Found a cat that has been living on the street for some while. I brought him to the emergency vet on Sunday and it cost me $700 and 5.5 hours but I'm happy I went. They highly suggested me making an appointment with a vet asap. He has significant scarring all over his body, a bloody nose like he ate something corrosive or according to the ER vet got electrocuted. Ulcerations on his tongue. He has some active wounds healing. He is barely 5lbs and the ER vet thinks 1-2 years old. They gave him flea bath, medicine, and he's been taking medicine with me. I've had him all of 36 hours living in my home.
On my way home from the ER vet, I spent $400 more on cat supplies/necessities so I could bring the cat home.
I want to get him into a vet for a proper baseline and his shots. So I call here. I do have an idea of what I need and a range of how much I know is charged for these things but i didn't think to ask during our initial call. So I explain the situation, they schedule my appointment.
I called back later wondering how much it would cost to get him neutered at their office, I'm just planning ahead in my mind. They cannot tell me over the phone because they said they need to see us first? They don't have a starting point for neutering? So now I'm like hm I don't like this business practice, I bet they won't tell me how much a rabies shot is. So I ask. Well Jenn mentioned 2 rounds of distemperment then rabies, how much would that cost me? Oh, we can't tell you over the phone. They will give you a quote after you come in and see you. I said so, I have no idea how much I'll be spending tomorrow? I understand the many different variables that can affect pricing. But they should know how much a rabies shot is and should be able to tell me. I'm trying to do a good thing here for this cat and just want to be prepared. I said, If I can't have an idea of pricing, I'll have to cancel. She said, that's fine with a gleeful tone, I'll cancel your appointment tomorrow bye. The ER vets really cared about the situation and I felt that in my heart. I did not feel overlooked or dismissed like I did with this office. You should have seen what was happening there, they had someone come in with a dead dog in their arms. They still made time to take me and quote me first. After some experiences with my cockapoo and a $7,000 later with "miscellaneous charges" I see absolutely nothing wrong with asking.
My impression here is very poor. Alyssa and Jenn were unhelpful and couldn't offer me anything more than scheduling. Every single time with any business I've dealt with, if they've refused to give me the starting point for a BASIC and EXPECTED service that they offer - run. We own our own business too and I give pricing over the phone all the time lol. If we need to charge more, there's an articulable reason. This business model easily becomes a trap, especially when there's a high level of emotional investment like with pets.
Why do they need to see the cat before quoting me for neutering, do they measure the cats....? Do they want to see what kind of car I pull in with and what purse is on my arm? Perhaps they'll profile how I dress? They were the FIRST office that refused pricing over the phone and had a standoffish attitude when I was telling them about the stray cat situation. They didn't care. They wanted me to schedule or get off the phone. The cat mentioned is attached.
I HIGHLY suggest looking at their yelp reviews too. There is a strong pattern with their low star reviews and I felt it by their demeanor over the phone.
Update: I found a reputable vet in Wayne nj that gave me a package for the cat - neutering, microchipping, fvrcp shot, nail clipping, pain medication, flea bath, and ear cleaning for $180. They took me in 2 days after my call to them. Stay far away from practices like this one in Vernon, that don't demonstrate transparency. I live 5 minutes away and will gladly drive to Wayne. I'd pay $1,000 if I had to and that was going rate, but I'd like to have an idea first. read more