I brought my cat to AEC around 7 PM one evening when she was suddenly dizzy, weak, and couldn't stand or walk well. I panicked and thought she was about to die and needed emergency intervention. It wa... Read More
I brought my cat to AEC around 7 PM one evening when she was suddenly dizzy, weak, and couldn't stand or walk well. I panicked and thought she was about to die and needed emergency intervention. It was after my normal vet's business hours, but they referred patients to this clinic on their outgoing message. My husband was out of town, so I was by myself driving there, crying my eyes out and hardly able to breathe thinking my best friend of ten years was about to die. Once in the exam room, the tech brought me a paper to sign that the treatment could be up to ~$1100. Believing that my pet was close to death and every second counted I signed....subconsciously thinking that anything they would do would be justified to save her life and they would be responsible with my money, and that they would charge me a reasonable amount (at the same time realizing this is an after-hours vet, and as such, services would include a premium). I was too panicked, in this emergency situation, to read any line items (if there were any, I actually have no idea....it could have just been amounts). I just trusted them to do what's right and be fair to me. I really had no other choice in such a situation, and I did not expect them to take advantage of that. My final bill was $1064.00, with no answers of what was wrong even though every test in the book was done.After bringing my cat to our regular vet & reviewing the ER bill, I realized not only was I taken advantage of with the outrageous pricing, but that my cat was completely misdiagnosed. If she had been diagnosed correctly the bill would have been much lower. I wrote the business to advise them of my issues. The business responded to my letter, saying their prices are 10% below ER vet average, however I believe the % markup of emergency vets over regular veterinary pricing goes beyond an after-hours premium and preys on the extreme fear & time-sensitivity of these situations. They also maintain the client is free to accept the estimate or not but I submit he/she is not truly free because of the emergency nature of the situation. If they hope to save their pet's life, they are not just going to turn around and leave the clinic in the middle of an emergency where every second counts, no matter what the price.It is my belief that for the sake of the consumer there really does need to be some governmental review, regulation & oversight on the pricing and practices of emergency vet services. I do sincerely believe these businesses are preying on people. When you are panicking and want your pet (your best friend for most of us pet-owners) to be saved from imminent death, you will sign and/or pay anything, and they know that. It's only later when you are thinking straight that you realize your emotional state and desperation of trying to save a loved one's life was taken advantage of. And that makes you really sad and angry. You can see other complaints and reviews on the following sites:BBB - where they go by American Animal Emergencyyellowpages.comGoogle Read Less