WHEN THE CAT IS OUT-OF-SIGHT, THE MICE SCURRY AND GET OUT-OF-HAND, WITH OR WITHOUT THE CAT'S ENCOURAGEMENT.
The Cat Clinic is nice to you but only if you "play ball" with them.
After eight weeks, they changed the "rule" without offering ANY explanation.
They decided that only my friend (who bears the brunt of the bills) would be allowed to speak to their vet techs, make appointments, pick up supplies, etc.). My friend has a 60-hour-a-week job and just doesn't have the time do the things that need to be done for a seriously ill cat with CRF.
I am the primary caretaker and the cat lives with me.
I have worked very very hard to keep him alive the past three months.
Since I had already been the primary caretaker and the one communicating with them for TWO AND A HALF MONTHS, THIS SUDDEN CHANGE-IN-POLICY was inappropriate and inconsistent .
IN FACT, after five days of expensive hospitalization, our cat was released with medication, syringes, sub-Q equipment, canned and dried food, etc. and only very CURSORY instructions (except for the sub-Q demonstration). I felt they were certainly in a rush to get us out of there without really explaining clearly the new regime for our cat.
They are obviously doing very, very good business and are VERY busy. The vets know a lot. One, Dr. Johnson, was exceptionally kind and generous to us.
The office manager was quite difficult (even when you're REALLY nice to her,as I was) and I was treated quite rudely ONCE when she made a big deal about getting a copy of the latest lab report . "But I gave your friend a copy (she had already given my friend a xerox of their own handwritten chart)." I suspect there was some RACISM; this may never have happened if I were white
After explaining WHY I needed the lab report, she abruptly relented, saying in a nasty tone of voice, "Well, you'll have to wait." There was no one else in the waiting room so it can't be she was too busy with other clients.
My friend (humanities Ph.D., old enough to be the father of one of the young office staff; I have a MA in history) was taken aback that during the third vet visit, after we had been waiting in the room with the cat for 15-20 minutes for his blood test. when he asked one young woman (commmunity college degree??) how much longer it would be and if they could possibly expedite the test, her answer was "No. You can't.." We waited another 10 minutes. (The blood test itself took only a few minutes).
Simple courtesy goes a long way but apparently this person has never heard of such a thing. (My friend had been taking time off work to come to the appointment and had to get back to his office as soon as possible).
Even my animal trainer friend was stupified that they could charge $60 (according to my recollection) for a 40-minute demonstration of doing sub-Qs. I felt "talked down" to and very uncomfortable--it was like being in grade school with a cheery but authoritarian teacher.
I am SHOCKED that they can treat clients in such a cavalier manner "if you don't like what we're doing, go somewhere else and don't come back)" and get away with it. Lots of attitude: "We've been you giving you service, you've got to do X, Y, and Z".
The fact that I've tried to be super-nice to everyone there and to demonstrate to them my devotion to my cat and my need to control costs has NOT made a diffference.. .
That you've already spent over $1800 (estimate) and contacted them when absolutely necessary (the vet techs a half a dozen times) and doesn't seem to matter to them.
Also, many of the things they sell there are MUCH more expensive than what you might find elsewhere. Ex: Vitamins/mineral supplement $18; on the web, as low as $6! .
As a consumer, we have the RIGHT to seek reasonable prices where we can.
UPDATE:
10-19-06
The receptionist Anne "posed" as the co-owner and made some patently false statements to me and then hung up the phone. There were "just too many people talking to the vets and there was misnformation being passed." (UUH?? Like WHAT??).
I have been super-nice to everyone in the clinic.
SOME of the people (I don't know WHICH ones) are ETHICALLY CHALLENGED, deeply, in my opinion. There are lapses of responsibility. The first time I visited my cat during the operation, two of the techs were "shooting the breeze" (talking loudly, laughing uproariously.) the whole time I was there while they sheared a poor howling cat. I pretended NOT to be offended but I WAS by their not-very-serious, not very compassionate attitude.
A bevy of sophomoric young women PLUS a bilious overweight middle-aged one (who knows where the management was) have left an indelible impression on me.
Seriously...
I LOVE MY CAT VERY MUCH and this experience has been mostly DEEP pain and frustration for me. The lack of respect shown us still hurts.
more