disappointedSo, I live on a USA military base in Japan. I have two cats, one I got from a neighbor and a kitten I adopted from PAWS (the on-base animal shelter). My kitten was sick (what appears to be a head cold) when I got him and was on medication. I was fine with that.
There's an on-base vet clinic. It's primary purpose is to take care of the military dogs, but they will also take care of civilian dogs and cats. This is a common practice with on base vets. They're short staffed right now, so there hours are insanely limited (Mon, Wed, Fri).
My first complaint is pretty minor. I kept trying to call to make an appointment for my kitten. He needed his last set of shots and more medicine since he wasn't better yet. I couldn't get a hold of them. (Seriously, it shouldn't take me almost two weeks to get a hold of someone there!)
Eventually I got a hold of them and the appointment was set for Tues 1pm. Now at the time I was just overjoyed to finally get someone and it didn't quite click that they had made the appointment on a day they're suppose to be closed. When the day finally came around I went in, about 5 minutes early, and...
...on the door was a sign that said "Closed". I went up and tried to turn the door knob to check if it was open. (Which I hate doing, because it makes me look like a fool who can't read.) The door was locked. There was no sign saying they were on lunch break or that they should be open specially for Tues. The only sign that mentioned anything about their hours of operation stated they were closed on Tues and Thurs.
I wasn't sure what to do so I went home. I figured I wrote it down wrong and was suppose to go in on Wed. I'd just call the next day to confirm that.
That night I got food poisoning from a local Ramen House. (Well, I guess that's bad service too, huh?) Even though I was curled up in a little ball of pain Wed, I was determined to figure out what was going on with the vet. A friend came over (bearing 7up and apple sauce, bless her heart!) and I had her call for me.
So it turns out they *were* open Tues! That particular week Mon had been a federal holiday, forcing the vet to close. For some reason I can not fathom they decided to open on Tues. (Seriously, why even HAVE the holiday if you just move all the work to Tues? It's not like they make a profit off their clients.) My friend asked about why they were closed when I went in for apt and she was soundly rebuked and told they HAD been open.
Well, since it's not really her problem she just lets it go and schedules another appointment. Mon at 230pm. Once I'm coherent again I figure it must have been my fault, maybe I came in too early.
So Mon I go in at 225pm. (I always try to be early for appointments, even if only 5 minutes) I look at their clocks (they have more than one!) and what do I see? It has 235pm! Why, they're clocks are 10 minutes FAST! >_<
I may have been early, but I was not so early that they shouldn't have been open. Even if I'd come in 10 minutes early THEIR CLOCKS would have shown it as 1pm! There was no excuse for them having the closed sign up and the doors locked when I was there.
Agh, I can't tell you how frustrating that is. I'm a stickler for making my appointments. It's been hammered into me, over and over by the military, be there and be early or you're a horrible person! I once had to call in to cancel an appointment and I couldn't give 24 hr notice and I got a lecture about it. (Crap happens people, I can't always give 24 hr notice!) It's just so frustrating to be early, to make the appointment, and then to be literally shut out! (And this was my kittens health too, and I wanted to get him better!)
I would have just gone off base if I had known where to go. (Oh Japan, why can't you just have street signs like everyone else?) Supposedly there's a vet clinic that has a vet who speaks English pretty well. It's more expensive but they accept walk ins.
I love Japan, I really do. But right now I sure do miss my old Vet in Rapid City, SD. :(