VCA All About Pets Animal Hospital - Union City, California

Kathie C.

I love the vets. Dr. Krauss is excellent in every aspect. She is knowledgeable, has excellent communications skills, and wonderful table side manners. All my pets appreciate her. Dr Hata is also very good. The clinic is clean and well kept, and convenient with easy parking. My frustration is with the operations side. Reminders are sent and questionnaires are included but even when you do them ahead of time you are asked to do a paper form. I'm also frustrated with the late policy. I have shown up in the parking lot 12 minutes late and been called (as I'm walking in with my dog) and told I'm too late to be seen, and to reschedule. The most recently communicated policy is that if you are 10 minutes or more late you will be rescheduled and a late cancellation fee will apply. But when I show up early or in time, even if I'm the first appointment of the day, I'm always waiting for at least 10 and usually 15 minutes. So if there's now a late/cancellation fee, shouldn't I get a credit of the same amount if I have to wait that amount of time? Today I was in the lobby at 11 am with the questionnaire completed online ahead of time (was still asked to complete one, had to tell the receptionist I had done it already), and wasn't seen until 11:15.🤔

Sandi G.

We have been going here for over 10 years, never had an issue! LOVE the groomer Kari she is awesome. We had out cat in for grooming in April, was not told he needed shots in a few months. We went to make his grooming appt. and were refused service UNTIL we schedule not only the updated shot (I get that, no issue) but also have to pay for an exam! The office manager states that "In the State of California we cannot provide vaccinations without a current exam at the facility providing vaccinations." OK, we will take him elsewhere to get this done, he did not need a full exam as he was current, and still they would not give us a grooming appointment without proof that he had his shots. Knowing fully well that this is their policy, do they think we will just "show up" disrespect their policy (which we never have done) and think he will get his service without shots? NO! They cancelled out pending appointment and withheld service. The office manager stated "Time and time again to many people have broken our trust, not insinuating that you would, and my staff are the ones brow beaten, which is unfortunate and unacceptable". I found that highly insulting, given the fact they are tossing all clients into one category, even those who respect the rules and treat their clients this way! We looked past the past visits which were super expensive and some we felt unnecessary charges, but not this time as I felt I was talking to a used car salesman who kept upselling services which we did not need.

Zoey K.

I'd give zero stars if I could. The front desk canceled the appointment I scheduled weeks ago due to their mistake, without any notice.

They claimed they sent text messages, but I received nothing—no texts, no calls. The only thing I had was a confirmation email. When I showed them my phone, they blamed me for supposedly replying 'stop to subscribe,' even though I hadn’t received anything to respond to.

It turns out I unsubscribed from VCA messages years ago for a different hospital in another state, before I even moved here. Their system is a joke. Besides, why would they send confirmation through email but cancel through text? Besides, I never even recived a phone call either.

When I figure out what happened, it's already 5m past my appointment time. The other person never showed up, yet the front dest ignored me and my cat instead of trying to accommodate us. How about at least trying to admit their mistake, and contact the other client see if they were still coming or can be flexible?

It's traumatic for a timid cat to leave the house and it hurts my heart everytime. And for me, it’s frustrating to have to book appointments WEEKS in advance because of my busy work schedule, only to find that it was canceled yesterday. I sincerely hope no one else has to go through this.

Anna

Took our cat to this hospital nearly 3 years ago on Sunday when most of the other pet hospitals were either closed or booked. Our cat wasn’t feeling well, he received an exam and medical treatment right away. The doctor and the staff were friendly and professional, listened to all my consents and took time to answer all my questions. Couple days after the visit we received a call from the hospital - they wanted to make sure that our boy was getting better (he did get better in few days). Very sweet of them. And just today, almost 3 years after the visit, I reached out to the hospital via email asking for the copy of my cat’s medical records from that one visit and they emailed me a very detailed after visit summary within 30 minutes! Honestly, I’m impressed because I also asked for my cat’s medical records from another local veterinary about 3 weeks ago, called them 3 times to remind about it and still haven’t received any of it. Thank you VCA for doing great job!

Katherine R.

I initially chose VCA All About Pets Animal Hospital some years ago because they had great hours, friendly staff, and what I thought was a good doctor.

But when my 1 year old cat suddenly became ill, VCA really let me down. I took him in right away, which was on a Wednesday. They did an exam and sent him home, with what I later discovered was a misdiagnosis.

Then by Friday my cat had become even more sick. I took him back, and we discussed the tests that they wanted to do: an x-ray and blood tests.

Now, because I live on a limited income, I could only afford one test or the other, because part of my vet fund had already been spent on the visit 2 days previously, and VCA absolutely refused to set up a payment plan for the $100+ for the second test, so I was forced to choose which test to do.

Having said that, I felt, based on my personal knowledge and experience, that a blood test would provide more information than the X-ray, and this is the test I was pushing for. However, VCA felt differently based on their expertise and ultimately talked me out of the blood tests I wanted and into the x-ray they wanted. The x-ray revealed nothing of any value and I was sent home with a laxative for my cat and prescription food, which he absolutely refused to eat. And my precious vet fund was now wiped out.

Another 2 days passed and now it was a Sunday. My cat was severely ill by this time, and I had no choice but to rush him to the emergency vet. Because I didn't have the funds for this, I was forced to increase my credit limit on my Care Credit Card, which I knew I could not afford. After running blood and urine tests, my cat was FINALLY given the correct diagnosis of renal failure. Sadly his BUN and creatine levels "were inconsistent with life" at this time.

I truly believe, that the severity of this condition could have been avoided or his kidney failure even been prevented all together had VCA properly diagnosed my cat from the beginning. But, they misdiagnosed him TWICE.

Sometimes it is not such a bad thing to listen to a pet parent, or do as they ask. Sometimes we know a thing or two as well.

I've since changed vets to a place that is far more concerned about the animal's welfare over profits, take the time to actually listen to the pet parent, are very respectful to the human and compassionate to both the human and animal.

Live in peace my baby at the Rainbow Bridge.

Edit to respond to the response of my review: I found it interesting that I was referred to speak with the very same person who denied me any assistance with a payment plan for my now dead cat. Somehow, I just feel like talking to Jennifer would be a total waste of my time. She was very well aware of my situation and still refused the help I needed.

BTW, I am a pet sitter for residents throughout this area, and when pet parents do not have a vet, I do refer them to other vets, and make sure they steer clear of this vet. So...do not think for one minute I am taking the death of my cat lightly.

Rebecca D.

I would be wary of this place. I don't know how their services are because they gave me enough red flags leading up to my dog's appointment for me to cancel.

I received a flyer from the shelter I adopted my dog at for a free wellness exam at VCA. I scheduled the appointment online and a couple of days later, they texted me that they required a $30 deposit up front for all new clients, which I actually think is reasonable. Unfortunately, I was unable to pay the deposit immediately due to some other bills, so I texted back and asked if I could pay on the day I got paid and I also let them know about the flyer. They said that they would send me a new link to pay and that with the flyer my deposit would be refunded after the appointment. They never sent the link, so I texted them back the next day, which is when they let me know that the deposit for "new clients" was now suddenly a full exam fee of $138 (which is actually an outrageous price considering I could go anywhere else and pay $90). I asked why the deposit had suddenly changed and they couldn't give me a straight answer, so I let them know that I would not be giving them any of my money and that I would find another vet.

The whole interaction with them was very sketchy and left a bad taste in my mouth. If I can't trust you to be honest about changing an exam deposit, why would I trust you to take care of my dog?

Ruth C.

My kitty has been groomed at this location for over 6 years and hasn't had any problems except the last three visits. The new office manager is very rood and spent great amount of time telling me they haven' changed anything, and the groomers have told me they used unscented shampoo. But last three visits there has been a change. Used to have a medical smell I could tolerate. This one has a scent. I was told to buy my own shampoo and if I wanted her re-shampooed I had to buy my own for future visits or find another groomer.

Xueying L.

Summary：Professional, but Expensive and Missed Details

I recently took my cat to VCA. Dr. Hata diagnosed a swallowed foreign object based on vague symptoms and arranged an x-ray - a correct call. However, the x-ray cost nearly $700, much more than the ~$300 I am used to in San Jose. Additionally, we discovered mild gingivitis on the report that Dr. Hata did not mention. Although Dr. Hata's knowledge was impressive, I was taken aback by the high costs and missed details in our communication. Improvements are needed for a better customer experience.