This is the letter I am sending in to Banfield today, after getting the correct dates/info. in the missing spots. Reading all of the other negative reviews makes me so angry...PLEASE everyone, if you have had a negative experience with Banfield take the extra step in writing them a letter of dispute or contacting a lawyer to bring them to court. That is the only way this disgusting business will be shut down, and stop hurting our animals and our bank accounts.
_________________________________________________________
Banfield Pet Hospital Corporate Office:
I am writing this letter to dispute charges I have been billed for services to my dog Mickey on ____________. My boyfriend and I have been repeatedly let down by your company since beginning Mickey’s puppy Wellness Plan in ____________. We signed up for the Wellness Plan initially so that her puppy shots and spaying would be cheaper, as we are both public educators and figured we could not afford a regular veterinarian. We were very mistaken; and would never have gone to your company had we known what was in store for us, or had looked at some of the thousands of negative reviews of Banfield Pet Hospital on the internet.
Right away we noticed a lack of personal care being given to either us or our puppy. The nurses were unfriendly and blunt with us. Mickey was repeatedly called a “boy, ” or “he, ” when she is obviously a female dog, which tells us how unprofessional and uncaring the staff at Banfield is. Upon our second visit, we were told by Dr. Gene Pavlovsky that Mickey would need six or seven teeth pulled, which would cost us over $100.00 per tooth. When we debated the necessity of the procedure, astonished that any knowledgeable veterinarian would suggest that sort of operation on a puppy younger than 6 months, Dr. Pavlovsky made us feel like we would be neglecting our puppy if we refused the procedure. We stood our ground, and even asked around at multiple vets if that was needed for Mickey. The response was the same across the board: most vets laughed and said it was completely ridiculous to even suggest she have her teeth pulled out at such a young age, and that the prices were incredibly inflated to a laughable degree. They also warned us about business such as yours, how these corporate businesses are mostly out to make more money off of us. We should have taken heed then and there.
The “Wellness” Plan we were offered and unfortunately accepted was a huge hoax. Each appointment we brought Mickey to we were greeted by an unenthusiastic nurse followed by an impersonal doctor who would rattle off the day’s procedure, take our dog to the back room, and bring her out terrified and shaking and then charge us up to $150.00 for whatever it was they just did to our dog. Your Wellness Plan is a money-making sham, flat and simple, and has disappointed thousands of your customers according the many reviews I have read thoroughly online, and will soon be adding my story to.
Our worst experience happened during the last visit we had to Banfield, on _________. We knew we were nearing the end of Mickey’s puppy plan, and wanted to cancel it as soon as possible to avoid being automatically upgraded and charged for the next month. Never did it occur to us that instead of being charged an extra month, it was a “convenient 12-month bundle” that we would be responsible for instead. We had initially had her last appointment made for before her puppy plan ended, so that we could cancel it then and there, on the spot. On the day our appointment was scheduled, Banfield called to reschedule her for a couple weeks later—conveniently scheduled after her initial puppy Wellness Plan had ended, and was automatically upgraded to the Adult Plan we had clearly, and multiple times, expressed we did not want.
When we showed up for the appointment, I made sure to ask the woman behind the desk about cancelling our Plan. Apparently, each branch is incapable of handling their Plan cancellations themselves, so your business actually needs a “Cancellation Crew, ” reachable by an 800 number. She informed us of this, gave us the number, and we continued with the appointment, keeping in mind to call the number as soon as we got home.
Since both my boyfriend and I worked that day, we were told Mickey’s __vaccines___ would take a couple hours, and that if we dropped her off before work in the morning, she would be ready to pick up around lunch time. When we called on our lunch break, we were informed Mickey wouldn’t be ready until the afternoon. After work we called again, and were told she was still not ready and we could come by later to see. Around 6pm that evening, we went to Banfield and waited for Mickey. We waited for nearly an hour there in the lobby. We were told it took so long because the doctor had other procedures to work on. That is a ridiculous excuse that only tells us that our baby was sitting in a crate, being undeniably neglected for almost 11 hours straight, so that the doctor could give her a couple of shots.
When she was finally brought out, she was shaking and terrified. Mickey is a big, strong, lovable dog, and we have never seen her more distraught and torn down than we did that evening. When we brought her home, she ran straight to her dog bowl and gobbled down all of her food, which she has never done before. This is a clear sign to us that she was neglected during her stay with Banfield. Looking through others reviews, I see this is not an uncommon occurrence. This is incredibly bad business for Banfield Pet Hospital, and I am astonished and disgusted that you have managed to stay in business as long as you have.
The next day we were sure to call the “Client Advocate Team” right away. My boyfriend was on hold for 45 minutes before an incompetent young woman finally answered his call. At this point, after hearing through your recording for forty-five minutes how much “Banfield cares for you and your pet” and “a member of the Banfield Client Advocate Team will be with us right away, ” we were pretty fired up. The girl on the other line could do absolutely nothing for us except tell us that she “was sorry” and “she understands.” My boyfriend explained to her all the issues we had and that we needed to cancel our plan right away. She informed us that she was only a “liason” and that a representative of Banfield would call us within 3-5 business days to let us know if our plan would be cancelled or not. This entire call took a total of an hour and a half.
Dr. Pavlovsky called us later that day to try to clear up some of the disappointments that he and his coworkers have caused for us time after time. He tried to justify his actions and apologize for being impersonal to us and our dog. We were far from impressed, and felt he was simply trying to smooth things over for himself and his office. He told us that he could not personally cancel our Plan, but it would be up to the corporate office. Within a few days, I did get a call from a representative telling me that our Plan was cancelled. I breathed a sigh of relief, and we moved on with our lives.
We left town for a week to go on vacation, and upon our return there were multiple letters in the mail telling us we owed __$______ for Mickey’s Wellness Plan. We immediately called the incredibly inconvenient Client Advocate Team again, and were pained to have to deal with the same incompetent young woman yet again, after 30 minutes of being on hold. She couldn’t explain a single thing to us, and we were eventually transferred to the Cancellation Team, which still baffles me that Banfield needs to have a team to deal with cancellations in the first place. That’s not a good sign. After being on hold for another 30 minutes, we spoke with a young man who could actually string together an entire sentence. He looked up our information and informed me that our Plan was “cancelled, ” but that since we accepted services on ________, (the last unpleasant and unacceptable appointment we took Mickey to, that was rescheduled for a later date by Banfield, not us.) what they had cancelled, apparently, was not going into action for another 11 months. We are now required to pay for another entire year. We will not be paying this money.
In conclusion, time and time again we have been let down by Banfield Pet Hospital since we first went on _________. The last thing we are going to do is pay for another year of this abhorrent service with your dispassionate and cold-blooded employees. We will not give up, like some of your hundreds of unsatisfied customers may have. We are more than prepared to fight this in court with a lawyer if it comes to that. Your days of scamming unaware customers who simply adore their pets and would do anything for them must come to an end. This is a shameful practice and I will be sure everyone I know hears our story from Banfield Pet Hospital so that it will not happen to them, too.

Leslie 137, We want to apologize that your experience with our hospital was unsatisfactory. We understand that the hospital and our Client Advocate Team has been in contact with you in regard to your concerns. If you have additional concerns that have not yet been addressed, please contact our Client Advocate Team again at 877-500-2288.

Apologies mus be followed by an action plan-What exactly is your action plan pray tell?

@leslie137
-Boyfriend???? who cares about him. Is he an animal too?