Comments on: What You Must Know About Banfield Pet Insurance – A Review

By: Janice Smith

Janice Smith — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:58:31 +0000

Hi,
I was searching around for insurance for my two small dogs, hoping it would help with the teeth cleaning they both need. My thanks to all of you for taking the time to share your experiences here with Banfield, since it was at the top of my list!

By: Jay

Jay — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:42:21 +0000

Horrible. Came in with a 2 month puppy and got the puppy wellness plan. Told us they wanted to start him on heartworm meds, doing as what the dr told us, we give our puppy it. Later that night our puppy would squat and poop every 10 minutes and had blood in it. After while there was nothing left to push so it was just bloody mucus he was pooping out. Knowing something was definetly wrong we returned the next day. They told us that they didnt know what was wrong but offered to give him more meds and ivs totaling a cost of up to 1,300 dollars. Im a college student and have no money to pay for that. They then said we will just give him IV to flush whatever out of his system and that was 200 which I said yeah do it. My puppy did get better a few hours later but what if i decided to pay for the 1300 instead of the 200? And the Banfield Hotline is just as worse.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:28:31 +0000

I recently rescued a 6 year old pug and took her to Banfield in East Hartford Ct. The staff was wonderful and the vet was terrific. I did purchase the optimum wellness plan which to date has saved me lots of $$$. So far I am happy with the care and treatment we’ve received.

By: Wesley

Wesley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:13:34 +0000

I used Banfield for over a year, they were o.k. as far as treating the dog goes, however they always try to push you to buy something and end up having fees for something that is supposed to be covered by the so called health plan. Not to mention I would bring the dog at the scheduled time and sit for an hour before the vet ever showed up, which is no easy task with an 80lb shepherd. Also my dog died recently and they so naturally I went to cancel the insurance, well they are still going to make me pay them for the rest of the year. Read the fine print, it is ripoff and they are scum for doing such a thing.

By: DEBBIE

DEBBIE — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:31:59 +0000

I purchased a puppy who turned 5 weeks today 2/3/10. Prior to bringing her home I searched around for a vet and questioned friends as to why and where they took theirs. I entered into PetSmart and right away was so happy with the services they offer. Then going to talk to the staff at Banfield, I was only too happy to bring my lil girl upon bringing her home. Right away they noticied her tail (doberman) was showing some bone and was docked wrong and may have to be re-cut. They are trying something out first before having to go under the knife. I have found the staff and vets very caring and have had 2 phone calls as follow up to see how she is doing. I really hope this postive experinece continues and feel for everyone who has had a negative one. BUT the same thing goes for doctors for humans! People have been mis-diagnosed leading to unnecessary treatment, etc. I will continue to take her there and hope she continues to grow as she is doing. I too would like her to have one vet, however even at a real doctors, you dont normally get the same doctor, and if you do they get sick also and you’ll have to eventually see someone else and this way my puppy will be exposed to more of the staff.

By: sharyn

sharyn — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:04:04 +0000

Hi,
I took the wellness plan about 5 months ago,so far all is well. We also have seen more than one Dr. but the one we have seen lately DR Ryan McKenzie is why I continue to stay. If anyone is near the De. Banfields check him out, how patient and caring he is but if you call with a question the (gatekeepers)girls at the desk will take a message or ask for you. I hope this dose not turn into a complaint but since our 1st shot he has had a gagging cough and this was not given by Dr. Mckenzie but we hope he can diagnose this problem soon.

By: janet lauritsen

janet lauritsen — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:37:57 +0000

hello, i loved the staff at the levittown ny banfield…..they were wonderful with my sweet cherokee, my one issue is that the day after thanksgiving my sweet boy passed away and it seems that i am locked into paying the monthly fee’s still; i don’t believe i knew about that…again the staff was ALWAYS AMAZING with my sweet boy….thank you staff of the levittown ny petco/banfield for taking such wonderful care of my pup Cherokee right until he crossed over..Janet L

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:58:05 +0000

I would highly reccomend taking your pet almost anywhere… EXCEPT Banfield!!
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Shortly after I got my first dog we noticed he had an ear infection. Another vet was unable to cure it so we decided to get a second opinion at Banfield since the first office call was free. That knife happy excuse for a doctor wanted to remove part of my 4 month old cocker spaniel’s ear canal!!! She was ready to send me straight to surgery without even trying anything.
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If that didn’t scare me enough, I started working in the vet field. I worked as office staff and also as a vet assistant. More often than not I hear horror stories about Banfield vets going straight for surgery, mis-diagnosing pets, failing to treat simple problems…. you name it. On top of that they are usually over priced and the vets that work there are usually FRESH out of school since more experienced vets get out of there as fast as they can.
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Their latest scam seems to be this “Wellness Program.” I have had SEVERAL clients come in saying they have “Banfield Health Insurance” and I have to explain to them that it’s not real insurance. They always give sob stories about how the person at Banfield said it was insurance and didn’t tell them it wasn’t good anywhere else. They lie about what it is and then have you sign a 1 year contract.
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Take my advice- get a decent local vet you can trust and skip Banfield!! If you want insurance go with a reputable company like VPI (backed by the ASPCA) or Embrace.

By: APF

APF — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:49:28 +0000

I am a client of Banfield and have been a client for about 12 yrs. All of my pets have been seen there. You are correct, Banfield has a wellness program that provides a yearly physical for free (excluding blood tests) and reduced price services. They call to remind you of appts. and when your pet is due for vaccinations. Of course, any pet hospital or veterinary facility is only as good as its staff. My pet has been seen by excellent vets but also by mediocre ones. My complaint is the turnover of vets they have. It’s difficult for the owner and pet to build a relationship with a Dr. only for that Dr. to disappear. However, all in all, my experience has been positive and my pet has been treated lovingly. She has developed a heart condition and has been treated with tenderness and the followup has been good. I do find some of their prices excessive but they are still more reasonable that a vet without a wellness program.

By: Tammy Jerez

Tammy Jerez — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:58:18 +0000

I had the same experience, the receptionist blamed the computer for the error of charging me for the office visit. She also told me to call the corporate office which couldn’t even find my name on the computer. They also claimed they got a stool sample (they left the room for 5 minutes & then came back in) & said he went. On my bill was a charge for $9.20 for the medical procedure of gtg the stool sample?!? And then a $15 charge for the testing they did on that sample. I don’t think it is possible my dog even went in 5 min?!? They also could have simply told me to bring a sample with me but didn’t–in my opinion, so they could charge me for gtg a sample which I am not sure they even got.