Post by Warkitty on Sept 21, 2010 9:25:35 GMT -5
I just sent the following email to Banfield's corporate office.
I have had my dogs with Banfield Pet Hospital for many years now. Apparently two months ago you changed policy with regard to approving a pets prescriptions over the phone to 3rd party mail order vendors, requiring the customer to take the prescription via fax or come to the office to pick it up.
There is absolutely no reason I should be required to drive to the local office to pick up a prescription for heartworm medicine that your office does not even sell. This is a tacit attempt to strongarm customers into using your preferred brands, a move that does not jive with AVMA ethics. For this reason I have set my dogs Optimum Wellness plans to not renew and will be seeking a veterinarians office whose policies are more in keeping with fair and ethical practice. I suspect I will not be the only customer lost to this ridiculous policy and I fully intend to warn any potential customers of your current questionable purpose for this policy.
*****
Over the years I've used Interceptor heartworm preventative. Banfield/PetSmart doesn't carry it or sell it, so I've used PetMeds online to order it. I just ordered more since I'm out and it's time to give Strega his medicine (thought I had one more month somewhere... ) and got an email from PetMeds warning me that Banfield wasn't authorizing the prescription, Banfield was requiring me to go to the vets office to pick it up, then I could send it to PetMeds and only then could I get the heartworm medicine. Insanely useless, pointless, and idiotic for the customer, but for Banfield it's a great way to discourage using an alternate option for getting your pets medicine. Most people will just buy what's at the vets office if they have to go through all this trouble.
Problem is, they don't sell this kind brand. I don't use other brands because the other stuff doesn't also control whipworm, hookworm and roundworm while at it.
So, if you've considered using Banfield, be warned. They've decided to enact a policy that doesn't really jive with fair and ethical practices. After nearly a decade of having at least one dog on their wellness plan, I'm off to get a new vet. One that will authorize my heartworm medicine over the phone or at least carry the stuff I use in their office.
I have had my dogs with Banfield Pet Hospital for many years now. Apparently two months ago you changed policy with regard to approving a pets prescriptions over the phone to 3rd party mail order vendors, requiring the customer to take the prescription via fax or come to the office to pick it up.
There is absolutely no reason I should be required to drive to the local office to pick up a prescription for heartworm medicine that your office does not even sell. This is a tacit attempt to strongarm customers into using your preferred brands, a move that does not jive with AVMA ethics. For this reason I have set my dogs Optimum Wellness plans to not renew and will be seeking a veterinarians office whose policies are more in keeping with fair and ethical practice. I suspect I will not be the only customer lost to this ridiculous policy and I fully intend to warn any potential customers of your current questionable purpose for this policy.
*****
Over the years I've used Interceptor heartworm preventative. Banfield/PetSmart doesn't carry it or sell it, so I've used PetMeds online to order it. I just ordered more since I'm out and it's time to give Strega his medicine (thought I had one more month somewhere... ) and got an email from PetMeds warning me that Banfield wasn't authorizing the prescription, Banfield was requiring me to go to the vets office to pick it up, then I could send it to PetMeds and only then could I get the heartworm medicine. Insanely useless, pointless, and idiotic for the customer, but for Banfield it's a great way to discourage using an alternate option for getting your pets medicine. Most people will just buy what's at the vets office if they have to go through all this trouble.
Problem is, they don't sell this kind brand. I don't use other brands because the other stuff doesn't also control whipworm, hookworm and roundworm while at it.
So, if you've considered using Banfield, be warned. They've decided to enact a policy that doesn't really jive with fair and ethical practices. After nearly a decade of having at least one dog on their wellness plan, I'm off to get a new vet. One that will authorize my heartworm medicine over the phone or at least carry the stuff I use in their office.
