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Complaint Details
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Initial Complaint
11/27/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Problems with Product/Service
- Status:
- Resolved
I renewed my dog's Banfield plan in October of 2021. My dog passed away in the middle of November 2021 - using only one and half months of his plan. When I asked to cancel the plan or transfer the plan to a new dog I had planned to get I was told I could cancel if I paid for the remaining price of the year so $600 and the plans were not transferrable. I explained that I don't have a lot of money as I am a teacher and this is mid-pandemic. They did nothing.
Business response
11/30/2021
Thank you for providing us this feedback and the opportunity to review and address these concerns. Banfield strives to partner with every client to provide quality medical care and client experiences, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond to concerns.
We are deeply saddened to learn of Ms. ******** loss. Our thoughts go out to her and her family during this difficult time.
Optimum Wellness Plans (OWPs) are customized packages of pet care services. Designed to provide annual preventive care to help keep pets healthy, wellness plans include: nose-to-tail exams, vaccines, early screening diagnostics, parasite control and prevention, professional dental care, 24/7 access to Vet Chat™ on-demand support on the Banfield app and more. Since wellness plans are not insurance, they do not include treatment for unpredictable or abnormal conditions; however, discounts would apply. The OWP package of preventive care services is designed to be delivered over the course of a year and at any Banfield Pet Hospital. Clients can elect to spread the cost of the OWP over a year with monthly payments or they can choose to pay up front for the entire annual cost of the OWP.
A client can cancel an OWP at any time but if cancelled four or more business days after the effective date, Banfield is entitled to recover the lesser of (1) retail value of services and discounts used under the OWP minus the amount of monthly payments made or (2) remaining monthly payments due under the term of the OWP.
Satchel received services and discounts from the OWP package with a retail value of $754.29 and Ms. ****** has paid one monthly payment of $73.15. The balance owed on the plan is $681.14.
As Ms. ****** is a long time client Banfield representatives, as a client service gesture, have waived 5 of the remaining payments, totaling $365.75. As a result the remaining balance on the plan is $315.39, or just over 4 monthly payments.
We would recommend that Ms. ****** call after her March 5, 2022 payment to avoid overcharging.Customer response
11/30/2021
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. How do I continue to 4 months payment?
Sincerely,
****** * ******Initial Complaint
11/25/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Advertising/Sales Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I had a wellness plan though Banfield for my dog that I purchased in Oct. of 2020 with a monthly payment of $33.95. I used the plan throughout the year to get various discounts on services and medications. However, the plan auto renewed on November 13, 2021, which I had not planned to renew. When I saw the new charge on my billing statement I contacted Banfield and was given the corporate number to cancel the plan. I called on Tuesday, Nov 23 and requested the plan to be cancelled and a refund on the monthly renewal charge if $33.95. The rep advised that she would cancel the plan for me but that I could not get a refund because even though I had not used any services, they feel like the plan was available for me to use for the month. The rep also said that I would normally have received a reminder email advising me that the plan was set to renew, but my email address was somehow missing from their system so I never received that email. I have two main complaints about this resolution. First, I received numerous promotional emails from Banfield throughout the year so I don't see how my email suddenly was erased from the system before I was set to receive the plan renewal reminder. Second, they said that the plan was available for me to use for the month of Nov 2021, however, she also told me that had I used the plan, I would have had to pay back any discounts that I had received for any services used in order to cancel the plan. In essence, I couldn't have used the plan for that month as she described. I believe that I should be able to get my refund since I did not use any services and immediately made contact with them upon realizing that the plan auto renewed.Business response
11/26/2021
Thank you for providing us this feedback and the opportunity to review and address these concerns. Banfield strives to partner with every client to provide quality medical care and client experiences, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond to concerns.
Unfortunately, the representative you spoke with on 11/23/2021 was not correct. As no services were used from the plan you should have been offered a refund of the monthly payment made on 11/12/2021. We have processed this refund to the account on file and will be reeducate the representative appropriately.
Again we are sorry for the misinformation you received.Customer response
11/26/2021
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.Thank you for promptly responding to this matter.
Sincerely,
******* ******Initial Complaint
11/22/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Billing/Collection Issues
- Status:
- Answered
We reached out to Banfield to inform them that my pet died and that we needed to cancel the pet preventive plan that Banfield charges me monthly for. When we called Banfield to get an appointment for out sick dog, the soonest they would see our pet was slightly over 2 months out. We took our pet to an emergency pet hospital where there are no records of our pet that would have assisted in diagnosing his health problem that Banfield could have done. This played heavily into contributing to our pet's death. When we called to cancel the monthly plan for our now deceased pet, Banfield insisted we pay the remaining costs for the the plan. Banfield refused to let me speak to anyone to discuss my issue with and even tried to charge my credit card over the phone. I've never experienced such a callous business in my life. I am asking BBB to help with closure on this matter as our next course of action is reviewing our legal options and at least bring attention to the Banfield's business practices for other pet owners to know. Thank you.Business response
11/23/2021
We have escalated this concern to the local Hospital and Field Leaders to follow up with you. We have instructed them to do so within 3 business days in order to discuss your concerns and your desired resolution.Initial Complaint
11/22/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Problems with Product/Service
- Status:
- Resolved
I have been a long-standing customer of banfield for 12 yrs. I took my pet there for his care. My wellness plan recently renewed, unfortunately my dog passed away this Saturday 11/20/21. Now I’m being told I have to pay a balance of $900 for a plan that I can no longer use. The company has no compassion and is obviously money hungry. Asking me to pay for a plan that I can not use for my deceased pet is beyond cruel. I will never recommend this company to anyone!Business response
11/23/2021
We are deeply saddened to learn of Ms. *****’s loss. Our thoughts go out to her and her family during this difficult time.
Optimum Wellness Plans (OWPs) are customized packages of pet care services. Designed to provide annual preventive care to help keep pets healthy, wellness plans include: nose-to-tail exams, vaccines, early screening diagnostics, parasite control and prevention, professional dental care, 24/7 access to Vet Chat™ on-demand support on the Banfield app and more. Since wellness plans are not insurance, they do not include treatment for unpredictable or abnormal conditions; however, discounts would apply. The OWP package of preventive care services is designed to be delivered over the course of a year and at any Banfield Pet Hospital. Clients can elect to spread the cost of the OWP over a year with monthly payments or they can choose to pay up front for the entire annual cost of the OWP.
A client can cancel an OWP at any time but if cancelled four or more business days after the effective date, Banfield is entitled to recover the lesser of (1) retail value of services and discounts used under the OWP minus the amount of monthly payments made or (2) remaining monthly payments due under the term of the OWP.
In this case, ******** received services and discounts from the OWP package in the amount of $783.06. Ms. ***** had not made a payment on the new package year at that time. On November 23, 2021, Ms. ***** spoke with a representative regarding the cancellation of her plan for ********. After discussing the OWP account details the representatives reduced the monthly payment amount from $80.95 to $32.97 by removing the previously added on options. They then waived 50% of the remaining balance as a client service gesture. As of the date of this response a total of $99.54 remains owing for services and discounts received.
Ms. ***** can opt to pay the full balance at one time by calling our representatives or may continue to pay through the monthly payments ($32.97 a month). If, Ms. ***** opts for the monthly payment options we would recommend that she call us back after January 26, 2022 and before the February 26th payment, as there will only be a $0.63 owed at that time.Customer response
11/26/2021
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
****** *****
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