Blackwatervets Avis 

Black water vets are purely about making money, certain staff and the vet do not care for your pets! I was signed up to the puppy pet plan for both my dogs, paying a monthly fee which included their vaccinations, 6 monthly health check, worming and flee etc. They were supposed to call you in for weight checks when worming and flee treatment is due to ensure correct treatment however they did not do this which resulted in one of my puppies getting worms and becoming very unwell. The vet Ola tried to blame us stating it is our responsibility to ensure our dogs are on the right plan. How are we supposed to know the correct dose of worming treatment for the weight of our dog, we are not vets and that was the vets responsibility. What’s the point in having the plan! The vet was rude and made us feel that we have not cared for our puppy! After trying to make numerous appointments to get vaccines like kennel cough, each time we went to the appointment the vet insisted they could not vaccinate our dogs and told us they had some sort of infection or skin condition, resulting in us paying a hefty bill to be treated as we took the vets word! I regret this now as our dogs appeared perfectly fine and their skin is amazing! I strongly feel this vet is just trying to find problems to treat for money. As a result we have changed vets but they would not release our dogs medical records until we paid a fee which was an error made by Blackwater vets. The receptionist was very rude when questioned what this payment was for and told us once we leave we could not come back. Gladly! Our two dogs are now thankfully in the hands of vets who actually care about them and not just about making money.

Bad experience. Not the first time...
My dog was administered an injection for her allergy without informing me about the hideous price of almost £88, and I was told she needs to get it every month. No alternative treatment was offered. What's worse, the injection was given without informing me about the cost first, which is a breach of the customer's right. After I complained, the practice director (the same vet who once shouted at me in the past) gave me notice and refused to treat my pets.

There are some great vets and lovely nurses there, but the practice is managed by an arrogant, disrespectful person, who has completely no customer service skills and no ability to deal with problems in a constructive way.

UPDATE: My dog's allergy and skin infection problems were COMPLETELY resolved with a spray for £9 from Pets at Home and never came back...

Our previous cat was with Blackwater vets for a few years, he always saw the same vet. I can’t remember her name but she worked with Colchester zoo and was just fantastic, she really took her time with Denzel as he had arthritis in all major joints. She was lovely and provided Denzel with management care for his pain. Unfortunately this vet left the practice and we had to see another vet. This is where it all goes wrong. Firstly, upon arriving for our routine 6 monthly check up she doesn’t read any of his notes on the computer so is unaware of his pain. Denzel hated coming out of his box so we usually dismantle it, she insisted on removing him herself and instead of lifting him gently she drags him out by his two front legs which obviously causes him to cry out. Even if he didn’t have arthritis this is absolutely not the way to remove a frightened cat from a box. I couldn’t believe it and it left me near in tears. We didn’t look back and never return. We have been at Colne Valley since and are so thankful for them. They have now had Denzel, 3 of my bunnies and my current cat Baloo. No issues and very professional. Can’t recommend Colne Valley enough.

I rarely provide reviews… either positive or negative. However I’m making exception on this occasion, as the way how Blackwater Vets handled the situation was so appalling, that I believe it is my duty to warn others - including those who so far are happy with their service, as I was... until I wasn’t!

I have seen negative feedback about them before and even commented on the previous posts on Facebook to defend them. Everytime I visited, they were very polite and bubbly/chatty… My cat Frank received good service so far and I had no reason to complain.

Everything changed when Frank became really ill last week. We visited the vet and Frank eventually spent there 2 full days with the tests, IVF etc. The plan was to give him some meds and observe him and if there is no improvement we should discuss the referral to specialist, as there is nothing else they will be able to do at their practice.

I decided to work from home and stayed with Frank to monitor him. He seemed better for a while, but then again symptoms came back. Having done some research I decided to get the second opinion from another highly recommended vet and since they also have 24 hour service, I moved Frank to the new vet. I spoke with Blackwater receptionist on Thursday at 13.30 and ask to transfer Frank’s results to the new practice, as we have a visit at 18.15 that day. The conversation was pleasant and she confirmed she will send it asap and wished all the best to Frank.

Just before I was about to leave, I had phone call from new vet, that they haven’t received anything yet. My husband called Blackwater quickly to resolve the issue. The receptionist the minute she heard who’s calling changed her tone. From the bubbly, nice approach, which we experienced previously she became almost robotic: “computer says no”

My husband insisted that it’s crucial to provide Frank history or at least latest results for which we paid for, in order to save time. Frank at this point looked really poorly and we just didn’t want to waste any more time. She transferred the call to the manager - Eddie, who without even asking what’s the issue, immediately said that he won’t tolerate abusive behaviour towards his staff. Nothing like that happened. There is a difference between being firm but fair and being abusive. We didn’t ask for charity, all we asked is to test results to be send to new a vet to avoid wasting more time and potentially risk Frank’s health and even life. They refused! They said casually they will do it next day… We said that Frank is in very bad condition, but they couldn’t care less.

The new vet run some tests and within 2 hours we knew Frank cannot be saved…

Diagnosis made by Blackwater was wrong, but to be honest it’s not that that upsets me - despite the fact Frank spent with them 2 days and only 2 hours with new vet. I believe that while they maybe lacked experience/knowledge it wasn’t deliberate…
The main issue here is that when I decided to move Frank elsewhere they showed their true colours and how they really care and love animals. Ego became more important than another living being.

Frank could not be saved, but what if someone’s else pet can and they will do the same? When it comes to life threatening situations sometimes even seconds matter…

Yes, veterinary practice is a business, but that’s a business which cannot run out from an empathy. Yes, we moved our cat elsewhere, but decent practice would forward the results asap and simply wished him speedy recovery…