Category Archives: Business News

Ever been so upset about a negative review you want to sue???

We work with helping businesses handle and improve reputations, especially negative reviews, every day.  Sometimes those reviews are posted by someone out for revenge, in spite, or from a competitor who wants to take the competition down. Recently a construction company in Fairfax, VA was so upset about a negative review a woman customer left on Yelp, they sued her, AND WON. It seems she didn’t want to pay her bill, and instead threatened to post the negative reviews unless the company forgave the debt and stopped harassing her. “Attorneys say legal actions over online … Continue reading

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Cat owner threatens to bring AK-47 to veterinarian office after cat dies

The headline says it all, doesn’t it?  In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, anyone threatening to bring a gun while they are upset is, well, crazy. Here is a link to the story: Cat owner threatens to bring AK-47 to veterinarian office after cat dies

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Obamacare is for humans, right?

According to an article in DMV360, experts are predicting the tax costs associated with medical equipment will impact the cost of veterinary care.  Here is an excerpt from the article: “Veterinarians may notice an increase in the cost of some medical devices in 2013. A provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, includes a 2.3 percent tax on the sale of medical devices by the manufacturer or importer. Although veterinary healthcare is not addressed in the Affordable Care Act, equipment intended for human … Continue reading

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Are you providing house call services? Here is someone who is successfully

As you have long been aware, house call services are becoming more popular with pet owners, willing to pay more for the convenience and personal service a veterinary house call can provide. VetLocator’s house call directory is a very popular destination for pet owners, and while we don’t survey owners on why they are seeking a house call, we can say housecalls are getting more popular here. I came across an article in The Hearld News on a house call veterinarian in New York who is doing many things right, for her market.  I suspect … Continue reading

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Customer complaints – there are 5 types. Here’s how to handle them.

We put a lot of focus on pet owner reviews because bad reviews from pet owners will hurt your practice tremendously. Knowing how to keep pet owner upsets to a minimum is the best thing.  Following that is how to handle a pet owner who is upset so the problem gets solved quickly within your organization and does not become viral on the internet as the first thing a potential pet owner sees when they search for your name. Inc. Magazine online has a great article about 5 different types of customer complaints and how … Continue reading

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Keeping abreast of pet owner needs by asking the right questions

There are times when you need answers in order to make correct decisions for your business. Decisions such as “Should I invest in the latest equipment for our surgery?” or “I wonder if adding a mobile unit would be a wise decision” to “Should we put review cards in our lobby or have the staff hand them to the owners when they are done with their appointment?” Asking questions is important; asking the right questions is vital. In fact, if you aren’t asking the right questions or you’re asking the wrong questions, you could be … Continue reading

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800PetMeds is bad enough and now Wal-Mart is gunning for veterinary prescriptions

AVMA challenges Wal-Mart’s push to make veterinarians script out The AVMA is challenging Wal-Mart’s push to pet owners to have their pet’s prescription medication filled at Wal-Mart. To read more about this visit this link:  http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=19967

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More veterinarians are now making house calls

One of our most popular directories at VetLocator.com is our House Call Directory. Some reasons? More pet owners are hearing about house calls and want them Home euthanasia is becoming increasingly popular Older pet owners can’t easily get their pets to their vets and prefer the vet to come to them. Some pets don’t do as well in a strange environment either because of temperament or age. Some pet owners just prefer the convenience of house calls vs. the hassle of taking their pets in and are willing to pay more for this convenience. If … Continue reading

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A vets view of the 10 most common complaints from pet owners

I made a note to read this article from USA Today some time ago and never did.  I discovered my note today and thought I’d share the article here: By Patty Khuly, Special for USA TODAY Some pet owners really get my goat. They’re the ones whose moans, lamentations and outsized hand-wringing make me and my staff want to wring their necks. You know who they are. They’re not your favorites, either. They’re just as willing to regularly return food at restaurants and routinely declare war against anyone behind a counter. Tiresome, right? In a … Continue reading

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Think recession is the only reason pet owners aren’t coming to see you? There are more…

I just read an interesting article in DVM magazine that started off with this line : “The majority of pet owners question the need for regular veterinary care.” This interesting piece of information is from a study “Bayer Veterianary Care Usage Study” and came from the 2,000 dog and cat owners that participated in the study. Here are a few of the numbers from the study: * 63 percent of dog owners and 68 percent of cat owners question the need for regular veterinary care. * Older pets see the veterinarian far less frequently than … Continue reading

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