ComplaintsforBloomingrove Veterinary Hospital

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I noticed several boba tea-like lumps along my cat's belly on a Friday night. By Monday, they felt as though they had tripled. I had a pre-spay appointment with a different vet scheduled for mid June; this vet accepts the friends of animals certificates for spay and neutering to help with costs. Otherwise all appointments are through here out of trust and preference on a regular basis. As I typically trust Bloomingrove most, I called Monday morning and got an appointment for the same day. I was booked with a Dr I had not met previously. This appointment was the worst experience I've ever gone through and traumatizing for my cat's first visit. Unfortunately due to character limits, I cannot elaborate in full detail. I had several conversations with Pam and other Manager, whom denied validity of my concerns, argued the integrity of a clinic I had to bring my cat. They agreed to refund the duplicate testing if I submitted the itemized bill. I advised based on the tone seemingly more concerned about bad mouthing competition, I was not comfortable submitting the bill, but they were welcome to call themselves - however - I still request a full credit due to a horrible appointment in which I left with a traumatized cat and had to seek help from elsewhere. Not just duplicate charging. Due to not being comfortable sending the records over and still requesting a full credit, I was told I am banned from Bloomingrove, attorney's would be called if I call, my records for ALL animals would be sent, and was hung up on. I am surprised at the lack of professionalism, curtesy, and animal care provided for my cat. As this was a one off experience, and the unproductive and inappropriate calls were from the managers, I am deeply saddened that I will have to seek care for my dogs who know no other clinic. **, ******, *****, and I will miss having a pre-established trust and bond with Dr G**** due to the inability for the management to correct a one off and horrible experience.

  Business response

  05/31/2023

  I spoke to this client at length. She clearly told me  that she was upset that the Dr. referred  to her cat as feral and she was upset that she was leaving with nothing having been done in the visit. She paid her bill which did outline that we had done x-rays and two panels of bloodwork. She stated that our Dr. did not confer that anything was done and told her we had not accomplished the tasks because her cat was feral. She said she left in tears which was the case no one was sure why, and went directly to another clinic and had bloodwork and x-rays done. While on the phone with me she also said that the surgery was being done while we spoke. I told her to not worry I would call her back the next day since it is stressful to have a pet in surgery and figure out a copasetic solution. That we would absolutely reimburse her for anything doubled since there was obvious very weird communication. She told me multiple things that made no sense regarding the other hospital. So we called over to find out why they had re-run bloodwork and what the other place had run. They had not done anything other than a routine exam with some vaccines  nor did the client run over there after our visit and the surgery had not occurred yet.  I called the client back as promised and had my manager on speaker. I asked her how the cat faired in surgery hoping she would tell me that it had not occurred since it had not. She told me that the cat was okay after the surgery. I then asked to send me a copy of the receipts so I could reimburse her duplicated tests. She then started berating me that she did not trust us to see the records. I chimed in and reiterated that we did not need any records but just the receipts. She then started ranting about how she was due that money no matter because of her bad experience with the Dr. The Dr. for the most part talked to the owner for a few minutes our technical staff the same staff that she she see's with the other Dr's that she likes that she has no problem handled the cat most of the visit. 

  I am 100% sure that she is trying to scam us out of the office fees based on her blatant lies. I would have reimbursed her the fee for the office visit itself since she obviously really did not like our Dr. She is upset that she can no longer use our facility and is trying to take us down.  I have utterly lost faith in this client and do not see her being able to come back. There is a copy of one of the original online reviews if I can find it Ill send it in, she changed it so she wasn't blatantly liable but it reiterates what I am saying. My other manager was on speaker and had just spoken with the other clinic.

  Customer response

  06/03/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. Once again, this request is for the entirety of the bill to be refunded, not just the office visit fee. I am still waiting on this refund. My review has not changed. I have posted on several platforms to notify other pet families of this experience and some platforms have a character limit. ** review is the only platform that allowed a full review to cover the entirety of the horrific office visit and detailed transcript of the unprofessional calls received by Bloomingrove. I did not and do not feel comfortable sharing other clinic’s records with this vet as the call was spent with the manager belittling the other clinic and repeatedly saying she does not understand nor agree with their course of treatment. “We just don’t agree with how they practice medicine.” Requesting the other vet’s records was irrelevant, as the entire reason for the credit request was due to BLOOMINGROVE’S mistreatment of my animal, and not relaying crucial information that impacted my next steps in trying to find animal care for my sick cat. My mom’s card was already being charged as I spoke with one manager who handed me tissues as I was visibly upset directly walking out from the exam room. I intervened to cancel transaction - of which the bill was not presented prior to charging - and put it on my credit line instead of my mom’s which was stored on file. In that moment I was feeling more scared then when I had arrived, still no answers to what might be wrong with my cat, witnessed her being mishandled and mistreated, and was repeatedly told that the cat who’s been living in my home for 1.5 years was “too feral.” With a multitude of thoughts and worries running through my mind, the ONLY goal I had was to leave this office as soon as possible to get my cat home as she was traumatized from mishandling. I was able to work with the other clinic, my cat was spayed, and is now healing however it will be a lengthy heal process given her diagnosis of feline mammary hyperplasia. I thank the other for their professionalism and putting my cat’s health and well being as their priority, since Bloomingrove did not. As stated by the Bloomingrove manager on the latest call, I am not welcome to call back nor continue visiting my preferred Dr there whom my dogs have grown up going to and we trust very much. I was told that if I called they would respond with their attorneys. I have no other method to have my cat’s entire bill refunded. We are sad to leave our trusted Dr, however the management and this experience has proven it is best to have ALL animals go elsewhere where their health and well-being is prioritized. We will not be returning to Bloomingrove, despite the attorney threat being lifted at any point in the future. The scam is how this business has taken a horrible experience and made it drastically worse, rather than do what they could to correct it, professionally, without making the focus on belittling another vet clinic. Their records are irrelevant to my complaint as this experience and bill in full needs to be refunded in whole.  Regards,  **** *********  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩