The care my dog received was average, 3 stars.
Staff lacks hospitality and manners. 1 star.
After your first visit, you receive a survey to rate their biz. Decline or prepare to defend yourself against lectures and dismissal !
When My Neighborhood Vet couldn't fit my sick dog in for two weeks, I desperately called other vets for an appointment. After speaking with Mari, my dog was seen by Dr. Sue and put on meds to control diarrhea. During the exam, my female dog was constantly referred to as "he." The receipt showed her color as "fawn" - she is black. I was given a "Puppy Packet" during the exam, the vet then showed me, at length, different pet-related services she has financial arrangements with. I didn't appreciate my time being wasted with marketing ventures. The packet contained at least 1/3 of a paper ream, when everyone's on a smartphone. My attempts to get her to stop explaining the services were futile.
After the visit, I received an email survey. I'd formed an opinion and decided to wait until after a few more visits to see if anything changed. After a fecal drop off, I received a call to "pay my outstanding bill" (under $70) and told the office manager wanted to speak to me (weird, she had my phone and email...), from which I deduced she had a problem with my survey answers. I did not call, figuring her fingers work as well as mine.
Our next visit, my dog was announced via intercom, which wasn't usual. When paying, I felt a presence behind me: Mari, waiting to nab me. She took me to a room and proceeded to vent about how mean I was to her staff and how she'd never had such a petty review. My review mentioned: desk staff does not make you feel welcome, perhaps because they are all young and don't know how to treat clients. My dog was constantly referred to as "he" by the vet and identified incorrectly in their system. I did not appreciate the giant info packet that wasted trees, etc. Mari explained the paper away by saying "elderly people often don't know how to use the internet" ... ageist! She had the temerity to scold me for not thanking her for getting me an appointment (apparently she did not remember the many times I said "thanks for getting us in" during our phone calls). She claimed I made staff uncomfortable and they were "afraid" of me because they saw my survey answers. She said she'd never heard staff acting unfriendly. Exactly my point: staff didn't greet me, that's why you didn't hear them. When people take money for a service rendered, they should thank patrons for choosing their business! I was never mean to staff, they barely interacted with me.
A correct response to receiving valid complaints is to say you will work on the issues, not explain them away, shush and school me on how to have an adult conversation by "taking turns speaking" and you are the one speaking now. It confirmed my opinion of TLC doing things their way or the highway. No "The Customer is Always Right." If Mari was my employee and I caught her berating a client like they were a kid in the assistant principle's office, I'd fire her ASAP.
When I left and looked at my receipt, my dog was STILL incorrectly identified as "fawn." If TLC can't correct small things, what about bigger things?!
IMHO, many Yelpers leave honest reviews. Apparently, Dr. Sue has given Mari responsibility for booting clients she doesn't like. This previous reviewer was accurate: 7/7/2019 Not happy at all dr sue is not a friendly vet an if you don't agree with her she has a attitude towards you for as long as you go there. She picks an choses who she likes. Office staff very unfriendly an no helpful at all. Its all about the money with this place
At no time did Dr. Sue contact me. This is a practice where clients are not allowed to have an opinion yet one where they believe your dogs can "speak" to you (see photo).
P.S. Beware of upcharging! Phone quotes were lower than actual prices. TLC invoiced a bio-hazard fee to EVERY fecal and vaccination. Disposal should be absorbed by the practice, not be another way to extract money from clients. Eg: I walk dogs for a living. I handle poo daily. I don't charge clients for poop bags, they are part of my business expenses. read more