Have been taking our dog there for 3 years. Took our dog there this fall for a flu vaccination. We just wanted a flu shot. Was told they "had to give our dog a full exam" in order to give the shots, e... Read More
Have been taking our dog there for 3 years. Took our dog there this fall for a flu vaccination. We just wanted a flu shot. Was told they "had to give our dog a full exam" in order to give the shots, even though she just had an exam 5 months ago. OK. Our dog does get agitated at the vet, so the doctor (new doctor) was only able to give the flu vaccination during the visit, and was unable to give any sort of exam. Literally gave the flu shot, and nothing else. Took 2 minutes at the most. Clinic, including Dr. Longo, completely unwilling to waive the $55 "exam fee", which is separate from the $67 flu shot (most expensive of the 4 other clinics I called). I spoke to several people at the clinic until finally speaking with Dr. Longo. I simply asked if there was any way to waive the $55 exam fee since there was no actual exam done. I understand the reason for not being able to do the exam was because my dog is considered "aggressive", but why am I paying for a service that wasn't completed? She couldn't care less, didn't care to show any empathy whatsoever, and immediately offered to transfer our records to another clinic. Great customer service! In addition, they were steadfast in adhering to their "policy" of charging us ANOTHER $55 for another "exam" for the 2nd portion of the flu vaccination, regardless of whether or not an exam was done or not.
Bottom line: couldn't care less about being ethical and charging for what was done, and super quick to tell me "if you don't like it, take your business elsewhere."
The right thing to do would be to not gouge me for money, and maybe make an effort to keep a client. At the minimum, work with me a little. The wrong thing to do is to just "stick to your policy".
I am not an unreasonable person, and do not write reviews hardly ever. Just want it known how this clinic treated this former customer. Plenty of other Annapolis area clinics.
Re: Owners response below - Again, totally understand your concerns with being able to safely give an exam. Which is why your doctor didn't give an exam. She came in, gave the shot, and did not do any of the things you mention below. That's the point, you charged us $55 for an exam that didn't happen, intended to charge us another $55 two weeks later for the same thing, and were completely unwilling to reduce the charges or work with us. Give me one other business where you get charged for services not received, but just because you wanted the money. Really, what was the point of charging us? As nice and caring as you make your responses online look, you and the practice manager were the complete opposite when speaking with me on the phone. I tried to reason with you, you tried to get rid of us. I get it, save face in public. Just bad business practice, but hey, it's your business.
And we did consult with other practices, and they said what you guys are doing is borderline unethical and that we should report you to AAHA which we intend to.
Thanks for the response. Read Less