ORLANDO,Fla. — An Oviedo woman claims a well-known pet hospital refused to euthanize her dog unless she renewed her pet health care plan at a higher rate.
Banfield Pet Hospital is a company that Action 9 has investigated before for billing pet insurance charges after an animal's death.
Annie Soares said euthanizing her dog, Misty, after 13 years was incredibly hard, but what Banfield did is unforgivable.
“I know she had to go one day, but in the manner in which she was, it was inhumane,” Soares said.
Saores had purchased a pet health care plan at Banfield in 2003 and paid $25 a month. When Misty was dying, Saores said she expected to pay its euthanasia fee. But instead, she claims a manager told her she had to upgrade her wellness plan first and pay $41 a month.
“And I said, 'Are you crazy? You expect me to upgrade a plan when I'm going to euthanize this pet?'” Soares said.
According to Soares, it was not a one-time charge, but a one year contract for future vet wellness care. She refused and had Misty euthanized at another hospital.
But Soares told Action 9 that Banfield kept billing her for its wellness plan at the higher rate.
“It's always a threatening call or letters that they are sending,” Soares said.
Nationwide, Banfield has an 'A+' with the BBB, but also has 670 complaints, many of which involve charges for its wellness plan after pets die.
A corporate spokesman told Eyeiwtness News that its wellness plan is preventative care, not pet insurance. He said Misty needed special care before passing away, so she received upgraded services in advance, so she still owed plan fees after her dog died.
“Yes, Misty was family, she was special,” Soares said.
Corporate officials said Soares signed an upgraded wellness plan days before her dog died, something she has denied.
The company said it has tried to settle her complaint, so far without success.
Banfield released an official response to WFTV:
"At Banfield Pet Hospital, we understand the important role that pets play in our lives and we also know how hard it is to lose a pet. In light of this, we did not ask Ms. Soares to upgrade her Optimum Wellness Plan in order to euthanize Misty. A week prior to discussing this option, the hospital team and Misty's family mutually agreed to upgrade her existing wellness plan to help minimize the costs of services needed to diagnose Misty's condition. In the weeks following Misty's passing, our hospital team made several attempts to connect with Ms. Soares to discuss her situation and reach resolution, however, we've been unable to come to an amicable agreement. The entire hospital team enjoyed caring for Misty and working with Ms. Soares for several years and our hearts go out to the family for the loss of their pet."
WFTV
