Banfield Pet Hospital Bridgewater, New Jersey

Called 12/23/2021 at 11:46 am . Answered by a male and he put me on hold which is understandable since I assumed it was busy .16min and 25sec later still did not come back to the phone. I hung up . Called right back a lady answered . Told her I believed my car was constipated and is there anything I could do to help him . I was told there was no availability and to take him to an ER to get looked out bc no advise could be given without seeing him . I then asked is there anything else I can do besides taking him to the ER as it’s right before Christmas I have a job and a ton of things to do today and do not have the money to foot to a ER. She then told me there’s nothing she can do without seeing him and could not legally give advise. ( this would be believable except on their hold message they have vet check where you can go on to get advise about your pet. They state they don’t have the pets records and don’t do prescriptions. So it’s okay for their online portal to legally give advise even though it could be anyone giving it but they cannot) So now I have no advise on how to soothe my cat or even help him to pass his bowels .They would rather you Google and get false information then even give a tid bit of information to help (oh and they did not even suggest the vet check only knew about it because I was on hold for 16min and 25sec and it kept repeating ) I have always had some kind of issue with this Banfield and it is why I stick to the one in Woodbridge . Only gave this one a shot because it was closer to my house but I will take the 50 min drive to the other one going forward . Extremely disappointed and now stressed to figure out how to help my pet .

Sad to see such a decline in service because we used to love bringing our dog here. Giving stars because Dr. Baker is truly wonderful. It’s impossible to get anyone to answer or return a call, and even harder to get an appointment. We’re locked into a very expensive insurance plan with them that cannot be used anywhere else — no idea why we pay monthly when appointments are never available. Issues that are not emergencies end up turning into them because you are waiting long periods of time before seeing a doctor. Constantly on a list where they’ll call if there are cancellations. Not good. Definitely will be going elsewhere once our insurance is up — using the Princeton location for now because they seem to be a lot more organized :/

One star is literally too high a review! They NEVER answer the phone or call back when or if you can ever get through to them. I’ve left multiple voicemails and never a call back. I once waited 3 hours in my car for a routine visit for a dog who was supppsed to be “in and out” and has anxiety at the vet. They are the absolute worst. They rope you into a contract that covers little to nothing. If there is an actual problem with your pet they never have availability to see them. Aweful customer service and representation at the front desk or whoever answers the phones there who are short and rude. I have never been to another Banfield so I cannot speak for the company as a whole but once my contract ended I was very relieved to never have to ate foot in there again.

First they ask you to drop off your pet for a first time visit, no thank you! Staff was unprofessional and lazy. Wouldn’t trust a rat under their care. Go somewhere else!

The service is very slow, I always have to wait a long time to pick up my dogs.

Stay away from banfield wellness plan there is no way out until the contract ends. Better go to some place else. I wish i had researched. Save your self some hassle and a lot of money

Great, they euthanized cat very quickly, it's a vet I dunno what Google wants here.

Absolutely worst customer service I've ever experienced. We where told that they would call us to schedule an appointment for surgery and never called. We where told they could squeeze us in for minor surgery and then once we got there left our pet and a few minutes later was called that they couldn't do anything. Have waited to be seen for over an hour when we had a schedule appointment, and waited several days for a return phone call when left a message.

My pets were patients at Banfield Bridgewater for 15 years. It has been a steady decline in service. They are now very understaffed. My dying cat was not able to get an appointment. My sick dog can’t be seen for three weeks. The dog is on a wellness plan. Those plans sound great in theory with their unlimited office visits, however you can’t actually get an appointment. Since I’ve had to take my pets elsewhere I’ve learned there are some really great vets in the area. This just isn’t one of them anymore.

Very satisfied having taken my dog here the other day. There was no appointment available at 8 of the banfields that I usually take him to. He needed to be seen so I didn't give up. Princeton called us back and squeezed us in. Love the workers here very much - courteous, friendly and professional. It was great meeting Dr Kotb. Thank you all so much for taking your time caring for our boy ????. When I think of his visit I just feel very grateful for having gone here.

Would give no stars if it was possible. Nasty, terrible customer service! When I went to inquire about setting up a first visit, I stood at the counter for several minutes before the person who was lazily sweeping up and, still not noticing me, speak to another person who was waiting for her pet, to even notice me. No greeting, no apology, not even a smile. I explained the very specific reason I needed my pet to be seen, but this was apparently of no interest, as she just took my number and gave me a ‘new pet’ appointment. Today I called to cancel that appointment and was treated in the same abrupt manner. I’d heard, after making the appointment, that the people there were “mean”. I don’t know how they treat the pets, but today was my second bad experience as a parent.

I have taken my Phoebe here since she was a pup. We have the wellness plan which is very reasonable monthly fee, that included her spay, all vaccines, flea and heartworm meds, comprehensive exams including blood work and stool samples, and a free teeth cleaning every year! I've never paid much for things out of pocket. Dr. Baker has always gone out of her way to take the time to talk to me about my beloved pets health, and whenever I drop her off the rest of the staff and nurses are always so nice and accomodating when we have drop off visits..that I bring Phoebe's blanket and favorite squeaky to help her anxiety of being away from home. I would really take the low reviews with a grain of salt. Especially during this pandemic. Everyone.. EVERY business is facing staffing issues and chaotic schedules... Last minute call outs due to illness or covid exposures... People need to be more patient and understanding!!!! We do not live in a world of instant gratification anymore! And not for nothing, even human doctors I've made appointments with rarely get me in the exam room and processed on time for my appointment, even pre-pandemic. I'm really not sure what people are expecting here... You had to wait? It isn't the end of the world. Banfield went out of their way to call me and schedule an appointment for vaccinations THREE MONTHS ahead of time to make sure Phoebe stayed on schedule! The doctor had last minute surgeries that day and they called to make sure my drop off and pick up times worked with my schedule. Top notch customer service ????‍???? Very thankful for the doctors and staff here. Phoebe is happy and healthy and we intend on keeping it that way! We will be back again soon!

I have been using Banfield for 3 years for my two senior cats and have had a great experience -- our vets are Dr. Baker and Dr. Springstead and they are both great. They remember our girls even though I'm sure they have dozens of patients and have taken great care of them through several long-term issues. I also really appreciate the optimum wellness plan we use -- it costs $45/cat/month but that covers teeth cleaning, bloodwork, office visits, routine vaccinations, urinalysis, and we get 10% off medications. It's definitely easier for me to pay monthly than to pay for all those things as they come up. There have definitely been times when I was referred to a specialist or told they weren't comfortable performing a procedure and i needed to wait for another vet to become available, and that can certainly be frustrating, but I also appreciate that the vets don't do things they don't feel they can do safely. I always feel the girls are in good hands when they're here.

Very professional. The entire area seems clean neat and organized. Definitely affordable plans for your pet care. I would recommend for any one that needs routine pet care or yearly vaccinations.

I made an appointment online for my dog 2 days ago and was supposed to get a call to confirm the appointment today, nobody was calling me so I decided to give a call. They said that it’s been cancelled because they’re not accepting new patients at this time. A call would have been nice to receive. Now I have to scramble to find a vet before Friday. Thanks a lot.

I like it here, good doctors and friendly staff

Personally avoid banfield. Towards the end of my dog life I started having issues with her and unfortunately she didn't make it. Guess who is forced to finish a year contract for a pet no longer with us. Support local pet hospital.

Good doctors and caring facikity.

This pet hospital is awesome and my dog loves it there

The doctors and vet techs are excellent, and have always treat my dogs with the best care. They also work with you and are very understanding when it comes to financing, considering how expensive pet healthcare can be. I personally recommend Dr. Baker, as she's very attentive to owners and their feelings towards their pets.

I have been going here for 10 years and overall had it really great experience. Advocating for your pet should not be discouraged. Ask questions and get second opinions.

We took our dog in today she was a 19-year-old pitbull we had to put her to sleep they were so good CJ was awesome and the vet was awesome also gave us all the time we needed highlyrecommended thank you so much

Good customer service, very well with animal care.

While the vets and staff have always been outstanding (5 stars for all of them), Banfield itself Is no longer. Over the past two years this particular Banfield is always swamped. In the past there was always availability on the schedule for a sick dog. Now, the one or two times a year I call when my dog is ill, such as last week’s ear infection, I’m told there is no availability for two weeks. I pay a monthly fee for what exactly? A pre-scheduled bi-yearly exam?? No thank you. I took my dog to Animerge where I learned she had a double ear infection in one ear, and inner ear infection in her other ear, and a yeast infection on her paws. Turns out she has a staff infection in her ears (results came in today). But Banfield wanted to give me an appointment two weeks out. They have too many patients for what they can handle, and they’re using Covid to their advantage as their latest excuse not to see patients. I was also told a doctor was off - shouldn’t be my problem. I was able to cancel my membership and receive a refund. After 10+ years with Banfield, we now go to Somerset Vet Group where I was able to get a “sick” appointment immediately. Amazing.

OMG RUN!!! The Vets seem to be great, when you can see them. Not only are all negative reviews correct but, they are trained in ways to take advantage of our vulnerability as pet parents. The staff is trained to make you spend money for treatments that aren’t necessary. They will give you a hard time if you try and get a paper script to have a prescription filled somewhere that doesn’t up charge by 110%. The worst is the front desk staff and “nurses”. In June, I told the “nurse” that I was scared too come in because my mother had Multiple Sclerosis and I didn’t want to risk Covid exposure. CJ (supposedly her name) cried out that I was threatening her with Covid. I was floored as I was the one scared of exposure. I simply wanted a call from the Vet, I didn’t see how this could be a problem as they weren’t taking many appointments at the time. CJ also told me that there was nothing other than expensive procedures that can only be done at a hospital to treat the fluid in my dogs lungs. She also told me that the fluid would likely come back which would result in having the expensive procedure done repeatedly. She alluded to the idea of “looking into what may be my only option”, to put it plainly, she was suggesting putting my dog down. CJ you are a criminal to an animals health. I spoke with multiple other Banfield locations, they were kind and had informed me that what CJ said was not only wrong but, it was irresponsible and punishable. CJ is not allowed to give medical advice let alone very wrong medical advice, over the phone. I’ve been informed by Banfield and non Banfield veterinarians offices that this is a fireable offense. The staff at Bridgewater has gotten worse. They should be ashamed of themselves. I am beyond disgusted that in these times where we should be coming together as a society that someone like CJ and her colleagues could be so heartless and cruel. This is one example of now too many to admit examples of the poor (and that’s being kind) service that I’ve experienced from staff (not Vets) at Bridgewater. Banfield Bridgewater is the example of how not to medically treat pets. Not only should all of the staff (not Vets) be replaced but they should not be allowed to care for animals. Due to CJ, my family and I spent the summer trying to decide whether we should put our precious complete quality of life Luna to sleep because of a cough that’s being treated with medication I received from a private vet. After CJ told me of “my options” I was left defeated. The payments are ridiculous for what you get in return. I couldn’t just run to pay a private vet. I wouldn’t be at Banfield if I had the money for a private vet. Well, lesson learned. I did some much overdue math. I looked at past invoices and have discovered that it would be best financially to see a private vet. The Vets may be genuine (as much as they can be without getting fired for not selling enough services. But the rest of the Bridgewater staff are trained to steal your money. As for CJ, I hope she is fired simply for the pain she’s inflicted. I learned my lesson, always get a second opinion, nurses aren’t allowed to give any medical advice and Banfield is a waste of money.

Good doctors and they offer affordable wellness plans that help defray costs. Only thing that is a concern is that they are very busy and could stand to hire additional doctors and support staff.

Friendly and professional and understanding staff.

Great service. The vet assistants and vets are great (very personable). The only thing is that they make you wait even with an appointment.

If I could give a 0 STAR REVIEW I would. I usually go to the East Brunswick Banfield, but I had an emergency during their after hours so I called this one. They left me on hold for 20 MINUTES while I was panicking. And during that hold, staff kept PICKING UP THE PHONE AND PUTTING IT DOWN AGAIN. I would say "hello" and they would slam the phone back down. AWFUL AWFUL service. incredibly rude and unprofessional. I called a different banfield and they helped me out right away. Do NOT go to this Banfield.

I arrived with my female blue healer in labor. After the examination, I was told by the female doctor that I would have sign an estimated cost form, which they brought to me 30 minutes later. The estimate was for a c section and it was 4000.00! Never heard of it being 4000.00. After a quick internet search, I found it should be 500 to 2000 for the operation. I received my dog later that evening with two of the seven pups. I will never go there again based on my charges and based on all the equally shocked people objecting to the extreme charges for the care of their pets. They had me over the barrel and I have to say it hurt.