Trusting Your Gut — and Not Being an Asshole.
Friends, I made a mistake.
I share this both so you don’t make the same one AND that I may share the importance of 100% responsibility in life when sh*t goes sideways …
VIP Pet Care is a mobile clinic that offers shots and such in rural settings. They usually set up at a local Tractor Supply Co.
For the record — mobile vets are not entirely a bad idea. I know some seasoned, long-time veterinarians who chose to create mobile services and work for themselves rather than AT a hospital.
They’re awesome
This is not about that.
This is about a mass-offering mobile shot clinic.
My dogs have never had adverse vaccine reactions. Ever. I know they’re possible. I know they happen. But I’ve gotten through the scary ones (Leptospirosis in particular) without a hitch.
So I figured it would be okay.
I didn’t factor inexperienced and unskilled veterinary staff.
I made the false assumption that an organization doing mobile care would have at least one veteran pro on their team.
I was wrong.
Vaccines for dogs are supposed to be administered subcutaneously NOT intramuscular.
This vet — who was lovely, kind, sweet with my dogs — was either not trained enough to be on her own, or just not very good — and she didn’t do them right.
Seeing my dogs writhing in pain — well you know me, so you know what that does to me.
This meant another trip to a vet — A real one this time. Thankfully the issue can be solved with rest and pain meds.
Then the other whammy’s.
When I told my vet what they had recommended I purchase as preventive med care (flea/tick/heartworm) her eyes widened and she shook her head.
Apparently they were not the best choices and one of them could result in catastrophic reactions.
So I called the company to cancel the order and switch to meds I can use.
Too late — they said (after spending 45 minutes on hold and another 45 minutes relating the whole story). “The order was ‘just’ processed and it’s already shipped and on the way to you.”
This after being told yesterday that the shipment would be processed in 3–5 days and shipped next week.
Ironically the one thing they did efficiently.
The one medication they gave me that they had on hand was dosage for a dog 51–100 pounds.
My three dogs collectively weigh about 45.
For that they’re sending the right dosage and not charging me for it. So that’s one mark in the good customer service column.
But wait there’s more
They also charged me for fecal tests and said I should the samples when they come back in two weeks.
Except they don’t come back in two weeks.
They come back in more than a month. So those tests I need now? I’ll be paying for them to be done elsewhere.
Here’s the good news:
- At no point did I lose my temper, get angry, terse or in any other way take things out on the folks on the phone. Was I upset? Yep. Are the things that happened consequences of choices that I made? Also yep. This means I don’t get to take things out on anyone. Which leads to …
2. I don’t get to take it out on myself — self beat up, being angry, obsessing on what I could have, should have, might have done. I made some poor choices and THANKFULLY none of them led to any kind of permanent issue. AND even if God for forbid that had happened — turning my anger on the people who were just doing their jobs — that wouldn’t be responsible.
Now can you feel my energy and frustration in this post? Of course you can. I’m upset. Edge of tears upset. Partly at my own error but mostly because my error has put my beloved pups into danger and discomfort.
So what do I do?
I found the President of #VIPPetCare on Linked in so we will see if the fish stinks from the head or if perhaps this gets to be a teaching moment — both to ensure the veterinarian teams get training and support AND their customer service learns how to actually do customer service.
Having done that and also having completed a customer response form in their website, I’ve taken all action I can take.
Now I take a deep breath, I go for a walk to “let out” the pent up feelings … take the lesson and move on.
