Need advice about vet practice

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by shelaghc, Aug 11, 2018.

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  1. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    I started Jester with a new vet just over three weeks ago . It's a practice with multiple vets owned by one vet.

    We wound up there for over three and a half hours because they take walk-ins and because there were a few emergencies. Technically appointments take precedence over walk-ins, but emergencies take priority. But I liked the vet we wound up with because she listened and seemed willing to work with me.

    However when a prescription was ordered for antibiotics, despite our local supermarket now carrying pet prescriptions, I was told through a vet tech that the only one available wasn't sold at that supermarket and that the cost would be over $80. Their office is about 25 minutes away normally, but there was a city event going on and it took almost 45 minutes to get there because of street closures. Once there I fussed about the high cost and found out the prescriber has decided for me that liquid was better than pill form. When pushed, they finally offered me the pills at about $25.
    Today I found out the supermarket pharmacy could have ordered the same prescription as late as 8:00pm Friday and still have had it in on Saturday. No idea what the price would have been, but they apparently didn't even ask. (FTR the script fro the vet says amoxiclav - I'm assuming that's just Clavamox?)

    Yesterday, out of the blue and with no advance notice at all, and just days after being told to increase Jester's dosage to 2U, I received an email from the vet that it was her last day. She gave me a generic email address for the practice stating any vet could follow up with me about Jester.

    I called the practice to complain and ask why they thought it would be a good idea to give a new client to a vet that was leaving within weeks. The front desk person suggested I could speak with the owner of the practice and that I could take Jester to her with confidence that she wouldn't be leaving the practice. I suggested that they allow me to set up a free appointment with her for Jester to compensate me.

    I received a call later when I was away from my phone and called back as soon as I could. The receptionist asked me what was on the message so I had to get off, check the message - which just said to call the office manager back - and called back again to inform the receptionist. But now the office manager was in a meeting as it had been half an hour since she had called.

    When she finally got back to me again, it was ten minutes before they stopped answering the phone and I was in the middle of feeding all three of my cats.

    I tried calling but the lines were busy until after they closed.

    Called this morning and, of course, she doesn't work weekends nor does the owner of the practice.
    I asked to speak with someone in authority and was given to the front desk person. I brought up the prescription situation and she said that every time she spoke with me all I did was complain.

    She said that the office manager really does want to speak with me and finally took a time from me that I would actually be available to talk - Monday after work while I'm driving home.

    I wanted to give this practice a chance because it's the only one near to me run by a woman, she's still fairly new to the area so she's not in the local "old boys" network, and Jester *did* gain almost a full pound within ten days of seeing that first vet.

    I'm just feeling very frustrated. Jester didn't gain or lose this week and now I have no one to consult with at that practice.

    Thoughts and/or suggestions?
     
    JeanW likes this.
  2. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    Jul 24, 2017
    Wow, all of that would totally make me want to go elsewhere as fast as possible.

    But my experience with lots of different vets over the last year has made me learn that what really counts is the vet I end up seeing regularly - and sometimes I have to put with a lot of stuff to get to see that vet.

    Ideally and in a great practice it wouldn't be that way. I live in a smaller town and 99% of the vets have the service you describe. If it was me I would try once more to see a vet there and then decide. Hope something here helps.
     
  3. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    Finally had a conversation with the office manager Monday evening.

    In a nutshell, she was completely unsympathetic and not a single thing that happened was considered worthy of an apology.
    At one point she asked me what I wanted them to do.

    I said, under the circumstances I felt I deserved a new examination for Jester by a different vet at the practice for either reduced cost or free.
    She disagreed and told me obviously their practice was not for me. She was happy to send me my records to give to any other practice.
    She also claimed that the reason I left the previous vet must have been because they had problems with me.
     
    JeanW likes this.
  4. Arkali

    Arkali Member

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    Aug 1, 2018
    :mad: Oh. My. God. Are you serious? I wonder if the vet knows how her office manager is handling her business? I'd be pissed off enough that I'd leave a nasty review on Google or wherever else I could. My jaw dropped at the part where she said all you do is complain. By the time I got to your last post, I was livid on your behalf. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that.
     
    JeanW likes this.
  5. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    Jul 24, 2017
    I am so very sorry to hear this happened to you. How maddening! No customer service there at all!!!

    I've had really similar experiences at several vet practices in my small town . . . usually with the office manager. They have been just truly mean and horrid.

    Agree with the idea to leave a nasty review on Google and/or Yelp.
     
    Arkali likes this.
  6. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    It would be annoying to lose a vet you liked but really one of the other vets at the practice ìs probably good too. At the vet I go to there are about 8 vets. Some I like, others I avoid. I always ask who's working the day I want to go in. For CC I try to see one particular vet because she knows her history. When I brought in Julie last year who hasn't seen any vet in 5 years I didn't care which one was working. Some vets I've have had and liked have left. It was a bummer when Dr.D left who took care of my Nikki in her final weeks..... But people move on. It wouldn't be a big deal to me esp if I had only met with this vet once... You weren't super invested with them or anything.
     
    Becky & Baby Girl GA likes this.
  7. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I recommend asking the owner to call you and discuss the issues directly with her. Her office manager acted in a very unprofessional manner and the owner may not be aware of what happened. The owner would be the one that would make their final decision as to whether or not you could be seen by another vet at a lower cost or free.
     
  8. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    I actually did ask to speak with the practice owner .

    Thw office manager refused telling me they were partners and she was as high as the owner.
     
  9. Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2016
    You're asking questions that have no answer.
    Why, when someone sees you're waiting for their parking spot do they then decide to make you wait just a little bit longer. (There's proof of that)
    At the local stupid-market people refuse to move up just a few more inches, clogging up the aisle. The older I get the nastier I am; an "accidental" tap on the cart or a not so subtle "Wow thanks for being so thoughtful".
    My number one thing is people pretending you're invisible and are not next in line.
    That's got nothing to do with vets but everything to do with respect and common sense. People are just becoming more asinine by the day.
    Last night I got berated by a woman whose dog wouldn't stop barking at our off-leash dog on the other side of a 6' high fence. I asked if having our dog on a leash would stop her dog from yapping. She didn't know what I meant.
    Our vet has been in the same shabby building for 20+ years and they've known us for more than 15 years. I don't know how we got so lucky. When Nigel was diagnosed she was on the phone with us AM and PM for 14 straight days talking us through it.
     
  10. Beck and Philly

    Beck and Philly Well-Known Member

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    Jun 4, 2018
    The office manager at my vet is also a horrible person. I swear she goes out of her way to make sure I pay the maximum and get absolutely no slack. Recently when the front desk staff tried to give us a little container of non-absorbent litter so I could check Grandpa's ketones more easily, she flew out of her office and stopped them. Since I wasn't bringing the urine back to them for testing, I couldn't have the normally free litter. We had to pay $6 for 1/4 cup of litter.

    That being said, although everyone in that office knows I prefer one specific vet, I have to accept that they are a busy practice, and I may sometimes be seen by a different doctor. While it's convenient to only see one doc, it may be that I need to start with one and change to another for a myriad of reasons. Unless the doc I paid to see gave me a horrible experience that could be considered detrimental to my pet's health, I don't know that I would request a complimentary appt with a new doc - unless the practice required me to pay for a new consultation appt to get established with a new doc.
     
    Arkali, Kris & Teasel and JanetNJ like this.
  11. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    It sounds like you may need to consider finding a new vet or just pay for a consult with another vet in the office. I know this may not be what you are looking for, but if you want to stay with the same practice, it is better not to develop a bad relationship with the front staff. Since the owner is a vet, ask him/her to review your file and recommend a vet he/she thinks that would be best for Jester's care.
     
  12. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    The office manager made it clear that Jester and I aren't welcome back to their practice.

    The post originally was about whether or not I should stay.

    That point is now moot.
     
  13. Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 3, 2016
    That is shameful.
     
  14. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Do you know where the vet that you liked is now working? If you can find out then you can go there. Or you can create a new post asking for recommendations for vets that are near you.
     
  15. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    I don't know if I liked her. I only met her once and we were only beginning to establish a relationship. The only thing I know is that she recognized Jester was getting way too much food.

    The practice she went to is extremely far away and there's no way I would travel that far with Jester. Plus my car is in bad shape and it would be a bad idea to drive so far.
     
    Noah & me (GA) likes this.
  16. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

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    Jun 28, 2017
    OMG - just got a sheef of papers from them including the receptionist fussing because I was upset.

    Nearly the entire packet was what *I* gave them - Jester's lab work from Point Breeze vets, and his spreadsheet in B&W so the vet could read his numbers more easily.

    The one thing *not* there?
    The freakin' urinalysis they insisted on doing so they could prescribe antibiotics they weren't sure if he even needed.

    I paid for that test and they didn't bother to send me the results.
     
    Noah & me (GA) likes this.
  17. Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 3, 2016
    Vets are like any other business, you pay for something (the urinalysis) and they provide the results, end of story. Too many people are either perceived as whiners and complainers or suckers who will settle for any kind of abuse.
    I'm not of Facebook so I don't know how far you can slag a business and you don't want to sound like a bitter customer but business is business. I understand some of a vet's work is conjecture (for lack of a better word. Cats and dogs can't talk and don't make ideal patients) but too often we just pay the bill and don't question anything.
    Return business and word of mouth is everything in small business, when will people understand this?
     
  18. JoyBee&Ravan

    JoyBee&Ravan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2018
    @shelaghc
    @Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me. I'm reading your posts here & thought for a minute i wrote them!! You sound so much like me it's amazing! As I get older (72) I also have NO patience dealing with people that are inconsiderate, Everything in your yesterdays post i have been thru, "parking lot,Stupin- market,Dog barking, it can drive you CRAZY.
    My favorite is when people complain but do nothing about it."apathetic" They just shrug their shoulders and say,"Oh well what ya gonna do?" :banghead::banghead::banghead: I wish I lived far away from people on a tiny self sufficient farm that I never had to leave! :)

    Shelaghc, I've been thru the same thing with Many vets. They don't want you to ask questions, just stand there , let them do whatever they want to your poor kitty & then pay the enormous bill! And remember the female vets go to the same schools the guys do They often become one of the "Good Old boys " also. Sad but true.

    The guy I have now I get along with. He does listen to my opinion & even gives me a break on the bills. It's the "Women" that run his office that i have problems with sometimes. They feel he shouldn't give me a discount & have actually raised the amount & said the lower price was a computer mistake.

    I finally asked the Tech in the room to please leave so I could talk private to the Vet. He was very nice about it & told me he would make sure that changed. ( he owns the practice)

    Before my mother died she told me ,"Old people die because they no longer understand the world" I now believe she was RIGHT!
     
  19. Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 3, 2016
    Just today! My wife is on some kind of patch and to get a repeat you need to produce the used ones. Canada is a land of immigrants but if there is anyone who needs command of English it should be a pharmacist. After much head scratching (lice?) three staffers had still not decided what was needed. I interrupted and asked "So do you need me here". "Uhm, no". It just hadn't occurred to anyone as I stood mere feet away.
    While leaving I watched someone just step off a curb into traffic. After all, "It can't be my fault".
    Last week I watched "the child who insisted on pushing a loaded shopping cart". Over she went like the Titanic! If I had my phone I would have taken a photo. "Many lives lost, milk and eggs miraculously saved". I don't remember being 10 years old and throwing a fit because I couldn't ride in the cart. Of course that's when I waked to school.
    This week I asked for cash back at my favorite store and of course forgot to take it. I went in the next day and the manager drove over within minutes. He was indeed $20 over on last nights count and promptly gave me my money. There is hope!
     
    JoyBee&Ravan likes this.
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