Banfield Pet Hospital Why does Banfield get away with sending your pet away, and not refunding your money? Chandler Arizona
All of these complaints lead to Banfield promising to treat your pet, and then telling you after you bring your pet in that it is not covered under your policy. They get you for more money, and if they don't get it they send the pet away and refuse to deal with you anymore. They will not refund your money.
Why do we allow Banfield to get away with this? PetSmart has a bad reputation on there care of pets and I think it is because of the hospital. Banfield has seemed to even kill pets in other complaints! What can we do about this as a whole? Can we seek help with the animal rights people?
joe
phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Dailyalice
Campbell,California,
U.S.A.
Wellness plans are NOT insurance!
#2UPDATE Employee
Mon, February 02, 2009
Banfield wants to prevent your animal from getting sick, so they offer wellness plans.
Wellness plans are a prepaid, discounted package of specific services that help keep your pet healthy and detect problems while they are still minor.
In addition to the prepaid services (vaccines, dental cleanings, bloodwork), office visits are included for free.
A lot of hospital offer puppy packages - you pay for vaccines, deworming, and neutering or spaying up front and get a discount from the normal price. No one is surprised when the puppy swallows a bone and the surgery is not covered by the puppy package. The wellness plans work the same way, but Banfield doesn't think that preventive care is only for puppies, so they offer similar plans for adult animals too.
The Wellness plans do NOT cover illnesses - they are NOT insurance. You do get a fixed percentage discount on any services needed to treat an illness if it is treated at Banfield. There are hours that Banfield is not open, and there are illnesses and surgeries that Banfield does not treat. Why? Because they want to make sure your pet receives the optimum care, and recognizes when they are not equipped to provide it.
If you want INSURANCE for your pet, you should look into VPI, Pets Best, SPCA, AKC, etc. These policies help cover expenses for illnesses, but if you look closely at the benefits schedules, you will still be left paying for a large portion of your pet's medical bill.