Banfield Pet HospitalReviews of banfield.com

Would have given a 0 stars if possible or even -ve. Have been with Banfield for over 10 years and recently (past 8-10 months) their service has deteriorated drastically. It seems they have been given sales targets and you see the nurses and vets (mostly invisible) tend to upsell unnecessary services. Today I took my Yorkie for his annual comprehensive exam and dental checkup. I get a call after an hour and am told that my dog is turning purple and is very excited. The doctor will not perform the dental without an X-ray and wanted to give me 2 injections one for itching (which he does not have) and second was an anti-depressant. I was given a choice to either pay for these or not have the dental done. When challenged that he has been always excited since the age of 2 months, they started saying well, this doctor is not comfortable we can schedule another doctor. When I went to pick him up, I was told that he would not even allow a catheter to be put, but was charged for electrolytes which they claimed was blood infused. When questioned how they did it if they could not even put on a catheter, there was complete silence and was told that both the doctor and the nurse had left for the day. Complete scam !! They will try to prescribe things, put in fear in you head and take advantage of one’s love for their pet. *********************************************** Update It has been more than a week since I reached out to them via the email they asked me to send. Even shared my phone number, but till date no call or email.

Never again. After being a customer for 11 years, I called with a dog with a swollen face, and eye. Could be a tooth. They can see me in 2 weeks. She can’t even eat. I have moved on to a new vet. Would never go to Banfield. Hated the drop off. I want to see what they are doing (or not doing ) with my animal

I signed up for a premium wellness plan through Banfield on 6/15/22 when I took my cat to get a comprehensive check up. I was not informed at the time of the sign up that it was a year long contract, nor that I will be held liable for whatever costs they deemed as "not under the plan." During the initial check up, he was acting strange, which I expressed, but nonetheless, they gave him the all clear after running tests and giving him a rabies vaccine. Later that evening, I had to take my cat to the emergency room the same night after our visit because the vet didn't catch that he had colitis. He also had an allergic reaction to the rabies shot that they forced him to get. Due to their negligence, I was forced to spend $980 for the trip, when all he needed were antibiotics, which could have been given to me at the time of the visit. When I spoke with the manager about this, she said that since he came in with colitis, that it was a "pre-existing condition" so they wouldn't have treated him. I also addressed the allergic reaction, and I was told that *I* personally, requested that he not get Benadryl before his vaccine. I told the manager that no, I asked the woman at the front to do what the doctor said was best, and that was no Benadryl. The manager then stated that it was in fact no one's fault, and that usually cats do not have allergic reactions to vaccines. So, not only was I blamed originally for my kitty getting ill, when the blame was shifted, I was told it was no one's fault. On 7/6 I took him to get a teeth cleaning and I thought everything was covered, but I was not informed that if there were extractions needed, it would cost extra. I then paid another $760 on top of the plan, and on top of the emergency hospital visit. I am very dissatisfied and very upset with how both I, and my cat, have been handled throughout this entire experience. Not only could the colitis have been caught early and the emergency visit would not have been needed, but I was informed that, after my cat has been put under anesthesia, that it was now extra to extract his teeth. Had I known any of this, I would have gone to another veterinarian where they would have caught my cat's illness and would have cleaned his teeth for a cheaper cost. Today, 10/25/22 I took my cat for an ear cleaning, which I was told was covered under the plan. No, it is in fact not covered, they only take 15% off, still leaving me with $83 spent. Then, I am informed that he has an ear infection and need to pay an additional $43 for the antibiotics, which they "also took 15% off" of. To summarize: The plan that Banfield offers covers nothing, and they tell you that it's "so much cheaper" when they attach any old price to it and say, "well you're paying $600 on $1,500, so you should be grateful!" In addition to being money hungry, they do not take good care of your pet and frankly, do not care about them in the slightest. This company preys on people who want what is best for their pet, and let me tell you, it isn't Banfield.

Amazing that they can sign you up with the promise of convenience and savings, then turn you down for every. single. appointment. request. And I do mean every single one. A member for over 10 years. It changed in the last 3 and they blamed covid. ("A lot of new patients because other clinics closed.") Okay, well then there should be a lot of doctors looking to join Banfield too, right? But zero service. When I asked what I'm actually paying for if I can never see a vet, they suggested I try their vet-chat and virtual doctor. I did. Both said they couldn't help and to make an in-office appointment. So after that wasted "hold" time, etc., just back to ground zero. What a silly corporation. I cancelled, paid the final month even though I wasn't going to use it, and went to a real veterinary clinic. Spent less money doing a once-a-year checkup and have no trouble getting my dog worked into their busy schedule if he has an issue. That's how it's done, Banfield.

I tried to cancel my Maltese's insurance after 18yrs. Yes, think about all that money. He died in April, and called customer service, who informed me, basically that I had used "more than the amount" paid in for the year, and and the so called contract, for a renewal? He only had his annual shots up until April. Banfield decided to continue to draft my account.....and still are as of today. I physically had to go to my bank and open a new account. Still, they draft and the bank stops the transaction. Please note, they will try to sell you services that you don't need. I was told 5 YEARS AGO he had a heart murmur and needed a cardiologist. Basically, the wellness plan does not pay for that.....Surprise? I cried for weeks thinking he would die. As you can see, he lived until 2022.....and he didn't DIE because of a HEART MURMUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my personal Banfield story. On October 11, ten days ago, my English Bulldog, who is 2-years old, was scheduled for a dental cleaning at the Research Boulevard location in Austin, Texas. We left him at 7:30 in the morning. A few hours later, they called to inform us that Charlie had an emergency. It was less than five minutes from my house, so I hurried there quickly, but when we got there, we found out that he had regrettably passed away. This reality is surrounded by a great deal of uncertainty and unsolved questions. I want to draw attention to key factors that I believe are crucial to stopping this from happening. I try to keep my remarks brief and only provide what is required to describe what happened and how we felt. At drop-off, we were informed that blood work and a physical examination is done, and if there was any "red flag," they would cancel the cleaning. I want to clarify that Charlie was a healthy puppy who had already undergone treatment under anesthesia, first for castration and then for removal of the soft palate. I was told that when the anesthesia started, his heart rate became unstable, so they gave him various medications to neutralize the effect and CPR. I remember that I asked to speak with the doctor who performed the procedure, and she told me that they did everything possible, but the only thing that made it clear to me was that they did not want to do an autopsy. I quote her words: “there is no reason to do an autopsy because usually nothing is reflected” (there are witnesses who were present). At that moment, when my wife and I were devastated, I accepted her suggestion, which I regret today. Now for us, this information must be known, we have been investigating and there are hundreds of cases similar to mine with this company. Banfield uses a very effective marketing model that makes you feel the need to give our pets a generic plan that includes several vaccines, treatments and services that are just a strategy for them to make money; regardless of the consequences this may bring to our furry ones. There are thousands of stories about it, I invite you to search, to google and not be left alone with what they sell. Ask yourself, does my dog really need this service? Does my dog really need a dental cleaning that puts his life at risk? Does my dog really need that vaccine if we don't live near swamps or lakes? Our pets must be treated with respect, as individual beings that they are, not as a generic product, they are living beings with specific needs, veterinarians must inform when a service puts the life of our dog at risk and not be complicit in the sale of plans generic for all our furry ones! Nothing will bring our baby Charlie back to us, but if we can prevent this from happening to another family, we will.

I have a new puppy and had his first visit and started the vaccines, had set up a follow up for the next dose of DAPP at 3 weeks and they called to cancel the appointments for him and also for the drop off appointment I had for our 13 year old dog. The wanted to reschedule a dropoff for both of them a week later, I said I am not doing a drop off appointment especially for a 13 week old puppy and that I only scheduled a dropoff for the 13 year old because he needed the shots and that was all they had. I have 3 dogs with wellness plans and have been a customer for almost 10 years, will never go back. Customer service won't listen and when I tried cancelling the plan for the pup that they saw but they say I owe 11 months of payments, I don't think so since they didn't provide the services I signed up for. They have gotten worse and worse the last three years. If you really care about a animals don't make our pets sit there all day and actually have enough help to serve the customers you agreed to take care of. Now to start the DAPP vaccines all over with a new vet that can do it when it needs to be done, every three weeks.

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM, this place is run away from their pet plans unless you want to throw away your money. They are a rip off! The cost for services in their "plans" is insane. $61 a month, when I have only been on their plan for less than a month, plus $244 upfront.