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2/26/20 |
I’ve been a client for 20+ years and sadly the level of customer care has significantly dropped significantly in the last 5+ years with the hire of the clinic’s office administrator manager. The reception and clinic is run in a militant fashion and Wendy rules the chicken coop. Pricey, business model all transactional and customer loyalty not appreciated.
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12/6/17 |
Very difficult to get information from the vets. Phone calls not returned, or returned days later at random hours (I can't be expected to be watching my cellphone for days. It's not a first date.). I understand that high quality service is expensive, but this is not high quality service for me.
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6/6/17 |
The staff are extremely friendly and very welcoming. The vets are knowable and treated our cat with gentleness and caring as she is quite a handful when she is at the vets. All the staff say hi to us and greet us by name when we come in. They make what could be a very stressful situation easy. I would highly recommend this clinic. Also we drive from a fair distance to get here. Just for this clinic.
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11/1/16 |
The staff are amazing & very supportive. I can't say enough about dr Kathy Alcock she will go to bat for all the pets & their owners. They care about the pets first.
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*
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5/21/16 |
NOPE
My rabbit had stasis, and I knew I had to take him to the vet. Unfortunately, my regular vet was already closed and thought I would try this place because it was a lot closer to home.
I saw "Dr. Gigi" (who I suspect is Dr. Gihan Zeitoun).
I spoke briefly about how I knew it was stasis since my one of my other rabbits had it frequently before passing away. Then Dr. Gigi asked if how I knew my rabbit was in pain and if he cried. ALARM BELLS!
I questioned if she knew anything about rabbits and she said she was "testing" me on whether I knew my rabbit was in pain. Yep, testing my knowledge. I NOPED OUT OF THERE IMMEDIATELY, placed my rabbit into the carrier and sped to Campus Estates all the way in Guelph.
My rabbit is thankfully fine because of Campus Estates and their care. STAY AWAY!
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*
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6/15/15 |
We are really pleased with the service at the Downtown Animal Hospital. We think really highly of Dr. Steede (a fantastic vet!), and we are also big fans of Drs. Vihos and Surette (the latter appears to have left the practice). We have been bringing our dog there for 8 years, and our previous cat for 7 years before that. They are, admittedly, expensive. But we get great service (a non-rushed visit with the vet, not a vet tech), they have great hours (open until midnight, open on Sundays), and they have taken very good care of our pets. I also find that they are always willing to take phone calls and the vet calls us back promptly - we don't get charged for those calls. I presume it's part of the service for their clients. Support staff have always been great to us (except for one gentleman at the front desk who is long gone). The one time we had questions about a bill, Dr. Vihos patiently walked us thru it, removed one charge, and at the end we felt the bill was fair.
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*
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2/3/15 |
I love this place. The staff is always pleasant, and have always seemed to be genuinely concerned about my cats' health. My first cat to be a patient here eventually developed lung cancer and they recommended that I put him down. They were very sympathetic, let me sit with him for over an hour beforehand, and didn't charge me for any of the expenses accrued on the last day of treatment. They have been treating my next cat for over 5 years now, and have always been great with her, even though she is often aggressive with strangers. I have moved out of the area but will continue to drive back for their great service.
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*
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7/27/14 |
There is a reason this Vet Hospital is always so busy, and it is because of the amazing service. Dr Vu Hous (spelling?) is a great, caring vet who was so patient with our cat Chloe. When it came time put our cat down, the vet and the vet techs were great and even took care of our six yearold while we stayed with the cat.I would recommend this vet hospital to everyone I could.
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11/11/13 |
My diabetic cat needed a blood glucose reading and that is why I contacted them. my old vet charged $20. since it was my first visit, they warned me they would want to do a general physical as well. they did the physical, but after 2.5 hrs of revolving assistants and 5 mins of vet time, I was sent on my way with no blood glucose results, nor any feedback from the exam they just did. they said they couldn't provide results or recommendations until they had records from my old vet, which they could not obtain. $250 and I never received a single thing from them, not even a follow up to let me know if they had obtained the records. they never did get them, although another vet later got them with no issue.
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*
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3/22/13 |
I have gone here for many years, since a late-night emergency and they were the only vet open. Now, I don't go anywhere else. Yes, they tend to do a lot of diagnostics. But you're dealing with animals who can't tell you what they're feeling. And I have asked "can we try just proceeding as if we have the diagnosis, and see if it works?" and they've been fine with it. Yes, they're expensive. But with their extended hours, convenient (for me) location, and the awesome Dr. Vihos, I don't care. She loves my cats, she takes all the time we need for questions, and she knows her stuff inside and out. I really don't understand the complaints about the staff, because whenever I call, they know me, they ask how my cats are - by name - and are super friendly and courteous. And they've cried with me over sick cats. Sent me condolence cards. And helped me find homes for rescues. I love Downtown Animal Hospital.
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3/4/13 |
I had been taking my 10 year old dog, Bear to this Clinic for about 2 years. Bear suffered from Degenerative Myelopathy, an auto-immune disease that attacked his spinal cord. On Monday, February 24 I phoned there and asked to speak to Dr Vihos. The receptionist took a detailed message about how serious Bear's condition had become and said she was coming in at 3 PM. On Friday, March 1, Dr Vihos finally left a text message asking what was my emergency. I had taken Bear to the Humane Society and immediately got to see a Vet and sadly had to euthanize my dog. When I later called the clinic to find out why it took 5 days to respond to a dog emergency, the reception yelled at me. The staff there are very rude and lacking in compassion. The prices are very high for the lack of attention. Shop elsewhere...
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*
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10/20/12 |
There is one good vet at this vet office: Dr. Vihos. She may not know everything, but she does know her vet stuff. Sadly, she does not set the pricing or the rules, and the office does not have much on site equipment like ultrasound items, which are important. I did find many of the staff rude and curt, and eventually, this office just around the corner from my home was only a convenience for me. I had 2 cats with acromegaly, and had to fight with this office to have my first one tested. They refused until I took them the info on the tests needed. Seriously, the client should NOT have to research their pet's health; the vet should do some of the investigating, but not this office. I finally switched to an awesome vet office that has a pharmacy and all the emergency equipment, and it was staffed by great vets, decent staff. The new office was miles away, but well worth the distance.
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SYSTEM: 2 negative duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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2/24/11 |
Great Vet. Been going for years with my cats and my dog. I avoid walking by there with my dog anymore because she always wants to go in. After 1 swallowed sock, one broken jaw, and years of regular stuff, I won't go anywhere else.
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2/13/11 |
I brought a sick pet in. The vet wanted to test, then treat. At the vet's request, I left the pet at the clinic about 5 hours until some test results were in. I brought the pet home and within approximately 8 hours, the pet died. I paid up front...the full asking price - not cheap, but was not given an itemized invoice of all this supposed testing. I called the next day for results and was told some of the results only. The vet couldn't give an exact diagnosis and said she was sorry to hear my pet had died. I called later to ask about some of the tests. The receptionist told me they'd have a grief counselor call me. A week later, I called the grief counselor and she thought I should be over it and recommended I see a family doctor or psychiatrist if I wasn't. These people don't take any responsibility for anything. My pet didn't seem to rate immediate treatment and I don't rate answers or explanations in their eyes.
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12/18/10 |
Don't take your pet here as they just want to do more tests. When you have a complaint then reception tells you to go to another vet. Yes, after 6 yrs with them then I am leaving them for good because they are rude and money hungry because I have pet insurance.
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8/11/10 |
Evil profiteers who don't give a damn about your animal's health or quality of life - they won't commit to any sort of diagnosis; rather they pressure you into a variety of costly and pointless procedures just to make more money. Do not take your pet here, unless you're ok with being fleeced while your pet continues to suffer.
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5/4/10 |
A few good experiences, but the bad ones really do shine. 1st: A misdiagnosis that freaked us out about our puppy, with hardly an apology for some young staff member's screw up (they messed up our dog's test results with another's). 2nd: for a time-sensitive issue, they forgot to label the vial of blood which was rush couriered overnight to a facility in the U.S., rendering the sample useless, requiring another visit and "here we go again". Some support staff seem alright, but many direct questions go unanswered, and few staff are willing to take responsibility for any screw ups. Customer service on these matters (to put it bluntly) sucks. We're willing to forgive a mistake, but this is ridiculous and makes us question the professionality of the entire operation.
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4/19/10 |
immediately got the feeling this clinic overcharges and overrecommends services and x-rays but stayed for convenience. then my dog came down with cherry eye and I was simply told me to drop him off on a Tues night. I asked for a quote and they looked surprised and said someone would contact me. nobody did. i called twice to follow up. Finally on the Tues a.m. I was given a quote of about $725 for cherry eye with neuter, taking into account anaesthesia would only be counted once. We then showed up at the clinic that evng and decided against the neuter. the tech told us we'd need to get another quote from the doc. She finally came back and quoted us $738 for just cherry eye!! it made no sense and the tech, who looked like an underaged nightclubber, was completely incompetent and unable to answer *any* qustions as to why the quote was MORE, what type of procedure would be performed, and what to expect re: post-op healing/needs. never ever going back. total scam.
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4/16/10 |
My bill seems to double every time I go to the downtown hospital. I paid $381.00 for a yearly examination fee and shots. Very pricey!!!I have been going for 4 yrs, I am not inmpressed...
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3/30/10 |
I was there for 8 years, the first beginning of the years was really good but then starting last 2 -3 years, I just couldn't handle the rudeness of the staff, very irresponsible, i.e. I was asking for the price of the shots, she said we don't have the price. It will just be a couple hundred dollars. And one time I was trying to get records of my dog, they said we will call you when we go the record which a week after I called back again, it's never been done and I was like...They are just bad bad bad bad bad....and very disappointed.
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9/9/09 |
I went to this vet for 6 years. I knew it was pricey. In exchange for my money, I got very quality unrushed service (compared to the vet I take cats to now, which is cheap and well done but things are defintely rushed a bit) - lots of time with the vet who answered all my questions and conducted a thorough exam. On several occasions when I brought in strays, examination fees were waived. On the other hand, an FIV test costs more than double what I pay now. The facilties are spotless and they have a lot of equipment on site. Sometimes I had to wait for my appt, but they have extended hours and accept emergencies. In short, if you have money it is a very nice place to go. I no longer go there as they don't have a rabbit vet anymore, but really liked ti when I did. It seems to me that if you look at any vet's office in the city that is known to be expensive, invariably the ratings are low.
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6/16/09 |
Incredibly expensive. I've no doubt operating downtown toronto leaves them with some hefty rental payments every month and I'm all for registered professionals making a profit for their expertise but I also expect a vet to be there for their love animals - before their love of cash. I won't go into all the details but I was shown very little compassion in regards to their fees despite them having bilked me for thousands already. It's very clear why they're in business and it's not because they love animals. I haven't experienced rude or unpleasant staff as others have stated and why would they be - they're making a killing so are probably quite happy.
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3/19/09 |
I will agree that their prices are a little bit expensive, but I'm a follower of the phrase "you get what you pay for" I've had three emergencies with three different pets over the last year and I've had nothing but a very very good experience with them. One of these emergencies was with my puppy, who had all of his shots there, as well as being neutered there and he still loves it. Every time we walk by he pulls to go inside. It says so much to me that my DOG loves the place. I would highly recommend this clinic. Also, what other people are saying about the front desk? I've never experienced that at all. I've always been met with friendly and knowledgeable staff.
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1/21/09 |
An expensive place to go, they'll make you buy/pay for other stuff which you might not intend to. The doctors are not bad tho but really dislike the front desk, they seem unhappy and never had a smile on their faces. I paid $140 for a rabies vaccine, which is really expensive, i heard it's usually 50-60 at other places.
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12/4/08 |
The vets I dealt with seemed knowledgeable and kind. I could often make an appointment at short notice which was great, as well as the extended evening and weekend hours. I was outraged, however, to have been charged a crazy amount for a bag of Lactated Ringers, the administration set and ten needles, needed for my cat with renal failure $ 40.00 ! I had been purchasing these supplies from the Broadview Pharmacy -- LRS cost $ 4.22, the administration set cost about $ 5.00 and a box of 100 needles cost approx $ 6.00 ( this adds up to $ 9.62 for an identical quantity of items). I was caught short and had to buy my supplies from the clinic -- but why they had a 400% markup is a mystery to me. These are essential items for a pet with renal disease -- a client would spent $ 160.00+ buying it from the clinic per month v.s. about $ 40.00. Extreme mark-ups can make this a life or death decision. Shameful. I wouldn't pay 4x as much for an appointment there - why do these supplies?
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10/2/08 |
Had gone on two occasions. First time there was a misdiagnosis with my cat. Second visit the rude vet misinformed me about the prognosis of my dog's bone cancer and I was considering euthenasia. Went for second opinion and my dog is still alive 2 1/2 years later. Staff absolutely rude! Stay clear folks!
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9/29/08 |
I was only a client of this office for 1 year because I moved out of the area but I was very happy with their services when I went there. The front desk staff was wonderful, (church st. location) all very friendly and welcoming. My cat is not a happy cat at the vet's office and so the vet did have trouble with him. She seemed very apprehensive working with him, she didn't seem confident at all. But she was kind and did do her best, which is more than I can say about most offices. I was not overcharged in any way and they actually waived the fee on one occasion. Wish this was still my vet.
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9/2/08 |
VERY PRICEY - biggest focus is on making money. Vets misdiagnose and rush their time. Not a lot of compassion for animals or people withoutr money upfront. Avoid if you can.
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7/31/08 |
They up-sell like crazy. It's more a business than a vet. Both times I took my cat there they used scare tactics to get me to pay for Xrays. They also quoted me one price for looking after my sick cat, and when it was time to pay the bill it was $300 more. If the doctors were caring and knowledgeable, I wouldn't mind paying, but this place is a joke. And the front staff are extremely rude. They don't acknowledge me when I go in to buy my pet's food, and sit doing work on the computer without even saying "i'll be with you when i finish this." I do not recommend this place. Stay away
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4/15/08 |
Very expensive. Staff are always in a rush and not very friendly. Vets are always trying to talk you into more and more tests. I highly recommend avoidning this place if at all possible!
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4/11/08 |
This place is the biggest joke EVER! The front desk staff are such JERKS, the support staff couldn't answer any of my questions. The vets are busy, cold and unconcerned. I just moved to the neighbourhood and I made a big mistake going to this vet. BEWARE!
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SYSTEM: 3 negative duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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3/24/08 |
Dr Steede is amazing. I won't see anyone but her - the other vets have given me misinformation more than once. Dr Steede has helped me keep my elderly cat in good health, counselled me about behaviour problems with my other cat and dealt with multiple minor emergencies with my young dog. The rest of the clinic sucks. Front desk staff are rude and I don't trust the other vets. I don't like Downtown Animal Hospital but I love Dr. Steede so we will always go where she is. They are definitely more expensive than many others in the area but because Dr Steede never tried to talk me in to anything unneccesary, I don't mind so much. 5/5 for Dr Steede. 2/5 for the rest of the clinic.
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3/17/08 |
Been going to D.A.H for about 9 years, The staff are very friendly and accommodating to me a wheelchair bound customer. Especially when I had to put down my 20 year old cat. I found them comforting and caring, I should be so lucky to go out with such compassion!
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1/7/08 |
I took my two kittens there for their first set of shots, and I was quoted $75 each over the phone. I ended up paying more than $500 due to the vet telling me one thing and then doing something else. There were unnecessary tests and and hidden costs. The staff were completely unsympathetic when I complained, and I was brushed off. I will not be taking my cats there again, even though it is very conveniently located.
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10/11/07 |
I USED to use them and had for 15 years. The staff became way too rude and cold in my opinion and when I had to put my 15 yr old male down 3 years ago, there was no followup call or condolence card sent. They've become way too big and now lack the caring, kind, compassionate clinic that they once were.
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6/26/07 |
USED to use them...for 11 years actually, and many ANIMALS, But the "frontline" staff has become WAYYYY to obnoxious to deal with anymore. So have since left. We miss Dr Vihous and Dr Surrette, but trying to get past the front desk just got too stupid...and continues to as I look after several animals in the area...and their owners are starting to look elsewhere as well. Trying to get food is becoming an issue as well. MANY times I have been told to come in "the next day" to pick up food and found that the staff had just not bothered to look into what had arrived (today, actually). I find I can get the food I need at other vets MUCH faster. And without the "attitude" I get from people that I have dealt with for a LONG time. Frontline staff needs to be trained in customer relations a little better. I am one of MANY people who have left because of this.
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1/30/07 |
Although pricey, the friendly and competent staff have taken excellent care of my two young cats, one of whom recently faced a life-threatening emergency and is now well on her way to recovery. The support staff are always cheerful and enthusiastic, and the doctors are reassuring and confident. If you want the best care you can trust for your pets, then it's more than worth the price.
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1/29/07 |
My dog has been quite sick since I got him. He has had to spend lots of time at the vet for various procedures, surgerise, etc. The staff at Downtown Animal Hospital are wonderful. They always welcome their clients cheerfully. The veterinarians are knowledgable and great. Never used the grooming services, though... haven't yet ventured into that yet.
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