The article links to one of her videos where she talks about the owner of a veterinary practice who buys reviews. I brought one of our cats there twice last year for after-hours urgent care, and my experience was -- fortunately -- positive both times. Friends bring their dog there for primary care regularly.

I'm just really wondering why the owner feels the need to do this. Is it a situation where you just have to do it, else you'll get buried under your competitors? Should I expect that our primary vet does this too, and that the other vet practices in our area also do it? Shady either way, but could it be a damned if you do, damned if you don't type thing?

Certainly there are business sectors where there's so much competition that some of them will resort to shady tactics like this to gain customers. But if anything, there's a shortage of vet practices in San Francisco (and the entire bay area, really). Gaining customers here feels like it's more about having available appointments in a reasonable time frame than anything else.