Some of these negative reviews are really weird and kind of petty, like they're people who just want to give a bad review for the sake of giving a bad review because they have the privilege to do so; it also sounds like they want to be outraged because pet care is a sensitive topic and they're scared of being held responsible for their pets' ailments [or more realistically, simply can't afford the care], even if it's at the expense of a perfectly competent vet's reputation. (Seriously, how can you tell if the receptionist sounds "like she doesn't want to be there", or that it means she's "too tired to care for your pet'? Like, how exactly do you deduce someone's intent just from their tired tone of voice? Or, from another reviewer, and I'm glad someone else pointed this out, how can you tell just by hearing someone's voice that she's "probably a teenager"? As for the complaint for the unreasonable prices for examination and "garbage" disposal fees [assuming the reviewer meant medical waste--a.k.a. syringes], $45 for an exam at a private vet [such as Dr. Jeong] is standard, and that goes for the $4 medical waste disposal fee because they need to follow NYS regulations [disposal and transportation of biohazardous/infectious wastes, requires a permit, etc. ]. If you visit, say, 5 other private vets in NYC, I'm sure you'll find similar pricing throughout. I've only been to one other vet in the same area but that one charges $42 exam/$4 disposal, which is really only $3 less). These reviews should be about what's really important, like if the vet takes good care of the animal or not, or if some slight could or couldn't be remedied when you try to discuss it.
All that said, I've been going to Petopia for about 4 years now, and I've had a pretty good experience with them. Firstly, I started going to them a little bit before I got my current job, so I had that time transitioning between trying to scrimp on any optional care for my dog Eggo and then being able to afford all the proper care once I got my job. That said, I know the pressures and stress of wanting to take care of a pet but not being 100% able to afford it, and if you're a pet owner, you NEED be responsible and have a steady income. Don't go to a private vet expecting the bill to be comparable to the costs of care from a humane society or other similar institution because it WILL cost more. I also don't know if it's a harmony thing with personalities or what, but I've never had any scarring problem with any of the people who worked at Petopia like some of the bad reviewers had, and I've met a good handful of secretaries/nurses/interns rotating in and out of the place throughout the years. The only problem I have is the language barrier, because my first language is English and Dr. Jeong and some of his assistants' first language is Korean, so I oftentimes have trouble understanding him through his accent. However, everything they charge you for is carefully described and listed in English on the computer screens in the exam rooms, you're free to read through it and ask questions, and they always ask you to confirm whether or not you want to accept or reject optional fees for certain tasks.
Eggo has gotten several inconclusive x-rays and tests done here at one point because of some strange illness she had (that scared me sleepless, and during my finals week!!!) for about 3 weeks that involved her whimpering and yelping when she sometimes moved, loss of appetite, and shivering. The reason I gave them 4 stars and not 5 was because, admittedly, Dr. Jeong couldn't confidently diagnose the problem. He told me to bring her in for an emergency surgery because it looked like one of the xrays showed something blocking her intestines, so he called in another surgeon, I dropped her off, they shaved her belly, took another xray, called me to come back, and told me they called the surgery off because the object had disappeared. He and the other doctor agreed that the risk of putting her under and picking around wasn't worth the pain Eggo would have to go through during recovery in addition to the costs and possibility of not accomplishing anything, and decided I should just wait it out because the object may have passed. He then offered some gastrointestinal food, pain killers, and antibiotics which I bought for her and she just slowly eased out of it and became better again over the course of a few weeks. Ever since this happened, whenever I bring her in for anything, Dr. Jeong would ask follow-up questions about how she was behaving or feeling, or if I ever found out what was wrong with her, and to me that kind of commitment proves that he does care about the animals he treats, despite what some of the non-believers here say.
So yes, it is expensive, but to me, having a consistent, reliable vet such as Dr.Jeong as a safety net for your little (or big) loved one to fall back on is worth it. If not for him I wouldn't be able to spend the holidays with Eggo.