Comments on: Banfield Pet Insurance Secrets Revealed http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/ More Than Pet Insurance | Vet Pet Insurance Comparison Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:41:31 +0000 hourly 1 By: Heather http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71873 Heather Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:41:31 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71873 To make a very long story short. Banfield in Watchung NJ acted negligently in the care of my dog. The Doctor and staff departed from the conduct expected of a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances. They misdiagnosed, mistreated, and mishandled my pet. Sending me away with over a hundred dollars in charges (above and beyond my wellness plan coverage) without treating my pet at all. I carried a sick animal, bleeding profusely all over himself and me out of Banfield and out of Petsmart without anyone seeming to notice. I took him to a private vet and found that with an infection, two open sores and a fever of over 105º he was near death. In fact the private vet wondered how he was still with us. Recently, after many calls to Banfield's customer advocacy team 1-888-500-2288 I was contacted by the NEW manager of the Watchung location. She was very pleasant and like everyone else I talked to she seemed sympathetic. She told me that there were so many problems/complaints about that location that corporate stepped in a took it over. I suppose they could see the negligence lawsuits coming and were trying to head them off. Silly me, I thought I would give it one more try and went back to the original Banfield I had been with in Bridgewater NJ. I went after the infection/sores had healed and that was no longer a problem. My visit was a simple question of whether or not me dog had an eye infection. The Doctor who I liked up until this point was very brisk. She told me this had to be fast because she needed to pick her kid up from school. I asked about the eye and WITHOUT examining my dog or doing any tests she said ok and told the tech to give me some drops. He came in and handed me a small container of drops and said that was going to cost over $40. I asked if that took into account my wellness discount. He confirmed it did. He then told me that it was the same medicine used by humans with pink eye and I could go to my neighborhood pharmacy to get them with a prescription from the Doctor. I called from the exam room and my pharmacist told me the drops would be $11. I asked if Banfield would match that price or at least lower their price some. No, we don't do that was the answer. I asked for the prescription so I could take it to the pharmacy. The tech said it would be no problem but the Doctor had already left and he would have it ready and waiting tomorrow morning. I didn't want to wait but since the Doctor didn't seem concerned about my dogs eye I figured a few hours wouldn't make a difference. I went to pick up the prescription and was told there would be a $15 fee for the Doctor to write one. I asked to front desk woman why the charge and she said very plainly that they make a lot of profit off the meds and if they can't sell me something they stock they loose money so charging for prescriptions is how they make up the difference. I had never heard of this and thought it very unfair. I told her to forget it and took my dog back to the private vet that very day. The private vet did a few tests, looked at his eyes closely and then prescribed a completely different eye drop. She explained what was going on with his eyes and why she chose that particular medicine. I asked at that point if the medicine that the Banfield Doctor wanted to give me would have been effective. She said that in her professional opinion it was not the appropriate medicine for the problem. I prepared myself for another expensive eye drop but found to my delight that her price was very fair. How did I know that? I sat right there in the exam room and googled it on my smart phone. She was in line with most online pharmacies. She saw me looking up the prescription cost and asked if I would rather have a written prescription to take to my pharmacy. I said no I would take the drops from her. I did ask how much she charged for the service of getting a written prescription and she looked at me like I had two heads. She said she doesn't charge anything and she had never heard of a doctor that did charge. It was at that moment that I realized I couldn't trust my pet to any of the Banfield pet hospitals and would switch to this private vet. I called the customer service center and asked to end my Wellness coverage. I was told that would be fine and I owed over $400, how would I like to pay. What? I have to pay to cancel? They explained that even though I had originally signed up for the plan in July (2004?) I had been switched to a higher cost plan in December so my dogs blood work would be covered. And since they had done hundreds of dollars of work on my pet since then I would have to pay the difference. I said I never saw the blood-work and more importantly the charges that they were asking me to pay were for negligent treatment of my pet. I explained in detail what had transpired and I establish that the failure of the Banfield Pet Hospital and its Doctors to act as reasonable medical professionals, not only didn't help my dog but actually caused him injury. I graciously requested that I would like to cancel my wellness plan without penalty and in return I would not pursue reimbursment for all the private vet costs that I incurred correcting the mistakes that were made by Banfield. I got no response except that the request would be addressed and if nothing happens in three days it would be moved up to a higher level person. So ever week or so I'd call and they would say "Oh no one called? We'll move the complaint up to the next level." Now it's been over a month and I called today only to be that my case had been closed due to non-response on my part. I told them that I had been waiting for them to get back to me with their "higher level person". They reinstated the case and now I'm back to waiting. In the meantime I am getting bills and I'm sure the next thing will be collections. I am very frustrated and the next step will have to be getting some legal advice. To make a very long story short. Banfield in Watchung NJ acted negligently in the care of my dog. The Doctor and staff departed from the conduct expected of a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances. They misdiagnosed, mistreated, and mishandled my pet. Sending me away with over a hundred dollars in charges (above and beyond my wellness plan coverage) without treating my pet at all. I carried a sick animal, bleeding profusely all over himself and me out of Banfield and out of Petsmart without anyone seeming to notice. I took him to a private vet and found that with an infection, two open sores and a fever of over 105º he was near death. In fact the private vet wondered how he was still with us. Recently, after many calls to Banfield’s customer advocacy team 1-888-500-2288 I was contacted by the NEW manager of the Watchung location. She was very pleasant and like everyone else I talked to she seemed sympathetic. She told me that there were so many problems/complaints about that location that corporate stepped in a took it over. I suppose they could see the negligence lawsuits coming and were trying to head them off.
Silly me, I thought I would give it one more try and went back to the original Banfield I had been with in Bridgewater NJ. I went after the infection/sores had healed and that was no longer a problem. My visit was a simple question of whether or not me dog had an eye infection. The Doctor who I liked up until this point was very brisk. She told me this had to be fast because she needed to pick her kid up from school. I asked about the eye and WITHOUT examining my dog or doing any tests she said ok and told the tech to give me some drops. He came in and handed me a small container of drops and said that was going to cost over $40. I asked if that took into account my wellness discount. He confirmed it did. He then told me that it was the same medicine used by humans with pink eye and I could go to my neighborhood pharmacy to get them with a prescription from the Doctor. I called from the exam room and my pharmacist told me the drops would be $11. I asked if Banfield would match that price or at least lower their price some. No, we don’t do that was the answer. I asked for the prescription so I could take it to the pharmacy. The tech said it would be no problem but the Doctor had already left and he would have it ready and waiting tomorrow morning. I didn’t want to wait but since the Doctor didn’t seem concerned about my dogs eye I figured a few hours wouldn’t make a difference. I went to pick up the prescription and was told there would be a $15 fee for the Doctor to write one. I asked to front desk woman why the charge and she said very plainly that they make a lot of profit off the meds and if they can’t sell me something they stock they loose money so charging for prescriptions is how they make up the difference. I had never heard of this and thought it very unfair. I told her to forget it and took my dog back to the private vet that very day.
The private vet did a few tests, looked at his eyes closely and then prescribed a completely different eye drop. She explained what was going on with his eyes and why she chose that particular medicine. I asked at that point if the medicine that the Banfield Doctor wanted to give me would have been effective. She said that in her professional opinion it was not the appropriate medicine for the problem. I prepared myself for another expensive eye drop but found to my delight that her price was very fair. How did I know that? I sat right there in the exam room and googled it on my smart phone. She was in line with most online pharmacies. She saw me looking up the prescription cost and asked if I would rather have a written prescription to take to my pharmacy. I said no I would take the drops from her. I did ask how much she charged for the service of getting a written prescription and she looked at me like I had two heads. She said she doesn’t charge anything and she had never heard of a doctor that did charge.
It was at that moment that I realized I couldn’t trust my pet to any of the Banfield pet hospitals and would switch to this private vet. I called the customer service center and asked to end my Wellness coverage. I was told that would be fine and I owed over $400, how would I like to pay. What? I have to pay to cancel? They explained that even though I had originally signed up for the plan in July (2004?) I had been switched to a higher cost plan in December so my dogs blood work would be covered. And since they had done hundreds of dollars of work on my pet since then I would have to pay the difference. I said I never saw the blood-work and more importantly the charges that they were asking me to pay were for negligent treatment of my pet. I explained in detail what had transpired and I establish that the failure of the Banfield Pet Hospital and its Doctors to act as reasonable medical professionals, not only didn’t help my dog but actually caused him injury.
I graciously requested that I would like to cancel my wellness plan without penalty and in return I would not pursue reimbursment for all the private vet costs that I incurred correcting the mistakes that were made by Banfield.
I got no response except that the request would be addressed and if nothing happens in three days it would be moved up to a higher level person. So ever week or so I’d call and they would say “Oh no one called? We’ll move the complaint up to the next level.” Now it’s been over a month and I called today only to be that my case had been closed due to non-response on my part. I told them that I had been waiting for them to get back to me with their “higher level person”. They reinstated the case and now I’m back to waiting. In the meantime I am getting bills and I’m sure the next thing will be collections. I am very frustrated and the next step will have to be getting some legal advice.

]]> By: amy http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71836 amy Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:19:13 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71836 My son and his wife are very young and very poor. They really couldn't afford the rescue dog they took in, but were trying to do a good thing. When they took the dog for a check-up, someone at Banfield suckered them into a year-long commitment to automatic withdrawals from their checking account. Two months later they had to move to a new apartment that did not take pets so they found the dog a new home and "canceled" the policy with Banfield. Banfield made the withdrawal any way causing multiple overdraft fees. After further review I was able to establish that the contract binds them to continued payments for 9 months after they no longer own the dog! For my child, it’s been a bitter lesson about reading the fine print on contracts. I have two dogs and I will NEVER go to Banfield again! I will NEVER recommend them to anyone I know with a dog! And I do not Ever plan to go to the store associated with them because of this treatment! My son and his wife are very young and very poor. They really couldn’t afford the rescue dog they took in, but were trying to do a good thing. When they took the dog for a check-up, someone at Banfield suckered them into a year-long commitment to automatic withdrawals from their checking account. Two months later they had to move to a new apartment that did not take pets so they found the dog a new home and “canceled” the policy with Banfield. Banfield made the withdrawal any way causing multiple overdraft fees. After further review I was able to establish that the contract binds them to continued payments for 9 months after they no longer own the dog! For my child, it’s been a bitter lesson about reading the fine print on contracts. I have two dogs and I will NEVER go to Banfield again! I will NEVER recommend them to anyone I know with a dog! And I do not Ever plan to go to the store associated with them because of this treatment!

]]> By: Dawn http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71665 Dawn Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:20:29 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71665 For those who live on a buget the Wellness Plan help keep my dogs in great health. With FREE office visit I have EXTRA money I can spend on getting the help my dogs need. I am very happy with my Wellness Plan and I ask before spending any extra money. Maybe everyone should do the same. For those who live on a buget the Wellness Plan help keep my dogs in great health. With FREE office visit I have EXTRA money I can spend on getting the help my dogs need. I am very happy with my Wellness Plan and I ask before spending any extra money. Maybe everyone should do the same.

]]> By: Texangrl http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71615 Texangrl Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:43:14 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71615 Hello. In response to the licensing question, it is currently NOT required to be a licensed vet tech/assistant in Texas. This is true in most states if you look it up. It is, however, going to be a requirement in about 2 years. I am a lead vet ASST(no license) that has worker for Banfield for 8 years. I completely trust my doctors, so I stay. If I didn't I wouldn't be here. Also, we only have 1 RVT(licensed vet tech)on our entire staff, and she is the worst out of all the employees. Licensing means nothing to me as a tech if your skills are horrendous, and this is with 2 years of training. This person is booksmart, but often misses the obvious and most owners ask not to see the staff member again. They are hardworking, but that doesn't help efficiency. I hope this clears some things up. P.S. I sympathize and empathize with owners who have lost pets, but 90% of these complaints are the fault of the client. I urge my clients to read their agreement prior to signing, and yes I know not ALL employees do this, but I make sure my staff knows to do so and they are reprimanded if they don't. I even give them a "broken leg" and "pet ran away" scenario. Do you know what most of them do? They look at me, listen to half of what I say, then scribble the agreement without looking at it. Then 6 months down the road, they want out of a plan due of one reason or another and get upset when they have to finish out the year. This is why I document everything in their notes. Also, the auto-renewal is to save you from paying the one time fee over again. It states that you have to let us know , in writing and 30 days prior to the renewal date, that you don't want the plan to renew. I even tell my clients that they don't even have to do it in writing, they can call and inform the company. Do they do this? No. How is that my fault? Anyone who signs up for a plan must be 18 and, therefore, an ADULT. YOU are responsible for yourself and your pet, so act accordingly and make good, educated decisions. And most of all, if you don't understand it, DON'T get the plan. Plain and simple. Hello. In response to the licensing question, it is currently NOT required to be a licensed vet tech/assistant in Texas. This is true in most states if you look it up. It is, however, going to be a requirement in about 2 years. I am a lead vet ASST(no license) that has worker for Banfield for 8 years. I completely trust my doctors, so I stay. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be here. Also, we only have 1 RVT(licensed vet tech)on our entire staff, and she is the worst out of all the employees. Licensing means nothing to me as a tech if your skills are horrendous, and this is with 2 years of training. This person is booksmart, but often misses the obvious and most owners ask not to see the staff member again. They are hardworking, but that doesn’t help efficiency. I hope this clears some things up.

P.S. I sympathize and empathize with owners who have lost pets, but 90% of these complaints are the fault of the client. I urge my clients to read their agreement prior to signing, and yes I know not ALL employees do this, but I make sure my staff knows to do so and they are reprimanded if they don’t. I even give them a “broken leg” and “pet ran away” scenario. Do you know what most of them do? They look at me, listen to half of what I say, then scribble the agreement without looking at it. Then 6 months down the road, they want out of a plan due of one reason or another and get upset when they have to finish out the year. This is why I document everything in their notes. Also, the auto-renewal is to save you from paying the one time fee over again. It states that you have to let us know , in writing and 30 days prior to the renewal date, that you don’t want the plan to renew. I even tell my clients that they don’t even have to do it in writing, they can call and inform the company. Do they do this? No. How is that my fault? Anyone who signs up for a plan must be 18 and, therefore, an ADULT. YOU are responsible for yourself and your pet, so act accordingly and make good, educated decisions. And most of all, if you don’t understand it, DON’T get the plan. Plain and simple.

]]> By: Nicole http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71579 Nicole Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:03:47 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71579 People need to stop assuming the wellness plan is insurance. If you read the fine print on the hand outs you can clearly read that it's not insurance... The Wellness plan is just for basic lab tests (blood tests, ear/ fecal testing, heartworm testing etc), vaccines, & routine deworming and discount on spay/neuter and dentals depending on which one you get. from my experience the puppy/ kitten wellness plans are the only ones worth getting, since they need multiple vaccines and lab testing and need to be spayed/neutered. When getting a puppy or kitten it's good to get a base line on their testing so that when they get sick you can determine how bad they really are(do blood work to see their normals, it's a great idea). I would recomend the adult wellness plan only for owners that are paranoid (not a bad thing since it means you care enough to go a bit over board) and care about knowing wether or not your pet is healthy. Wellness = healthy. Wellness plans are designed to keep your pet healthy and to screen for any possible hidden problems. The one thing that I wish would change is when your pet passes away you can't get your money back, yet again if you read the fine print you should already know that and be willing to take the risk. With corporate hospitals they usually offer wellness plans so do your hw, and ask the drs a shit ton of questions don't feel bad for asking a lot of questions, always do your research, if a dr feels neccessary to draw up a plan for dentals or spay/neuter get a copy of everything (drugs) that will be used and always always remind your vet of any allergies your dog has. Rediculous sounding allergys or not your vet needs to be reminded People need to stop assuming the wellness plan is insurance. If you read the fine print on the hand outs you can clearly read that it’s not insurance… The Wellness plan is just for basic lab tests (blood tests, ear/ fecal testing, heartworm testing etc), vaccines, & routine deworming and discount on spay/neuter and dentals depending on which one you get. from my experience the puppy/ kitten wellness plans are the only ones worth getting, since they need multiple vaccines and lab testing and need to be spayed/neutered. When getting a puppy or kitten it’s good to get a base line on their testing so that when they get sick you can determine how bad they really are(do blood work to see their normals, it’s a great idea). I would recomend the adult wellness plan only for owners that are paranoid (not a bad thing since it means you care enough to go a bit over board) and care about knowing wether or not your pet is healthy. Wellness = healthy. Wellness plans are designed to keep your pet healthy and to screen for any possible hidden problems. The one thing that I wish would change is when your pet passes away you can’t get your money back, yet again if you read the fine print you should already know that and be willing to take the risk. With corporate hospitals they usually offer wellness plans so do your hw, and ask the drs a shit ton of questions don’t feel bad for asking a lot of questions, always do your research, if a dr feels neccessary to draw up a plan for dentals or spay/neuter get a copy of everything (drugs) that will be used and always always remind your vet of any allergies your dog has. Rediculous sounding allergys or not your vet needs to be reminded

]]> By: Dana http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71525 Dana Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:55:41 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71525 Still asking,licensed vet techs @ banfield.Nope not at all the Virginia stores.And Vets that are licensed in other countries but having got it here in the US yet but in the process. I worry about the level of care and havent seen it here .. And the "plan" was told as insurance by these folks so corp banfield needs to wake up.. Before more pets die needlessly Still asking,licensed vet techs @ banfield.Nope not at all the Virginia stores.And Vets that are licensed in other countries but having got it here in the US yet but in the process. I worry about the level of care and havent seen it here .. And the “plan” was told as insurance by these folks so corp banfield needs to wake up.. Before more pets die needlessly

]]> By: Dana http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71524 Dana Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:41:19 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71524 Question,are ALL your Vet techs licensed and your Vets licensed in the state they are working in? I personally know of 1 vet that JUSt got her liceense here in the state and she works with NON licensed Vet Techs.I have NO faith in this if this is standard polocy for Banfield.It only takes a few to ruin it for you,if you care???? Good luck in Va.. Been to 3 and they all our horrible..Send in an undercover person..And they tell people the "plan" is insurance,no mention of a wellness plan...Sooooo? Question,are ALL your Vet techs licensed and your Vets licensed in the state they are working in? I personally know of 1 vet that JUSt got her liceense here in the state and she works with NON licensed Vet Techs.I have NO faith in this if this is standard polocy for Banfield.It only takes a few to ruin it for you,if you care???? Good luck in Va.. Been to 3 and they all our horrible..Send in an undercover person..And they tell people the “plan” is insurance,no mention of a wellness plan…Sooooo?

]]> By: Dana http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71523 Dana Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:18:07 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71523 Just a question for you Jenn,are you a licensed vet tech? At 2 of the bamfields near here none of the techs are licensed. And the Vet did indeed say the "plan" was insurance,never said a wellness plan. And she wanted to do more than any othe vet place had done before.I said no and she said it was company policy to ask to get more done,Better business? THATS how Banfield makes money and profits.. And the prices are NOt lower.You cant please everyone but no sugar coating. It shopuld be not forced test/meds and the "plan" should be totally openly HONESTLY explained. It only takes a few Banfield/PetSmarts to ruin it for the many... Keep up the good pr job,I hopoe you are as good at being a tech also..Be blessed and watch over OUR pets as if it was YOURS.....thanks,Dana Just a question for you Jenn,are you a licensed vet tech? At 2 of the bamfields near here none of the techs are licensed. And the Vet did indeed say the “plan” was insurance,never said a wellness plan. And she wanted to do more than any othe vet place had done before.I said no and she said it was company policy to ask to get more done,Better business? THATS how Banfield makes money and profits..
And the prices are NOt lower.You cant please everyone but no sugar coating. It shopuld be not forced test/meds and the “plan” should be totally openly HONESTLY explained. It only takes a few Banfield/PetSmarts to ruin it for the many… Keep up the good pr job,I hopoe you are as good at being a tech also..Be blessed and watch over OUR pets as if it was YOURS…..thanks,Dana

]]> By: Cola http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71254 Cola Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:30:34 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71254 So glad I never got Banfield pet insurance....I almost did! And now I never will! So glad I never got Banfield pet insurance….I almost did! And now I never will!

]]> By: Christine http://www.petinsurancepro.com/banfield-pet-insurance-secrets-revealed/#comment-71242 Christine Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:49:53 +0000 http://www.petinsurancepro.com/?p=566#comment-71242 i completely agree Wendy. people are not doing their research. There is a HUGE difference on WELLNESS and INSURANCE plans. I have read the wellness plan over and over. And there are ALOT of savings with the plan. And the plan offers ALOT of vaccines and check up that you should be getting for your puppy/dog to help maintain a healthy pet. No where does it say that it guarantees your pet will stay healthy for the life of your pet. It does however state they offer a discount for other services that are not covered by the plan. If you can, do both. The wellness plan AND the pet insurance. That is your best bet. i completely agree Wendy. people are not doing their research. There is a HUGE difference on WELLNESS and INSURANCE plans. I have read the wellness plan over and over. And there are ALOT of savings with the plan. And the plan offers ALOT of vaccines and check up that you should be getting for your puppy/dog to help maintain a healthy pet. No where does it say that it guarantees your pet will stay healthy for the life of your pet. It does however state they offer a discount for other services that are not covered by the plan. If you can, do both. The wellness plan AND the pet insurance. That is your best bet.

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