonistic evasive
unscrupulous providers. Their only action, once the second diagnosis was made, was to retain an attorney. They made this a legal matter, not me. All I wanted was a refund, or an explanation. All I got was a call from their attorney. The Client Advocate Team provides no assistance, and now will not even comment on our plight.
I ask in good faith to answer a question for me - how can the Lincoln Banfield honestly say they met the standard of care when I had to pay to have the exact same procedure redone four months later by a doctor recommended by a Banfield Veterinarian?
I recently took my car in for a repair to the air conditioner. They attempted to repair it, but within a week it was still not functioning. I called them back and they repaired it a second time for free. As a consumer, why would it be fair that I have now had to pay for the exact same surgery twice within four
months of each other at an out of pocket cost of over $7,000?
I had high hopes that Banfield and the Banfield brand would do everything in their power to help a long time customer. At the very least, I would ask that no other loving pet owners be subject to the
unethical, money first position being practiced at the Lincoln, California Banfield.
I would hope that as a token of good faith we be reimbursed for our costs associated with the first surgery and that we be allowed, without pain of penalty, the opportunity to opt out of both Wellness plans immediately.
Sadly, so far, I join a long list of customers who have been taken advantage of by a company in a position of trust doing nothing to help.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
DACCON
Lincoln,California,
USA
Complete Rubbish
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, December 15, 2016
I have been a loyal Banfield customer with my 4 dogs since 2007. I have been through similar surgical problems but realize that doctors, as with lawyers, do not guarantee their work. If a lawyer loses your case do you think that he/she will suddenly say, shoot, I lost and off to prison you go but don't worry about paying me. Wrong- only personal injury attys do that and they only accept cases that they are 100% they can win. I had a spine surgery back in 05 (the first of what would turn out to be many) and the doc screwed up. 2 weeks later I was back on the table and he charged the full amount. The same thing happened to my Jack Russell and his leg surgery (which was actually done by a vet surgeon who did not even work at Banfield). I am 99% sure that yours was also done by Dr. Peter Walsh (who is the best vet surgeon in California ). You know that no profession does repeats for free unless it is covered in warranty. Your running around poisoning other potential clients is not only childish but it is beyond unprofessional. If you tried to hire a lawyer know that no lawyer would take it on contingency as there is no case. As for getting out of your banfield Wellness plan, they did give you an option as to how you could get out. You just had to pay back the money that the plan paid for in the previous calendar year. My guess is that you had X-rays (normally $100.00) multiple office visits (normally $45.00 visit who knows but most likely the comprehensive exam ($250.00) shots ($45 for the office visit times 3 as the shots can't all be done on the same day and the $300 or so for shots). If you had the dental done, that's normally around $450 since the pet had to be put under). If you are going to run around complaining about a good company, at least be grown up to make it a fair assessment. I had the multiple surgery situation you are talking about and while I already knew that was the way surgeries work, they made me sign a form that included additional surgeries that would not be free. The Wellness plans are life savers and if this was truly about your dog and not you trying to force Banfield into paying for your dogs surgery out of their own pocket, you would separate the Wellness Plan from the surgeon and know that the Wellness plans are worth their weight in gold. 45+\- a month includes: 1. Comprehensive evaluation every six months (I'm 99% sure that youn get 2 a year but I may be wrong. 2. Dental Treatments- They put your pet under anthestesia and clean not only the teeth but take care of early stage gun disease. Teeth issues can cause a dogs life to end far too early. 3. Free office visits (normally around $45.00 4. X-rays (there is a limit as to how many 5. Annual shots (normally $300 plus office visit. Dog surgery is no different then people surgery. There is guarantee as to the outcome. Dr. Walsh is an incredible surgeon and he is so busy that he does not need made up surgeries. The man has spent his life bettering his ability to treat animals and your selfish and immature review (you are so bored in life that you literally searched the internet looking for places to post your rubbish. Grow up and realize that owning animals is expensive and if you can't afford it, place the animals in a successful home that can. Otherwise grow a set and go delete all these posts that so nothing but show you to be a childish criminal. You are trying to ablackmail Banfield into paying for your dogs surgery. I know that there is no atty that would take this case on a contingency basis as it's a loser. If you are a actually an adult who was just shell-shocked then go take down all these BS postings. Personally, I would have talked to Darnell who is the GM and rocks. She won't authorize paying for the surgery but maybe she can help. You are causing other people to miss out on Wellness plans and I'm betting that even you know how invaluable those plans are to keeping your dog/cat healthy. I have 4 dogs and all 4 are on the top level plan as they are all around 10 now so I want to be prepared. Other readers- please, don't let one BS review turn you away. Sadly, you will probably find lots of people complaining about the Wellness Plans but they leave out the fact that they get all the shots, have the comprehensive done, the dental done within the first month and then they get angry because Banfield won't let them cancel. That is literally $1500 in treatment for only $45 per month. Oh shoot, I forgot to account for all the "office visit" costs. Your pets deserve the same level of care you would provide a person with. Banfield uses hospital quality drugs, imaging and testing services.