Our story with BanfIeld begins on August 25th 2010. My 11 week old black lab puppy and boyfriend were running thru the front yard when he ran between his legs and he stepped on his back leg. He let out the loudest cry I have ever heard out of a dog.So immediately my boyfriend and I took the dog to banfield fearing that his leg was broken. We had x rays done and received a call about 7 house later finally letting us know what was wrong with our dog. They told us he had a fracture of the tibia right on the growth plate. They said surgery was a good possibility. But never once showed us the x rays. They splinted it and told us come back in a week for new x rays and new splint (first visit cost us $580). They said he would be healed up in about two weeks after another set of x rays to make sure. Which would end up costing another $500 for each set of x rays and splinting. Then we took him home. Within two hours the newly placed splint was already falling off the puppy’s leg.The following day Leroy was uncomfortable, and was moaning and groaning because of the splint moving. We took him in that day to have the splint readjusted. They wanted to charge us more money for a soiled bandage because the bottom was ruined. (It was ruined because it was falling off his leg). After the splint was fixed Leroy was a happy puppy and adjusting to his injured leg.Finally the day came for Leroy’s first week exam. The nurses changed out his splint and wanted to do x rays but we declined because of the money they wanted to charge us. He was never the same after the splint change. Leroy was sleepy, moaning and groaning, not eating nor drinking. He just laid in his bed all day and night. We took him back to Banfield the next day saying something was wrong with him. They did a full exam and said he was fine and tried selling us $700 worth of blood work.We then asked to please see the first set of x rays, with the doctor replying with "our x ray machine is broke". We asked what that had to do with previous x rays and then she pulled up the x rays after us questioning her for a couple minutes. She then showed me and circled a rather large area stating that they were unsure where the fracture was but it was somewhere in the area where she circled. I asked her who said it was fractured and she stated the company they send out the x rays to said it was fractured. After some confusion on why they now changed their story on whether it was broke or fractured, now my girlfriend and I were questioning whether his leg was even fractured/broke in the first place. we asked the doctors for a copy of the x rays and she said we would have to buy them off them, and quickly asked why? We said we wanted to get a second opinion. The doctor then got all flustered and started back tracking on whether his leg was really hurt in the first place.So after a few hours of sitting at home we decided to go get our second opinion. We took Leroy to an animal hospital/orthopedic surgery office. They talked to us for about an hour wanting to know our story and how everything happened. Then removed the splint, to our horror on what we saw next I broke down in tears. To our surprise he had two soars on is leg that were dripping blood on the table. One of which was about a half inch think and almost to the bone. This would explain why he was in so much pain, and the banfield doctors failed to let us know about theses soars the day prior when the changed out his bandage. So after the new doctor cleaning up his wounds, they took him back for x rays. About 10 minutes laterthe doctor came back and told us that his leg was not fractured/broke nor were there any signs that there was ever anything to indicate there was one. This made us so upset that they would do this to poor Leroy and hose us for money in the process.We have recently tried to cancel our wellness plan and they let us know it would be a $600 charge to terminate the policy…

I sent a formal email to the Banfield Animal Hospital via an address on their website on 8/25/2010. I have yet to receive a response or acknowledgement of my experience. Today's date is 9/13/2010. Here is part of what I sent.

Dear Sir or Madam:

My dog has the Optimum Wellness Plan for puppies with the Basic Early Care option at the Banfield in Phoenix, AZ at Spectrum Mall on West Bethany Home and 19th Avenue. I’ve been enrolled since May 2010 I pay about $25/month including the $139 initial upfront "membership fee". My puppy was neutered on 6/23/10 at about 5 months old. He did well and everything went smooth until about 1.5 months later when I noticed he had a hard piece of plastic string that looked like a suture sticking out of his incision spot. I made an appointment and went in for the doctor to look at it on 8/3/10. Dr. Courtney Steinhauer looked at it and said it was nothing to worry about because the suture is supposed to dissolve and he was fine, just a little scabbing which was normal. I went home and about 3 weeks later, took my puppy to the groomers. When I picked him up, my groomer said, "your puppy still has stitches on his incision area, you should see your vet." I looked at the area again and the scab is now gone and there was a very visible blue outline of a stitch. I made an appointment on 8/23/10 and was seen the same day. Dr. Steinhauer saw my puppy again and this time offered to "speed up" the process by snipping off the tip of the "dissolvable" suture. When he was brought back by the vet tech, the suture was not snipped off at the tip, but the previously present suture was completely taken out and there was a hole where it laid imbedded before. The vet tech continues to tell me that there was some puss that came out when the doctor removed the stitch so now the incision area was infected. I needed to buy antibiotic medication and topical medicated rinse to clean the area now. The antibiotic is Ceftodixime 100MG for $15.73 and the rinse is Chlorhexidine flush for $13.07. So now I'm out $30 and after 2 visits and insisting the suture be taken out...AND my dog has an infection now. When I brought this up, the vet tech proceeded to tell me that the infection could have been from anything...even from the ant bite he has a few centimeters to the right (which WASN'T infected).

I do not understand why it took 2 visit to remove the very obvious stitch that was still there. I can’t say that leaving the stitch in that much longer caused the infection….but I can’t say it didn’t either. Shouldn’t that be the job of my vet? To ensure that my pet is well cared for?!

I am very unhappy with the care I am getting from Banfield as this is not the first time I’ve been blindsided by extra charges after coming to an office visit. I mean, why should I have to pay for medication and treatment because of someone else’s mistake?

Every time I take my two dogs to the Banfield, we have horrible customer service. The "pet nurses" are rude beyond belief, no one ever calls to let me know when they are ready, and even when I call and am told what time they will be done, it takes at least an hour of me waiting in the store for them to come out. We have both dogs on their Wellness plans, which apparetnly is a contract that were not informed about, so we are stuck paying for that load of crap for 4 months on 1 dog and 7 months on the other. What a waste. I'd rather pay 400% the money and go to a REAL vet than to take my dogs to Banfield again. THey always try to convince you that things are wrong with your dogs that aren't, and always try to sell you redicutous medications for non-existant problems. HATE THEM!

I have recently adopted a cat from the shelter and was given $30 coupon towards Banfield Pet Hospital & thought I give them a try.

I always do my research for most everything being on the net all the time & love info on things (eg. pet insurances, how to care for my cat, recipes, how to, advises etc.).

I did a review on Banfield and it took me to "Here", Yelp, some other review sites and see nothing but consumer complains... so I got "the idea" of how Banfield really is.

I at first changed my mind and decided to make an appointment with my local vet here (not banfield) but have to cancel due to a family emergency (out of town for 2 weeks). When I came back, I really wanted a physical for my kitty so called Banfield to see if I can "walk in" (I still have the $30coupon; if no "walk in", I won't use them) and they say they take walk in.

Hence I went.

When I was there, sure enough like all the complaints... they try to sell me this and that (my DD even crack a joke on the Kitty needing "Surrrgerrry" in a funny voice) plus the "Wellness plan" that will be the same monthly payment as any "pet insurance" and then stressing that "it is NOT an insurance". Mind you, anything not under "wellness" will be $$$$$$ extra (but of course).

The vet tech was trying so had to sell me the "wellness" that they told me that day's visit would be $180 plus (since "wellness is $200 plus for the year; the vet tech played it so it is like a huge savings)!!! 8 --- (Thinking I was *** of course! What an insult plus turn me right off!!!)

So I ask her what the basic physical without all the rest of the crap cost, then he sheepishly said $44. I said OK, I'll do just that! They also charge me $3 for a disposal fee for just throwing an "ear swab" from my cat into the trash can (NOT into any "special" container for medical disposal for Christ sake!)! 8(

I am pissed, yes.

Here forth, I sincerely believed that this Banfield Practice is nothing but a "Money making" scheme thought up by "evil companies" just trying to suck your hard earn money!

So even if you bring your pets in, the Banfield practice WILL try to SELL you everything (from "plans" to drugs & surgeries that your pet MAY NOT NEED, hence endangering their lives plus sucking your $$$$) & anything to mark up their intake $$$$.

I promised myself I would share my more than FAIR reviews on Banfield after my visit. Hey, I did give them A CHANCE to prove the reviews here wrong by spending my $$$ on them.

******To all consumers:

DO NOT get suck into buying from Banfield "wellness plans"!

Why?

#1) Then *YOU* be STUCK "with them" plus still have to dish out extra $$$$ for so many "uncovered" expenses

I took my toy poodle to Banfield Sunday with an upset tummy. They did some initial tests found no parasites but wanted to do further tests. The initial "estimate" was $94.00 which seemed reasonable.

The doctor came in and check my puppy and said they needed to do an Iv for dehydration, xrays, led me to believe he may have "twisted intestines" so I had no choice on Sunday but to let them test.

The fial bill came to be $661.05!! When I picked him up after 5 hours, he was fine and has been fine ever since. All he needed was something for his tummy. They wanted him on a Prescription diet dogfood for a few days and I had to buy that separately, nor did they start him on any medication - told me to do it at home.

This place is a ripoff from the word GO. They obviously take advantage of people in their time of stress over their dog. I have written their Corporate office but imagine nothing will be done. The charge for blood work was $126+ - the dog weighs 3 lbs, how much blood could they have taken!

I will never take any animal to them again and will tell all I know to leave them alone. Emergency vets are more reasonable than this place is.