Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, PLLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, PLLC

  8042 Katy Fwy Houston, TX 77024-1908

• 

  Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, PLLC

  1030 Wirt Rd Houston, TX 77055-6849

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was charged ****** for an exam of my pet. it was charged in advance. Several hours later I asked that my dog be released as I could not wait for a vet any longer. I was charged an additional ***** for a parvo test which I paid for. I never saw a vet and never received a consultation from one and cannot confirm if the exam ever took place. Resolution of this experience for me would be a refund of the exam fee or some sort of proof that an exam was conducted.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  This letter is to inform you that Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, PLLC has carried out to my satisfaction the resolution it proposed for my complaint, filed on 8/24/2024 and assigned ID ********.
  
  Regards,
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/28/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We took our dog here because our dog's gait was a little off. After several visits and paying for numerous x-rays and exams they told us they needed to fuse her vertebra. We were told the surgery would be needed to allow her to walk without wobbling. We were required to pay a$4000. deposit. On 9/12/23 our baby, my daughters support dog HAD THE SURGERY.
  The day before her scheduled follow up appointment OUR DOG DIED.
  When we asked them Why This Happened, they said They Were Not Sure, Maybe An Infection.
  
  We financed over $11,000 for this surgery. Our dog was only 5 years old. We were never told that she could die from this.
  I asked due to the circumstances if they could consider making a billing adjustment,
  I was told, we are So Sorry for Your Loss But We Will Not be able to take anything off the bill.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2024

  Good morning, 

  We are so incredibly sorry for the loss of your sweet Bella. We understand how difficult it can be to lose a beloved furry family member. I understand that the request for a refund was declined, and this was due to services already being provided. We only charge for services that were performed, and unfortunately we are unable to predict any type of outcome. Our hearts go out to you, and you will continue to be in our thoughts. 

  Warm Regards, 

  Kristine

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My dog was in serious condition and we went from one pet ER to another. Gulf Coast did not treat my dog in a timely fashion and we were not able to be with her when she died. They performed CPR which i agreed to without knowing the process fully. The timeliness was in part due to their needing me to pay for potential services, however, they waited to ask for that deposit until much later in my dog's visit. Had they asked for the deposit upon entry, we may have been able to be with her at the end. The vet was awful and after I complained. Her supervisor was kind and understanding. She agreed that the CPR consent did not have enough information for a patient's family to make an informed decision and they would change the form to help others better understand what they were requesting. I asked for a refund of this amount but was denied.
  I took it to the highest level and was told today that there was no one else to talk to. No board of directors etc. I was told that I could not see the form to verify that the CPR statement was changed like it was agreed on that it would. I just want what was agreed upon and I want a 400.00 refund since the CPR that was administered was done without my understanding the ramifications. The bill also indicates that Dr. ****** administered the CPR but she didn't so the invoice is faulty. The medical record is also edited to fit the hospital's purposes and not what was actually said to me. The doctor told me my dog died of pulmonary thromboembolism, (PTE), but the reports use the word POSSIBLE. The vet was clear that Maggie died of PTE. They gave me lip service, but never did anything to actually solve my issues. They even offered a counselor to contact us for grief counseling, but no one ever contacted us. I've been trying for a year to have a resolution to this and have received nothing. 400.00, corrected notes and invoice and verification they changed their intake for so others don't have to suffer like we have is not much to ask.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/01/2024

  We are so incredibly sorry for the loss of your beloved pet. We know how hard it is to lose a furry family member and our hearts go out to you. It appears that our department leader over the emergency doctor spoke with you extensively to discuss your pet’s case, and Dr. ****** also sent in a letter explaining the events that transpired. Please let us know if you need anything else.

   

  Kristine ********

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  
  
  
  My complaint was not addressed. Your company promised to address things and when I requested confirmation of this I was told I didn’t have the right to see the document. Dr.***** said she agreed the authorization sheet for COR was not clear and misleading. She said it would be revised. I want confirmation it was. Since it was not clear I want a refund of the CPR fee. My other complaints are about how I was treated and want my story available to others so if they are treated the same way maybe Gulf Coast will be held more accountable. I get that I will not be supported by what Dr ****** did to my dog, but Gulf Coast needs to revamp their process for getting payments quicker so service can begin. The lag time kills animals making their mission about money and not animals. This is a fundamental issue with them. 
  I want a copy of the intake form with the revised wording as promised and a refund of the CPR cost since I signed and agreed to something I didn’t understand. Direction and explanations must be more clear and Dr ***** agreed to this in our lengthy conversation. 
  I’ve been stonewalled at every step in trying to deal with Gulf Coast. It’s all about money and not about doing what is right. I know I can’t get my dog back. I know my dog was probably going to die but the system money related and Dr ******** incompetence prevented me from being with her at the end. 
  Gulf Coast is guilty of not doing what they said they would do. Dr ***** knows what she promised. Gulf Coast need to honor her promise of changing the intake form. They also should refund the cost I paid for CPR service I would never have agreed to knowing its success rate. Gulf Coast needs to do the right thing. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  Jud ********
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2024

  Thank you for your response. GCVS has made changes to their intake process and understand your frustration. As a courtesy to you I am happy to refund you the cost of the CPR in the amount of $400. This will be refunded back to the card that was previously used. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/01/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  
   I would like a copy of the policy changes and the form reflecting more explanation for future patients. 
  Thanks so much for finally doing what you said you would.  This still does not excuse Dr ******** behavior. 
  thanks again for this resolution. 
  when will the refund take place?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 6/4 I was referred to GCVS by VEG, and was told my dog needed emergency surgery and that was scheduled for 6/5. When I arrived at GCVS, I was told that the surgery would cost $13,695.45 (minus a CT SCAN if needed). I paid this balance in full. I was told that this was a high end estimate, since it accounted for potential multiple blood transfusions, blood, etc. On 6/5, I was told no transfusions or blood was needed overnight, GCVS held off on the emergency surgery until 6/6. on 6/6, after surgery, I told a nurse that I needed to speak to the doctor about the cost of the surgery. she said she would relay the message and have someone contact me. No one did. On 6/7 I called and emailed 2x asking for a balance update, my request was never answered. On 6/8, I received a discharge phone call. I again asked for a pricing update, the doctor said someone would call me, they never did. Upon arrival to pick up my dog, I was given a balance sheet saying I owed $2300. I asked for an itemized list of charges. Upon reviewing the charges, I noticed that there were incorrect charges. I notified GCVS, and it took 2 days for them to review. They incorrectly charged me for over 30 separate charges. When I questioned the charges, I was lied to multiple times. I have all of these emails. When I sent a detailed spreadsheet showing the price differences on the same dosages of the same medications administered, my emails were then unanswered.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2023

  Multiple members of leadership have reviewed the invoice, corresponded with our client, and have provided ample information regarding the reasoning for charges. The account has gone unpaid for an extended period of time after charges were initially approved by our emergency services. Due to some charging errors that were identified by the leadership team, as a courtesy to our client, we decided to honor the original estimate presented and signed in order for the charges not to be greater than what we originally presented to her. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  

  Please see GCVS notes confirming the surgery estimate CT SCAN estimate. I paid $13,695.45 upfront on 6/4/23. I never received; therefore never signed any type of estimate. See attached document (KODA3) from VEG confirming with ER doctor that Koda would be admitted into surgery Monday. if it was confirmed, why did they wait another day? Surgery did not occur until late afternoon Tuesday. I finally received an estimate at checkout stating that owed $2300. I asked for an itemized list. there were incorrect items. They refunded those items. When I asked about the discrepancies in the highlighted itemized document sent previously, my questions were not answered:

  -What are
  the service service fees for the oral medications listed in the highlighted sheet?
  -Why is the service
  fee different for the different oral medications?

  -Explain why the total cost of the initial Cefoxitin injection of 8.1mL
  is less than the total cost of the other 8.07mL injections?

  -What are the service fees associated with giving an injection?

  See highlighted portion for GCVS report on 6/5 (1 day after the $13,695.45 deposit) stating "Quoted $6200-$8300 for liver lobectomy + $2500-$3000 for CT Scan (low end of deposit $8700). Owner approved and understands..." (KODA2)

  Exactly how much was the CT Scan, and using the itemized list, what items are included in the CT SCAN quote?

  Why is the cost almost double of what I was originally quoted.

   

   

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  
  
   

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2024

  As we have stated before, multiple members of leadership have reviewed the invoice, corresponded with our client, and have provided ample information regarding the reasoning for charges. The account has gone unpaid for an extended period of time after charges were initially approved by our emergency services. Due to some charging errors that were identified by the leadership team, as a courtesy to our client, we decided to honor the original estimate presented and signed in order for the charges not to be greater than what we originally presented to her. We will not be adjusting anything further, and we wish you the best. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have used GCVS for over 15 years for our dogs and have never had a complaint. I am the president of a boxer rescue in Houston so I am very aware that there are limits to medical intervention and there is a certain amount of investigation work that is needed to determine causes of illnesses. Our dog was seen at Vergi prior to GCVS and diagnosed with one abdominal mass. They referred us to GCVS for aspiration and for further diagnosis. We dropped our dog Layne off on the morning of 8/5/22 (Invoice# ******) for two reasons only. 1) To get better diagnostic imaging with their "state of the art equipment" and 2) to get an aspirate of the mass. Thereafter, we were notified by the intern who performed the ultrasound that there were 2 masses (instead of 1 advised by Vergi, which was not true) and the lab samples were returned as "inconclusive". We took our dog to another vet who did abdominal surgery and confirmed there were not 2 masses and the slides taken by GCVS for aspiration were very sloppy samples. I emailed GCVS twice regarding a refund of the services ($1109.36) as neither service was performed correctly and my emails were read but not responded to. I then, disputed with my credit card company, which was the only thing that prompted GCVS to return my call. Lyndsey Edwards called and was quite rude only advising that she "had full faith in the abilities of her coworkers" which means really nothing medically. She refused to refund for sedation and ultrasound because "the services were performed". I advised her that the services were performed incorrectly and yielded erroneous results (proved upon surgery). She then advised that she would notify her manager Christina Trujillo who I have since emailed and was read on the same day, but no response. There is no accountability for the quality of tests run, if after they are run poorly, we would then have to pay again for the same tests, and more importantly put the animal through that intense amount of stress.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2022

  I am terribly sorry to hear about ******* inconclusive
  results and subsequent surgery. If a histopathology was performed, I hope it
  resulted that the mass was excised with good margins, was benign, and had not
  metastasized. Layne is lucky to be in your care!
  
  I also would like to apologize for any and all negative
  interactions and outcomes you have experienced with us. Your loyalty and
  business with GCVS truly is appreciated. We cannot correct and improve issues we
  are unaware of, so your communication of your concerns is also very
  appreciated. Our Client Experience Manager has also been made aware of the
  negative interactions you have had with staff and is addressing these concerns
  with them. The GCVS staff want to always be representing GCVS with the best
  possible customer service and medical services.
  
  I am happy to be of service to you, and I hope we can come
  to a resolution to rectify your concerns for ******* recent diagnostics.
  
  Please let me preface your concerns with some history and
  insight into our business. Our ultrasound machines were handpicked by Dr.
  Michelle Fabiani, our Diagnostic Imaging Department Lead and board certified
  (BC) radiologist of 20 years. The machines were selected specifically for their
  extensive features and their high quality. (As a testimony to this, I am often
  asked by sonographers that I interview to join our team what ultrasound
  machines we have. Each candidate is impressed with our equipment and concur
  that they are an ideal unit for quality of imaging and use.) Our units are also
  very new since we were forced to replace what was lost in Hurricane Harvey.
  
  We have registered sonographers (RDMS certified) who are
  personally trained by Dr. Fabiani and our other 4 board certified radiologists.
  Our sonographers image the ultrasound patients very thoroughly capturing images
  for the patient’s medical record and for reference as our radiologist
  interprets the imaging findings. Each sonographer scan is followed by a second
  scan performed by one of our BC radiologists. All aspirate collections are
  performed either by our BC radiologist or under their supervision by a DVM who
  is in training and study to become a BC radiologist. We have a team of
  veterinary technicians dedicated to performing our in-house lab tests as well
  as packaging and shipping our reference lab tests such as ******* cytology to
  EVP. This team is specially trained to handle lab samples without compromising
  their viability. I hope this information instills confidence in our processes,
  equipment, and experience.
  
  It is very unfortunate that ******* aspirates were not of
  significant diagnostic quality – and for this, I again apologize. Prior to
  Lyndsey’s phone call with you, she and I spoke with the radiologist on Layne’s
  case for her ultrasound and he sent me the following notes regarding his case,
  
  We discussed with her that in some cases the aspirates can come
  back as nondiagnostic and that it does not reflect the skill of the house
  officer (DVM on our service) or radiologist. It’s just that some
  tissues exfoliate better than others. We don't stop aspirating until we feel
  confident that we will get a good result, but that is difficult to determine
  without an in-house pathologist to immediately look at the slides. Our intern
  should have had this conversation with her. He is currently out of the office
  today, but I am trying to get a hold of him to make sure he discussed this with
  her. This was confirmed
  by Dr. Toor the following day.
  
  As far as there being two masses on US and only one in
  surgery... Ultrasound allows us a limited view of the abdomen meaning that we
  don't typically get to see every aspect and surface of every organ. During the
  ultrasound, I felt like these two structures were separate, but they definitely
  could have been attached somewhere deep in the abdomen that I couldn't
  investigate. 
  
  Not all tests are diagnostic and give us the results that we
  desire. 
  
  If you can tell me, who did the surgery? As I don't see another
  record for this patient in our hospital after it's drop-off here with DI. Could
  she supply a surgery report to documents where the mass(es) were located and
  the size of them? Also did they submit the masses for histopathology?
  
  Dr. ******** is interested in the surgery report as we do
  not often have an opportunity to follow up with patients and their treatments.
  This is definitely the biggest drawback our diagnostics team has since
  post-diagnostic care is almost always performed by another doctor group. If you
  are comfortable sharing that if you have it, I know he would appreciate it.
  
  I hope this information helps explain Lyndsey’s reasoning
  behind her decision to not refund for the services performed. I recognize that
  ******* case is unique in that one diagnostic could not return any results and
  the other returned results whose subjectivity did not match the conclusiveness
  of surgery. Unfortunately, because these two events are “known complications”,
  I agree with Lyndsey’s billing decision. However, since we did not have the
  opportunity to re-aspirate before surgical intervention, I can offer a
  reimbursement for whatever costs were incurred with ******* surgeon specific to
  histopathology of the excised mass. If you can supply a record of that fee, we
  can either apply this amount as a refund to your bank card or as a credit on
  your account for any future services for Layne or another pet on your account.
  
  Please let me know your thoughts of my offer. I hope you can
  again trust us with the care of your babies and your rescue pups. We would be
  delighted to continue partnering with your rescue organization and you
  personally.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  
  
  
  
  Gulf Coast has, rather unscrupulously, asked for my receipt from the second vet that we had to obtain, and refunded their costs for this which were significantly lower that GCVS's costs. It would be customary in the business world, to refund your own fees which were higher and did not produce a result, not cherry pick the costs for the lowest figure (that is not your own). 

  This honestly makes their position worse, as they asked for the documentation which I provided to them, in good faith, for their verification and they then arbitrarily, did not respond to my emails, and refunded me only the lowest costs paid to a secondary vet which we had to utilize as their tests were not run properly. 

  We originally asked for a full refund in the amount of $1109.36, which we then agreed to lower to $872.51 (correspondence attached). They have partially refunded us $261 and still owe us a remainder of $611.51, for their higher cost pathology and the ultrasound which was not done properly, and did not produce accurate results (which we submitted post surgical vet paperwork proving same).

  
  Their communication is terrible and have only responded to bank dispute inquiries. In addition, they are not responding, when the documents they asked us to send in good faith are received, and attempting to use it to their financial advantage.

  Horrible business practices, and am truly shocked at this considering the high regard that I held GCVS in previously. 

  
  
  Regards,
  
  Leisha ***********