I don't even know where to begin with these so-called "professional" people.... I have been a customer of Venetian Pet Hospital in excess of 10 years and have spent thousands of dollars there. I hav... Read More
I don't even know where to begin with these so-called "professional" people.... I have been a customer of Venetian Pet Hospital in excess of 10 years and have spent thousands of dollars there. I have always found Dr. Ayres to be very nice (although his capabilities continue to go down hill due to his illness). I have had several friends along the way tell me I should change veterinarians due to this practices, but I have remained loyal to him. For one, I have found that no matter what you bring your pet in for he always schedules a follow-up appointment that you have to pay for. He runs a lot of expensive tests for recurring ear infections and allergies that he should already be aware that my dog is prone to, etc. The number of times that he has done things he should be embarrassed about, I won't even talk about on here to save him additional embarrassment. In addition, I once brought a little dog in to him that had been hit by a car. I told him I would be responsible for him and to call me & let me know what they were going to do. Well, the doctor called me only to tell me that they had euthanized him without even talking to me first. I have often wondered if this was really the truth or they were afraid they were going to be stuck with the costs.That said, the final straw came to day when I brought my Shih Tzu, Brodie, in for his usual allergies. When I went into the office I realized that I had left my wallet at home and offered to bring payment in the next morning. I really expected that since I had been such a loyal customer and have always paid on time, it would be no problem (again, I have paid thousands to them on my animals over the years). Anyway, the very rude receptionist (I have always found her incompetent since the new office staff took over) proceeded to tell me that their policy is payment due at the time of treatment and they would make no exceptions for anyone. She suggested that I return home to get my wallet and bring him back. As I was getting no where with her and she was getting ruder and ruder, I asked to talk to Ayres. She said I didn't need to bother the doctor and would get her "office manager" on the phone. When she came back she said the office manager backed up what she told me 100% and that if I didn't like it I could take my business elsewhere. I have to admit that right about this time I was getting a little hot under the collar, but she continued to try and argue and continued to get in the last word (very rudely, I might add). To make a long story short, she did go in to get Dr. Ayres after slamming the door very loudly. When Dr. Ayres came out and I told him about how rude his staff was since they changed over, he said he had heard every word and his receptionist was not out of line in any way. Once again, I will admit I was very angry and had a few things to say to her myself, but I have never been treated this way in a professional office. The least she could have done was close her big mouth and get the doctor before it escalated to that point. In closing, I will just say that Dr. Ayres acted very timid and was not about to go against what his office manager or receptionist said and would not work with me. I am really convinced that he does not have any authority with this new bunch of "Nazi" staff and if it means losing valued customers, so be it. Upon leaving I asked how to go about getting my animals records transferred to another vet and she said (with a smirk) that just call and they would send them in a "timely" manner. She then gave me a big smirky smile and waved "bye-bye".. I felt like punching her in her smug face, but am smart enough to know that would not be the high road to take. As I walked out, she said Stockton is a small town and I had better hope I did not run into her outside of their office. All in all, I was very hurt about the doctors lack of concern but at this point say "good riddance" to Venetian Pet Hospital and its gestapo office staff! Read Less