Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/31/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am sending this email based on the unethical practices at this office leading to services being rendered without my knowledge of the costs of services beforehand. On Saturday, December 10th, I brought my cat, ****. I waited in the parking lot for over 30 minutes before he was taken back. I did not step foot inside the office at any point during this visit, I was told to remain in my car, so I honestly have no idea if the services were actually rendered at all.The doctor then came out to explain that he had already performed the exam and given **** treatment. I did not at that time ask for an estimate, and was under the presumption that there was no cost. This practice is telling pet owners that they must ask for an estimate in order to receive one. I was later brought the bill ~$300 at the same time that my cat was brought to the car already treated. I was not prepared at all for the amount of the bill. Logically, in any other business, you discuss costs (such as with a mechanic) prior to any work/service being done. When you order food, you are told the cost of the food prior to receiving the food. In order to clarify my understanding, I visited the **** website to look for ethical practices and found the following language about discussion of treatment AND cost which I have attached.I, unfortunately, was not given the option to decline treatment, and do not agree to the cost. The staff I have spoken with so far have dismissed my concerns completely and have threatened me with collections, as opposed to providing any customer service. I was told that the manager was not available Saturday but would be available today. When I asked to speak with her, I was told she was not availablethis Afternoon and would not be able to speak with me for two weeks. I have not been called back no one responded to my email from December 12th. I would like the option of a payment plan directly with the business OR dismissal of the charges completely.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/27/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ***************************** <**************@norbeckanimalclinic.com>
  Date: Wed, Jan 25, 2023 at 9:47 PM
  Subject: RE: Complaint ** ********
  To: <[email protected]>
  

  
  Good evening,

  
  

  This email is in regards to the complaint assigned the ** ********.

  Upon review of our records of this visit, many details provided in the complaint are not accurate.

  
  

  On Friday December 9th we sent an email confirmation to the client for her cat's appointment the following day. (Attached below).  

  The email includes this disclaimer:  "Once we have completed the treatments and appointment, the receptionist or technician will collect payment BEFORE your departure. Please note all payments must be made in full before departure unless previously arranged with a member of our management staff."  It is notable that the client did not show up with enough funds to even cover the initial exam. 

  
  

  The client brought her cat **** in for a 10:00am appointment on Saturday December 10th with the chief problem being blood in the urine. When a technician was available, they went to the client's car to check **** in. The client noted that **** had been having blood in the urine for approximately a week, was urinating outside the litterbox more frequently and had lower energy. The technician brought **** inside to take vitals and start the medical note. The doctor was given a history on the pet, performed an examination and was able to express a very small amount of urine from a rather enlarged bladder.  If you are not familiar with this situation, it is an emergency issue in a male cat that cannot urinate properly -- he appeared to be on the verge of a urinary blockage.  The doctor performed a microscopic examination of the urine sample, which carries with it an additional charge over and above the exam.

  
  

  The technician and nursing assistant remained inside with **** the cat, while the doctor then went outside to discuss his examination findings and explain the treatment recommendations with the client.  NO treatment had been given to the pet at this point.  The doctor explained to the client what was needed for emergency treatment of the pet with phrases like: "What we need to do is..." and "What I am going to do is....".  The doctor did NOT say the treatments were already done, but was asking her permission to proceed.  At this time the doctor also expressed his concerns to the client that if **** did not start urinating better by that night that she would most likely end up at veterinary emergency room for treatment, which would be expensive, possibly thousands of dollars, and we would do what we could to keep her out of the emergency room.  The client smiled kindly and agreed to all the treatments proposed, which included some injections and medications, and she thanked the doctor.   At this point she did not ask how much the treatment would cost nor express any concern about finances.  It is true that we did not give a formal written estimate.  This is not typically done during busy office hours when the treatment cost is minimal (less than a few hundred dollars), and when the client expresses no interest or need in having an estimate prepared. 
  

  
  

  The doctor returned inside after securing permission and performed the treatment to which the owner had pleasantly agreed.   This included 3 injections -- a long-acting antibiotic for infection, an anti-inflammatory injection to reduce inflammation in the urinary tract, and a pain reliever to reduce urinary spasms.  The doctor also prescribed oral pain medication to be sent home along with a prescription urinary diet that would need to be continued indefinitely for the cat. 

  
  

  The tech then returned **** to his owner with the prescribed pain medication and samples of the prescribed food.  After being told the total cost for the visit, the client replied that it was unfortunate that no one told me how much the bill was going to be because she could not pay that.  The tech informed her that we provide estimates if requested.  The client then informed the tech that she only had $50 to apply to the visit, which does not even cover the cost of the initial exam.   This important information should have been told to the technician at check-in so that it could have been determined if a payment plan was needed.  The treatment plan given to the cat was minimal and absolutely necessary to hopefully prevent a visit to the emergency room later that day. 

  
  

  After hearing about the client's complaints about the bill, the doctor agreed to invoice the urine cytology ($35) at no charge since that was the ONLY part of the visit done without the client's consent even though it was needed to guide proper treatment. (Invoice attached). The owner left and said they would pay the bill on Monday.

  
  

  On Monday, the receptionist called to inquire about the payment. At that time the receptionist offered to get the manager on the phone but the client said she didn't have the time just then.

  
  

  We would be willing to accept a payment plan as we feel the care **** received at our clinic met or exceeded the standard of veterinary care and the cost of the care is appropriate for that care.

  
  

  It is unfortunate that this client refused to pay her bill and is using the lack of providing a written estimate as justification for doing so. There was no treatment given to the cat before securing agreement from the owner and no treatment provided to the cat that was not absolutely necessary, and no treatment could have been declined without jeopardizing the health of her pet. We feel that the client purposefully gained our confidence by pleasantly and thankfully agreeing to all the treatments proposed while expressing no concern about the costs, yet with the full knowledge that she had no intention of paying even the price of the exam.  Now she is trying to extort our efforts to collect the payment due by using this technical complaint about an estimate that she never requested as an excuse. 
  

  
  

  We are a general family practice and much of what we do, and our interactions with clients, is based on mutual trust and compassion for their pets. We did not attempt to "run up the bill'' on her, we just provided basic emergency care and carefully explained to her the danger her pet was in. If she had refused the treatment for financial reasons, we likely would have worked with her to make some sort of payment arrangements, or even discounted the bill.  But instead she just agreed to all treatments and then refused to pay after the treatments were performed. This was not appreciated, and we are not inclined to offer any concessions at this stage when we feel that we were taken advantage of for our kindness and trust.

  --
  *******************************************
  

  Practice Manager

  ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/27/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  1) They admitted to not providing a written estimate PRIOR to treatment 

  2) When I asked for a payment plan that morning, the staff member, rudely, responded that it was not an option. That is the only reason I asked to speak to a manager, to set up a payment plan. When they Called the following Monday, I was in the middle of working, and was told AGAIN that a payment plan was not an option and that I would be reported to the credit agency. Now that I have a submitted a complaint, the practice is making it seem as if a payment plan was an option the entire time. The amount (while insignificant to them) was not at all insignificant to me. I am in the middle of a divorce and was not expecting a $300 bill when leaving the vet. They neglected to mention that part of this bill was for special food that they were giving him. The food was included on the bill.
  

  I was not prepared for the amount and did not agree to the amount.

  I am still requesting an adjustment of the total and a payment plan for me to satisfy the balance without being submitted to credit agencies as I was threatened with by multiple staff members who refused to hear my complaint and offer a payment plan at the time that I expressed my concern. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************