Fox Valley Animal Referral Center, S.C.

The accusation that we were not transparent is unfounded Our client service representative confirmed that she explained the emergency consult and exam fee on the phone In addition, the document you signed upon arrive identifies the cost of the examination I have attached a copy of that form with your signature on it After our doctor performed her examination and made recommendations it was then that you refused to pay for the services she provided We have no legal obligation to continue to provide services if you are not willing to pay for them We later sent an invoice for the exam and consult because services were rendered and we did not have an agreement in place indicating that those services would be at no chargeOur later agreement to decrease the cost of that exam by 50% was offered, not because we felt a discount was warranted but because our client’s satisfaction is of utmost importance to us We offered it simply because we wanted to make you happy We thought the fact that you accepted that compromise and paid the other 50% meant that you were OK with that resolution At this time we do not believe there is any more we can do to satisfy you

On June 13, 2015 [redacted] called Fox Valley Animal Referral Center (FVARC) with an emergency situation regarding her dog [redacted].  [redacted] had chewed on a firework containing some type of explosive material that was unknown.  We recommended an emergency exam and consult with a...

veterinarian and advised them to call Animal Poison Control(APC) before coming to the hospital. Firework/explosive ingestion is not a common animal emergency that we treat on a routine basis and APC would have more information on treatment options which is why we asked them to call.  We told Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] the cost of the emergency exam & consult fee and from that point it was their decision to come to FVARC. The [redacted]' made the decision to come to FVARC for emergency consultation with [redacted].  [redacted] examined [redacted] and performed a thorough physical exam which included body condition scoring, assessment of hydration status, ears, eyes, abdominal palpation, heart and lung auscultation, lymph node palpation, mouth, gum and teeth evaluation, skin/haircoat evaluation and examination of the urogential and rectal areas. [redacted] found no significant abnormalities other than 3 sutures in the right inguinal region. [redacted] explained why she recommend calling Animal Poison Control and also stated we could call on their behalf.  She stated that it is our job to give owners all options of care which is called informed consent.  At the time of consult [redacted] offered the following options of care:1. Animal Poison Control Consult via phone2. Ememsis induction3. Activated Charcoal administration4. Gastric protectantsMr. & Mrs. [redacted] declined options 1 through 3 and chose to go home with stomach protectants.  At the time of discharge the owners stated that they were not going to pay for [redacted]'s services or for the medications, so [redacted] completed the case summary and discharge paperwork for [redacted] and they left the hospital without paying for services rendered.  On 6/25/2015 Mrs [redacted] spoke to a member of the administration team at FVARC regarding her concern over the emergency exam & consult fee which they refused to pay. During that phone conversation we stated that they were aware of the fee prior to coming into the hospital and that services were rendered including a consult with a DVM and a thorough physical exam.  No other treatments were done for [redacted] in accordance with the owners wishes.  In good faith to our clients we agreed to split the fee in half which was agreed upon by Mrs. [redacted].  On July 21, 2015 Mr. [redacted] called FVARC regarding the fee for the emergency exam & consult, he stated that because we "would not budge" on the refund he would be filing a complaint with the Revdex.com.  We stated that we did agree to split the fee in half.  We stated that the fee was for the emergency exam & consult which was performed and it is reasonable to expect a fee for any service that were completed.  Mr. [redacted] stated that he would pay the $57.50, but would call the Revdex.com and state that we perform unnecessary services.  I have to respectfully disagree with this statement.  Our job is to give our clients every available option for emergency care.  We do not force clients to come through our door and in fact we always inform our clients of the cost of exam and consult over the phone so that they can make an informed decision on what is best for their situation.  Mr. & Mrs. Hieptas were given that information over the phone and decided to seek emergency care for [redacted], services were rendered a fee for those services was charged. We are saddened that we could not come to a resolution that the [redacted]' were content with, but we do not feel it is reasonable to provide free services.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Your representative never explained any type of charges over the phone.  This along with the following examples I'll outline are clear misrepresentations that you're clearly in violation of your Revdex.com accredited code of business practices.  Misrepresentation #1 - You receptionist mislead us into thinking you would be able to provide help for our dog.  Doctor later advised us that they've never seen a case like this and would have to call poison control --- if this would have been relayed up front rather than advising us to come in the night of this all would have been resolved.  Misrepresentation #2 - The Doctor agreed the night of service that there would be no charge unless we took the prescriptions --- you still sent us an invoice.  As a "trusted Revdex.com Accredited Company" you might want to review the code of practices that you are supposed to adhere to with your staff as this is not only an insult to myself as a consumer but also the Revdex.com should be embarrassed to have companies that mislead people in a time of need for their pets and when somebody actually does something about it as I am you attempt blatantly lie to the Revdex.com to wiggle your way out of it.  Do what's right and refund me the money that you have untruthfully taken from a customer that is in fear of having their credit hurt.
Regards,
[redacted]

The accusation that we were not transparent is unfounded.  Our client service representative confirmed that she explained the emergency consult and exam fee on the phone.  In addition, the document you signed upon arrive identifies the cost of the examination.  I have attached a copy of that form with your signature on it.  After our doctor performed her examination and made recommendations it was then that you refused to pay for the services she provided.  We have no legal obligation to continue to provide services if you are not willing to pay for them.  We later sent an invoice for the exam and consult because services were rendered and we did not have an agreement in place indicating that those services would be at no charge. Our later agreement to decrease the cost of that exam by 50% was offered, not because we felt a discount was warranted but because our client’s satisfaction is of utmost importance to us.  We offered it simply because we wanted to make you happy.  We thought the fact that you accepted that compromise and paid the other 50% meant that you were OK with that resolution.  At this time we do not believe there is any more we can do to satisfy you.

As a consumer, I would urge you to check your bill against the medical records from this provider. I was charged for medication that was not dispensed to me for my pet. Of course you pay up front, in my case I did not pay upfront for my pets surgery as I had Care Credit. The office already knew they would be able to charge the card for services. My pet passed away after surgery, so when I went to pick up my pet I was given the bill. I then asked for the medical records. In the records they stated they prescribed medication to be used at home every 12 hours for pain, of course I did not get the medication as my pet passed away. I was billed for it though! The cost we pay to care for our pets is one thing, but billing for services that were not provided is unacceptable. Since they are eager to get their payments, they should be just as eager to check the bill to make sure they are not charging for services that have not been provided.

Review: On June 13, 2015 my dog ingested some fireworks. Upon realizing this I immediately reached out to the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center to get their advice. After explaining the situation to the receptionist she advised me to bring my dog to the hospital immediately and in the meantime to contact poison control center to see if there was anything I should do on the way there. I asked receptionist if she was for sure this was necessary as I was over an hour away from their office. She said yes - to bring the dog there immediately and gave me the number to poison control. I immediately left to go to hospital with my dog and was unable to get through to poison control (it was an automated line that didn't provide me with any kind of information other than directing me to a website for more info).

Upon getting to the hospital we were checked in and my dog was taken in an area that I was not in. Upon seeing the doctor she said she couldn't do anything further without calling poison control and they would setup a case number - which would cost a fee of $75.00. I was immediately upset and asked what was just done with my dog then. Doctor said she took all of his vitals and they look fine but she couldn't say for sure what to do as she has no experience with this type of situation. Doctor agreed that the receptionist should have let us know to call poison control FIRST rather than drive over an hour at midnight so they could tell me to call poison control once I got there. Doctor apologized and said she could prescribe my dog some medication to help with potential stomach pains. When going to get the prescription from the front desk I was then told that I would have to pay a $115.00 fee in order to get the prescription or I didn't have to pay the fee and could just leave. Again I found myself very upset and taken advantage of. I decided to not pay the $115.00 for the prescription and left with my dog.

Two weeks later I received an invoice in the mail for $115.00 even though it was already agreed that there would be no fee as I didn't take the prescription. After the hospital manager talked me in circles multiple times she agreed to split the bill in half to $57.50 and "call it even." I did pay the bill in order to not affect my credit. I advised the hospital I would be filing a complaint as I'm not in agreement with the bill.

Bottom line is that if receptionist would have given me the correct information over the phone opposed to simply telling me to come in this entire situation would have been avoided. Above and beyond that - it was agreed that the bill would be waived if we didn't take the prescription. This business is all about their bottom line and not about their customers or patients.Desired Settlement: I believe Fox Valley Animal Referral Center is in the wrong on multiple situations within this complaint and the least they could do is to give me a refund of $57.50.

Business

Response:

On June 13, 2015 [redacted] called Fox Valley Animal Referral Center (FVARC) with an emergency situation regarding her dog [redacted] had chewed on a firework containing some type of explosive material that was unknown. We recommended an emergency exam and consult with a veterinarian and advised them to call Animal Poison Control(APC) before coming to the hospital. Firework/explosive ingestion is not a common animal emergency that we treat on a routine basis and APC would have more information on treatment options which is why we asked them to call. We told Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] the cost of the emergency exam & consult fee and from that point it was their decision to come to FVARC.

I brought my dog in after be sent there from our hometown. The vet would absolutely do nothing for our dog unless we paid $4,000 right then and there. He was not compassionate and did not seem to care what a mess I was. He said "if you don't have the money we can 're bandage her and send her home" really?? Knowing she would not make it at home and she needed surgery on her leg. It was a Saturday so we could not get a loan if we wanted to because no banks were open and he did not seem to care. If they did not get their money now they weren't helping us.I begged for something anything else, somewhere else to go, anything. He would not help. I feel like this place forced me to put my dog down even after I clearly stated I absolutely did not want to do that. I did not want to let her go especially knowing she could be saved. I had to tell my three kids the vet's that are suppose to be hero's to them would not save our dog because we didn't have all the money now. Two days later I'm still balling my eyes out because it was just not right, it was inhumane. I have never felt so hopeless in my life by people that I thought were suppose to be caring and compassionate and save lives not take them.

February 11, 2012 my 8 year old [redacted] was referred to Fox Valley Animal Referral Center for an emergancy surgery. If she had not gone, she would of died that weekend. Once arriving at the Referral Center, their conduct was abrasive and cold. Once Dr. [redacted] entered our waiting room, she was cold and direct. She stated the type of surgery that needed to be done. Gave us the facts and then said it would be a minimum payment of $2,000.00 today. I asked her what if I don't have $2,000.00 today? She looked directly at me and said "then you will have to euthanize her". I was horrified and outraged. She said this AFTER she said that 99% of animals do very well with this type of surgery. So I ask myself, why on earth would you want me to euthanize my dog who is a family member?? Unfortunately, there are many other complaints noted in this area due to their evasive bedside manner and their worry about money. I would have been able to put down some money and made payment arrangements, but they would not hear of it. I had to call my parents to borrow the money. So we left Maisy for surgery. She did have a successful surgery and Dr. [redacted] called me minutes after her surgery to tell me that the cost of the surgery had gone up to $3500.00, even though there were no complications. This type of service to families in peril over the health matters of their pets is horrible. I just think that they should be willing to work their customers, after an animal has been taken care of. To tell a customer they have to kill their pet because they may not have alot of money sitting around is absurd. I am still in shock over this type of behavior and can not believe they get away with it with so many people. This place also has a reputation of losing many animals "on the table", when we were checking out the Vet Techs even told us that out of the six emergencies that entered this building over the weekend, five did not make it.