Lakewood Veterinary Hospital

Reviews 3

KI

Kim Roberts

I had been taking my pets to Dr. Slywester at Lakewood Vet Hospital for more than 20 years. In July, during construction at our house, asbestos was found and was in the air and we had to leave our house. I called Lakewood Vet Hospital because I knew both dogs needed their bordetella updated and we had boarded the small dog there in the past. I was told they only had one appointment open and could only see one dog. I explained the situation, that we were basically without a home for ourselves and the dogs and needed to get them both in so we could get them boarded. I was told they only had one appointment and very snippety "we dont even board larger dogs." At this point Im on the verge of tears. I need to get my dogs out of the house and I cant do that without their bordetella. I told the receptionist I had "been coming there for more than 20 years, I only need to board the little dog, but I need both dogs in for their vaccination updates." "We can only see one dog. We only have one appointment. This is where I start losing patience. We have not only been coming into this office for more than 20 years, but we have referred COUNTLESS people to this office. They cant see both at once? Isnt THIS the perfect time for an office to STEP UP and see both dogs at one time (which they have done MANY times in the past, by the way. Two dogs, one appointment.) Instead, the receptionist could care less about the customer or the dogs. I ask to speak to Dr. Sylwester and I am told no, hes busy. Frustrated, and not wanting to say something I will regret, I end the call. My oldest daughter says "Dr. Sylwester doesnt know, because hed totally help." I call back and ask for Dr. Sylwesters voice mail. "May I ask what this is regarding?" "No. You may not" is my reply. Shes super snippy now: "Well, I cant just put people through to his voice mail. I need to know what this is regarding." Clearly, she knows its me. We just spoke. "Please put me through to Dr. Slywesters voice mail." Im trying hard not to lose my temper. But she is very, very snippy. "I need to know what its regarding." "It doesnt concern you. Dr. Sylwesters voice mail, please." "What. Is. This. Regarding?" Thats the last straw for me. She knows what its regarding. "None of your business! Put me through to his voice mail." I then am transferred to the general office voice mail. Im sure that got erased. Dont bother going here. Dr. Sylwester is great, but his office staff is the WORST. Rude, condescending and no customer service skills. When you REALLY need help, they could care less. By the way, the next place I called, Stockton Pet Hospital had no appointments available that day. The minute I explained my situation, Ursula at the front desk fit me in. No history with them. Never been there. But they were more willing to reach out and help than my vet hospital of 20+ years. Thats called being HUMAN and providing customer service.

TA

TAB Marketing

Ive been taking my dog here from the very beginning - for 3 years. Ive always had a positive experience with Lakewood Vet. Until today. I received a voicemail from the receptionist who informed me that they were going to send a report to the county that Teddys rabies records were invalid, and then would take "further action". All because I had not yet paid the $5 bill they charged me to ship a replacement tag to my house. A bill which I had just received less than 48 hours ago. When I originally called to ask them about a replacement tag, I was told it was going to be $5 to ship it. Thinking that was kind of a lot of money to ship something a couple miles, I told the lady that I would prefer to come pick it up for free instead. Nevertheless, the tag came in the mail a few days later. I thought, Oh well, it was just a misunderstanding. $5 isnt a big deal. Well, apparently its a big deal to Lakewood Vet. I received a call earlier this week that the bill for the tag had been returned to sender. After giving her my address, she discovered they had an incorrect zip code for me. I have not moved in over 2 years, and have never had a problem receiving other mailings, wellness visit reminders, etc. from them. I was driving at the time of the call and could not get my card out of my purse, so told her that I could call her later or she could resend the bill. I admit, I did forget to call them back later, though Im sure I have nothing else going on in my life. So, a bill came in the mail a couple of days later. Sure, its been sitting on my desk for 48 hours, and I can certainly sympathize with small businesses needing to collect on receivables as quickly as possible. However, I dont think a $5 bill from a loyal customer, who has not had an unpaid bill in all 3 years she has been a customer, is going to put them in a cash flow crunch. Like I said, Ive always had a positive experience before and therefore didnt want to give them too low of a score. But I dont respond well to threats. If a business expects me to be loyal to them, then I expect a certain level of customer service from them. They have completely broken my trust and I will not be back. Lakewood Veterinary Hospital, you have given up thousands of dollars worth of customer lifetime value for the quick collection of $5. Good job.

ED

Edie Calderon

My boyfriend and I had our dogs over at a pet sitters house over Thanksgiving weekend and realized that Sunday that one of our pups had a REALLY bad ear infection (not the pet sitters fault of course, it just happens). We took her in to see Dr. Sylvester the next day and were blown away with the amazing treatment we received. He gave us easy/cheap home remedies to use for prevention in the future and didnt charge us a ridiculous amount for the medication which is what we were expecting given our past veterinary history with our two dogs. Hes all about avoiding pricey unnecessary medications and clearly truly loves taking care of animals. This type of business operation is rare, and were so glad we found them! We realized they were both due for shots so we made another appointment for Saturday (this last weekend). What an amazing decision that was. When the veterinary assistant brought us to the room she really cared about our fur babies and that really meant a lot to us. She asked great questions and had really awesome helpful advice. The vet came in shortly after and spent a few minutes making our pup comfortable with him and genuinely cared about our animals. He got down to their eye level and played with them, something weve never experienced before but we are so appreciative of. As they received their shots he volunteered the science behind each medication, what they do and how they came about. He then went on to tell us about some of the care differences we should be aware of (we just moved here from Texas). Were so lucky to have found this veterinary hospital. It was a fabulous experience and any animal lover should feel as appreciated as we did so I hope you read this and give them a call. Their front staff is so bubbly and engaging. From start to finish it was just lovely!