At a glance:
* I brought in two dogs for routine vaccinations, stool sample, and heartworm test. When I checked out, my bill was over $700! After removing unnecessary garbage that was padding the bi... Read More
At a glance:
* I brought in two dogs for routine vaccinations, stool sample, and heartworm test. When I checked out, my bill was over $700! After removing unnecessary garbage that was padding the bill, it was still over $300. As a frame of reference, my usual vet visit for all the same stuff averages about $180.
Pros:
* The clerks are friendly.
* The vet techs are friendly.
* The doctor was friendly and competent at his job, but he became rather verbose and started pushing different heartworm/flea treatments than what I was using, even though my dogs have neither heartworms nor fleas.
Cons:
* The area is pretty run-down and ugly (it's not inside the borders of nearby gorgeous Baldwin Park).
* The building is tiny and not pleasant to be in. The waiting room is too small for more than 2 dogs at a time.
* I had an appointment and showed up exactly on time, but I still ended up waiting a long time to be seen.
* Prices are the highest out of any vet I've ever been to.
* Their pricing and billing practices are shady as hell (see below).
Details:
* They automatically add a $120+ VIP membership fee (per animal) to your estimate unless you notice and decline it. I declined it, but it was back on my bill again when I checked out.
* Most vets will provide an itemized estimate for the cost of your entire visit, with all animals listed together on the same invoice and a total cost at the bottom. Of the 6 other local vets and dozens of other non-local vets I've been to, this has always been the case. This vet, however, handed me two estimates that appeared identical, so I assumed one was a copy for me and one was theirs, but instead, it was two separate estimates, one for each animal, and neither had the total bill listed.
* They babble on and on while you're trying to read your estimate, making it more difficult to pay close enough attention to find the single word out of the entire two pages of each document that identifies them as separate estimates (seriously, only one word between them was different), further adding to the confusion about your bill.
* When you get your dog tested for heartworms, most vets simply call the test a "blood panel to check for heartworms." This vet includes the heartworm lab as part of their general package (they charge one giant fee to cover all routine stuff, rather than letting you pick and choose which vaccines and tests you want). However, if you ask for a blood panel to check for heartworms, they add an additional $100+ blood lab without making any distinction about what it's for (it's not for heartworms).
Conclusion:
High prices are tolerable if they make sense, such as being in a nice area with a nice facility and exceptional care, but their prices are exorbitant for no apparent reason. Mediocre veterinary service + expensive shady business practices = I will not be a repeat customer. Read Less