Banfield Pet Hospital

I currently go to the Banfield in Darien on 75^th street and I can not rave enough about the care we have received here. The doctors and reception people have all impressed me with their knowledge and caring. Unfortunately I can not say same about the other Banfield I went to, so try another store if you are unhappy. In emergency situations, there is not the facilities of some other vets. I am on the insurance program and appreciate how helpful they are anytime I have concerns and like knowing my visit will be covered if I am worried about something.

Banfield,
I’m very disappointed that Dr. Synese is no longer working there. She was the best doctor there knew about both of my dogs when they had issues she was very understanding and call you the next day to see how my dogs were doing. I went there last week with my dog the new doctor that replaced dr. Synese seemed very rude after asking her questions of my dog prescription she seemed very aggravated, rushed no smile seemed like I was bothering her. When I told my friends and family that dr. Synese is no longer there they were shocked! How can they get rid of a great doctor! The lady the works of front Karen she’s great always smiles and plays with the dogs that go there. I don’t think I’ll be back to that location but I will be in the search for dr. Synese to find out what location or different vet she works at. I hope Banfield realizes that they lost a great doctor and customers also. If she quit or got fired had to be a reason but one thing I know is that she loves pet all kinds and will sit there and suggest new things for your dog.

Absolutely the best kind of care that any animal can get… Great doctors take great care of our precious little «children»… Dr. Synese in the hospital is the best doctor ever!!! She loves every dog as if it was her own… And always remembers each patient, even after a year of being away… highly suggest coming here.
The knowledge this Banfield location has over other establishments we’ve been to, is out of this world… Also offers insurance for your pets to give them the best care possible, with all the essentials that they need to look great, feel great and live a long and healthy life!

Simply the best! Dr. Senese treated my doggy like if it was hers. Made him feel comfortable through out the appointment and he was well behaved. Love the facility, staff and they are very professional.

Dr. Senese is an awesome veterinarian! She’s young, but I see that as a plus. I’ve been a pet owner my entire life and I’ve been to many great vets who’ve been in practice for decades, but often they just seem to be «going through the motions» with their patients, and not really seeing them as individuals. Dr. Senese is thorough, and really knows her stuff. The staff is very nice too. The wellness plans are a definite plus!

We brought our 8 week old puppy here and so far everything has been great. They were really helpful and we did sign up for the wellness plan because everything for the first year is included. While this location is further away that I would like I think he will end up being worth it because we sign up for puppy class as well.

My cat, Cronkite, started going to this Banfield about 5 years before he was diagnosed with diabetes. During that period of time, Banfield’s wellness plan for him was the best way for me to make sure he saw the vet regularly, got all his shots, and had his teeth cleaned every year. I’ve known vets to charge more than what I pay for Cronkite’s wellness plan all year just for cleanings.
When he was first faced with this chronic, life-​threatening health condition, though – it came with a heart murmur for good measure – we met Dr. Lo. She was absolutely fantastic – spent a lot of time getting to know him, was inspired by his case to go to some sessions on feline diabetes at a veterinary conference, and helped me find ways to take care of him at home that didn’t make the whole situation financially unworkable.
During this time, he was in probably once a month for three or four months – but all the techs, the folks at the front desk, and Dr. Lo recognized my cat on sight, petted and made much of him, and were absolutely awesome. I never felt that they didn’t have enough time for us, and they were very tolerant of my early worrying over every single thing that could have spelled bad news for my cat.
I have now moved to Baltimore, but I can’t recommend this hospital – and especially can’t recommend Dr. Lo – highly enough. I imagine you could pay a lot more and not have anywhere near so caring a vet for your pet.

We have taken our two dogs here since we got them, but our satisfaction had been declining. We used to go to a local independent vet with our previous dog.
The clinic visits are generally smooth and comfortable for the most part, but it’s been more impersonal than our old vet, on most visits. There’s no place to wait except by the desk where there are always other animals milling around. Lately I’ve had to sit with my dogs for up to an hour in the exam room to get taken care of. The staff are nice and they put your pet’s name up on the welcome window (animals don’t have HIPAA, I guess!)
But the main problem is the cost, especially the «wellness plans» that they pressure you into signing up for. It was definitely sold to us (years ago) as an ongoing discount plan rather than a financing arrangement, but that’s what it really is. And it’s gotten steadily more expensive every year while saving us less money.
Actually, if you were to compare costs at a local vet, I wonder if it really saves any money; and if you have the bad luck of having your pet die in the middle of the year, you’re on the hook for the full price in some cases. For us it’s only three months because they oh so generously «waived» the last three months — but not the next-​to-​last three months, because supposedly the plan still owes the local clinic the money it saved us. Huh?. They claim it’s all in the contract and it’s «not insurance,» but it’s certainly pitched to you in the store as if it were. They ding you for the DIFFERENCE between your payments (like $ 100 for urinalysis) and their «full» price (which is even more outrageously high). I thought they just did this to make you think you’re getting a great deal, but it”s really so they can dun you for extra charges if you lose your pet. And the phone reps have ZERO compassion that you lost your pet. They obviously have to tell people all day long that they’re S.O.L. when their pet dies. A profit center, I’m sure, like overdraft fees are for the banks
Making customers pay for three or six months for a dead pet’s «wellness» isn’t my idea of good business practice. Not to mention cold and heartless. But they have you over a barrel. They have your checking account information. And now that I’ve experienced how they do business, I’m going to check and be sure they don’t keep taking payments even after they agreed to cancel it, in the manner of Dish Network
The people at the clinic are usually friendly and nice, but have been rushed at times and sometimes you get staff who are less experienced. There is the flexibility to choose to see a different vet which can be an advantage in terms of scheduling, but could be a disadvantage in terms of continuity of care. There is a tendency to suggest tests that are very expensive and not covered by the plan. They had our dog on antibiotics for three weeks ($$$) and he just got worse and worse. By the end, he wasn’t able to walk, eat, drink, or stand up, and the vet’s next plan was for an ultrasound. We declined as it was obvious that the dog was about to die. So it was another $ 117 for euthanasia, and this was not covered by the plan. Then I had to spend an hour on the phone trying to cancel the plan and discovered I couldn’t. I had hoped that they’d just cancel it from the store as a courtesy, but they gave me a phone number to call. And I swear, I was on hold for 20 minutes before I got the uncompassionate rep who told me how I just hadn’t bothered to understand the terms of the plan.
ADDENDUM: June 23, 2011. Dr. Reddy got my comments sent to him from the Banfield website, apparently, and was very nice about my issues with the Banfield main office. He agreed to cancel the last three months of our deceased pet’s Werllness Plan. I guess the local vet has the power to do that, although they won’t tell you on the phone. Since one of the payments had already been deducted from our checking account, he agreed to apply it to the next bill for our other dog (who has a fatty cyst that we think needs to be removed).
So the response from Dr. Reddy partly reverses my opinion of Banfield. I appreciated his helpfulness and understanding and we’ll see how it goes with our other dog before we decide whether to renew.
If they would just let you discuss the Wellness Plan with the local vet in the first place, it would save a lot of stress, heartache, and emotional upset. I would rate the local clinic highly but the customer service people on the corporate end could still use a heaping helping of compassion and customer service skills. For that reason I’m still «meh» about Banfield.

This pet hospital is fantastic. My dog will not go anywhere else as long as Banfield is around. They have a wellness program that you can monthly like 25.00 a month and when you take your dog in his check ups and shots are covered. Talk about doggie insurance especially with this recession. They call and check on him after he has had his shots or pedicures. They remember his name and mine without looking in the computer. The doctor comes out talk to you. They are so AWESOME!!!

This place is AMAZING. I would not take my pet anywhere else for their medical needs. Not only is the price sweet, but the staff there is phenomenal. They really care about my pets, and even make follow-​up calls the next day to check-​in and see how they’re doing. The receptionist there, Stephanie, is the sweetest person!!! She’s known my dogs since they were puppies, and she’s always happy to see them. The vets there are very knowledgable, and take VERY good care of my dogs. I’ve gotten them neutered/​spayed there, as well as their yearly rabies, dental, misc. vaccines, etc. I love this place, and will continue to refer everyone I know there!!! (P.S. I’ve seen some bad reviews for Banfield-I’ve NEVER had to wait, I always was taken right away, and it’s a VERY clean facility.)