Everything about the business looks professional until you are there longer than 10 minutes. This…read moreplace was recommended by my vet to help figure out my cat's allergies. In short, I would not recommend. For full details continue reading.
I am budget sensitive so I called ahead to get an estimate. Upon arrival, everything was fine. I even explained my budget restrictions to the vet. She acknowledged my needs and made me feel like I was in good hands. She gave me the run down of what to expect to happen. She then left the room and said that she would be back to discuss results and treatment options. I was very satisfied when she left the room.
15 minutes later the vet tech brought my cat back into the room and proceeded to give me discharge information. I was confused because this was not part of the explanation that the vet had just told me. When I asked to talk to the vet, I was denied access. I was then told that she was busy treating other animals.
The vet tech gave me the bill on a sticky note. It was $300 more than what I had expressed to the vet that I could spend. When I expressed my concern for the amount due, I was greeted with a quick reasoning why it was okay for the bill to have exceeded my budget as well as where I could proceed to pay it.
I asked for the vet again. I was denied a second time. I then expressed my concern from a customer service stand point and was quickly met with a quick rebuttal of the vet tech having greater experience than myself with customer service. (I generally never speak up, but I felt that this was a direct insult to my intelligence, as well as intentional neglect for my rights as a customer).
After being insulted, I asked to see the vet again. Again, I was quickly denied. It was at that moment the vet tech went on to explain that "they" had already wasted enough time on us. They had a quota of patients to see every day and now me and my cat have over-extended our stay and could kindly wait outside if we wanted to.
I expressed my concern with those comments and again I was quickly met with excuses for poor service.
I refused to leave the room until I had spoken to the vet. In an attempt to stall, I asked to see a formal invoice for the visit, instead of a pink sticky note. The vet tech left the room promptly and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction of the receptionist. I immediately walked to the receptionist desk and kindly asked for an invoice. (The person who assisted me is the only reason that this review has a 1 star rating. Her efforts were very much welcomed. I gave her a 5 star, which I added to the -4 stars that I gave the vet + vet tech totaling +1 star. I know that sounds extreme; just bear with me).
Once receiving a formal invoice, I learned very quickly that there were items on the bill that I did not authorize. They were also, not explained to me prior to performing on my cat. Mind you, some were authorized and some were not. When I asked about the unauthorized charges, I was told that because they had already performed treatment to my cat, that I am fully responsible. The vet tech also explained that we the cat had already received several free services that I did not authorize either.
I explained that this was not acceptable and that I was not paying for these charges. I would gladly make payment on the services in which I had given prior consent. I wanted to talk this over with the vet, because there was a very clear plan before she left the room. Once she left, a majority of the agreed upon procedures were not not done at all. At that point the vet tech exited the room.
After sitting there for what seemed to be 10 minutes, I felt as if the vet was uninterested in my concerns. I decided to leave the room and attempted to make payment on my bill. The receptionist told me that the vet was busy and would call me by Friday. (I am still waiting on the phone call from the vet; tomorrow is 1 week after my visit and I have yet to get a call from the vet).
The next day, I realized that they did not give me all of the medication that I had paid for. Upon calling, I was met with a quick rebuttal on why my cat didn't need the medication. I went on to further explain that I had already paid for it. After playing phone tag with the receptionist for over 4 hours, I was then informed that I was able to come get the medicine.
After all of that, I still did not resolve the reason in which I went to the dermatologist to begin with, my cats allergies. I decided to have blood work done at my family vet due to a cheaper cost. Before going to my vet, I got a printed copy of what type of testing was needed from the dermatologist. After dropping off my cat for blood work, I get a call from my vet saying that additional tests are needed. When asking why, I was told that the dermatologist called and added a test to the list and would not prescribe any further medication to my cat unless this was done as well.
To be continued...
