Banfield Pet Hospital Beware of Banfield Pet Hospital insurance schame Ripoff Gastonia North Carolina

I'm browsing around RipOffReport today and thought I might search for issues with Banfield. I can't believe how many people are complaining about Banfield and charging them with malpractice, not including the details that show that they were somehow neglegent. Why would anyone in the medical profession feel that killing a patient (especially one on insurance) would benefit them more than the months and maybe years of monthly revenue they will generate. That's bad business, even if it's a scam. It's not going to make them any money because the work done for your pet cost more than they probably got.

By the way, I looked into Banfield's Wellness Plan. I looked on banfield.net/health/owp_adults.asp which goes over their adult pet plans. This is a vaccine package not insurance. A lot of doctors do this now, offering a package that is paid over time rather than per-visit. It's preventative health, and in the fine print it states it does not cover injuries or illness. They even say, "Wellness plans are not insurance, there are no deductibles or waiting periods, the price of the plan pays for all of the included services." So if you got the chest x-rays or ECG done with the "optimal" level plan, you're paying for a plan that includes those. If the vet's front counter person didn't explain it right, that's debatable as to whether that means you shouldn't pay for the service. You still had it done and it was still referenced in your later diagnosis, so it's still a valid procedure.

A more valid issue would be that they didn't give you the 20% discount on services that is listed under that top plan ("optimum" level). Did you get a discount for other services performed? If not, that's a valid issue and they should give you that discount. Or if the service resulted in a provable injury, like a slipped knife cut off the toe or giving a medication caused a reaction that was forseeable (i.e. patient was allergic to sulfa and sulfa was perscribed).

I told this to someone else: It sounds like you're just mad about your pet's situation and you are looking at someone to blame. Medicine is an inexact science, a game that some people lose. If you have time, read up on legalities of malpractice and what to look for. What you are describing is unfortunate but not quite the scam you are talking about. Just read your agreements carefully and what the plan covers. If you still don't get it, then don't buy. That's common consumer sense.