CVS Group plc - Diss

Daniel B.

My experience with this veterinary practice fell significantly below the standard one. This vet is part of the CVS UK Ltd group.

Evolution Thorne - Communication was consistently poor, and there appeared to be a general lack of warmth from some staff—particularly towards cats. During my cat Dottie’s drop-off for a potential tooth extraction, the practice’s systems were not even switched on, which meant I was asked a series of questions that should have been readily accessible in her medical records. I was offered a blood test (at an additional cost), which I agreed to, unaware that one had already been carried out just two weeks prior. Had their systems been used, this would have been evident!
, I’m happy to clarify that the medication dispensed was correct. However, no one checked the contents of the bag at the time of collection—despite me specifically calling ahead to request pain relief. It was handed over without any verification or quality control which led to me being given flea and worm killer, not the pain relief. This kind of oversight could cause major issues for clients with limited transport or mobility, and it’s disappointing that such a basic safety process isn’t in place at a long-established practice.

I was also deeply concerned with the way my initial complaint was handled. Although it was made privately, it received a public response from Philip which I felt was unprofessional. When escalated, I was surprised to be referred to by my job title—an unnecessary and irrelevant detail that added to my dissatisfaction.

Eventually, the director Tina became involved as a final point of contact. While I appreciated her intervention, the tone of our interactions felt more business-oriented than focused on genuine client care—something I’ve now come to expect within the CVS UK Ltd group. Despite acknowledging the failings, they have refused to issue any form of refund and still intend to charge the full amount. As a result, I am now disputing the transaction via my credit card provider. Should any monies be recovered, I will be donating the full amount to a local cat charity (one unaffiliated with CVS UK Ltd).

The practice promotes itself as having Silver Cat Friendly status, yet my experience didn’t reflect this. While a curtain and a towel sprayed with calming pheromones may tick a box on paper, it did not demonstrate any meaningful cat-centred care in practice. I have submitted evidence and concerns to the accreditation body behind this recognition, who are now investigating the matter.

I have since moved my cat’s care to a practice in Dunscroft, and the difference has been remarkable. During our first visit, the vet spent nearly 20 minutes reviewing Dottie’s health records with us at no extra cost. This put us at ease, particularly around a heart murmur that had previously been presented as serious by Evolution, but was now described as so mild it would barely register a score of one.

Following my explicit request for Dottie’s records to be closed and for all communication to cease, I was disappointed to receive an unsolicited email from the practice regarding her vaccinations and an invitation to book her in. This communication was not only distressing but may also constitute a breach of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Under Article 17 (Right to Erasure) and Article 21 (Right to Object) of the UK GDPR, individuals have the right to request the deletion of their personal data and to object to its further processing, including direct communication. Continuing to contact me after a clear instruction to cease all correspondence is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about the practice’s compliance with data protection legislation.

We had also been told by Evolution that Dottie would be having up to 7 teeth extracted—understandably causing us significant distress—only to find that no teeth were removed at all, and she simply needed a routine clean. This level of miscommunication added unnecessary stress to an already emotional process.

Jill H.

This Company owns Animed. Appauling service. . I wanted a delivery of Royal Canin Urinery S/O. I also ordered dog food. That arrived but not the cat food.
When I tried to establish the problem I was fobed off. I simply went there in the end and told them i wouldn't be leaving until they fulfilled the order.
As alot of what is ordered is for pets needing veterinary grade food etc because they are ill it would be good to think they cared. They instead wanted " time " to talk to DHL saying that they couldn't get to the bottom of it yet.DHL proved to me they had fulfilled the order that had been dispatched.
Phone system doesnt work. NO customer care, but people on phone seemed to have their hands toid.
Tom came out to be nice and shut me up. When I told him just to fulfill the order as i had two cats who needed the food urgently he finally got the food from the warehouse, but not before telling me they weren't insured for me to get it !!!! I didn't say that.
This company is owned by vets who should be ashamed , and the staff can't solve your problems. The animals who they swore an oath to take care of are suffering.
I would welcome a discussion to educate them.

Alison P.

The room was warm. No air going in. Dog nervous and overheating. Communication between the vet, my husband and myself was poor. Just wanted to get out. Think we know what we’ve got to do! Receptionist's take forever now too. Expect better, it being our pet’s health and cost involved!

Annie L.

I'd gone to the same vet for over 30 years, they were brilliant, always caring, friendly, reliable, professional and we had the same vets working there for years. They even took time to raise funds for animal charities abroad by hosting fetes and open days. Not now though, not since this horrific take over, you can wait days for an appointment because they are ALWAYS short staffed, you never see the same vet twice as its a constant turnover. And as for cost, they've skyrocketed. So very sad to see a wonderful practise run into the ground because of greedy companies. I do not criticise the staff in any way, they still do their very best, I just have contempt for the way these all these practises are now run.

Scott N.

Incredibly Bad Service - They let us suffer for three days.

When our pet cat escaped we thought he’d come back like he always did before. But when he didn’t, we searched for him for hours and hours - during the day, and in the middle of the night, calling his name, going everywhere we thought he might have gone…

The next day we searched all over online, registering him on every lost pet website we could find.

On the third day we again searched all over the local area. We walked and drove for miles. No sign of him.

It was torture.

But finally on day four, and only through the initiative of some friends of ours who took it upon themselves to call every veterinary clinic in Chichester, that we finally found out our poor kitty had been hit by a car and brought to a Pet Doctors Veterinary Clinic, where we were told he died of his injuries. This happened on the on the very first day he went missing!

Heartbreaking.

We had purchased him in Holland. He was chipped and had a name collar with our phone number engraved on it. But we work for a Dutch company, so our mobile phone is a Dutch number.

When I asked why they didn’t contact us, their answer was a glib “Yeah, foreign number.”

An email to them, and their corporate overlords CVS Ltd, asking why we were never contacted, finally garnered a response from their public relations lackey, which was basically “So sorry but every effort was made.”

Strange that only they could not reach us on our mobile phone on which we receive phone calls every single day.

Strange that only they could not send us an email to an address on which we receive emails every single day.

Strange that they did not list him on any lost pet sites online.

No, they did the absolute minimum they could do, and they let us waste our time looking for him, suffering, wondering what had happened to our lost family member.

This company represents the worst of the corporate takeover of an industry that used to be run by people who cared, about animals - and people!

My lowest recommendation.

Shelley P.

extremely greedy profit driven company. They pay their hard working staff in practice terrible wages whilst this lot in head office get bucket loads for sitting on a chair. Whilst the vets and nurses are working so hard they're running themselves down and getting signed off with mental health issues. High staff turnover at many practices due to this terrible corporate attitude. Sadly it's not about the animals for CVS. Also many practices made up of bullies which HR do not give a toss about as long as the practice is making ££££££.
If you are a narcisstic vet with certificates coming out your ears I'm sure you'll fit in great at CVS.

#thisiscvs #thisisfancymarketing

Yasmin B.

I worked in a CVS vets as a receptionist for 5 months, to start with the job seemed all great and was exactly what I was looking for as I thought I would be able to progress to then wanting to study as a RVN. The other receptionists I worked with were really friendly and helped me when ever I was stuck. HOWEVER. There is NO training, I mean I was told I would have someone with me for two weeks to help me get the hang of the role, but I was completely chucked in the deep end by having to answer the phones on my first day with NO previous receptionist experience. I was extremely stressed out in my first few months and got very anxious about even wanting to go into work... It gets very stressful when the busy times hit and I found that really hard. The role would have been perfect for me IF there was a full training programme and also if I was in a less busy practice. (We were the 24/7 emergency hospital as well as general vet appointments.) Office staff were lovely but management wasn't that nice to you if you did one slight thing wrong. It made some work days unbearable.

Alison W.

Since this company took over the vet I had used for many years, firstly it was Ryan and alder, then Albavet and although still named Albavet is has now been taken over by CVS. I use the Dunfermline branch and since they took over every single vet has left and subsequent vets have stayed a short time them moved on due to the horrendous working conditions and pressure of work. As far as I know this practice has only 2 vets at the moment, coincidentally both Spanish.,
My cat was euthanized without me having understood a telephone call from a Spanish speaking vet. I do not for one minute doubt that she did all of the correct things medically but we were at cross purposes on the phone due to language difficulties. I thought I was being asked permission for an operation to be performed when I was actually being asked about his cremation!!
I would steer clear of any vet that has been bought out by these two businessmen, CVS who are all about making money and have no concern about their staff and the animals they are treating.