I took my dog into this clinic at the recommendation of a friend. She insisted that Dr. Allen was an exceptional vet. At our first meeting, Dr. Allen was very good with my dog, but she tended to discuss the information in a manner that was too medical. I have a medical background and have a good understanding of a lot labs and results, but I found myself being confused as to what exactly she was saying. Dr. Allen found that my dog had elevated liver values, and recommend two expensive diagnostic tests. This was after spending over $200 for the initial consultation. I discussed these options with her, and decided that I would pursue the first of the tests that she recommended, which was a pre and post blood sample looking at specific liver functions. We arranged to have this blood drawn. Essentially, my dog had to fast for 12 hours, then we brought her in to the clinic first thing in the morning. Then we took her home, fed her, and waited two hours before returning to the clinic for the follow-up blood work. A couple of days later, I received a call from my friend who referred me to this clinic, stating that the blood work was lost and they were unable to perform the tests. Another day or two passed before I heard from Dr. Allen. Her tone was matter of fact- "the lab lost the second sample of blood," so you "need to bring your dog back into the clinic so we can repeat the test". She said that the first blood sample was processed and did not show worsening values since the first test done on the day of the initial consultation, but she said we needed both samples to really know what was goind on. Due to my own circumstances, I was not able to bring my dog back into this vet, as I am only in Indianapolis a couple of times a month. She said they would credit back my credit card. I received a call a couple of days later from someone in the offer, asking me for my credit card information to credit back the money. When they said the amount they were crediting back, it only was for the second sample of blood that was not processed. I asked to speak to the office manager, and explained that Dr. Allen had told me we needed both samples, and that just having the first sample was not helpful in understanding our treatment options. The office manager talked with Dr. Allen and she reportedly stated to the office manager that "we had obtained significant information from the first tests, and we knew what our treatment options were, so they were going to continue to charge for this amount. I again discussed my concern regarding this, as it was a paired sample, and that I would have to pay to have both portions done again, I did not think it was fair to charge for the first sample. The office manager told me that she would get back in touch with me. That was two weeks ago, and I haven't heard anything more.
I talked to a friend that is a vet in a relatively large city, and she indicated that this was poor business practice, and she encouraged me to file a complaint against Dr. Allen's license. From my perspective, Dr. Allen seems to recommend tests that are expensive, and then when she gets her money, her medical opinion changes. So either she was lying about having "significant results that we can use to treat my dog" or she ordered an expensive test that was unnecessary.
After my first meeting with Dr. Allen, I would have used her as my primary vet when I am Indianapolis. I would have likely continued seeing her when I move to Indy. However, now, I wouldn't go back, even to pick up a bag of dog food.
Thanks for the poor customer service and shabby recommendations!
by Anonymous
March 26, 2010
