I had been a client at Holly Springs Veterinary Hospital for about 4 years when I was faced with having to euthanize one of my dogs. I made an appointment for a Friday afternoon at 5pm, and after a f... Read More
I had been a client at Holly Springs Veterinary Hospital for about 4 years when I was faced with having to euthanize one of my dogs. I made an appointment for a Friday afternoon at 5pm, and after a few days of agonizing over the decision and saying goodbye to our pet of 10 years, I left to bring him in. I was stuck behind a car accident on the way, but was relieved when I looked on their website on the way in and saw that they were open until 5:30 on Fridays. I arrived at 5:08 (looked at my phone on the way in), and was told that I was late for my appointment and would have to reschedule. There was no way I could bring my dog back home to my children after taking him to be euthanized, that is ridiculous! They "accommodated" me and told me that they could still euthanize him, but I would have to drop him off and could not go back with him. I agreed, sacrificing my feelings and his for those of my family at home. I signed the consent form, filled out the cremation paperwork, talked to Dr. McCrory, said good bye, and they took him back. At that point, I was waiting to pay, and a man walked in for his appointment, also a few minutes late. They told him he would have to reschedule, and he stood in the waiting room ranting and raving until Dr. McCrory came out and took him into the exam room to be seen. I'm still waiting to pay, because the person checking me out asked me to hold on while she had a 5 minute conversation on the phone with someone about their sick puppy. By now I can hear my dog whimpering in the back being put to sleep, and they come and shut the door. Seriously? And the man making a scene in the waiting room is being seen? I pay, leave, and when I go back to pick up the ashes I ask to speak with one of the vets that own the practice. Dr. Bernhard invites me to an exam room, and when I begin calmly and politely discussing with him my dissatisfaction with the service I received when my dog was euthanized, he became visibly angry and told me that I had been disrespectful to his staff by showing up late. He insisted that I had arrived at 5:20 for my appointment, when I had in fact arrived at 5:08. He told me that I had made a scene in the waiting room that day, when I had really only said a few quiet words. I brought up the man that was seen for his regular appointment after making a ruckus, and he said that situation did not concern me. He ended up telling me that he was done with the conversation, and showing me the door, literally. No apology. No understanding. And flat out misinformation. I have my receipt from that day, after walking in the door, talking to the staff, talking to Dr. McCrory, signing the consent form, signing the cremation form, saying goodbye to my dog, after the 5 minute phone conversation the checkout lady had about the puppy...I finally paid. And my receipt says 17:20:11. So, apparently I somehow did all of that in 11 seconds?? When Dr. Bernhard kicked me out, I stood and talked to the woman at the desk (Kate), told her that he asked me to leave, insisted that I arrived at 5:20, said I made a scene in the waiting room, etc. She said she would go back and make it clear that that information was not accurate. I will never know if she did that or not, but I certainly have not received a phone call from them to apologize. Or a sympathy card, which is customary from a vet when they euthanize your animal, per my past experience. I am shocked and appalled at the lack of care for clients and their animals displayed by the staff and doctors at this practice. They have lost sight of the big picture, and most certainly do not have an appreciation for their customers. Furthermore, they were unwilling to admit fault or apologize. I would never even consider trusting them with another one of my animals. Read Less