Lien Animal Clinic

[2krazy4words]

thank you for the emails! looks like the bill will be covered. Any additional $ from sales of notecards or work generated by this post will go into the “kitty kitty” which goes to helping rescue societies and defrays the cost of kitty food (my kitties have been taught to share w/ the neighborhood kitties that are less fortunate).

!!!thank you all!!!

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[angelescrest]

Way cool–is it truly resolved?

Well, thank you for all the care you give the cats and Happy New Year!

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[furryfaces]

Hi 2krazy,

Glad the bill is covered. In the future, please feel free to contact us for kitty food and such. Under Oliver’s Fund, we assist animals whose humans are going through difficult times.

Thank you for sharing your skills with Friends of the Animals Foundation. They are an excellent, local group and the President, Marianne, has years of rescue experience.

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[hammerhead]

Yes the bill is totally covered by Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping.

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[LienAnimalClinic]

UrbanFabulous is exactly correct. If a client informs us upfront that money is a concern, our doctors are excellent at cutting all corners possible. We do not believe it is in the best interest of any of us to allow a client to receive care for their pet beyond their means to pay for it. As much as we would like to finance the pet care for all the people who do not have the funds to do so themselves, we just cannot. Our accounts receivable (and as a rule we do not allow charging) have doubled, with many of these accounts unable to fulfill the promises originally made. Our clinic cannot continue to remain viable under these circumstances. For those clients who have managed to authorize care and then are unable to pay, we try desperately to work out payment arrangements. There are clients making minimal monthly payments. The problem arises when a client informs me they have no money, they will not return my calls, and refuse even the offer to make a minimal payment each month to keep their account from collection… and yes, small claims court is how we collect our outstanding debt. This does not EVER happen to a client that is working with us to pay their bill. I am the office manager at Lien and I invite you to call me if you have any questions 206-932-1133

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[elikapeka]

I’m so glad this has been resolved. I’m self-employed and have also seen a huge increase in accounts receivable – it’s hard to stay in business that way. Everybody is being squeezed – I know the media keeps saying the economy is getting better, but it sure isn’t apparent on our level, is it? But I’m glad at least this is one situation that’s got a happy ending.

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[Garden_nymph]

This is yet ANOTHER excellent example of what a great community West Seattle is! I agree with you elikapeka, the economy improvement hasn’t hit our family yet- it will be a blessing when it finally does!

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[JanS]

Hammerhead…thank you for that. I know it’s appreciated and difficult for you to do, too. 2krazy (Leslie)…we have corresponded through Dibspace, I believe. Glad to see this taken care of. As a self-employed person, I feel your pain. It’s not easy at times, and glad that Hammerhead could help you ( I know her – got my kitty from her).

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[jschu]

hang in there 2crazy and God bless Liens. What tool tries to skip out on a bill. Glad you got your money back ftom the feril cats folks. spread the word on such operations.

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[2krazy4words]

to LIEN: as stated to you (and in this forum) I will NOT make a commitment to something I cannot do. My letter to you clearly stated: “I have not been home to answer your phone calls or able to respond to your letter before now because I have been in (employer paid) training to take on a part-time job in addition to what freelance work I am able to get.”

It’s interesting that you failed to mention my correspondence to you – even offering to work off the debt cleaning kennels if need be – or the additional $100 you charged for “court costs” – it’s $35 to file a Notice of Small Claims.

I’m not going to get into a debate … I am EXTREMELY grateful to FCAT for their kindness, to Furry Faces for their offer, and FAF who have put some very wonderful cats in my life. They all have my support for any design work they need!

And to all of you that have offered support and well wishes, I and my kitties THANK YOU!

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[MrJT]

2krazy, when are we going to see you going off about your landlord, city light and the phone company ? Call Lein and quit boring us with your issues with them.

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[JanS]

Mr. JT…tsk, tsk….seems that the OP has been working with them, since her bill has gone form $550 plus to just $100 plus. She stated that she has talked with them numerous times, and Lein says otherwise.

This is a forum, and the OP has every right to post here. I suppose I have to say what’s been said to me many times..change the channel if you don’t like what’s on :) And Happy New Year.

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[funkietoo]

It’s sounds like there are several sides to this situation. It has been my experience that if one stays in touch with Lien on a regular basis(or anyone they owe money too), that something can be worked out.

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[UrbanFabulous]

“I will NOT make a commitment to something I cannot do.”

You’ve said this a few times throughout this thread. The only problem is that you did make a commitment by accepting Lien’s services only to turn around and say I can’t pay. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant, eat dinner, and then say you can’t make the commitment to pay for the bill.

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[2krazy4words]

UrbanFab: as stated early on: I had a ZERO balance when I walked out the door that day only to find it was suddenly up an additional $220 when I came in for the followup visit (which I also paid for). Restaurants at least have their prices list so you can order within your means.

Also, in my correspondence with Lien I acknowledged I was NOT trying to run or hide from my debt. I was trying to find a way to pay for services they rendered beyond my knowledge. This was one of the foremost reasons for taking on a 2nd job. I AM trying to honor my debts.

The fact is this is now water under the bridge thanks to FCAT …

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[elisabethf]

Might as well chime in, in support of Lien, on this seemingly endless thread.

My pets have been long-time patients at Lien (20+ years). I first met them when I adopted a dog from the Humane Society, and he bit the vet I took him to, who threatened to sue. I called the Humane Society in a panic. The person there said “Don’t worry, he won’t sue, take your dog to Lien, I’m crazy about them!” So I did, and have gone to them ever since for 2 cats and 3 dogs. Last spring, when my 83-year-old mother was in crisis and in the Highline Geriatric-Psych faciity, I had her rat terrier for two weeks. Toenails badly needed a trim (the dog’s, not mine). Took her to Lien, explained the situation, and they trimmed her toenails at NO CHARGE. Okay, it would have been $10 or $15, but still. I fully expected to pay for this service. I have always paid in full at time of service, but I think that if I were in dire straits, they would work with me. I’ve never found any vet there to be anything other than caring and compassionate. Plus they seem to work with the animal to put him/her at ease. My dog Mia trusts them to such an extent that she doesn’t need to be anesthetized for an x-ray, thus saving me hundreds of dollars. And believe me, she knows when she’s at the vet! Lien doesn’t deserve the bad publicity they’re getting on this thread. They DO deserve all the positive things people on this thread have said.

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[Trisket]

Lien is a great clinic and has treated my pet with wonderful care over the years. The clinic supports the livelihood of the vets and staff (yes, they need to buy things like clothes and groceries too just like us) and they deserve to be paid for their services, with little or no delay.

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[velo_nut]

I just wanted to keep this thread going. I have nothing really to add to it.

I am however about to go grab a burger at Elliot Bay and then walk out without paying. as I too am unemployed (and have been for 5 months)

My wife and I will probably throw down a blue cheese burger, fish tacos, hot wings and 3-4 beers so the bill after tip might be about $65-$70. If 10-12 of you would like to paypal me some cash I will settle my debt with them.

Any extra cash I promise will not be sent back to you.

Thanks!

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[JanS]

velo-nut…don’t hold your breath :)

I have never been to the Lien Animal clinic…but…my 2 cents (not worth much)..we all have different experiences. The OP laid hers out pretty clearly…she walked out one day with a zero balance, walked in again , and before anything else was done, she had by some magical thing, a balance over 200 bucks. I think any of us would have a problem with that in any business. Car repair shops have to be up front with you at $75 and up. Maybe she should have been warned that this was going to happen. Now, let’s say Velo-nut goes to EBB, has his meal, pays his tab in full. Next time he goes in they tell him that before he has even had a chance to order he has a tab of $150 for things that were never mentioned at his last meal there. Think he may complain just a bit? Especially since now he’s unemployed?

EBB is dearly loved is WS. Would we all be saying that it doesn’t deserve the bad rap?, that because it’s been so good to people that it only deserves good things said about it? I don’t think so..

The OP did not come on here asking for money..just stating her experience…and she has every right to do that, whether you agree with her or not. Don’t make her out to be a bad guy.

velo-nut…that burger’s gonna cost you an extra 15 miles tomorrow morning :)

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[Trisket]

JanS – I’m curious about this “magical thing”. I won’t try to define it and I’ll forego any analogies which might indicate I’m having a stroke and just say with all the years I’ve been with Lien I’ve never had a “magical thing” run up my bill. Sometimes I FORGET that I agreed to a procedure because I’m sidetracked with the health of my pet; which for me (and probably most folks) is more important than the money.

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[biankat]

you guys crack me up!

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[JoB]

I don’t use Lien Animal Clinic..

but the vet is the one place that i go that i have no idea what the bill is going to be when i pull out my checkbook.. not even if i have called ahead for a scheduled procedure and asked for a quote on the bill.

The quote doesn’t come in writing and when i hit checkout there are always added charges that they failed to mention.

And yes, once i came back to find that they had forgotten to add charges on the last visit and they were added to my current bill. that’s about as close to magically adding to a bill as it gets.

Will i forgo medical treatment for my animals because of that? Probably not. But i have no way to figure out ahead of time what i can and can’t afford.

So far, we are lucky. We can pay the bill when it’s presented.. tho more than once i have had to shuffle other bills to make ends meet.

MrJT…

kicking someone when they are down isn’t going to make them get up.. it’s more likely to injure them further so recovery takes longer. besides lacking compassion.. that tactic is ineffective.

Velo_nut…

sorry to hear about your employment difficulties… but that alone doesn’t qualify you for assistance..

destitution combined with humility and good faith does.

If you need dinner, let me know. This fat lazy disabled lady still loves to cook for others.

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[MrJT]

Sorry JoB, I just don’t feel the need to be everyone’s best friend here. If 2krazy wants to go on and on and on about a bill that she at one point denies authorizing, then just flat out says she can’t “commit to paying” which to me says she DID authorize it, makes no sense. Even after the bill had been paid from donations, and Lien posted and asked 2krazy to call them she comes in with another rippin’. Not the actions of someone who is very appreciative. Sometimes a good kick is what a person needs.

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[JoB]

MrJT..

You don’t need to be anyone’s best friend to have some compassion for the people who are struggling right now.

Someone who offers to clean kennels because they don’t have the cash to make payments on a bill they didn’t know they owed when they walked in the door doesn’t fit the profile of a deadbeat…

One has to wonder why Lien Animal Clinic turned down the offer of free labor in favor of adding $100 to the bill and sending the sheriff around.

And, quite frankly, makes me wonder why i would want to do business with them.

I agree they were within their rights… and this time they got their money because someone else paid the bill.. but sending the sheriff around just because you can troubles me…

treating people like deadbeats when they are trying only encourages them to act like deadbeats.

This may no longer be true after the latest round of subprime mortgages affects the stats.. but the truth used to be that those in higher tax brackets were more likely to be deadbeats than the poor… the truly poor may take longer to pay.. but they pay in full … unlike entitled deadbeats … and yet their poverty is used as an excuse to add surcharge after surcharge. Sending the sheriff around is just another way of doing that.

It sounds to me like Lien got in over their head when they expanded and their vets have not yet adjusted to the reality of their business office.

Tough times all around.

As for her lack of gratitude… she showed ample gratitude for offers of assistance…

What exactly are you thinking she should be grateful to Lien Animal Clinic for?

That kick you think she deserved…

ever wonder how many times someone wanted to kick you for your own good and didn’t? Right now i’d like to kick a little compassion into you…

trouble is it just wouldn’t work any better than kicking people who are struggling works.

It might make you feel superior but it won’t accomplish a thing.

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[MrJT]

JoB – Sounds like a threat of violence against me. Is that a violation of the rules that you have deputized yourself to uphold ?

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