My mistake or theirs?

BostonBanker

Active Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
8,854
Likes
1
Points
36
Location
Vermont
#1
I'm incredibly frustrated right now, and I'm not sure that I have a right to be. In dealing with Gusto's recently diagnosed elbow dysplasia, the biggest recommendation the referral vet (I drove 3 hours to see a vet who was recommended, who is board certified orthopedics/rehab and is also an active dog sport participant) was to get him in a rehab program sooner rather than later, to work on developing his hind end and try to help some tension in his back that she believed was due to compensation.

When I was researching rehab vets after he was initially lame about 18 months ago, I looked into a large specialty hospital nearby that offered rehab and accepted self-referrals. I looked at their site again last week, where their rehab page referred to "your first appointment with Dr. xxxx". I called, said I wanted to make a rehab appointment for my dog who was diagnosed etc. Made the appointment, went today...and feel like I flushed away $140.

The vet listed on the page isn't there anymore, it appears. The rehab person is not a vet (and therefore wasn't able to discuss my questions regarding surgery, joint injections, and wasn't able to give me an Adequan prescription as I'd hoped). There was some advice that honestly just felt WRONG as well, although I'm certainly not professing any knowledge about the topic.

Is it a valid complaint that I didn't get to see a vet? Should I not have expected a vet for a situation like that anyway? Does it change that they still have a "Dr. XXX" listed on the page? That vet is NOT listed on their employee page, which I didn't look at until now (the rehab person is). Maybe I should have noticed that?

I'm just so frustrated and upset tonight, and obviously am not doing anything about it today. But now I need to make ANOTHER appointment with ANOTHER vet to get what I wanted out of this appointment, and at this point it may just have to wait for another paycheck. And I hate confrontation and don't know if I should even call the hospital about it.
 

SpringerLover

Active Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
3,415
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
B-ville
#2
I would be upset if I made an appointment to see a vet. And didn't see a vet. I would call in a couple of days for sure.
 

MicksMom

Active Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
3,978
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Warren Co, NJ
#3
A rehab place is different than a vet (same with human rehab). ;) If I made it clear I wanted to see a vet, and was given an appointment accordingly, yes, I'd be pissed if the appointment wasn't with a vet. How long ago did the vet leave that rehab? Could it be something like the website needs to be redone to get the name off of it (is it on the "home page"). I think it would be easier to remove a name off a list than off the "home page". They were upfront with you when you asked for an appointment with that person, so it's not like they were trying to hide the fact he/she isn't there anymore.
 

BostonBanker

Active Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
8,854
Likes
1
Points
36
Location
Vermont
#6
A rehab place is different than a vet (same with human rehab). If I made it clear I wanted to see a vet, and was given an appointment accordingly, yes, I'd be pissed if the appointment wasn't with a vet. How long ago did the vet leave that rehab? Could it be something like the website needs to be redone to get the name off of it (is it on the "home page"). I think it would be easier to remove a name off a list than off the "home page". They were upfront with you when you asked for an appointment with that person, so it's not like they were trying to hide the fact he/she isn't there anymore.
I'm not sure when she left.

Although I don't think they were intentionally being deceitful, they also weren't upfront. No names were mentioned when I made the appointment - I simply said I wanted to make an appointment with their rehab vet (I do think I said vet; maybe I didn't? Pretty sure I did, as I couldn't think of the name I'd seen when I called.), they made the appointment, and that was that. I didn't realize this person wasn't the vet listed on their site until I asked about getting a prescription.

So while I don't think they were thinking "We will put a vet's name on this page and lure people in, then surprise them with a physical therapist!", I can say for certain that I wouldn't have made the appointment if I'd known it wasn't a vet. I'd have either tracked down another rehab vet, or made the appointment with their orthopedist and used that as a second opinion so I could have discussed options.
 

MicksMom

Active Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
3,978
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Warren Co, NJ
#7
But there are board certified rehab vets...
Yes, but that doesn't mean they all are.


...And the assumption was that this would be overseen by a vet.
But that's just it, it was an assumption. ;) I would be annoyed at myself for making the assumption. Believe me, I am more than guilty of making assumptions and being wrong, and I could so easily see me doing that in this case.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
6,405
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Minnesota
#8
Obviously you had an expectation that you would see a veterinarian, and that expectation wasn't met. So you have every right to feel how you feel. I think there were things that could have been communicated better on both ends.

On your end, yes you could have asked to make sure you were seeing a veterinarian. Given the wording on their website I'm not sure it would even occur to me to ask that question because it does imply that your appointment would be with a veterinarian. So I don't think your expectation was way out in left field or anything although in hindsight I can see how it was an assumption.

I agree that I don't think they were being intentionally deceitful. But on their end, they really need to fix their website IMO. My guess is that Dr. X left and it just never occurred to anyone that the website needed to be changed. A lot of vet clinics aren't good at maintaining their websites.

If it were me, what I would do is when I was feeling calm, either call or email them a simple and un-enraged explanation of why I was disappointed. Just a head's up that their website makes it sound like you would be seeing a veterinarian, and you didn't, and that was really frustrating and disappointing for you.

It's likely that other people have had the same experience as you, since you're a normal human being and other normal human beings are likely to make the same assumption and have the same expectation you did. But most people won't say so, they just quietly slip away unsatisfied. If they are a good business, they will want to know that there is something within their control they can change to make their clients more satisfied.
 

noludoru

Bored Now.
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
17,830
Likes
8
Points
38
Location
Denver, CO
#9
Yes, but that doesn't mean they all are.



But that's just it, it was an assumption. ;) I would be annoyed at myself for making the assumption. Believe me, I am more than guilty of making assumptions and being wrong, and I could so easily see me doing that in this case.
She didn't make any assumptions. She read their website, which said first appointments would be with a vet, asked for an appointment with a vet, and got a surprise appointment with someone she wasn't interested in seeing.
 

BostonBanker

Active Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
8,854
Likes
1
Points
36
Location
Vermont
#10
Well, apparently they aren't that excited to speak to me, because I called yesterday at lunchtime, and explained my situation to the person who answered the phone. She put me on hold for several minutes, said the person to whom I should speak was in another room and would call me back shortly. Still no call.

And just to be clear, while I was (and still am) upset and frustrated, it is with the situation in general, not really with the hospital. As I said - I really don't think it is intentional. I just feel that I was only able to access about half of the things listed on their physical rehab page because the person handling it wasn't a vet. My hopes were that they would at least get me in quickly (and, to be honest, although I never would have asked for it, hopefully at no charge) for a quick consult with one of their vets so I could have gotten the Adequan prescription. At this point, I'm just going to call my usual exam/vaccination vet tomorrow and see if they will get us in soon.

Oh well. Live and learn I guess. Part of the reason I had wanted to have the appointment with a vet there, besides the prescription and the rehab advice, was because I was wondering if it would be worth saving the drive and having his HA injections done here. I think I'll still just go to Mass, where I really liked the vet. I just want this to all be magically fixed and to stop stressing about whether or not I'm doing right by my dog.
 

elegy

overdogged
Joined
Apr 22, 2006
Messages
7,720
Likes
1
Points
0
#11
I would feel misled.

Of the three rehab people Steve sees, only one is a vet. The other two are CCRPs but not vets.
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top