- Report: #802174
Complaint Review: Banfield Pet Hospital - South Bend Indiana
Reported By:
DogLover88 -
South Bend, Indiana, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Banfield Pet Hospital
4540 Grape Road South Bend, 46545 Indiana, United States of America
Phone:
574-247-4405
Web:
banfield.com
Categories:
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Banfield Pet Hospital Alexis Schulman, DVM Unethical, Undependable, & Understaffed South Bend, Indiana
I am writing this review after having the single worst business/professional experience of my life. If you want your dog to be seen promptly and by a competent and ethical veterinarian with adequate staff, please look elsewhere!
I recently moved to the area, so I took both my dogs (who both have Banfield health care plans) to this particular Banfield, which is a charter owned by veterinarian Alexis Schulman, expecting the same satisfactory service I've enjoyed from this company in the past. Unfortunately, this was not my experience.
In the past month I have made at least three appointments for my 1 year old dog "Abby" and each time, with less than an hour to go before the appointment, I received a call from a vet tech telling me that the veterinarian will not be able to see me that day (always with a different outlandish excuse). On the one occasion I was able to take my puppy, "Winston," for his mandatory shots, I waited over two hours AFTER my appointment time was to have started, and when he finally was seen, it was another hour and a half for a simple series of vaccinations.
Yesterday I had an appointment for Abby at 6:00, which was rescheduled after having earlier appointments canceled on me at the last minute. Abby has an infection and is throwing up and losing weight and needed to be seen ASAP, but when I got to the office, there was no one there except other clients who claimed to have been waiting for 2+ hours. I signed in promptly at 6:00, and did not see a single employee-- not even the receptionist-- until 6:30 (Banfield closes at 7:00). The first words out of the employee's mouth were, "Oh, we meant to call you, the vet has to leave tonight and can't see you." My jaw hit the floor! I complained that this is a pattern of poor service and last-minute cancellations when my dog was sick and I had PAID to have her seen (I pay monthly installments for her health care plan). The employee tried to make more excuses, but I said it was unprofessional to have continual, chronic problems of this nature that inconvenience customers and put their pets' health in jeopardy. Finally, around 6:50, the vet pulled me into a room and suddenly told me she was not going to see my dog, and that I needed to leave right away or she was going to call the police. I could not believe my ears! I told her to go ahead and call the police and that I wanted to file an incident report stating that she was refusing to provide NECESSARY medical care that I had paid for and would gladly pay any amount for. When she saw that her threat of calling the police would not make me leave, she tried to intimidate me by saying her mother is a lawyer and I was slandering her business. I told her it's only slander if it's false, and everything I'd said to her employee was 100% true. She also told me I needed to "stop talking." She tried to silence my First Amendment right to free speech! I refuse to be silenced when my dog's health is in jeopardy and I paid for services she refused to perform.
The other customers who were in the waiting room, and who earlier said they had experienced the same patterns of last-minute cancellations and excessive wait-times, were sympathetic and stood up for me when the vet accused me of being slanderous and a nuisance. All the customers said they would never under any circumstance choose to go to this Banfield again had they not already paid for the health care plans.
I plan on contacting Banfield corporate headquarters to report the vet's refusal to treat my pet even though I had paid for the treatment and indicated I would happily pay any sum to have her give Abby the medicine she desperately needed. The vet was on a power trip and put her personal unhappiness regarding my legitimate complaints before my pet's health. Any good vet would never take out her anger or hurt pride on an innocent creature who depends on them for care. This was a fundamental breach of trust and she caused Abby to suffer, when it was within her power, and it was her duty, to help Abby. That, in my opinion, is morally repugnant and unforgivable.
I am writing this review not out of spite but out of genuine concern for the well-being of the pets in the area. Vet Schulman does not put pets' needs first, and furthermore the office is chronically understaffed and extremely undependable. Please do your beloved furry family member a favor and seek another vet!!
I recently moved to the area, so I took both my dogs (who both have Banfield health care plans) to this particular Banfield, which is a charter owned by veterinarian Alexis Schulman, expecting the same satisfactory service I've enjoyed from this company in the past. Unfortunately, this was not my experience.
In the past month I have made at least three appointments for my 1 year old dog "Abby" and each time, with less than an hour to go before the appointment, I received a call from a vet tech telling me that the veterinarian will not be able to see me that day (always with a different outlandish excuse). On the one occasion I was able to take my puppy, "Winston," for his mandatory shots, I waited over two hours AFTER my appointment time was to have started, and when he finally was seen, it was another hour and a half for a simple series of vaccinations.
Yesterday I had an appointment for Abby at 6:00, which was rescheduled after having earlier appointments canceled on me at the last minute. Abby has an infection and is throwing up and losing weight and needed to be seen ASAP, but when I got to the office, there was no one there except other clients who claimed to have been waiting for 2+ hours. I signed in promptly at 6:00, and did not see a single employee-- not even the receptionist-- until 6:30 (Banfield closes at 7:00). The first words out of the employee's mouth were, "Oh, we meant to call you, the vet has to leave tonight and can't see you." My jaw hit the floor! I complained that this is a pattern of poor service and last-minute cancellations when my dog was sick and I had PAID to have her seen (I pay monthly installments for her health care plan). The employee tried to make more excuses, but I said it was unprofessional to have continual, chronic problems of this nature that inconvenience customers and put their pets' health in jeopardy. Finally, around 6:50, the vet pulled me into a room and suddenly told me she was not going to see my dog, and that I needed to leave right away or she was going to call the police. I could not believe my ears! I told her to go ahead and call the police and that I wanted to file an incident report stating that she was refusing to provide NECESSARY medical care that I had paid for and would gladly pay any amount for. When she saw that her threat of calling the police would not make me leave, she tried to intimidate me by saying her mother is a lawyer and I was slandering her business. I told her it's only slander if it's false, and everything I'd said to her employee was 100% true. She also told me I needed to "stop talking." She tried to silence my First Amendment right to free speech! I refuse to be silenced when my dog's health is in jeopardy and I paid for services she refused to perform.
The other customers who were in the waiting room, and who earlier said they had experienced the same patterns of last-minute cancellations and excessive wait-times, were sympathetic and stood up for me when the vet accused me of being slanderous and a nuisance. All the customers said they would never under any circumstance choose to go to this Banfield again had they not already paid for the health care plans.
I plan on contacting Banfield corporate headquarters to report the vet's refusal to treat my pet even though I had paid for the treatment and indicated I would happily pay any sum to have her give Abby the medicine she desperately needed. The vet was on a power trip and put her personal unhappiness regarding my legitimate complaints before my pet's health. Any good vet would never take out her anger or hurt pride on an innocent creature who depends on them for care. This was a fundamental breach of trust and she caused Abby to suffer, when it was within her power, and it was her duty, to help Abby. That, in my opinion, is morally repugnant and unforgivable.
I am writing this review not out of spite but out of genuine concern for the well-being of the pets in the area. Vet Schulman does not put pets' needs first, and furthermore the office is chronically understaffed and extremely undependable. Please do your beloved furry family member a favor and seek another vet!!
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Dr. Schulman
granger,Indiana,
United States of America
Dr. Schulman's response
#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Tue, May 29, 2012
First of all I apologize for having triggered such hatred in you that you feel that you need to go to every website you can get into to file all these lies about me. I have never been convincted of any crime, the Indiana Boards voted unanimously to issue my Veterinary License, I have no malpractice lawsuits or any complaints against any of my licenses. I have never been accused or convicted of fraud either in my career or in my private life. I don't see the logic of accusing me of embezzling money in my own business, can someone rob themselves? You obviously don't understand the concept of a franchise- especially when the franchisor does all of the accounting for the hospitals. Banfield new that my hospital was not producing enough money before I did. You seem to think you know me but I don't know you at all since you use aliases and not your real name. I also don't remeber your dog Abby, and I guarantee you that I don't forget my patients so this too may be a lie. As far as my clients I hlave attached a letter I have sent to those that have real pets and are truly looking for Veterinary help for them. I hope you can heal from your grudge "hatred is an acid that destroys its own vessel". Good luck, Alexis A. Schulman, DVM
Dear clients and
friends,
This letter is to
inform you that I have a new phone number (574)742-VETS
On the afternoon of Friday April 13, 2012 I received a phone
call from Kelly Orfield, Banfield VP of Operations, informing me that Banfield
was exercising their right to close my hospital because of unpaid fees for
losses incurred during the past 4 months. He stated that at 7:00pm of April 14,
2012 two Banfield Field Leaders would come in to perform an inventory of my
hospital and the locks would be changed. He also advised me that I was to only
take personal items from the hospital until my banking institution was
notified.
Both myself and my staff were devastated by the news and I decided to cancel all appointments for
that Saturday in order to take care of the pets belonging to my staff members
who needed Veterinary care.
On Saturday, Dr. Lisa Killian and Mrs. Nicole Sullivan came in around 5:00 pm while we were still
working on our pets and began inventory of every item in my hospital. They
informed me their IT department would blank out all the hard drives of our
computers by morning. All patient records would be taken. By 9:00pm we were
locked out of the hospital.
The following day I called my banking institution and they informed me that the inventory and
equipment in my hospital belongs to me( I have 5 more years to pay on the loan)
and Banfield had no right to confiscate it. After a few calls from my attorneys
Banfield released the contents of my hospital to me and coordinated to have
Petsmart managers as well as Banfield representatives present while I retrieve
my property.
As far as your medical records Banfield has agreed to return them to comply with Indiana laws, however
they are still debating when they will do this.
I sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience this has caused you. We tried as hard as we could to provide your pets with the best Medical Care we had available and this was not our choice.
Magranes has agreed to offer a onetime free office visit to all of our former
patients in need of care. I hope to see your pets again under more favorable
conditions.
Sincerely,
Alexis A. Schulman,DVM
Rich
mishawaka,Indiana,
United States of America
A different opinion
#3Consumer Comment
Sat, May 12, 2012
I wish I knew this situation was brewing so I could share my experience, before Dr. Schulmans practice was shut down. My experience was quite different and I have nothing but praise for her and her staff!
First let me say that youre going to wait at LEAST a half an hour at any office visit, be it a DVM or an MD. I, for one, ask a lot of questions when Im in the examination room, so I can see why the wait can be longer, when you consider the number of patients seen. Im okay with that when my pet is getting such professional treatment. Also, on one occasion, Dr. Schulman tended to one of my dogs well after closing time.
In 2011 I took my pup, Rosie, in to be treated, as it turned out, for Parvo. I paid my fee, which included an overnight stay for observation. Her condition did not improve as hoped and she had to stay an additional two nights. Further tests revealed she also had whip worms and was suffering from bloat. All three were life threatening conditions. I was in a tuff situation, because I was to leave for vacation in a few days and had no one to care for Rosie. I couldnt take her to a kennel, due to her condition. Dr. Schulman, her daughter and one of her staff took care of Rosie FOR SEVENTEEN DAYS, while I was gone! When I returned I thought my bill would be at least an additional $1,000.00. My initial fee did not include treatment for the parasites and medication or the bloat with x-rays or the seventeen additional days of care/babysitting. When I left she was one sick pup and when returned Rosie was 100% better! Dr. Schluman saved her from THREE life threating conditions, all at the same time. Quite a feat I would say!!!
I got on the internet this morning trying to find where Dr. Schulman may have relocated because she will have my business, if she is in the area. Instead I found a scathing rant about one persons bad experience. Be that as it may, she will still get my business, if I can locate her practice.
Ohthe additional charge for the seventeen days of care, treatment for the parasites and bloat? $67.00. I couldnt believe it. I even ask the receptionist to double check.
If anyone knows where Dr.Schulman has resumed her practice, please let me know @ 574-315-3179.
Thank you Dr. Schulman and your staff for saving Rosies life.
Mary
United States of AmericaDr. Schulman
#4General Comment
Mon, April 23, 2012
My dog was a patient of this particular Banfield for almost 4 years and we we're shocked to get a letter in the maill saying they closed, although I'm not surprised they did. It was slowly going downhill. The whole 4 years my dog only saw Dr. Schulman once, all her other appointments it was just a vet tech. Then they starting cutting out the wellness hours. It was 3 days a week, then 1, then none, then to being closed on Mondays. This places a real burden on people with having to scramble to find a new vet.
DogLover88
Mishawaka,Indiana,
USA
Dr. Schulman Shut Down!
#5Author of original report
Mon, April 23, 2012
As of April 14, 2012, the Mishawaka Banfield was suddenly closed down with no notice or warning to those with Pet Health Plans (I have two, one for each of my dogs).
After speaking with Petsmart employees, they communicated rumors that Dr. Schulman was facing numerous complaints lodged against her, and that there were indications she had been involved in embezzling money from her Banfield charter. Additionally, employees told me that she stole equipment the day she up and left-- she took everything that was not nailed down (computers, TVs, etc.).
I have been attempting to get in touch with Banfield regarding the initial incident but have not yet heard back. I did write on their Facebook page and they indicated that someone with their Consumer Advocate Team will get in touch with me.
Right now I want to know that my dogs' health plans will be canceled with no additional charges made since there is no longer a Banfield within 60 miles of my home. Since I have not been able to utilize their services given Dr. Schulman's incompetence and unethical behavior, I am also going to ask for a refund.
I know there have been several other complains lodged against this location. I found out that Dr. Schulman was brought before the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for facilitating cheating! Apparently she had an online group that stored tests and test answers. I am unsurprised... she is an absolute snake who has no business handling pets' health.
