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Business Profile

Veterinarian

Rutledge Pet Health Puyallup PLLC

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 2 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 1 complaint closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:09/20/2024

    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.
    In February of 2024, I made a same-day appointment with this company. They said they would charge me $90. I assumed they were having difficulty getting payment and just wanted the money up front. I was unable to find the office and called to cancel but they said I would still be charged $90. As I received no services, I don't think I should be charged anything. I hope you can resolve this issue.

    Business Response

    Date: 10/01/2024

    Dear Brinah,


    Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your recent experience. We understand your concerns and appreciate the opportunity to clarify our clinic policies.
    At Puyallup Valley Veterinary Clinic, we have implemented a deposit policy for new clients, particularly for same-day appointments. This policy was introduced due to a significant number of no-show appointments, which create a financial burden on our small business and limit our ability to offer care to pets in need when appointment slots go unused. To ensure all clients are aware of this, the deposit policy is communicated verbally when appointments are booked, and it is also outlined in the confirmation and reminder emails that are sent prior to the appointment.

    When you scheduled your same-day appointment, our team informed you of the $90 deposit requirement, which was also confirmed via email. We understand that circumstances prevented you from finding our office and attending your appointment. However, because we held the appointment slot for you, and in accordance with our deposit policy, the $90 charge remains.

    We hope this clarifies the situation and why the deposit was charged. Should you choose to schedule future appointments with us, we would be happy to assist you with directions or any other questions to ensure a smooth experience.

    Thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and we appreciate your understanding.

    Sincerely,

    ****** Rutledge, DVM/Owner

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/06/2023

    Type:Service or Repair 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.
    My wife took our puppy in to see if she had a UTI and had a rather interesting experience. After being lectured for a rather long time about how we should buy purina dog food (sales pitch, they sell it there) they attempted the test to see if she did. They said her bladder was too small. My wife asked if they could keep our puppy until she was able to produce urine to which they said yes. They never disclosed they were going to charge a day fee for keeping here. Here is where it gets even worse. When my wife went to pick up our dog, they informed her the test they used on our puppy had expired in 2021. They said the test was positive for a UTI but since the test was expired they needed to send it out to the lab. They then attempted to charge us for the expired test and the fee for sending the test out. They also charged us their full day fee even though our dog had only been there for 5 hours. After quite a bit of debate and only after my wife told them I was leaving work to come down and figure things out did they adjust pricing. All the while, they would not give us our dogs antibiotic or even bring my wife our dog until she paid. If holding a dog hostage, and attempting to charge for an expired test is acceptable at this office, who knows what else they feel is acceptable. I will be figuring out who to report them to for having expired medical testing equipment on hand and even worse, using it on my dog. Seems unethical to me.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/12/2023

    Dear ************,

    We sincerely apologize for the confusion and miscommunication that occurred on June 6th. After speaking to the doctor and reviewing her notes and considering the concerns you raised in your review, we acknowledge that there was a misunderstanding in both what we intended to convey and how it was relayed to you by your wife.

    Please apologize to your wife if the doctors diet discussion was too lengthy during her discussion about proper pet nutrition. As a veterinarian, our  main priority is the health and well-being of your pet. We strive to provide comprehensive and accurate information regarding their dietary needs. It was stated by the doctor that during her conversation it may have been emphasized the importance of a balanced diet and mentioned Purina dog food as an example. However, it was not intended as a sales pitch. She says that her intention was to highlight the nutritional benefits of a reputable brand like Purina, which offers a range of scientifically formulated diets tailored to meet specific requirements for various life stages and health conditions such as urinary tract diseases, especially for the particular young age that your pet is.

    We want to state that the doctor who attended to your pet during the visit was a seasoned relief veterinarian with extensive experience in the field. Although she is very experienced and a wonderful doctor she has not worked at our particular clinic a whole lot as she helps us fill in when our daily doctors are ill or have time off. On this particular day she was there helping us out as one of our doctors was attending a family funeral. With this said, she is not fully familiar with the procedures we have in place regarding things such as how we handle our labs, etc. This was the start of the miscommunication regarding the expired urinary dipstick tests. We no longer perform this test in-house, hence why it was expired, but she was not aware of that when it was ran. Once our assistants noted the expired test the doctor decided and communicated to your wife that we would not be using or charging for that test. Instead, we would send the urine sample out for testing to our local laboratory. We apologize for any confusion caused by our communication in this regard, as we failed to clearly convey that although we were not charging for the expired test, there was still a cost associated with the external laboratory procedure. It is important to note, this was just a send out urine test and we were able to use the same, initial urine sample that was obtained when your pet was in our care- sending this test out vs being done in house, had no adverse effects on your pets health, nor did it affect the cost of this visit.

    In regards to the day time/drop off fee, according to my doctor's notes, it was explained to your wife that this fee is a one-time charge that covers the duration of time your pet is under our care in the clinic- this covers the kennel space as we are limited, as well as the cleaning and sanitizing of the kennel, by our staff, when your pet leaves. Even though your pet was not present for the entire day, this fee remains unchanged. We recognize that there may have been an error in communicating this clearly as well. We are taking these instances of miscommunication into account and making adjustments to prevent such situations from occurring in the future.

    Addressing the disturbing accusation of holding your pet "hostage," we want to clarify that our standard procedure is not to bring a pet out to their owner until after payment has been made and relevant information has been discussed. This practice is in place to ensure that our staff can provide undivided attention to both the owner and their pet, without any distractions. We apologize if this policy came across as anything other than our genuine intention to assist and communicate to the best of our abilities.

    Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the confusion and miscommunication. We value your feedback, and we are committed to addressing these issues and improving our communication processes to avoid similar incidents in the future.

    Sincerely,

    ****** Rutledge, DVM

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