ComplaintsforWest Park Animal Hospital

• Initial Complaint

  11/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The date of the incident was Oct. 11, 2023.

  Business response

  11/09/2023

  I've attached documentation from the conversations our team had with Ms. ****** regarding her concerns at her appointment.  I was initially informed she was upset about not having time with with the doctor at her appointment and was requesting a refund for this reason. I was able to confirm with Dr. L****** that she was present in the exam room twice with the client, first to discuss our end of life care processes and again to perform the euthanasia. When I spoke with Ms. ****** the first time she shared that she was upset that she didn't see the doctor and also that Bruce was away from her for too long. We discussed the euthanasia process for our practice, and I shared what was happening while her pet was in the treatment area, placing IVC, keeping Bruce on oxygen support, etc. Discussed that based on the clients requests to our team, they were under the impression she wanted to expedite the process as she was concerned Bruce was suffering. I expressed condolences for her loss and thanked her for sharing her experience with me. The next time I spoke with Ms. ****** was after our owners received the letter she sent into the practice. As it is my position with the company to handle client concerns, they passed the letters to me to follow-up with her. I started with an apology as I wasn't aware she was expecting a follow-up from me after the first discussion. I also shared my surprise that she thought Bruce was deceased already as the letter was the first time that was mentioned. When I informed her that Bruce was sedated prior to returning to the room Ms. ****** accused me of lying to her. I shared that I suspect the effects of the sedation are what lead her to believe Bruce was already deceased but confirmed with her that he was not. Ms. ****** was upset that she wasn't aware that Bruce would be sedated and stated if she knew this she wouldn't have any problems with us. Discussed that Dr. L****** attempted having this conversation with her the first time she came into the room.  Ms. ****** called me a liar for the second time and also implied that Dr. L****** lied to me by telling me she spoke with Ms. ******. At that point I informed her that I wouldn't be able to continue the conversation if she keeps making these accusations. Ms. ****** shared that she was under a lot of stress and doesn't even remember driving home the day of her appointment with us. I expressed condolences for her loss and expressed understanding that she was going through a hard time during this loss.  Ms. ****** finalized the conversation by again sharing that she was upset she wasn't made aware that Bruce would be sedated and that again, had she been informed she wouldn't have issue with our practice. I shared a final time that Dr. L****** attempted having that conversation with her but once she requested Bruce be brought back to her the doctor stepped out to get him for her.  Advised Ms. ****** again that it is already our hospital policy to have these informative conversation prior to euthanasia's for all patients. Expressed my condolences a final time and the call was ended.

  Customer response

  11/10/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. I just wished that the "emergency euthenasia" process allowed me to be in the back or in a room with my fur baby Bruce. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. I learned that the process is a port to administer a sedative and put on oxygen before a Vet can proceed with the euthenasia in a room with the client holding their beloved pet.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ******
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 16th I took my dog to West Park Animal Hospital because my dog was very ill. After 5 hours they said that they couldn't find anything wrong with her. The vet showed us blood test results, but said that he couldn't get the x rays to pull up on that computer. so I never actually saw the x rays that were done on my dog. They sent us home with pain meds and anti nausea pills. On the way home I noticed seepage coming from her ear. There was no mention of an ear infection from the vet. Did he even do an examination? The next day I called and talked to Kayla. I confirmed that they do ear examinations during an emergency exam and Kayla said yes. If I was charged for an emergency exam then why was I told immediately after my dog was taken back that she was stable? So she wasn’t in an emergency situation because they took her back and then set her in a cage for hours before doing any kind of testing on her. If they had examined her they would have noticed her ear. I told her the situation and I asked to talk to the manager, Kayla said that the manager was busy and that she would get back to me later that day. I never got a call back. I called the next morning and told the guy that I never received a call from the manager the previous day, he told me that the manager would call me back later, but once again, I never received a call back. That is why I am escalating the situation. The fact that they won’t talk to me just confirms my suspicions that they did not do an examination of any kind, yet charged me for one and did not do any x-rays, but charged me for one. Did they even do blood work? If they had done an examination, they would have seen her ear infection, thus eliminating the need for all the expensive procedures that they “supposedly” did. Instead they opted to do expensive testing first. Meanwhile, my dog still has not been treated for her severe ear infection and I will have to shell out another $100 or more to get her treated by another vet.

  Business response

  07/27/2023

  After initial call expressing concern on 7/17/23, a manager called primary number on 7/18/23 and message was left to return call to discuss concerns.  Client never called back.  BBB letter received on 7/26/23, manager called o immediately upon receipt of letter at best daytime number listed on letter, no answer again so message was left with working hours. Today (7/27/23) owner called back. I discussed offer for resolution which client declined. See attached documents for full details.

  Customer response

  07/27/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  They did not call my husband's number (as they claim) because my husband did not receive any missed calls or voice messages from them.  After I did not receive a call the first day, I called back the next morning.  I specifically asked what number they had for me.  To which the gentleman was unable to find a phone number on file.  I left the number to contact me directly, but still never received a call back. (A note that was printed on todays date of July 27, 2023 copied to the files on the BBB complaint is not proof that they tried calling me back).  Furthermore, they offered to see my dog for her badly infected ear 10 days later and only because they received my complaints.  Otherwise, they would have continued to ignore me and my concerns.  I took my dog to another vet as soon as I could and they did verify that she had a bad double ear infection.  Something that they would have seen if they had, in fact, done an ear exam like they claimed.  So the only reason I declined their resolution was because she had already been seen by another vet since Westpark did not care to call me back about the issue.  I still have yet to see proof of the xray they supposedly took and the supposed blood test doesn't even have the correct animal info or name on the account.  So I am suspicious that this is even my dog's results.  Also, the woman (who identified herself as an office manager...not an owner) hung up on me while I was still talking.  This situation could have been resolved easily if they had cared to address my concerns in the first place.  Now, I question everything they claimed to have done.  I have attached the vets notes that I had to take zoey to, to get her ear treated when Westpark refused to contact me, and the receipt for this visit, along with the receipt for the emergency visit on July 16th.  Westpark needs to rectify this situation because they lied on her notes that her ears were "normal".  If they were "normal" as they say...there would not have been seepage coming out of her ears right after her appointment and the other vet I took her to would have declared her ears normal as well. I expect a refund and now an apology.  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  
  
  
  
   

  Business response

  08/07/2023

  Initial complaint requested completion of services as the resolution, client was contacted and offered to come in for follow-up care at no charge which they declined.

  Customer response

  08/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The resolution they offered was not acceptable because I had already paid another vet to examine and treat Zoey for her ear infection. After all, it had been 10 days between the time that I had initially called them with my complaint and the time they finally decided to call me back.  I was forced to pay for another vet appointment.  When I called West Park for 2 consecutive days, they refused to connect me to a manager and refused to call me back.  Was I supposed to wait to get medicine for my dog?  Is that what West Park is suggesting?  I would have gladly taken the free appointment offered if they would have called me back right away, but they didn't care to.  They did not initially check her ears for infection, yet they charged me for this examination.  Instead, opting to do expensive lab work that cost hundreds of dollars more than a simple examination would have.  A more reasonable resolution would have been taking money off of my bill.  The refusal to do so shows the lack of care and compassion of West Park Animal Hospital.
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  
  
  
  
   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩