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Go Nigel, Go!
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Would You Like To Buy My Monkeys?
Aug
13
Dear Readers,
I promise my blog isn’t becoming some virtual notebook for recording every instance in which someone is mean to me. Considering yesterday’s post and what you’re about to read, it may seem like it, but really it’s not.
Thanks for being awesome.
Leslie
Okay. Someone was mean to me. Not just kind of mean, really mean.
It was one of the doctors at the vet’s office. It’s the guy whose name is listed first on the sign, so, I guess maybe he’s in charge. I rarely ever actually deal with him. But, today, as I was dropping off The Evil Cat to be fixed, he approached me to discuss my bill. That is, if discussing my bill means verbally assaulting me until I cried.
(You see, reluctantly and with great shame, I agreed to a payment plan with the vet’s office in order to get all (SEVEN!) of our mature female cats fixed NOW, in order to avoid another cat explosion.)
I bawled all the way home, planning all the ways I was going to get him back for this. But, in reality, all I did was get home and write a strongly worded letter that I intended to send with payment of my bill. Take that Dr. Meanie! This is what I wrote, with the exception of the comments in parentheses. (They were added, for your information.)
Dear Dr. Bowen,
Enclosed you will find payment for the remaining balance due on our account with the Coshocton Veterinary Clinic. (This is likely the only sentence he will care about, but I’ll include the rest, because it will make me feel better.) I’d like to thank you for the care your staff (Your staff, not you. Jerk.) has provided our pets over the past two years. I am especially grateful for the service provided by Gail and your partner Dr. Christy as they have always shown such warmth and sensitivity to my family and our animals, many of whom had been rescued and, therefore, required a tender touch. They have made our experience with the Coshocton Veterinary Clinic a pleasant and positive one.
I am, however, gravely disappointed with the interaction I had with you, particularly when you approached me on Tuesday, August 12th to discuss our outstanding bill.
Our relationship began with the Coshocton Veterinary Clinic in 2006 when we took advantage of your 24 hour emergency service and brought our ailing dog Clyde in for treatment, which we paid for (out the nose) in full at the time of service. You also provided crematory services for Clyde when he passed a year later, which we also paid for in full at the time of service. In 2007, you vaccinated and spayed or neutered seven of our cats, and though you offered us the option to make payments, we paid the bills in full at the time of service. You also performed a very expensive surgery ($800!) to resolve our cat Monet’s mammary hyperplasia, which we paid for in full at the time of service, although another offer of a payment plan had been made.
Recently, when we discussed the time frame and course of care for seven more of our cats that needed to be fixed, and again when we brought our cat Max in for emergency surgery on his maimed tail, the offer to make payments on the impending bill was made. Like most Americans, our financial situation has suffered along with the economy, so we gladly accepted this gracious offer. There were no specific terms to the payment plan agreement. We simply made payments, generally as we brought each animal in for their surgery, and had acknowledged that we would continue to make payments after all seven of the cats were fixed until the bill was paid. For this reason, I was shocked when you approached me on Tuesday, August 12th in the waiting room of your office and demanded immediate payment in full as another customer looked on.
I informed you that I was not able to pay our bill in full that day and reminded you of our agreement to resolve the bill in payments. You demanded half the balance immediately. Again, I informed you that I was not able to make a payment for half the balance that day. You asked, “Do you know how much you owe?” (Yes. It’s around the amount you charged for Monet’s surgery. That number wasn’t so shocking to you then.) and disclosed the balance of our account. (Again, while a customer witnessed it. Awesome!) “You’re gonna have to put it on a credit card or something,” you said. I told you the date of my husband’s next pay and offered to pay as much as I could then. You said, “Fine, pay it off on Friday.” I left your office, with my children, humiliated and in tears. (And you could have cared less. Fuckface.)
Dr. Bowen, if you were displeased with the amounts or the timeliness of the payments on my bill, I wish you would have discussed it with me civilly and in private. I do not believe I deserved the discourteous and venomous treatment I received from you that day. It was hurtful and embarrassing. And it is the reason I will be taking my business elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Leslie Grimmett
This is what I wanted to write.
Dear Dr. Bowen,
Now I know why you’re an animal doctor and not a people doctor, you rude fucking asshole.
Sincerely,
Leslie
When I returned to pick The Evil Cat up later that afternoon, I received an apology. Not from Dr. Bowen, but from the staff in the office. I was assured that it was a misunderstanding, that Dr. Bowen wasn’t aware of the payment plan I had set up with the other doctor, that we’ve always been excellent customers, they appreciate all we were doing for these cats and that I could continue the payment plan as initially arranged. And while that’s very nice, I don’t think I can go back there. Would you?
Also, the letter? It is so being sent.
Comments
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What a horrible experience. I am glad the staff obviously told him how unreasonable he was after you’d left. However I think I, too, would find another vet.
I wouldn’t go back there either. What a prick.
that is terrible! i agree i wouldn’t go back there. i think the fact that you had all of those cat’s fixed is amazing! personally, i would send the second letter!!!
Anyone who makes me cry is DEAD MEAT…. so I can totally understand how you felt… that man is a MONUMENTAL PRICK and deserves a right kick up the arse! I hope David goes and chews his ear off !!! Take your business elsewhere, you don’t need that sort of shit. Shame that the other Dr and his staff ARE nice….cos they will probably miss you and all your cats!
I am SO passive aggressive that I vote returning…constantly…with every disgusting cat fungus and doggie diarrhea problem that arises.
True, he will ultimately benefit from the cost of the visits. However, how will you be able to witness the karma (it WILL happen, trust me), if you don’t go back.
Never let ‘em see you sweat. I’m not saying be nice to the prick. It’s just that “revenge is a dish best served cold.”
One more thing…
If you go back, you should bring the whole family with you…mom, dad, Dave, the girls. Hold your heads high and be as quietly civil to the M.F. as you can all muster. He’ll be a nervous wreck waiting for something to happen. He might hide it, but it’ll be there, bubbling under the surface.
That letter you wrote him? Is freaking awesome. How dare he call you out while someone else watched! Some people.
What a bastard! Send the letter! Maybe he’ll call you and apologize. I doubt it…but it’s possible. If nothing else maybe he will realize that in the future he should handle financial matters privately. Dickhead!
awesome……send the letter. And find another vet!
Yes, you send that letter! Do not give it any further second thoughts, you send it!
And yes, take your business elsewhere. I would. The only thing which may make me think otherwise is if he himself came groveling through with a personal apology. Even then though I think I would accept the apology but still let him know he had lost your VERY BIG business. Also, as a P.S. to your fantastic correspondence I would remind him the marketing truism in customer service: Do right by your customer and s/he will tell ONE person. Do your customer WRONG and s/he will tell TEN.
A-course, in your case, you’ve told the whole damn internet. haha! But yeah, bad news travels fast. He’s a-gonna be sorry he messed with you.
Send it! What a jerk.
Since when does the Dr. discuss a customers bill with the customer? Isn’t that part of the billing department’s job? Also, I would mention in the letter that he was extremely unprofessional. Most Dr’s think highly of themselves, so that should knock him down a peg. Don’t go back.
Terrible. If there is another good vet nearby, I would definitely switch if I’d had that same experience.
I think you were too nice in your letter.
How absolutely horrible. I wish the rest of the staff would find another place to work. And yes, totally send the letter.
Whoa! What the…? What is it with some people and their lack of socialization or common courtesy? Sorry you had to go through such a nasty experience.
I agree with Laurie. I’d keep going and when the cats have the shits, I’d specifically request that doctor. Considering he’s a perfect asshole, he should know how to fix ‘em right up!
What a toss pot!!! I would NEVER go there again - idiot!!!! If it was THAT big a deal he really should have had the conversation with you in PRIVATE… Like a normal person… dickwad!!!
*righteous rage on your behalf going on here*
Add to the letter that you have reported his unprofessional and unethical behavior to the state Veterinary Association, National Veterinary Association and to the local newspapers…then DO IT. Mail that letter and DON’T EVER give him a minute of thought or piece of business again. You, your pets and your family deserve better….
p.s BEAUTIFULLY stated letter BTW….to really get his attention, send the payment in a separate envelope and indicate that at the end of the letter so that he reads the whole thing thinking that maybe something will be there….and then include a BILL FOR YOUR TIME
Yes - send the letter and go elsewhere. What goes around does come around but you don’t need to hang around to see it.
You should absolutely send it!! Wow, it really does make sense that he does most of his interacting with animals instead of actual people. Although if I were a dog, I’d bite him.
Definitely send the letter and don’t go back. The worst thing you could do to him is cost him business (and considering what a great customer you are, A LOT of business).
Send the letter. I wouldn’t want to go back there either.
I’m sorry you’ve dealt with a lot of crap lately. I have too but I chose not to talk about it since it’s very personal.
I am so sorry this happened to you. He was very disrespectful. I wouldn’t go back there either and do send the letter !!! (((HUGS)))
Yes, send the letter. No, don’t go back. You and your kitties deserve better!
http://xobeau.blogspot.com/
Leslie,
I just came upon your website today while doing a search for fun haikus for an Alice in Wonderland event I’m planning tomorrow night. I love you and your family already and I think you are a brilliant poet, baker, seamstress and mother. Not to mention a very caring person towards humans and animals.
Having reading this blog about the vet just now, I feel for you because when people are mean, it really sucks. I applaud your letter (though it seems a tad bit long. I would suggest you get to the point sooner). But since you received such a sincere apology from the staff and have had such good service from the other vets, I think I’d try to cool off and make the decision to leave or stay at a later date. I’d definitely send the letter and then see if he tries to clean up the mess he’s made. You know people can be assholes (including myself), and I just believe in saying my peace and giving the space for people to recognize their humanity and maybe even apologize. It’s grace, really, and I see you as a very gracious person, one who will not let this jerk’s very bad day (or maybe life) ruin yours.
Thanks again for sharing the good, the bad and the ugly with all of us in the great Internet space out here. Keep up the work for peace, love, and play that you provide!
–Natasha (in California)
Huh-UHHHH! What a horrid, horrid experience. Yes, PLEASE send the letter— and maybe even leave in some of the parentheticals that you added for our sake! What a disgusting thing to have to go through—- in public, with your kids watching, no less! Grrrrrr….
(Found you through the BlogHerAds thingy, by the way…)
What a total jerk! Send that letter and some thank you cards to the nice staff, explaining why you’ll be going to another vet’s practice now. I’m so sorry this happened.
ugggh! What a tool. On the bright side, with the cancer of my dog, and the resulting $2000! bill and vet change, I was never once offered a payment plan at any office. Nope, just added that $2000 to the $16000 in tuition payments and groceries already on that card accruing interest. Gah! So, maybe just insist you only see the good vets (and let them know what a tool their partner was and ask for just as public an apology) and know that the staff hearts you.
And next time, go to the SPCA if possible to fix the cats. They often fix for free or $50 or less. Even if you had a drive to a bigger city, it probably would be worth it to get it all done there.
Good luck! …And don’t forget kharma is a bitch and he’ll get his one day!
You Go Girl!
absolutely DO NOT go back! your letter enraged me that he could be so insensitive especially a) in front of other people b) in front of your kids! and for you to turn around and write with such class? he doesn’t deserve it. sorry you had to experience this but, as always, your writing explodes with beauty.
WOW! Just wow - what an asshole. That is a difficult situation since the rest apologized, but still - I think that would have been it for me too. What a well written letter. Hugs to you. It takes me a LONG time to get over crap like that. I am tense and uspset for days. I am such a non-confrontational person.