Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally file a complaint against Howell Animal Hospital regarding an issue I encountered while scheduling a TPLO surgery for my dog. On June 18th, 2024, I scheduled the surgery and paid a deposit of over $1,958 over the ph***. Unfortunately, the following day, my regular veterinarian informed me that the surgeon at Howell Animal Hospital is not board-certified and advised against proceeding with the surgery due to significant risks involved. Upon receiving this alarming information, I immediately contacted Howell Animal Hospital on June 19th to cancel the scheduled surgery. During this call, Dr. Mahmoud H. became extremely upset and threatened to take legal action against my veterinarian for expressing their concerns. Moreover, the doctor stated that he would not be returning my deposit because he was "****** off." He told me, “if I were you, I would get this surgery”. At no point during our conversation did any*** inform me that my deposit was nonrefundable, nor did I sign any documentation indicating such a policy. I have filed a claim with ******* *** for a refund, but it was denied based on their assertion that my credit card usage implied acceptance of the merchant's policies. I find this situation highly confusing and frustrating, as I did not receive the service for which I paid and am now facing difficulty obtaining a refund. I also incurred an additional expense of $6,000 for the surgery at another animal hospital with board-certified surgeons. I respectfully request that the BBB investigate this matter and assist me in obtaining a full refund of my deposit from Howell Animal Hospital. The lack of transparency regarding their refund policy and the aggressive behavior displayed by their staff is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, ******

  

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  ****** ******** came in with their pet on 6-15-2024 for an orthopedic consult for their pet, ****.  The consult determined that **** had bilateral ACL tears and required surgery Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO).  The owner was given an invoice with a quote for surgery and cancellation policy (we have highlighted in yellow for you to view) at check out on 6-15-2024, which a copy is attached here.  The owners did not set up the date for surgery and elected to call to make the appointment as they were going to do preoperative lab work at their primary vet since they traveled to get to us.  On 6-17-2024 the owner called and set up a date for surgery on 6-20-2024 and left the deposit over the phone.  A receipt from the Clover machine was texted to the owner (highlighted in blue) while on the phone making the appointment and going over pre-operative directions.  On 6-19-2024 at 2:49pm, we left a voicemail on the owner's phone to confirm the appointment for 6-20-2024 and remind them drop off is 8am and remaining balance is taken at drop off.  Later that day at 4:36pm the owner called back and said they went to their primary vet for preoperative lab work and were told by them “Dr. H. is not board certified and if he does the surgery there will likely be problems”.  Dr. H.picked up the phone to speak with the owners and they hung up on him.  one of our receptionists called them, at 5:29pm since they cancelled the appointment less than 48 hours from date/time that the deposit was non-refundable, which they would find on their invoice that they had taken home on 6-15-2024 and we wanted to get an email address for them to send them a copy of their records.  We had not heard from the owners since the phone call on 6-19-2024, we sent them a certified letter along with a copy of their invoice from 6-15-2024, about not being able to refund their card due to our cancellation policy. 

  Customer response

  09/14/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  (I am trying to attach two jpg files under 5 mag but it’s not working. I keep getting the error message saying the file type or the size is not right.  can I email them somewhere?)

  
  Please find the facts about this issue and two attachments:
  
  6/15/24 - took **** for a consultation. Received an invoice and an estimate. No mention of the cancellation policy.
  
  6/17/24 - called to schedule the appointment. No mention of the cancellation policy.
  
  6/19/24 - took **** to his regular vet to get the blood work d*** for the surgery and found out the doctor. Hussein is not board-certified. 
  
  The vet clearly said if I took my dog to Dr. H.he may never walk again.
  
  As soon as I got home, I went on New Jersey consumer affairs website to check on his license status and found that there has been some sort of board action against him.
  
  That made things worse for me.
  
  I called Dr. H.to let him know that I wanted to cancel the appointment because I did not feel comfortable bringing my dog to him.
  
  Still no mention of the cancellation policy.
  
  A few days after canceling the policy and filing a claim with my credit card company, I received a certified letter from Dr. H. office on June 25th. That was the first time I saw the cancellation policy and it was highlighted in yellow.
  
  I then took **** to a board certified surgeon to get the surgery done and paid over $6000 for it. 
  
  The bottom line is, I never signed any document agreeing to the cancellation policy or the nonrefundable deposit they are referring to.
  
  The first time I found out about the cancellation policy was when I received the certified letter in the mail.
  
  My dogs are like my children and I would not jeopardize their well-being by taking them to someone who hasn’t been properly trained and risking their well being.
  
  I wouldn’t have taken my son to a non-board-certified surgeon and I have done  the same for my dog.
  
  Best,
  ******
  
  
  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. ↩