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October 2024 by Sophia Cee
I had an appointment today for a consultation regarding my dog, Pinot, scheduled at 1:30 PM. Unfortunately, I experienced a temporary issue with my car, and it wouldn’t start. I called the clinic three times to inform them but received no answer. Instead, the calls were hung up on each time.
As I was running late, I called an Uber, but despite my best efforts, I arrived 17 minutes late. Upon arriving, I apologized to the front desk staff member, Sabrina Coronado, explaining my situation. Her response was dismissive, stating that cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance. I mentioned the three calls that were unanswered and hung up on, and instead of being understanding, she responded rudely.
Sabrina did not appear busy, yet she failed to take my calls, which would have saved me from the trouble and expense of coming in via Uber if they had informed me of a fully booked schedule. Her attitude at the front desk was unprofessional and unfriendly, in stark contrast to the typically warm and welcoming environment I have experienced here in the past.
It’s disappointing, as I’ve always appreciated Dr. Chen’s professionalism and care for my dog, which is why I’ve continued to return. However, the experience with Sabrina, who is the only staff member at the front desk today, has made me reconsider. Her lack of courtesy and willingness to assist guests is unacceptable, and I believe it will impact the clinic’s reputation negatively if left unaddressed.
I understand appointments need to be timely, and I take full responsibility for being late today. However, the way this situation was handled, particularly the repeated hang-ups and Sabrina’s attitude, was disappointing and unprofessional. I hope this matter is taken seriously, as I would hate to see the excellent care of Dr. Chen overshadowed by poor front desk service.
Oct 30- 1:48 pm .
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October 2024 by Kristian Kozelchik
Customer service with front staff has gone downhill. Snippy.
It's unfortunate to deal with but the Veterinarians are great. Caring. Wish I could bypass front of house and go straight to the source.
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October 2024 by Julie McClintock
My dog has been a patient at VCA Irvine Blvd for 3 yrs. The entire staff, especially Dr Chen, has been wonderful, friendly and kind. Unfortunately today my father and I had a bad experience with the front desk girl, Sabrina. She was rude the moment we walked in the door. We had gotten an email requesting a stool sample for our dog and Sabrina refused to accept it and said that the VCA must have sent us a fake email. Huh? Her attitude towards us was shocking and she was smug. She was so unkind that as we left we talked about switching to another VCA.
Later I spoke to the manager over the phone who apologized for Sabrina’s behavior and said “she has never had a complaint about Sabrina”. I just checked Google and Yelp and came across MULTIPLE complaints about Sabrina…
Wow! Pretty speechless at this point. It’s sad that this is the person representing VCA Irvine Blvd.
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September 2024 by Arushi Sharma
We've been coming to this location for years, and while the doctors are very nice, I have been surprised and disappointed by how rude the front desk is. I'm noticing some other reviewers say the same. Recently, the receptionist cut me off with a snarky response while I was in the middle of asking a question. Had she waited for me to finish, she may have realized her response was both rude and not relevant. A few months ago, I was out of town and asked for advice about allergies my dog was experiencing. The receptionist said "my advice is you learn to Google and find a vet in your area". I was shocked. If not compassion, I'd at least expect decency. At this point, I am afraid to call and speak with the front desk.
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August 2024 by Nora Lee
Dr. Chen and the entire staff at the Irvine Blvd VCA hospital are truly the best of the best! Dr. Chen is extremely knowledgeable, he is compassionate, and he treats the animals like they are his own. He takes his time, he makes sure to answer any and all questions without making you feel rushed or like you are inconveniencing him, he responds promptly to emails, even if he is on vacation, he shows genuine care and concern and goes far out of his way to ensure your pet gets properly cared for. He is one of the best around and the staff is the same way. They are so caring and accommodating, they do whatever they can to help in every way possible. They are honest, upfront, professional, and extremely kind! If you are looking for an incredible place to take your pet for incredible care, go visit Dr. Chen and the staff at VCA Irvine Blvd. Animal Hospital, you won't be disappointed and your pets will thank you that you did!
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June 2024 by Quynh Nguyen
I am an emergency vet and had to take my dog Daisy for the first time to a primary care clinic to get a consultation for an injection to hopefully help manage her severe arthritis. Dr. Chen and the staff were absolutely amazing. Upon arriving with my barely mobile dog and toddler, one of the technicians, Johnathan immediately offered to help carry my heavy dog to the back while I dealt with my daughter and filled out paperwork. Dr. Chen was super kind, friendly, and very knowledgeable. He was able to address all my concerns as well as express his concerns based on a thorough assessment of Daisy. He was collaborative as well as supportive and considerate when it was time to come up with a plan for Daisy. Everything was efficient and straight forward from the beginning to end. Front desk staff was very polite and friendly with me and other clients present. Johnathan helped carry Daisy all the way to car on the way out. Overall, this was a great experience. I highly recommend Dr. Chen and this hospital if you need a primary care vet.
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April 2024 by ZML ZealousModernLiving
Poor office management. Poor interpersonal skills within staff. I only received a call once I messaged them a complaint. In my experience there has been very little attention to detail and a major lack of accountability which has ultimately resulted in me seeking services elsewhere. If you are a new pet owner, I would not recommend this business.
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January 2024 by Ivan Zarate
It's a good clinic for your pet, it's where I take mineA little bit expensive
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December 2023 by Erin Hinnen
I've been to a few VCAs and willingly picked this one as my main vet for all 3 of my cats after seeing how much they seem to care. Dr. Chen is understanding and has experience with shelters which I really appreciate. He has seen my cats for everything from ringworm to FLUTD to now my oldest cat fracturing a fang. They always take the time to thoroughly explain their findings and potential diagnosis and next steps and I always feel like they care about my cats. Other nearby VCAs have a calmer or bigger interior or a better parking situation but they just don't feel quite as caring in my opinion. They understand the difficulties of a sick pet and work with you on that.
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November 2023 by Alvin
First off, Dr. Chen is great. The prices, not so much. All said and done, $245 for exam, stool test, and probiotics. Fine, overly cautious first time puppy owner
Front desk was friendly the first visit which was 2 weeks prior. Not so much with the same staff the 2nd time around. When it came time to pay, I let my pup on the floor leashed. He started eating /licking the debris under the front desk so I picked him up to prevent worsening his diarrhea. I was asked to pay so I momentarily put him on the counter to reach for my wallet.. I was sternly (no smile) told by the other receptionist to take him off. Fine I admit, bad move. I didn't talk back, apologized, smiled and removed my pup. After wrapping up the transaction I said "bye" out loud enough for all to hear. The person who rang me up said bye, looked over and the other didn't even bat an eye as if she were holding a grudge.. sheesh! Btw Do you guys clean/ disinfect the front desk area? I came early enough to not have thattt much stuff on the floor
I'm not even mad about the price, okay fine a little but the icing on the cake was the receptionist's attitude! The experience prompted me to call vets around Irvine and found VCA to be over charging by a huge margin. I didn't bother calling around for his 2nd visit because the first experience was lovely! Customer service goes a long way and I'm not even asking for much. Just a basic smile and bye. I believe the front desk represents the company so I'll be taking my business elsewhere esp if I'm going to overpay.
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November 2023 by Melanie J
Quality of service has gone down drastically in the past months. The first time we visited, everyone was so friendly and helpful. Recently, some of the receptionists have been incredibly rude and dismissive. Service has also become so disorganized. My pet requires certain precautions due to previous severe allergic reactions - which is clearly marked in his record. However, the team disregarded it and put them in harms way. I expect my vet to be aware of my pets medical background instead of me having to remind them. Most of all, prices have skyrocketed as compared to other providers in the area. It does not match the quality of service provided.
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November 2023 by Ni Z
Staff who work at front was rude.
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November 2023 by Claire
Not recommend Dr. R. Tsai. First of all, he has a strong bias against shelter cats and dogs and believes that all shelter pets carry viruses. My cat was adopted from a shelter long time ago, and he had an unknown fever recently. Dr. Tsai immediately called my cat might have leukemia virus before any further diagnosis. However, I took my cat to another vet, and the vet diagnosed my cat with just a bacterial infection. Secondly, he refused to meet in person at first, but we have been there before, and another doctor was able to meet in person. Also, he sighed the entire time while diagnosing my cat as if my cat had a terminal illness, and I really do not understand what he was sighing for… Perhaps the doctor hated meeting with us in person while examining the cat???
Furthermore, when we asked him about the symptoms of leukemia, he responded that there were no apparent symptoms of leukemia, just a reduced life expectancy. In fact there are many symptoms of leukemia such as progressive weight loss, poor coat condition, and persistent diarrhea, etc. And he didn't even weigh my cat before asserting my cat might have leukemia virus. Obviously, he is not knowledgeable enough to diagnose my cat accurately.
My cat was adopted long time ago when he was 7 weeks old. The funny part is, in his medical records written to my vet, Dr. Tsai specifically pointed out that "the cat was adopted from shelter." It's hilarious that you can still see his bias against pets from shelters in the medical records. Cause I’ve never seen any vets provided medical records like this, not even the vet examined my cat the first time.
Overall, I'm not sure about the quality of the other doctors at this animal hospital, but I would never recommend Dr. Tsai.
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November 2023 by Linda Ennis
Love Dr Dave Driscoll
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June 2023 by Wendy D.
My name is Wendy. I've been going to this vet for 15 years. My dog Boba has been getting his nail trim there for years. Recently, every time I took my dog Boba, I had to wait 30 minutes even though I made an appointment. The front desk girl Sabrina is really rude and should not be working there. I can't trust my dog being there with her working there. I expect a friendly environment and staff who cares and want to be there. Doctor David is Boba, primarily doctor, and he hardly comes in now. Love him he is an amazing doctor. I would not go back as long Sabrina works there. Plus, when I called today because my dog had diarrhea for 2 days, Sabrina said she couldn't make the appointment for today and suggested I go somewhere else. This is Boba, primarily doctor! Are you kidding me! My dog is not feeling good, and I can't bring him in!
