Banfield Pet Hospital

Reviews 4

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Heather Erickson

We took our sick cat to this Banfield in Glendale last weekend because it was the only place we could get in at a reasonable speed on a Saturday. Our experience was very disappointing and I sincerely worry for the animals they "treat" on a regular basis. While the appointment was easy to schedule and the front desk staff was very friendly and kept us informed, the rest of our experience was awful. First, every single charge I had asked about on the phone was $30+ more on our bill. They tell you one price on the phone for things like bloodwork, but its the old bait & switch when you actually find yourself in their office. Oh, we said $130 for bloodwork? But the blood work test we do includes other things so its actually $170. Things like that. Whats worse, the vet techs and vet seemed intent on upselling us to more and more tests, meanwhile they seemed hesitant to give us ANY indication of opinions or options with treating our sick cat. I didnt feel like we were seeing a vet, I felt like we were seeing a salesperson for veterinary tests and procedures. I had to request to actually talk to the vet, it seemed they wanted to limit my interaction to the vet tech. Once I spoke with the vet and tried to get some information out of her, she spoke EXTREMELY fast and was very verbose, but left me more confused than anything. She really didnt seem to have any idea what was wrong or what she should do...BUT, she thought it was really important that I proceed with $200+ worth of tests, and if those were inconclusive, wed be talking overnight stays. The vet kept trying to scare us into another $50 test, but I was so on guard with these people and their sales attitude that I declined and decided to go elsewhere. Wed made an appointment at our regular vet (Planned Pethood Plus in Denver) for the following Monday, however, as early as they could see us. We ended up denying Banfields excessive charges, beyond blood work, and opted to wait for Planned Pethood. SO glad we did. We took our cat in on Monday to see Dr. Grossman at PPP, and within minutes she had a treatment plan, communicated well with us, and got the ball rolling. Get this--everything at PPP with Dr. Grossman cost HALF of what Banfield charged us, that included the visit, various meds, etc. (Oh, and that other $50 test Banfield was pushing, made us feel guilty for not getting, Planned Pethood didnt even mention such a test!) Our cat was back to herself within 24 hours! What they did at PPP brought her back and actually treated her, all for 1/2 the cost. AND Dr. Grossman called us later to check in on our cat. The difference in quality of care here was astounding. Banfield seemed like salespeople who were after our money and couldnt have cared less about our cat. Planned Pethood is a low cost clinic in Denver that actually TREATED our cat and made her better...again, for HALF THE COST. I will never return to a Banfield "hospital" again. I left with a very bad taste in my mouth, and I sincerely feel concern for people who bring their pets here thinking theyre getting anything more than expensive tests and no answers. I cant recommend it, and we will never return. Beware!

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NelliRose Farella

Dr. Reese Davis & Dr. Amy Keller (Westminster location) along with their wonderful staff provided me my first experiences with Banfield for my dog Lou. I had taken Lou to 2 other vets and was very unhappy with the care we received. I knew there was something more to Lous behavior and Drs. Davis & Keller not only diagnosed him properly, but helped me understand all I could do to help Lou. Having moved to the downtown area, I had then gone to the Glendale location when Lou had gotten sick with Giardia from being boarded over a long weekend. I then had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Bradford and Dr. Jenna Torgerson. They too were beyond wonderful with Lou (and me with all the questions I had). I then had to make the hardest decision in my life since Lou was full of arthritis, in constant pain, and had sadly bitten people. Jessica had only met me once and talked to me for a very long time listening to all the information I had received in trying to do what was best for Lou. She listened with her whole heart and understood my heart. Dr. Torgerson and Jessica were there on the hardest day of my life as I put my sweet Lou down. They were angels to us that day and I will never forget their kindness, understanding, and love they showed to both my sweet boy and myself. Thank you to each and every one of you for all you did, making wonderful paw prints for me to keep always, explaining everything as many times as I needed it to be, your beautiful sympathy card that I will hold dear always, and always providing the most wonderful care to my Lou. I am so grateful my dear friend had told me about Banfield, the wonderful monthly preventive care plan that helped me financially so very much, and simply the kindness and knowledge you showed each and every time we visited or spoke over the phone. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Desiree Stark

I appreciate the wellness plan service Banfield offers and have been using it for my three cats the past several months. (These are programs where the owner pays an automatic monthly fee for one of three different plans that can include vet visits, teeth cleanings, vaccinations, and discounts on additional services.) It is basically the only affordable long-term tooth cleaning solution I found for a cat with more advanced stages of decay, and the vets seem engaged, competent, and positive. However, I have repeatedly had billing issues: in at least four different instances, billing hasnt seemed clear or fair. For example, I had been told that there would be discounts for the one-time sign up fee with multiple pets, but when I was checking out I found they reduce every *other* pet, which is different than what I was led to believe. Or: I asked if it was possible to make sure all the pets were on the same billing cycle. The vet tech said it was possible and to set it up at check out, but check out told me this wasnt possible, and that was really to my advantage, because there would be a month that was a rip off to me if they bundled the dates after having started the pets at different times of the month. However, it turns out something in the system *had* been changed after all, and all the pets monthly billing was moved to an ACH date I wasnt made aware of that wasnt on any of my paperwork and was a complete surprise that overdrafted my bank account the next month :-/

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Nathan Hart

Overall I have had positive experiences with all of the Banfield Hospitals. Staff and vets are nice and helpful. Ive taken advantage of the plan when my dog threw her back out, had an infection on her face from a cut, and getting travel certs for when I fly with her. Ive saved a lot of money. I also like how they call to let me know when my dog is due for shots or I am eligible for something on my wellness plan and I need to use it before I lose it for they year. My only complaint is the fine print with the wellness plan. I was always told x-rays are covered (up to so many a year). My dog needed an x-ray on her mouth to check a tooth and I was called to tell me that there would be a cost of $$$$ (cant remember how much). I said that I had the plan and x-rays are covered. The response was, only body x-rays are covered. The machine they use on teeth is different and not included. I objected and said that when speaking to vets about the plan the term used was "x-rays are covered" never "body x-rays". So if there was a difference then the staff needs to be more clear when speaking to their customers and to stop speaking so all encompassing. They waived the fee for me but they said they wouldnt be able to do it again in the future. So Im happy they didnt object, but now in the future if she has a tooth problem again I will have to shell out some cash because it is not covered. Overall tho its a great place.

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