Complain about a product or service

PETCO

United Pet Supply, Inc.
103 Executive Drive, Suite 503
New Windsor, NY 12553

Debbie of Arlington, VA July 18, 2009

I purchased a 2 month old pet rat from Petco 12/1/07. Sweet little one came home with lice and a very nasty URI. I complained to corporate and they offered to have their vet take a look at him. I refused, and demanded that they reimburse me for using my own exotics vet. They offered to pay 70.00 of the 140.00. Several months went where the rat required 15+ exotics vet visits at 120.00 a visit and 80.00+ for meds over the past 12 months for chronic URI. At 13 months he had developed a tumor which needed to be removed costing a total of 460.00 and 150.00 for follow-up.

Another bout of URIs and several vet visits later, we have a chest xray done and find out he has Congestive Heart Failure. This cost was 190.00 for xray, 240 for vet visit and meds. He is now on Enpril and Lasix twice a day for the rest of his life. These meds cost 260.00 EVERY OTHER MONTH to support him. It is truly heartbreaking and makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how careless PETCO has been in regards to my sweet rat. PETCO sells CHRONICLY ILL animals with POOR GENETICS. It is nothing short of vile when an animal is bred and sold with complete disregard for its well-being.

This sweet, little rat has cost me THOUSANDS in less than 2 years of purchasing him from PETCO. PETCO has refused to pay for any other treatment other than the 70.00. PETCO --- BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS!! THE HEALTH AND GENETICS OF YOUR ANIMALS ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! STOP SELLING SICK ANIMALS WHO SUFFER WITH A NUMBER OF GENETIC DEFECTS! Matter of fact, stop selling animals all together!!!

Sonja of New Brunswick, NJ July 5, 2009

My husband and I purchased an 11 week old female miniature pinscher from The Pet Company in the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ for the outrageous price of 1800.

We were told that the price was so high because of genetic testing and health screening that their "reputable breeders" guaranteed. We figured that this price was more than a little steep, but that it would be worth it to ensure the health of the animal. (We have a 2 year old son who had a strong affinity for animals, and we knew that the experience could be potentially damaging)

Well, after bringing her home and doing some research on her "reputable breeder", it didn't take long to see that not only was she inbred but that this particular breeder is what many would consider a puppy mill. She has over 100 dogs at any time and was written up multiple times by the US Department of Agriculture (Which, by the way, is the only qualification that the Pet Company needs in order to deem them 'reputable')The most recent (the month this dog was born) was for having over 50 animals a year or more overdue for veterinary treatment. The same citation occurred less than six months before. Other complaints were registered, including inadequate housing.

When presented with this information, the Pet Company answers with "Oh, that could be anything that anyone told you." When again stating that it is an official government website, Patti shrugs it off and says that it's all hearsay and that the only way to know for sure would be talking to the breeder.

I tried this after having to hunt all over for her phone number - yeah, it's been disconnected for quite some time. No surprise there. Now, this dog was also showing early signs of aggression. Snarling, snapping and biting; seemingly unprovoked. She bit all three of us within a 4 day time period, all more than once.

We called out of concern and Patti insisted that the dog was just playing, or better yet "using our son as a chew toy since they don't know any better". Her advice was to leave the dog in her crate for weeks, only taking her out to eat and eliminate. This was supposed to make her a "whole new dog".

Yeah, we ignored that bull - I mean "advice". This poor dog spent all of her life in a cage and changed hands 5 times by the time we got her (As have all dogs sold at the Pet Company. The cycle goes: Puppy Mill - Truck - Lambriar facility - Pet Store - Home)

So we took her to the vet, turns out she had a bad case of kennel cough and that they had been over feeding our little girl THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT SHE SHOULD BE EATING IN A DAY! So not only was she extremely sick, but she was also bloated and constipated - The combination of the pain and lack of socialization was causing her to snarl and snap. We haven't had a problem since putting her on a proper diet.

All in all, she is a very sweet dog.. however, it's obvious that she comes from poor lines (in bred) and that there is no health testing, or any form of vet care, done by her breeder so the chances are good that she won't be a healthy dog. The vet thought it was possible that she has a thyroid problem which she'll be tested for next week after her recovery.

We were originally going to try to return her, feeling that it would be the responsible thing seeing as how we would not be able to afford such a special needs dog, especially not after spending 1800 on her. But it was obvious after bringing her into the store that they don't care anything about the animals they "stock".

When presented with what the veterinarian wrote about her thyroid, kennel cough and that keeping her locked up in a cage would only make things worse, Patti responded with "And is this Vet a behavioral trainer?" - completely dismissing everything that his professional opinion offered.

She also claimed that we gave the dog her kennel cough because we reported her as being aggressive and that it hurt her feelings, being unwanted.

Luis of Windsor, CT July 8, 2009

On 5/31/08, I purchased a Boxer puppy for my daughters from The pet company store # 28 in Danbury mall. The poor dog has since been sufferingfrom a skin condition in which he develops bloody, puss filled blisters that cause him a lot of itching and disconfort. I have filed a claims through the store insurance that was included in the price of the purchase of the dog but to this date I have not received any re-inburtment payment for the 1,800.00 vetbills acquired to treat the dog. I have contacted the stored & district office on many occasions, who in return tell me that the claim has been approve and that a check would be sent to me via mail. As of 7/8/09, I made several calls to the store to get answers but all I get in response that they will get back to me.

Carol of Cherry Hill, NJ June 25, 2009

I purchased my yorkie from this place and was told that TD Bank was the loan company for the purchase. I did not get a bill, received a late fee when I called them to see if payment was due...THEN I paid two payments and requested by mail the return of the fee charged, next no bill comes again and the date goes to the 13 not 18th. I was told that another fee was issued... This time i explained its a shame because I own 6 businesses in NJ and sadly they are through TD Bank, at the moment I said I want to pay this credit off.

I charged it to just use credit and had planned to keep months, if I had it would have ruined my credit. I am now considering taking my business with TD elsewhere to a bank who does not allow people to be ripped off. I am very upset and plan a meetig with the Manager this week to my bank in regards to this kind of situation. I was in the midst of opening the 7th business and they were coming over to open it at the main office, however when they come over they will get an ear full of the treatment. IF THEY CAN AFFORD to lose people in these times, then I can leave.

Sylwia of lindenhurst, NY June 10, 2009

I bought a puppy at The Pet Company which was on sale for around 500. I hesitated, thought maybe there is something wrong with it, but the sales rep told me that shes up on her shots, eats healthy, that shes on sale because she is teething and is 6 months old and also teething so I bought her anyway. I had 14 days to take her to the vet so I did so on the 10th day I got her and took her to my vet rather than the one they recommended. My vet told me that she has grade 3 out of 4 patellar luxation and is unfit for sale.

I took back a letter she gave me stating everything about business law and her condition and filed a claim to get my money back or have them pay for the surgery she needs. Its been over a month and still i have no answer from them. I even sent a letter to the chairman, Christopher B, but according to the secretary, he hasn't been in the office to read it. Now when I called back for the 3rd time, another lady gets on the phone telling me they want my dog scanned to make sure it's theirs, they want x-rays to prove her condition, and that once I do all that, she is only worth 200 so that is all they will give me.

The surgery at a board certified surgeon can cost up to 2500 a leg so now the burden of surgery was transferred to me. On top of the vaccination list I was given, there was no license number of the vet so I don't know if I can trust the shots. I feel lied to and basically got a dog that now will cost me 5000 to keep. I am determined that this place NEEDS to be shut down, the dogs are sick or have serious conditions and the buyers are beeing fooled by their "200 off all puppies" sale they have going on every other week. I want to press charges against them, I want them to pay for the surgery my dog needs in the very neer future if I still want her running around in the future.

Emma of new Milford, CT May 1, 2009

I have three complaints, actually, within the same few months. The first one was when I bought my new baby rat from there stores. I brought him home and not only was he sick, but he got my other rat sick too. i had to bring them both to the vet costing me 107 dollars. Although, he is still alive- I'll bring this up later.

My second visit a few weeks later was to just look at the others, and see if they were sick. If they werent I intended on getting a third rat. upon lifting the igloo, there was a dead and gutted rat. being a rat owner, this deeply upset me.

I bought a bunny about a month later. he was fine for a few days, then he developed diarreah. So i took him to the vet, ad she told me he was RIDDEN WITH PARASITES. I paid another 100 dollars for the meds and visit, only to have him DIE HOURS LATER, SCREACHING IN PAIN. Now, since I dont have my receit, I can't get my money back. EVEN IF I GOT MY MONEY BACK I WOULD NOT BE SATISFIED. THE PAIN THE ANIMAL FELT AND THE PAIN I FELT IS PRICELESS. I am exremely upset and will go to any limits to ruin this business's reputation.

Lynn of Milford, CT April 30, 2009

I purchased a puppy from the The Pet Company store in a local mall. The sales rep. sold me on buying the pup when she told me I could get 0% financing for 6 months if I open a Pet Company credit card. I did and charged most of the purchase. The credit card bill clearly states a penalty will be charged if payment is not received by the 13th. After the second payment, I received a penalty of 29.

I inquired about the penalty, since the second payment was made on the 13th and the third payment was made on the 17th. The person who answered the phone told me both payments were credited on the second month, therefore, I was late, not early for payment three. I asked when the statement closes and was told the 17th. The fifth month, I made the payment on the 19th. Again, I was charged a 29 penalty.

I called and spoke with the same person. He said they decided to close on the 20th that particular month. While I was disputing the payment, the introductory period ran out and I had to pay interest on the entire amount charged. I went to the Better Business Bureau web-site and see other similar complaints have been filed.

I ended up paying almost 100 in pentalties and interest on a 600 initial balance on an interest free credit card. I contacted the CT Department of Banking. Although my contact was sympathetic, he suggested I pay so my credit would not be adversely affected.

Alison of Woodcliff Lake, NJ April 12, 2009

I went in to THE PET COMPANY on Saturday night. Not only do the dogs lok dirty and sick, the hamsters and gerbils in the back of the store were being neglected. There was no food or water in most of the cages and they were running around in panic looking for something. When i asked for a manager Sam came and sad that the manager did not want to talk with us and that he will help. Sam was argumentative with me and did not know anything about hamsters and sounded very ignorant. I waited 45 minutes until food and water was properly added to the hamster cages. It was so upsetting. When i approached Jen, the manager on duty, she refused to give me the phone number or her last name. Not onl do they treat their animals poorly their customer service extremely poor. I will never buy anything from them again.

Amanda of Stockbridge, GA March 31, 2009

On March 28th 2009 I went into the Pet Company at Stonecrest Mall. I was surprised to see a german shepherd there I had been looking at getting one and decided to see if I could play with it. I stood there for a long time waiting to see if any of the workers passing, would ask if I needed assistants. Finally I decide to ask someone, I went straight over to this guy worker, looked him straight in the eye so that I knew I had his attention and said could you please help me.The guy was looking me dead in the face and just ignored me and walked away. I felt like he was being racist towards me for no reason I just wanted to play with the puppy and who knows I might have bought it. Instead he goes and ignores me and talks to his coworkers.

Jamie of Fords, NJ March 20, 2009

I purchased a puppy from The Pet Co. in Menlo Park Mall, Edison, NJ on 2/21/09. I was assured she was healthy and nothing was wrong with her. I specifically asked Mark. From the moment I brought her home she was throwing up. I contacted the store and spoke with Mark, who is one of the managers and informed him that the dog is vomiting. The first time I called he said, Maybe she is car sick. The second time I called he suggested that its the new food, so I went back to get the food she was accustomed to. This didn't work either. It was then suggested to me maybe she vomiting because she misses the dog that she was in a crate with.

The very next day on 2/22 I called the emergency vet. in Iselin NJ, who suggested I try giving her small portions of food. Each time I fed my new Lab puppy, Abby she would throw up along with intermittent diarhea. She could not even drink water without throwing up within 5 minutes of trying to eat or drink. On Tuesday, 2/24 I took off of work and brought her to Iselin Veterinary Hospital. She was examined to Dr. who treated her for gastroenteritis and provided me with an Cert. of Unfitness. Abby was not improving and on 2/26 I brought her back to the Veterinary Hospital. Abby was examined again, and was not getting better. In six days she was only to hold down two meals. X-rays were taken, which were normal, however, a sonogram revealed her ilum was paralyzed and not moving, thus the food was not moving, along with extremely swollen lymph nodes.

Drs. suspected that Abby had an obstruction. However, the ONLY way to tell would be surgery. If Abby did have an obstruction and it was not removed, she would die. So, at 7:30 PM, after much stress, I did what any decent person would do and wanted my dog saved. So...surgery concluded that she did not have an obstruction but had a severely inflamed ileus, enlarged lymph nodes, giardia. I was able to pick Abby up on Saturday 2/26 and was given another Cert. of Unfit for Sale. I presented this to the Puppy Store on 2/26, along with the bills I incurred from being sold a sick dog.

The total cost to date is 3052.29 not to mention the 1100. I paid for Abby. Actually, that same evening I had to take her back to an emergency clinic because she was throwing up worms. I did all the right things. Followed all the rules laid out under the consumer rights law. On March 17, I contacted Nancy regarding my claim. She informed me that she hasn't even looked at it yet. I informed her that it clearly states in the Consumer Rights page that If the pet dealer or owner or operator of the pet shop does not contest the matter, he must make the refund, replacement of animal or reimbursement not later than 10 after receiving the veterinary certification. Nancy clearly told me they don't go by that. I told her it was the law, she said they have too many claims and 10 days are not possible. I told her that her answer is unacceptable, and I would get an attorney if needed.

She told me she would get back with me when she found my claim. When she did, she said it couldn't be read, too light. I suggested she called my vet and he would give her all the necessary information to process. Well, when she called me back, she informed me the Pet Co, would only be responsible for approximately 192.00 of my claim. They would not pay for surgery because it was exploratory, looking for an obstruction. Nancy also told me she would give this matter to her regional manager, who would contact me. No one called. I feel first of all they did not comply with the law set forth by the State of NJ, no one contact me, I did all the calling. Along with this, my dog was sick from the second I brought her home. I was totally misled about being sold a healthy puppy.

Also, they are not doctors of veterinary medicine. They should not decide what treatment is required for an animal, it is the doctor's decision what is needed. I could have returned this puppy, but do not feel that is the right thing to do, but I do feel they are responsible for all expenses I have incurred. I was also told the Abby was not from a puppy mill, I am suspecting she most definitely was.

I have had a problem with this store previously, where my dog died of a congenital disease. The only reason I purchased another dog from them was that since the death of my Labradoodle, they would only give me credit toward a replacement puppy. I am stressed and sickened by this whole episode. In less than one week of getting a new dog, which should have been a happy occasion, I have lost work time and thousands of dollars due to neglect and irresponsibility of The Pet Co. Inc. PLEASE HELP!

To date the cost is 3052.39 and rising since additional medication is still necessary to test and control parasites.

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