Banfield Pet Hospital

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 19, 2015/10/15) */
Revdex.com had phone conversation with business. The consumer needs to contact the corporate office to cancel the automatic renewal of her policy and for settlement of her account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 22, 2015/10/15) */
Revdex.com...

staff had phone conversation with consumer. She stated that initially the problem was that she did not receive the service within year of contract. Now, one year later after much time spent calling/communicating with the business, both the franchise and corporate entities are still pointing fingers at one another. She is still has no resolution and is dissatisfied. She will be filing a complaint against the corporate office.

We just notified the leadership of the elevated nature of this concern yesterday. We do ask for 3-5 days to allow them time to review and reach out directly.

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client, [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets. We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter. Our records show that Ms. [redacted] initially contacted the...

Wellness Plan Relations team to cancel [redacted] plan on April 30, 2015. At that time, as an alternative to cancelling, Ms. [redacted] accepted an offer of two waived payments, which would be applied to the first two months after [redacted] plan renewed on August 1, 2015. Payments continued to draft as normal from May 19th to July 19th. Per Ms. [redacted] agreement, the first two payments after the plans’ renewal were waived and drafts resumed in October. As a client service gesture, as no services were used on the current plan year, we have refunded Ms. [redacted]’ October payment in the amount of $32.95 to the card on file. Ms. [redacted] should see that balance reflected in her account within three to five business days to allow for bank processing.

Thank you for forwarding this matter to our attention and providing us an opportunity to address this concern.
On March 21, 2016 [redacted] was enrolled on the "Dog Active Prevention" level at $39.95 per month. Although it was recommended that the plan be downgraded if [redacted] would not be receiving...

the dental cleaning Mr. [redacted] indicated he did not want to downgrade. At the end of the visit Mr. [redacted] had changed his mind, however as services had already been provided from the plan there would now be a charge to downgrade the plan. This was explained to Mr. [redacted] on multiple occasions. .
On May 21, 2016 the plan for [redacted] was downgraded as a client service gesture at no additional costs, from a "Dog Active Prevention" level at $39.95 a month to the "Dog Essential Wellness" level at $31.95 a month. As the may payment had already been withdrawn for the Active prevention level ($39.95) on May 12, 2016 the downgrade would have not been applied so the payment would not have been altered.
On June 12, 2016 the first payment on the new level ($31.95) was withdrawn and the second was withdrawn on July 12, 2016, also at $31.95.
As all payments have been charged appropriately and as the downgrade fee of $298.13 was waived as a client service gesture, Banfield must decline the requested additional refund.

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets. We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter.
Banfield OWPs are a package of itemized and...

discounted preventive veterinary care services, such as vaccines, exams, and dental cleanings. This package of services is designed to be delivered over the course of a year at any Banfield Pet Hospital. Clients can elect to spread the cost of the OWP over a year with equal monthly payments or they can elect to pay up front for the entire annual cost of the OWP.
As indicated in the terms, OWPs auto-renew on an annual basis. Also, as indicated in the terms a client can cancel an OWP at any time but if cancelled four or more days after the effective date, Banfield is entitled to recover the lesser of (1) the retail value of services used under the OWP or (2) the remaining monthly payments due under the terms of the OWP.
In this case, [redacted] received services and discounts with a retail value totaling $600.29 from the OWP. [redacted] has paid $151.80 (4 payments @ $37.95) towards the services received. In this case amount owed to cancel the Optimum Wellness Plan is $303.60, the remaining payments.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: All the information Banfield sent has already been discussed with me before I sent this complaint. My complaint was about that Banfield did not verbally offer to change to a new wellness plan, they offered to add dental for 10 dollars more a month. Since they are not providing dental anymore my request was to remove it from the plan and put [redacted] back to the previous fee of around 24 per month. I also added that Banfield did not call me at the time of the renewal so when I finally went to get the service done it was already August so it was too late to renew. The document you sent does not explain that it is a new wellness plan so I took the word of the veterinarian and his assistant at face value, to add to, not to change the plan. No one explained to me that I was changing the plan. 
I was somewhat disconcerting to find that Banfield used threats of sending to collections to a customer that has been loyal and never been late on any payment for more than ten years, not even during the course of this complaint.
It is surprising to me the way this corporation manages customer satisfaction and my main purpose is not even about the money but consumer awareness. I have more than ten years experience in corporate quality assurance and customer satisfaction and have never seen this type of deplorable customer satisfaction politics applied by a corporation. Our politics always included making sure a customer was greatly satisfied no matter what the outcome or type of complaint. In this case, I am a greatly unsatisfied customer of Banfield Hospitals. 
Sincerely,[redacted]

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets. We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter. We understand the loss of a pet is a difficulty experience...

and can be a hard time to deal with issues such as the cancellation of a Wellness Plan. We would like to take this opportunity to explain the process and details regarding cancellation of the Wellness Plan that was enrolled for [redacted]. The Wellness Plan is a bundled package of preventative care services in which the cost is spread into 12 monthly installments that make up each plan year. Under this plan any cancellation that needs to be done before the end of the plan year would leave a remaining balance of the costs of services utilized minus the payments made towards the plan year. In this case for the plan that was active for [redacted] there were services provided for a total amount of $257.34 since the plan year began on July 14th, 2016. The client has paid 2 monthly installments for a total of $69.90. This leaves a remaining balance of $187.44 due to cancel to cover the services that were used. In an effort to resolve this concern for the client, Banfield is willing to waive this balance and offer to close out the Wellness Plan at no cost as a client service gesture. The plan would be cancelled and the client would receive no further deductions for this plan. We will send a confirmation letter to the listed address confirming that the plan has been cancelled for the client’s records.“

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
 
At the time of purchase, my wife was NOT informed of any cancellation terms. Nor was she provided with any information beyond a perfunctory information pamphlet and receipt. She felt pressured into buying the plan at that time because she was never given a quote for services before they were performed. We were unable to pay the full amount up front but the agent stated the services were included in the "Plan" and could be paid incrementally. 
Banfield never even bothered to get a current address for our plan or update my wife's name. (She had taken a cat to Banfield roughly seven years prior for a single, free exam.)
I would request that Banfield provide proof that their claims are accurate and she was given all the relevant information at time of purchase.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Revdex.com:  I have called numerous times and already left 2 messages.  Waiting on call back from Emily in response to her voicemail.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted].  Just wanted it noted that I did contact the corporate office first and got no help so that is why I contacted the Revdex.com.  I am dealing with [redacted] from the Vet clinic that I take my dogs too, to see if we can come up with an agreement. Hopefully we can work together so that both parties are satisfied. Sincerely, [redacted]

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets.  We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter. Banfield offers price matching to our clients for...

identical products found at lower prices with other pet pharmacies. This includes online pharmacies such as 1-800-PetMeds. In order for price matching to be honored, a printed ad showing the product and pricing must be presented at Banfield at the time of purchase for the price to be valid at the time of the purchase or can retroactively be credited up to 30 days after the date of purchase at Banfield. Price matching cannot be combined with any other coupons or offers. The charges listed on the invoice referenced by Mr. [redacted] were for other services provided by Banfield not related to the purchase of Triheart and therefore we are unable to offer a refund for these services. Banfield would be glad to offer to price match the Triheart for Mr. [redacted] provided that the requested ad is presented at the time of purchase.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets. Although we appreciate the opportunity to resolve any and all client concerns, we do not feel that this...

avenue of communication is appropriate for concerns of a medical nature. This concern would be best addressed directly with the attending Veterinarian. We have passed on your concerns to the hospital and we highly encourage you to communicate with them directly regarding this matter. We have been made aware that the local Doctor has attempted to reach you via phone and we would request that you return that call to discuss these concerns and your recent experience.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
My complaint STARTED with the local practice. I was directed to call the Banfield corporate office, who told me to call the corporate Practice Manager, who took my complaint, said she'd pass it to the local Practice Manager, and that we should have a response in 3-5 days. That was over a week ago, and we have still not heard one word. We haven't been told if they will cancel our wellness plan, and I use that term loosely, because the care she received is what killed her.
We expect to be made whole financially for what we have lost due to the poor quality of care our puppy received. We want the wellness plan cancelled immediately, and to be refunded for all costs associated with her care to this point provided by Banfield. We expect to be reimbursed for the cost of care at the [redacted] Veterinary Referral Center- $2098, and we want to be reimbursed for the cost of the puppy from the breeder-$600. I have receipts for all costs.
While we feel we deserve to be made whole financially for the loss of our "investment" that was taken away from us by the substandard care we received, there is absolutely no way you can compensate for the amount of heartbreak you've caused to our family, nor the pain and suffering you put our puppy through.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Thank you for providing Ms. [redacted]’s response. We request that Ms. [redacted] review previously provided copy of her signed Wellness Plan agreement. This document requires that clients initial indicating their understanding of the automatic renewal clause. The copy provided shows Ms. [redacted]’s initial, indicating her understanding of this process. The plan thus renewed appropriately and with the necessary authorization documented. We are unable to process a refund as services were rendered accordingly and Ms. [redacted] had initialed her understanding of the renewal process on a legally binding document. This is our final response on this matter. Ms. [redacted]’s Optimum Wellness Plan is currently paid in full and is due to expire as of February 20, 2016. No further payments will be drafted and nothing further is owed.

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted]. Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets. We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter. Wellness Plans are not insurance; they are discount membership...

plans designed to help make top quality veterinary care convenient and affordable. Unlike insurance, plan services should always be used; not only if the Pet is ill or injured. Wellness Plans include only the discounted services listed on the agreement, so there is no need to list exclusions, deductibles or co-payments. Wellness Plan services are provided at deep discounts under an annual agreement. Agreements may be cancelled at any time. However, if an agreement is cancelled before the end of its term, the client is responsible for the remaining payments on the plan or the full retail value for services and discounts used under the plan, less payments received (whichever is less) regardless of Pet status including Pet death or Pets given away. In this case, [redacted] received services and discounts with a retail value totaling $560.32. Ms. [redacted] has paid $164.85 (9 payments @ $54.95) towards the services received. In this case amount owed to cancel the Optimum Wellness Plan is $395.47. According to the agreement signed by M. [redacted], she is responsible for fulfilling her obligation under the Optimum Wellness Plan. Until Ms. [redacted] details an alternative payment plan for the services provided, the payments on the Wellness Plan will continue to be withdrawn per the agreement. We have also forwarded Ms. [redacted]’s concerns to the Balcones hospital in [redacted], ** so that they may reach out to her directly to further address her concerns. As her Wellness Plan can be used at any Banfield Pet Hospital, we invite Ms. [redacted] to reach out to any of the other five locations within a ten mile radius of her home zip code as they may have increased availability.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Sincerely, [redacted]

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the complaint from our client [redacted].  Banfield Pet Hospital works hard to provide exceptional client experience and quality medical care for Pets.  We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter.
 We are sorry to hear about the...

passing of [redacted] and would like to offer our condolences. We would like to ensure that any concerns regarding the care and diagnosis are handled and addressed appropriately. As the concerns are of a medical nature, we are forwarding these on to the attending veterinarian as they would be the most appropriate personnel to look into these issues and they will be following up directly with the client. We have closed the remaining Wellness Plan for [redacted] at no cost as a courtesy for the client.

We are sorry to hear that we were unable to resolve this matter to Mr. [redacted]'s concerns. As we mentioned we have already waived several payments from the plans in question and have apologized repeatedly for the unintended error the resulted in the condolence card being sent.
Again, we have been in contact with the client directly regarding these concerns and have provided Mr. [redacted] with the contact information for the appropriate person to handle his concerns should he wish to discuss this with us further.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I was asking for the reason why this plan did not detect any abnormality of her health which may caused her death. Also, I did not sign the contract of 12 month plan for it, so I should not have any balance to pay. Rather, banfield should refund all payments. Sincerely,
[redacted]