Right on Vet!!! 
I haven't heard anything good about Banfield. They are in a lot of Petsmart's now and I'm sure they will push this. I know Banfield is probably an affordable option for some people, but just like having a primary care physician over just walking into clinics, I think is not good for pets. I suppose if people are just using them for vacs and still going to their vets (Banfield in Petsmarts are doing surgeries aren't they?) I think it is a kick in the pants to private practice vets. You are not going to get the same kind of attention at a drivethru vet!
Honestly, I figured you'd be the first person on the bandwagon against Banfield. They have the most extensive vaccination protocol---of which my understanding is mandatory or you aren't a client there---of any group of practices I've ever encountered in practicing medicine in 5 different states and working as a relief veterinarian in all of those states. Their vaccine protocols border on completely ridiculous. They also have attempted to justify the money grubbing with publication of some of their "vaccine studies" which need to be looked at very closely. There have also been multiple cases of vaccines being administered without owners approval and in some cases without the owner even being notified their pet was being vaccinated until they recieved the bill----AND in some anecdotal cases vaccines have been administered and the owners weren't charged or notified.
I personally have had bad experiences with Banfield. I used to do contract work with several because the Petsmarts were selling large psitticines (Blue and Gold Macaws, Scarlet Macaws, African Greys, Amazons) and despite there being nearly a dozen and a half veterinarians between the Banfields in Petsmart stores, not one of them would touch a bird, much less correctly address and treat their medical problems. That is an ongoing problem. There is one I'm aware of now where one of the smaller psittacines apparently died from Chlaymidiophila (Psittacosis) and was being treated by the instore Banfield vet. What I've heard through the grapevine is scary--and Ill admit, its second hand information, but when I went to look at what was going on in the store, it appeared to be truthful and I trust my source. Employees of the store weren't notified of thier risk of catching the disease, the birds were treated inappropriately with antibiotics, they were never removed from public areas, AND the cleaning was done in such a way to spread aerosolized fecal material near the bird toys that were sale to store patrons. I've pretty much just sworn off Petsmart as a result of that.
I almost had a job with one a few years back---as an exotic animal practitioner. I had multiple telephone calls with the owner, met with her, discussed our business plan, had everything lined up--I was coming with an 800+ client list from where I'd been before, so I was essentially a premade practice with a projected gross over $500,000, I just needed a place to practice and equipment. After a few weeks of negotiations, which included very hard sells by the owner, I was supposed to go to dinner with the practice owner at 6pm to sign the contracts. At 4:30, I hadn't heard anything from her, so I called her, but she didn't answer her phone. At 5 pm I finally got ahold of her. She told me she couldn't meet with me and had changed her mind, even though we had a verbal agreement. The kicker is she had fired a new graduate right after I started talking to her "to make room in the practice".
If you have a chance, google Karen Zagorsky and what happened with her and Banfield in California.
Considering my experiences, its all about the $$$$$ with that company. There is very little regard from the corporate side (individual veterinarians may try to make an individual difference,but they may be part of the guilty party too and their hands are tied by coorporate policy) for the actual pets or the owners. They will roll over a town and gut out the existing practices with little regard for anything as long as there is $$$ involved. Greed is not a good way to practice medicine, but it seems very effective for some.
