SC
Shuyu Chiang
Aug 13, 2025
Update: after discussion and communication with management, I am satisfied with how my experience was handled.
I will preface this by saying that I’m sure the doctors and technicians here have adequate medical knowledge and would not do anything that jeopardizes the health of the animal. However, over the past three months, I have experienced worsening communication and disingenuous business practices that has left me wary of their customer service.
I actually had a good experience the first few times I came to this location, but during a follow up for my cat’s fracture, there was a miscommunication where the doctor ordered an x ray and interpretation that left me with a $600+ bill that I was not given an estimate for. I did pay the full amount. While I verbally approved of the procedure, I felt mislead by the omission in price.
I discussed the situation to the manager and she gracious offered me a $200 future discount on my cat’s next set of x-rays. I accepted and thought that was extremely kind. The manager explained that the credit was reflected in my account and I left.
In the following appointments, I asked about the results of the radiology interpretation, only to find out (only after asking three separate staff members, who all initially gave differing answers as to if it was available) that it was cancelled and never performed. At no point during the credit process did the manager or doctor tell me they were cancelling this procedure.
This was a line item that cost almost $150, which I paid for in full. The “future discount” the manager claimed to be giving me was just the cost of the procedure and a separate ~$50 courtesy discount. In essence, I prepaid over a hundred dollars, under the guise that I was graciously getting compensation from the manager.
I have no qualms with actually paying for what I receive. I believe the appropriate response would have been to fully reverse the original transaction (of the x ray and interpretation) and charge a new transaction for just the xray which already occurred and must be paid for. Alternatively, if it is impossible for VCA to refund a transaction, the staff at this location could’ve just been more honest with me that they could only offer a refund via “store credit.”
By claiming I was getting a courtesy discount, this location misled me and I now find it difficult to trust the staff and doctors at this VCA. I now have very little faith in this location to be honest and communicative with me.
If you choose to bring your pet to this location, I recommend always asking exactly what they will be charging you for, the purpose of each procedure, and getting a clear understanding of when those results will be communicated to you. My recent experience is that they will not be proactive and helpful when communicating and are more than happy to take your money without educating you about what they actually do for your pet.