At the time our little dog Ace had his annual exam, they recommended a dental cleaning so I made an appointment to get that done while I was there. At that time, they provided an estimated cost for th... Read More
At the time our little dog Ace had his annual exam, they recommended a dental cleaning so I made an appointment to get that done while I was there. At that time, they provided an estimated cost for the cleaning.Three days before the dental cleaning appointment, I received an email reminder about the appointment. Attached to the email was another estimate ... which I found to be twice the cost of the original estimate. So I called their office and asked about the discrepancy. The office person stated that part of the increase was a couple of needed x-rays for my dog's hip that was not on the original estimate but was discussed during the annual exam. Since I wanted the x-rays completed, I had no problem with that. However, there were other discrepancies such as charges for blood work which had just been done at the time of the annual exam and also a 20% discount somehow disappeared off the estimate. She promised those discrepancies would be taken care of before I walked in the door.So appointment day comes and I arrive to drop-off Ace. An assistant brings me in the back and proceeds to show me another version of the estimate. The cost of the blood work was removed but the 20% discount was not on the estimate. Then she points to the "fine print" that says that the 20% discount is only given if the dental cleaning was done within 30 days of the annual exam. Since it was past 30 days, the 20% discount did not apply. I asked her why they put the 20% discount on the original estimate in the first place since I scheduled the dental cleaning at the time of the annual exam ... and the dental appointment was more than 30 days from the exam ... and also asked why no one ever mentioned the time limitation.She just said that she couldn't do anything about it and said that she would see what she could do. She then leaves the exam room and returns a few minutes later with the same position, so obviously her superior had the same response. So I told her that I obviously didn't read the fine print so I guess they pulled one over on me. She responded that, if I wanted the 20% discount, I could wait and get it done after the next exam.I decided that was a good idea ... and that is exactly what we will do ... at another vet. Ace and I walked out the door.Now I read a few other reviews about pricing shenanigans ... and I notice that their rating trend is decreasing ... so it looks like something has happened to this clinic's ability to provide good service.UPDATE #1: I received an email from Dr Todd Riggan about my experience. He tries to apologize, but then he writes, "... I wished you would have given us a chance to solve the problem before leaving the clinic." I found that statement to be beyond the pale. I mean, good grief, what else was I supposed to do? Two people had already made their position quite clear. He tries to make it my issue for leaving. Was I supposed to camp out there all day while they considered their options? Wondering minds want to know!UPDATE #2: At the same time that their Business Manager, Tammy R., posted the response to my Yelp review (below), I received another email from Dr Riggan. In it, he says, "I have been able to locate video of the interaction and it was definitely not handled the way that I want it to be. It seems you are very angry and I understand that from viewing the interaction. I was originally given conflicting information and am still using this situation as a teaching moment. ...Obviously, we fell short with you and for that I am sorry."Can you see the issue here? The email from Dr Riggan does not match in any way the response from their Business Manager. The Business Manager seems to be conveying that I am the issue. So, either the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing ... or they are privately telling me one thing and publicly conveying something else. Either way, I am not impressed. Also, apparently they have hidden video in their exam rooms. I was not aware of that at all. While I appreciate that the video confirmed my position on the matter, I am shocked. Good grief. This clinic is a mess. Read Less