BarkBox
ConsumerAffairs Accredited BrandBarkBox is a monthly subscription box with special toys and treats for your dog! Every box is designed to entertain and bring joy to your pup. With a new theme every month, BarkBox includes toys, treats and chews. Select from our 12 month, 6 month or 1 month subscriptions with the option to cancel your subscription plan length renewal at any time. Visit our website today to learn more about our service and products!
401 BarkBox Consumer Reviews and Complaints
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My labrador Mila, has had BarkBoxes coming her way since the first month we brought her home. She is now 4 years old and still loves them! The treats are great and the only ones she gets besides fruits or veggies. Mila loves the toys, but tends to destroy the stuffed ones within a month or two, other than that, great job BarkBox!
Hi Jessica!
Thank you for the valuable feedback! We're so happy to hear that Mila has been loving the boxes and that she has grown up receiving them. We love spoiling her!
I did want to let you know that we have options for more durability. I do see Mila is already receiving our free more durable option. I hope this is helping the life of those toys! We also have our Super Chewer Barkbox that includes tough plush free, rubber toys! If you would be interested in learning more about Super Chewer please let us know. We always want to ensure Mila is having the best BarkBox day every month!
Take care!
My dog gets so excited to open his BarkBox and once I cut the tape, he can actually do it himself now because he's so thrilled. The toys, in my opinion, are THE BEST. I was extremely skeptical because they are stuffed toys and my dog is a toy destroyer. I don't think he's ever had a stuffed toy last longer than a day without getting to the stuffing. But these toys are shockingly resilient and extremely well made.
I've had BarkBox 5 months now and there's only two toys he's put a tear in since then and I get three toys each time. What's really awesome is that most of the toys have toys inside of them as well. For example, a stuffed toy has a spiky squeaker ball in it that you can give your dog if he/she was to rip the fabric. The themes are amazing and the box I just got made me love BarkBox a thousand times more. It's Grinch themed with many toys, awesome treats and Max "antlers" for your dog. BarkBox really has a special thing for dogs and their owners! Also, if you are concerned about getting your money's worth, I can attest that for the quality of toys and treats you are getting, it is worth it (from a poor college student).
Hi Amanda!
We're so happy to hear that Kodah has been loving every box. He is such a cutie. We love getting to spoil him every month, and we are thankful for this great feedback. Although, it seems Kodah is loving it all I did want to let you know that we can customize your pups box to include more "spiky ball" toys, and certain treat indigents. We want to ensure every barkbox continues to be perfect for your special pup.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's ever anything we can do. Take care & have a great day!
Started out fine, while my dog was a puppy. They convinced me to switch to Super Chewer once I let them know my dog was chewing through every toy. Well, Super Chewer isn’t so “super”. My dog still has the ability to chew through all those toys within minutes of receiving them. I have emailed multiple times, with pictures, letting them know this and always get the, “we will send a replacement toy until your next box comes to keep her tail wagging” story. This doesn’t help me one bit, as the replacement items are horrible as well. Each time I reach out, I always get the same generated email back.
I would really like to just cancel as this subscription is A WASTE OF MONEY. But, when I ask to, they tell me I’m committed until it ends in July. Why July? Because they messed up so many orders with arriving super late, forgetting a toy, or sending from a monthly theme that was a repeat, and not new (which I wasn’t thrilled to get the email about the warehouse move as it seems everyone gets this no matter when issue happened). I would not recommend this subscription to anyone, better to save your money and find toys at your pet shop as it’ll be of much better quality and you won’t have to deal with the same old run around each time if there is an issue.
I had historically purchased a 12 month standard Bark Box for the past year. No Issues and great product, with 24 hour response time. As of January 2019 - I indicated I wanted to RENEW my membership: Here is the recount of what happened: I asked for a 12 month renewal, but wanted to start with Super Chewer THEN DECIDE whether to continue with the standard or with super chewer. They indicated I had to go monthly - which is $10 USD MORE per month despite indicating I wanted to go for the 12 month - first month super chewer, subsequent months superchewer or Bark Box depending on what my pup liked. There is no option to do this within the website.
I was charged the monthly rate AGAIN within 15 days BEFORE getting my FIRST superchewer box, which was late by 2 days. I spoke to the "Ask Scout" after my online checkout to have NO PORK items, yet the FIRST BOX I received was ALL PORK items. Response time is over 48 hours now - and always someone different just indicating that it is a monthly renewal (when I WANTED YEARLY) rather than addressing my needs. I was very committed for the first year, and right now I am very disappointed with customer service as of 2019. I have tried to communicate with them but it is NOT going anywhere. Do not recommend - the boxes overall are great but there are better subscription service options than THIS.
Resolution In Progress
I wanted to try BarkBox so I checked the "try 1 month" option thinking I would get 1 month's worth and then if I liked it I could subscribe monthly. I ordered on 3/1 and they took the money out then, the box came very fast. The toys lasted a few hours and my dog had them destroyed so I wasn't going to do another month. I was maybe going to try the Super Chewer box they offer. Well on 3/11 they took out another month's payment. I talked to a "Nancy" on the website who said they cannot refund me my money and I cannot return the BarkBox even though I just received one not even 10 days ago. Due to her lack of customer service skills I will NOT be trying the Super Chew box and I do not recommend BarkBox unless you're looking for cheap dog toys.
Hi there, Rachel!
We are so very sorry for this frustrating experience you and Diesel have had. This is absolutely not what we wanted. It looks like you guys signed up on February 28th. Because of this, your first box counted as February's box. The next charge was for March's box. We sincerely apologize for that confusion!
We definitely want to make sure that you and Diesel are completely taken care of and that the boxes you did receive are perfect for him. We will be having someone personally to get this done! If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to us!
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So I saw them on a app and decided to try them out so I did after reading some reviews. Well I should have read the bad ones. I thought I signed up for a month and got my first box box and the toys were horrible cheap and the treats my dog didn’t even like. He’s not a picky eater so when I try to cancel they gave me the runaround and said I was signed up for 12 months. When I try to cancel this they told me sorry I have to pay the monthly fee when I did not sign up for this. Had to reach out to my cc company when I started to read reviews they trick everyone to pay monthly and don’t let you out so you have to pay for crap. Nope. Won’t ever do this again. Will stick with Chewy. Way better and horrible.
Hi there, Thomas!
We are so sorry for the frustration and confusion with our cancellation process. It looks like you and Sir Drake signed up for our discounted 12-month plan. We do have three options when signing up - 1 month for $39/month, 6 months for $34/month, and 12 months for $29/month. In addition, you guys signed up with an awesome first box promotion!
We’re completely dedicated to making BarkBox Day the best experience for Drake! A commitment to us means we are committed to making these the perfect boxes for your boy. Not only can we customize for various preferences and allergies, but we’re also happy to replace unsuitable items through our Scout’s Honor guarantee, no returns or fuss. We’re here for you and your pup - whatever you need!
We will be having someone reach out personally in an effort to get you and Drake all taken care of! If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In ProgressIt says you can cancel at any time. Total lies. I attempted to cancel after 2 boxes charging me $31.11 a month. It was a $5.00 promotion I signed up for. I was told I could not cancel the "subscription". I am reporting to my credit card to refuse payment.
Hi there, Linda!
We are so sorry for the confusion with our cancellation process! That awesome $5 promotion you and Zoey signed up for is valid when signing up for a 6 or 12-month subscription, but does not work as a 1-month trial. I am so sorry if that was confusing in any way, that was definitely not our intention as we make it clear at sign up and on the terms of service that are agreed to when purchasing a subscription. We do have a 1-month, no commitment option when signing up that allows you the option to try the boxes out!
When canceling, you are stopping the renewal at the end of the period you signed up for. We’re completely dedicated to making #BarkBoxDay the best experience for your pack! A commitment to us means we are committed to making these the perfect boxes for your dog. Not only can we customize for various preferences and allergies, but we’re also happy to replace unsuitable items through our Scout’s Honor guarantee, no returns or fuss. We’re here for you and your pup - whatever you need!
We are going to have someone personally reach out to get you and Zoey all taken care of! If you should need anything in the meantime, please reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
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Resolution In ProgressWe recently got a new Corgi puppy and I thought by signing up for BarkBox would be a fun way to acquire some new toys and treats. My issues started immediately - when I signed up, BarkBox was offering 10% off the 6 month subscription if you paid the full 6 months up front (I also had a $15 credit perk for my AMEX if I spent over a certain amount in one transaction). When I tried to utilize that selection, I received a strange website error and the transaction completed. I immediately chatted with a support rep who assured me that the full amount went through. Well, as you can guess, no it didn't - they were charging me monthly and I didn't get the 10% off. When I wrote into support, they said I had actually received a better deal because I received a free toy (which is untrue).
Fast forward to my 2nd monthly BarkBox - I received a notification on Feb 19th that my BarkBox had shipped. When I clicked on the tracking number, it said it would arrive on Feb 22nd (but it had not shipped yet - still in the "Ready to Go" phase with a shipping label). Once Feb 22nd came and went, the estimated arrival date disappeared and the tracking just says "Ready to Go," "Tracking details will be available once the package arrives at the FedEx facility." It is now March 6th and it is *still* in that state.
I e-mailed support about this issue last week - essentially, they simply checked the tracking number and said "Good news - it has shipped." Well, no it hasn't - it's still in the Ready To Go state. I responded to that e-mail late last week and sent a separate e-mail to BarkBox 3 days ago and have received no response. I also just sat on hold for 10 minutes and no one picked up when I tried to call support. Furthermore, their chat function has been grayed out on their website for 3 days. As someone who runs a support team, it's infuriating how poor and non-responsive their support is.
Furthermore, the quality of the toys is below average. One of the toys they sent immediately began to shed black fibers all over my house. Plus my dog is not wild about the treats they sent - it seems he would literally rather eat poop out of the cat box than the treats from BarkBox. A final word of caution - although I didn't have this issue as I saw the "automatic renewal" terms and conditions when I signed up - even after you read all of these poor reviews and you *still* decide to sign up - please ensure you cancel your subscription immediately; otherwise, it will renew automatically after 6 months at a higher rate.
Hi there, Mark!
We are so sorry for the experience that you and Louie have had. This is absolutely not what we want for the two of you and want to make sure that you guys are completely taken care of!
First, we want to take full responsibility for the misinformation that was provided to you first regarding Louie's plan than with Louie's February BarkBox. We will definitely be making sure that coaching is given where applicable. It does look like Louie signed up on a 6-month plan with an extra toy and our $5 First Box promotion. You guys are currently on a monthly billing plan.
February's box was obviously lost in transit and had no updates along the way. We should have reshipped that right away, however, it does look like one of our Senior Ambassadors was able to get that reshipped and should be leaving our warehouse very soon.
We will have someone reach out personally to make sure you and Louie are on the best plan possible moving forward! If you should have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In ProgressGood luck trying to unsubscribe with this company! Worst customer service I have by far seen ever. I tried unsubscribing to this company two months ago because they have the option online so I wait and sure enough I’m charged for two months after. So I figured cool I can just call them so I call the customer service line, what a joke. The number directs you to Facebook and hangs up on you. So I have messaged them on Facebook, email and text and have received nothing. The sad part is I can’t get my money back unless I call the bank and dispute the charges. I have never been so disappointed in a company ever. Do they even have anyone working in customer service answering questions because it seems like they don’t care about the customer and are there for a payment. DO NOT SUBSCRIBE WITH THIS COMPANY. IT IS A TRAP.
Hi there, Giana!
We are so extremely sorry for the frustrating experience you have had. We absolutely understand and always want to make sure you and your pup are completely taken care of. We have been pretty busy over the last couple of weeks, causing our wait times to be a bit higher than we would like. For this reason, it may have taken more time to get back to you. This is absolutely on us and we sincerely apologize.
When you sign up for a discounted 12-month commitment, canceling disables the auto-renewal of that commitment. However, you still receive the boxes within that initial time period. We try to make this apparent when you sign up and do offer a 1-month, no commitment plan as an option as well. We are so sorry this was missed and the frustration this has caused.
It does look like you were able to talk to one of our Happy Ambassadors and get things all sorted out! Snow's account has been closed and you guys have been refunded for the 4 missing boxes.
If you should need anything else in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out! We will always make sure you are completely taken care of!
Resolution In ProgressI have actually been a BarkBox customer for many years with no problems. In February, 2019 I never received the box. I have sent 2 emails, called (just an automated system and not able to leave a message); texted, posted on Facebook. No response. They have now taken the March payment, which I am trying to stop with my bank. I am concerned they have stopped sending out products but are still taking money. The lack of responding to customers is unprofessional and not acceptable.
Hi there, Molly!
We are so sorry that you and Maya were left waiting for February's box. This is absolutely not the norm, as it sounds like you know since you guys have been with us for some time!
We have reshipped that box - it appears to have been delivered as of March 9th (https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input?qtc_tLabels1=9405510298112029347583).
We are also going to have someone personally reach out to make sure that you and your girl are completely taken care of moving forward! If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to us!
Reached them on the phone after much waiting. Talked to a superb rep who adjusted things for me. Dog and I happy.
My dog and I love the product but OK I am old and stupid. I thought I could try it first before being locked in an ironclad contract for 12 months. I am a disabled 71 year old with fixed income after rent and utilities: $167 to buy food for my dog and me, plus medicine, supplies, whatever. My memory is "challenging". I cannot afford $31.54 per month. I could buy 1 box every 3 months? Product is superb but cost is too much for me. So sorry.
Resolution In ProgressBarkBox products are poorly advertised and they keep trying to cover up poor customer service with offers to keep people from cancelling. Two months in and have not yet received anything worth $25 per box. They expect me to pay for the next six months for subscription that doesn't hold up to the quality products they advertise. Do not subscribe for more than one month!!! It's a scam. They feel they have you hooked and do not send the nice stuff as probably a one month subscriber or trial pack may falsely represent. Very unsatisfied and they will do nothing about it.
Hi there, Kristin!
We are so sorry to hear that you feel this way. Starting at only $21/month, each box contains 2 toys, 2 treats, and a chew with a value of at $45-50 each month, so you won't find a better deal to get that tail wagging, and it comes straight to your door! Plus, our superstar team of designers crafts each month’s surprise from start to finish, paying attention to every detail and drawing on years of feedback from our fellow pup parents.
We work personally with our vendors to make sure that every toy is a toy that we would give our own dogs, with high-grade, non-toxic materials and a focus on safety. This attention to detail extends to our treats, with healthy ingredients sourced only from the US and Canada, and no corn, soy, or wheat.
And, best of all, having a BarkBox subscription means that your pup has their very own concierge called the Happy Team! We can customize the boxes through our Tailored program and replace anything unsuitable through our Scout’s Honor guarantee, no returns or fuss. We are completely dedicated to making sure that your pup loves their goodies, so you can rest easy knowing that your money will go 100% toward making your pup happy.
With all of that being said, sometimes BarkBox is not the best fit for all pups. We will be having someone personally reach out to make sure that you and Rusty are all taken care of. If you should have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
I’ve had my dog for 3 years now and I have never been able to get him to play with toys. There has been probably 1 or 2 that he liked. (One of those squeaky pigs which are really great and last a decent amount of time) and this other stuffed toy that was destroyed in minutes and he ended up carrying around a shredded rag for 2 months. But I just got my first BarkBox yesterday, and he absolutely LOVES it. He has not let his toys out of sight. Opening the box is so fun also! The themes are completely adorable. And the treats that go with them are so diverse and creative. I’m so excited to get my next box next month!
Hi Bela,
Awww! Your pup is so adorable. We're so happy to hear that he is loving the toys so much. Does he have a favorite? We hope you're excited for the fun surprises and themes we have to come.
Take care and have a great day!
Resolution In Progress
The concept is great and the themes were kind of fun. Most of the toys only last a month or two. (My dog’s other toys we have purchased are lasting just fine!) I Signed up for a 6 month program. I now understand from reading the reviews of many other equally unhappy customers, that after the 6 months 1) they auto renew you without any notice. 2) If you try to cancel after that auto renew happens and the price has surprisingly increased (some free toy option that goes away apparently), they refuse. So the toys we were mildly happy with are now priced high enough that we are UNHAPPY, and cannot cancel. My dog does enjoy getting and opening the box, so I guess there is that. But she likes All boxes!
BarkBox - it would be a great idea to be more clear on your programs, policies, and cancellation restrictions UP FRONT (I find NO INFO about this on your website) as well as price increases. And it would be good business to send a notice prior to renewals so people know they are making a choice to renew or cancel and so they know the new price, before the time passes and you say, “Oh, too late”. This just bad business and a nasty underhanded way to treat customers and has completely changed and tainted my opinion of your company.
Hi there, Sandy!
Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out. We absolutely understand your frustration and sincerely apologize for this experience. This is absolutely not what we want for you and Poppy.
All of our subscriptions (1, 6 or 12-month) do auto-renew. We’re a subscription service and the majority of our customers prefer this so that there is never a lapse in deliveries! We try to make this apparent when signing up as well as in our FAQ page, but absolutely understand this can be missed. In addition, when signing up for a promotion, like the Free Extra Toy Promotion, this only applies to the initial commitment period.
With that being said, we definitely want you and Poppy completely taken care of. We are going to have someone personally reach out to you guys shortly! If you should need anything in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In Progress
I signed up for a 6 month subscription. We signed up in December got our BarkBox and then our January box. Now February is where I get upset. I received an email stating my BarkBox shipped on February 15. It is now March 2 and I have still not received my box. I emailed and messaged, called and I still have no box. When I messaged on the Facebook messenger it took hours even days for them to respond to my concerns. I will now be possibly getting billed for my March BarkBox before my February box even arrives. No one has offered to reimburse me for my February box which is beyond late and for the lack of help I have received. If someone could reach out to me from BarkBox and tell me where and when my box will be here I would greatly appreciate it.
Hi there, Page!
We are so terribly sorry for the delay with Arty and Brutus' February BarkBox as well as with our response to get you guys taken care of. This is absolutely not the norm here and we want to make sure you and your pups are completely taken care of.
It looks like one of our team members was able to get that February BarkBox reshipped on March 3rd. It should be delivered by March 18th! You can check on the tracking link below to keep an eye on that:
https://www.fedex.com/apps/fedextrack/?tracknumbers=9261290985235422837067
In an effort to make this extreme delay up to you, we have gone ahead and issued a full refund for February's charge as of March 5th. You should have already received that back into your account!
Again, we are so very sorry that Brutus and Arty have been left waiting. This is definitely not what we want for them. Please let them know that March's box Should be shipping out very soon (around the 15th) and they will have goodies in their paws soon :)
If you should need anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com! We will make sure to get you taken care of.
Resolution In ProgressI’ve previously ordered BarkBox for my dogs and was absolutely thrilled with the boxes. I work as a trainer and referred several people to BarkBox for their pups. Our favorite part of the boxes were the rubber fun toys (a camera for a safari theme, a cactus for a western theme, a cassette tape for retro theme etc). We occasionally received soft toys - which I don’t give my dogs, but I happily passed these on and donated them to friends. My life got crazy (and expensive) and I ended up not renewing my plan once it canceled. Fast forward to this January. I was excited to be able to once again subscribe to BarkBox for another year. I spoke to a customer service representative who was very helpful and re enrolled me in my old plan. Yay! Or so I thought...
Our first BarkBox came and it had treats, a chew and two soft toys. Bummer, but it happens. No big deal. Next month...two more soft toys... Damn! So I emailed customer service and was told “Original BarkBoxes don’t and never have contained rubber toys”... Which is impossible because I literally have 10 rubber toys laying around my house from previous original BarkBoxes. They wouldn’t do anything about the soft toys I had received as far as offering to replace them with more suitable toys. The only option they gave me was to upgrade to the super chewer box for an additional cost monthly. I did upgrade, because now that I’m enrolled in a 12 month cycle I didn’t want 10 more months of completely useless toys...but I will not be renewing in the future. I’m very disappointed, especially after being a previously happy customer.
Hi there, Alexandra!
Thank you so much for reaching out. We are so sorry about the confusion and frustration surrounding the different plans. It looks like you and Felon were pack members quite a bit ago! Our Super Chewer subscription is still pretty new, so it is very possible you previously received some rubber toys in your previous boxes. We now have the two separate subscription types in an effort to better spoil the many different types of pups out there! We are so glad that one of our Happy Ambassadors was able to get you Felon, Freki, and Kyle set up on the correct plan! In an effort to make up for the frustration and for those first few boxes not being the perfect fit, we have gone ahead and made April completely on us! We hope that your pack continues to enjoy those boxes and if you should ever need anything else in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out :)
We were torn between the multiple dog toy/treat services that were available. We almost went with PuppyBox but decided to go with BarkBox instead and man oh man are we so happy! The toys are made VERY DURABLE and with creative and fun themes. The treats are wonderful for training and just as snacks any time of the day! Customer service is INCREDIBLE! This is one of their biggest selling points with us in a world full of terrible customer service. They have amazing deals and promotions all the time that are incentive enough to choose BarkBox over all others!
Hi Ravi,
We are thrilled to hear that you and your pup are loving the BarkBox goodies! Does your pup have any favorites so far?!
Our #1 goal is ensuring that you and your pups are always happy. We have so many fun themes and surprises to come. If there's ever anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Have a great day!
Resolution In ProgressOverpriced and toys fell apart. Was not impressed or satisfied at all. Contacted them and they refused to cancel my last 2 months “subscription” which I did know about. They also did not respond when I asked them if satisfaction is guaranteed or money back. That says it all when a company doesn’t try to make it right.
Hi there, Darla!
We are so sorry to hear that you feel this way. This was absolutely never our intention. It looks like you and your pup signed up on our special Free Extra Toy promotion. This promotion was only applicable to a discounted 6 or 12-month plan. We do have the option during checkout for a 1-month, no commitment plan, however, this plan does not work with that specific promotion. We have dedicated 6-months worth of boxes for your pup and want to keep our end of the promise! We truly are so sorry that this was not made clear for you. We try our best to make this as clear as possible when signing up, but understand it can be missed.
It sounds like your pup may need some of our more durable toys! We do have a Scouts Honor guarantee that will replace an item that doesn't work for your pup in tangent with finding a long-term solution to get your pup the perfect assortment! We are going to get a couple of our Super Chewer toys sent out for your sweet pup to try! We will also be having someone reach out personally to see how they go and see what else we can do to get your pup the items they need!
If you should need anything in the meantime or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In Progress
When placing the order in December for my grandpup, I entered her breed and weight. I purchased a years subscription based on the recommended box. We received the Christmas box which was cute. The first monthly box in January was very disappointing. The toys and treats were very tiny. The chew sticks were 4" long and thinner than a pencil. This was for an 80 pound pitbull. The plush toys were VERY poor quality and didn't last 15 minutes. I contacted the company and was told replacements would be sent out. We never received anything. I was also told our order would be changed to the super chewer box that was the same price and what we were under the impression I paid for in full in December.
February box arrives and the treat and chew is more appropriate, but the same tiny plush toys were sent. Again, I attempted to contact the company only to be told in addition to the price already paid, I would need to pay an additional $69.75 to get a better quality item sent. I asked in January if an additional fee would be charged for the change and was told no, but now today there are additional charges. I'm not confident that if I pay them almost $70 more we will ever receive anything more than the very disappointing items we've seen.
Hi there, Kimberly!
Thank you so much for reaching out! We sincerely apologize that your son and Varona have not had the best experience with our BarkBox. This is definitely not what we want for either of them.
As of now, we only ask for the weight and name of the pup through sign up. The breed is definitely important and we hope to have this option in the future as it would help us tailor those boxes right from the start! It looks like one of our Happy Ambassadors originally put Varona on our More Durable Classic plan. These toys are still plush but come with some tougher squeakers and reinforced stitching. Obviously, this was not the best option for Varona and I am so sorry that we did not assess this from the first time you reached out. That is definitely on us.
We dug a little deeper in your account and it does appear that those Scouts Honor items were never processed. Again, we take full responsibility for this hiccup and are truly so sorry those items were not sent out. We are going to process those now and they should be leaving our warehouse very soon!
In addition, it looks like one of our members of leadership has set Verona up on a $29/month, no commitment Super Chewer subscription with the first 2 months absolutely free as an apology for all of the frustration. We understand that you were just trying to spoil your sweet grand-pup and we want to do our very best to make this the awesome experience you had planned.
We hope that Verona enjoys those goodies that are on the way for her and the Super Chewer boxes in the future! Please do not hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com if you should need anything else at all!
Resolution In Progress
I have a small dog with bad teeth and thought I would give BarkBox a try. The treats and toys are WAY too hard for her and when I asked to cancel I was told "not until next billing cycle". Why would I pay for a box I’m going to throw away? Poor customer service!
Hi there, Andrew!
Thank you so much for reaching out. We sincerely apologize for the confusion with our cancellation procedure. It looks like you and Lilly signed up with that awesome $5 First Box. This promotion was only valid on a 6 or 12-month commitment. We do have the option during checkout for a 1-month, no commitment plan, but that special promotion is not valid with that plan.
With that being said, we definitely do not want you to feel stuck with items that Lilly is not able to use! Which is why we now offer many tailoring options! This allows us to get Lilly the best possible assortment possible :)
We will be having someone reach out personally to make sure that you and Lilly are all taken care of :)
If you should have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Resolution In ProgressSo I ordered my first BarkBox in the beginning of February to get my pup a Valentine's Day gift!!! Exciting right! No! When it arrived it was Christmas themed with old Christmas treats and 1 toy. So of course I contact BarkBox a little upset with this mix up. They ensure they're going to fix it and send out another box. I receive it. It's Viking themed with a fake paper Viking hat. I have a dog that chew everything and you give him paper!!! Way to go BarkBox!! So not only did I not get the Valentine's Day box I originally tried to order but I got paper product, 1 chew toy and 2 bags of treats. After this I canceled my membership. This service is terrible and for the amount of money people pay. We should expect a little more.
Hi there, Amanda!
Thank you so much for reaching out and we are terribly sorry to hear that Rubble's experience was not the superb one we are accustomed to providing! After digging into your account a bit, it looks like the two of you signed up on February 11th, which was after our date of guarantee for the Valentine's Day BarkBox. It was extremely popular and sold out fairly quickly!
It looks like one of our Happy Ambassadors did mistakenly assure you that a Valentine's Day themed box was on the way rather than the new Viking themed box. This is absolutely on us and we are terribly sorry for this. You should have received 2 Super Chewer toys, 2 bags of treats, and 2 chews with this replacement box!
It also appears we have a couple of extra free goodies heading your way in an effort to make this up to you nad Rubble. They should be leaving our warehouse very soon!
As for the Viking hat, we do include fun interactive inserts for picture opportunities! This is mainly for the benefit of the pup-parent and is not meant to be considered a toy for the pup.
Our sincerest apologies that your first BarkBox expereince was not everything you had hoped for, but we really hope that Rubble was able to enjoy both of the boxes they received and the new goodies that are heading your way!
If you should have any other questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In Progress
My roommate ordered a Valentine's day special box and was sweet enough to share the treats with my dog. I like reading the ingredients on everything I feed him, or I make it myself. If you've ever looked into the kind of foods that your dogs can happen you would understand it ingredients such as garlic and onions etcetera are harmful to your dog. While I was reading the ingredients I noticed that BarkBox using some of these ingredients in their dog treats and so I messaged them about it in the response I got was that it was "for flavor" and that they were aware that the ingredient is harmful but assured that because it was in small doses that it wasn't a big deal. What kind of dog food company would intentionally use harmful ingredients in their dog treats?
Hi there, Jessica!
Thank you so much for reaching out and letting us know about your experience with our boxes. We absolutely understand your concern and are really glad that we have such conscientious pack members. We would absolutely never send out any treats that we would not give our own pups.
Ingredients like garlic are added into treats in order to make them both more palatable to the pup and to mask unfavorable smells for the human. The incredibly small quantity that is present in some treats will not cause any reaction. We never recommend that you use treats as a substitute to food, but rather as small supplements.
With that being said, we understand that some pup-parents may not feel comfortable giving these types of treats to their pups. For this reason, we have some awesome tailoring options to exclude many different ingredients, including garlic!
Our one and only goal is to make sure your pups are happy and healthy and will do anything we can to make sure this happens! If you should have any more questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In Progress
Barkbox seemed like an honest, fun filled company to order toys for my 4 dogs from. I ordered the large Super Chewer option. I received 2 packages of treats and two stuffed toys. I went to cancel, and was assured there had been a mix up, since Super Chewer toys are super tough, and made of nylon or rubber. They would give me some extra toys for free if I stayed. So I said ok. I'd give them A second chance. Mistakes are made, right? So I got my next Super Chewer Barkbox.
Inside a decrepit, beat up box, were exactly the same two stuffed toys my dog destroyed in minutes last month (this month one came with a broken squeaker), and two bags of treats. No fun new theme, no extra toys, no birthday present for my dog. No fun. Just horrible disappointment. This box cost $50 Canadian, and had a broken small stuffed toy, a small stuffed toy, and two packages of treats. There was no nylon or rubber durable toy. They didn't even spring for the cost of a new box to ship in! The box looked like it was dragged out of the recycling. The website won't let you delete your credit card info or unsubscribe. Avoid these dishonest sharks. If you have been sucked in, change your credit card number. They can't legally charge for items they don't provide.
Hi there, Lynne!
We truly are so sorry that your experience thus far has been less than perfect. This is absolutely not what we wanted for you and all of your pups. After digging into your experience, it looks like you, Annie, and your other pups originally signed up with our Classic BarkBox. After reaching out and requesting some tougher toys in January, one of our Happy Ambassadors mistakenly sent out another Classic BarkBox rather than the Super Chewer box. That is absolutely on us and we sincerely apologize for this.
It looks like we have corrected this mistake by reshipping a Super Chewer BarkBox for January's box! That extra toy will be coming in a separate shipment, so keep an eye out for two boxes. They should be leaving our warehouse very soon.
In addition, February's Super Chewer BarkBox should be arriving very soon, if it hasn't already! It looks like it arrived at the border on February 21st.
Again, we truly are so sorry for this experience. This is definitely not what we wanted for you and your pups. We hope to be able to make this up to you guys moving forward and prove that our only goal is to make you, Annie, and her siblings happy! :)
We will be following up with you towards the end of the week to make sure that February's box arrives! If you should need anything in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
If you're wondering if it's worth it to get a BarkBox subscription rather than just purchasing toys and treats at the store, I can tell you DEFINITELY YES! The toys and treats are premium quality - there is no way you can get the same at a store for a lower price. The themes are adorable and witty. My older dog acts like a puppy when she sees her BarkBox, and my young German Shepherd was thrilled to receive her first Super Chewer box last week. As much as we love the toys and treats, the best thing about BarkBox is the company itself. They GET dogs and understand their different personalities. The staff goes out of their way to make sure each box is just right for your dog. They even customized my dog's subscription based on her quirks at no extra charge. Absolutely love everything about this company.
Hi Theresa,
We're thrilled to hear that Izzie and Coco having been absolutely loving their goodies each month. We're so happy we were able to tailor their boxes just for them!
We have so many fun themes and surprises to come. We hope they're excited! If there's ever anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to reach out! Thanks for being in our pack!
Resolution In ProgressNever give a business access to withdraw monthly funds from your bank account. You will always get charged and recharged for bogus miscellaneous charges with the hope you won't figure it out. It never works out for the customer especially with online services.
Hi there, Anita!
Thank you so much for reaching out! We truly are sorry to hear that you feel this way. This is absolutely never our intention. Our one and only goal is to make all dogs happy. We definitely want to make sure that you are completely taken care of!
We were unable to find an account under the email address or name you provided. If you wouldn't mind reaching out privately, we want to get you and your pup all taken care of. We look forward to hearing back!
Resolution In Progress
I ordered BarkBox over Christmas holiday to see what it was all about. As a veterinarian, my clients frequently ask me questions about many products and I like to have tried them to give my opinion. I have a strong chewer, so ordered that particular product. Apparently I set up a 6 month account, unfortunately. The toys were ok for the most part, except the ones that included ropes/handles. Heavy chewers go through ropes/handles like butter and then those items may end up in the intestine, so I never allowed my dog to chew those toys. Also I don't need the games that appear to be for children included and less treats would also be better.
I felt after the first box, I would cancel due to the contents not meeting my needs. Apparently I am "committed" and not allowed to cancel until I have paid for my 6 months. There is no way to get out of it according to their spokesperson. Canceling my credit card may work if they can't charge it. I have requested to speak with people who can help me, but that is not allowed. So I am letting my veterinary clients know my opinion of this product loud and clear, this company doesn't have the customer service necessary for my endorsement.
Hi there, Erin!
Thank you so much for reaching out and letting us know about Ted's experience with our Super Chewer subscription. We are so sorry to hear that it hasn't been the best so far. This is definitely not what we want for the two of you.
When you cancel, this stops the renewal at the end of the discounted commitment you signed up for. With that being said, we don't ever want to continue sending an assortment that does not work for your pup!
It looks like we have offered to tailor Ted's box to exclude ropes moving forward in addition to including more toys and fewer treats! As for the inserts, our BarkBoxes are made so both humans and pups can enjoy the boxes together! We want to make it fun for all ages! :)
We are going to have someone personally reach out to you to get you and Ted all taken care of! If you should have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
We just got our box and it smelled strongly like cigarette smoke. I'm highly sensitive to the smell so I had to bag everything up and remove it from my home. I reached out to BarkBox to let them know, in case it was on their end and not the carrier. Their customer service was amazing and they offered to replace the box free of charge. I appreciate their efforts to keep their customers happy, even if the circumstances are out of their control.
Hi Devon,
I'm so sorry about the box, but I'm glad we were able to quickly fix the situation and get a new box out to Porter. We hope the goodies are a huge hit. Does he have any favorites?
We look forward to spoiling him each month. Please let us know if there's ever anything else we can do to help!
Resolution In ProgressI subscribed last year. After a year, I figured the dogs had enough toys. Lo and behold, I find my BarkBox went up from $20 bucks to 29 bucks. No warning. Nothing. I sent an email and asked to cancel my subscription and was told, I will still have to receive and pay for BarkBoxes until January 2020. Don’t throw your money away. The treats hardly have anything in the bag and the toys are not something you can’t find at the Dollar Tree.
Hi there, Sue!
Thank you for taking the time to reach out and let us know about your experience. We are so sorry that the additional charge caught you off guard. When you and Onyz signed up with our awesome Free Extra Toy promotion, this only applies to the first commitment period. When Onyx's plan renewed in January, you were charged $9 for that extra toy.
Not to worry! As a special thank you for being loyal members of the pack, we have gone ahead and made that extra toy completely free moving forward and also refunded the lcharge of $9! You should see that back into your account within 48 hours or so.
We are also going to have someone reach out personally to see what we could do to make Onyx's BarkBoxes perfect for him moving forward! OIf you should have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lyndz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In ProgressLoved this idea for my furry pets. For Christmas saw an advertisement online that said “cancel anytime.” Thought to myself, great I can cancel anytime if my girls don’t like it. Well, my girls couldn’t digest the treats, gave them diarrhea and we can’t have that! They have to stick to their regular dog treats we buy at Costco and Chewy.com. I canceled in January and to my shock was charged again for another box in February. Contacted BarkBox and they say I committed to a 12 month plan.
Nowhere when signing up did it say you’re locked in and committed for 12 months regardless if you cancel. Cancel anytime means Cancel it all in my mind. That’s very shady and sneaky the way this was presented. I canceled my payments and recommend Barkbox make their advertising clear that “cancel anytime” means you’re only canceling the membership and not the service. I won’t be renewing and they lost a customer who will be telling everyone how shady their sign up is! Shame on Barkbox! All about the buck and not the customers' happiness. Woof that!
Hi there, Zoey!
Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to us. We are truly sorry for the confusion with our cancellation process. We absolutely understand how this can be frustrating. Thanks to feedback like yours, we have made some changes to the wording on our account pages. What once was "Cancel" is now "Disable Subscription Autorenewal." This is a more clear explanation of our cancellation process, which stops the autorenewal at the end of the discounted multi-month plan you sign up for :)
When going through the sign-up process, we do have the option to sign up for a 1-month, no commitment plan and try our best to make the commitment clear from sign up. We absolutely undersatnd how this could be missed and sincerely apologize that you feel misled. This was absolutely not our intention.
You mentioned that your pups can not have the treats. Did you know that we have a Toy-Only BarkBox?! This would be the perfect fit for you guys!
We are going to have someone reach out and make sure you and your girls are completely taken care of. If you should have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lindz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In ProgressI have a delightful labradoodle who happens to love to chew. I researched the net trying to find items that would provide some variety and satisfy her need to chew. I took a leap of faith with BarkBox as they advertise they have a box just for chewy dogs. It contains two plastic toys, two bags of dog treats and one chewy eatable thing. In three boxes, my dog is not interested in any of the toys which are different versions of the same type of toys. The treats are uninteresting and have nothing to do with a “chewy dog’s” needs. The eatable chewy gets chewed up within minutes.
I complained after the first box, and they sent me another box with the same kind of contents. I complained again and cancelled any renewal of the subscription. The 4th box is now on the way and in my “chat”, I am offered pigs ears which may be more in line with my dog’s level of chewiness but why was I not offered this before? And they still want to send me their chews and treats that I keep saying do not fit my dog’s needs. I just want out of the subscription. I find the fact that everything is done in an online chat and the responses absolutely do not pay attention to what my dog’s needs are frustrating and bad customer service. I would not recommend this company to anyone. You can buy everything they send in their box in a local store —-they have nothing noble and do not seem to know what “chewy” means.
Hi there, Francine!
Thank you so much for reaching out and letting us know about your and Cleo's experience. We are so sorry to hear that our Super Chewer BarkBox has not been the best fit for Cleo. We try our very best to balance the fun experience of BarkBox while also keeping in mind the need for the most durable toys we have. We absolutely love feedback surrounding this box experience as it helps us improve the contents for future boxes!
We are so sorry to hear that your experience with our Chat services has not been extraordinary. We truly do try to make sure that every pup in our pack is completely taken care of and is getting the best assortment of goodies possible. We do have a phone line that you are more than welcome to call if you are wanting some more personal connection with our Happy Ambassadors. Although chat services should be as easy as talking in person, sometimes chatting over the phone is the most effective way to connect! Either way, Cleo's happiness is our number one priority and we certainly want to make sure she is taken care of!
We are going to have someone reach out directly in an effort to make this experience a better one! If you should have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to Lindz@barkbox.com!
Resolution In Progress
I have been a loyal customer to BarkBox for over a year now and very happy. But recently extremely disappointed in the customer service I received when trying to order a specific toy shown through social media. I contacted BarkBox and specifically asked for this toy and was told I needed to order their Valentine's Day box to get it. Because I knew my baby would love this toy, I decided to buy the Box on top of my monthly subscription. When I received my Valentine's Day box I was saddened to see the specific toy I asked for, and was told it would be there by customer service, I wasn't there.
Then after contacting customer service only to get nowhere and yelled at (through text) by their customer service agent! She was very rude and her manager was no help either, told me I should have known that tennis balls are made for medium size dogs! Now... This toy was nowhere on the website... How am I suppose to know the size it's for... I'm sadden by this. Definitely not customer service that you want to go through. Honestly I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be a customer. At the end I feel scammed!
Hi there, Heather!
Thank you for taking the time to reach out and let us know about your experience. We truly are incredibly sorry that Moo and Presley did not receive the toy that you were hoping for. We definitely understand how that can be disappointing. After looking through those conversations, it does look like our Happy Ambassador and Happy Manager offered you either a refund on your Valentine's Box or to send out the toy that Moo and Presley were hoping for! We will absolutely make sure to coach where our tone through text can be improved. We would never want a customer to feel as though they are being yelled at. Our only goal is to make sure that those pups are happy and taken care of :)
We sincerely apologize that this was not the response you were hoping for, but we will always try our best to give Presley and Moo a good experience. We hope to be able to continue spoiling those sweet pups with the boxes that they have enjoyed for so long! If you should have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Lindz@barkbox.com!
I signed up for the 6 month subscription with BarkBox on the 15th of January, here we are the 12th of Feb and still no box. Anytime I try to contact the company, I am told if it's not in within 4-10 business days to contact them, which I have been doing?? I then get charged again on the 2nd of Feb again (even though I am told I should be getting charged on the 15th of every month). Charged for 2 boxes within 1 month and haven't received anything. Can't seem to get any answers from anyone with customer service. I was very excited about this subscription and I am beyond dissatisfied and will be cancelling and looking elsewhere. Less than horrible experience so far and I will be steering everyone away from this!!!
Hi there, Jasmine!
Thank you so much for reaching out and bringing this to our attention. This is absolutely not the experience we wanted for you and Chevy. It does look like that box did reach the border on January 27th. It definitely should have arrived by now. We are going to go ahead and reship a new box for Chevy! That should be leaving our warehouse very soon :)
Regarding our billing date. We bill on the 3rd of each month and ship out our boxes on the 15th of the month! We do this for two reasons. First, because we are a subscription service, sometimes people can forget about the box coming and the billing on the 3rd serves as a reminder in case any changes to the address or box assortment need to be made, we will still have time for that! Secondly, we want to have enough time to pack up all of the many pups' boxes!
Chevy's February box should be shipping out around the 15th of the month and will arrive within 4-12 business days from that shipping date! You will receive a shipping email once it leaves our warehouse :)
Please let us know if there is absolutely anything else we can help with. We definitely want to make this the best possible experience for you and Chevy!
BarkBox expert review by ConsumerAffairs
BarkBox is a subscription service for all-natural treats and toys. You sign up for a plan and receive a themed BarkBox every month based on the size of dog you have. BarkBox launched in 2012 as part of BARK, an online pet treat and toy store.
Personalized box: When you sign up for BarkBox, you choose plans based on the size of your dog. BarkBox has surprises for three different dog sizes: small, up to 20 pounds; medium, 20-50 pounds; and large, 50 pounds or more.
Package contents: Each package includes at least two toys, two bags of all-natural treats and a chew. Contents change every month, so your dog won’t get the same thing twice.
Fun themed packages: Each BarkBox comes with a fun theme like Sniffin’ Safari, Chewrassic Park and New York City. The BarkBox theme is a different surprise every month, ensuring that your dog never gets bored.
Free replacement: If your pup doesn’t like an item they got, BarkBox will send your dog a replacement toy for free. This way, you never have to pay for a toy your dog doesn’t use.
Subscription options: BarkBox costs $29 per month if you pay on a monthly basis. However, you can pay in advance to save money. Paying for six months at a time costs $25 per box, and paying for a full year costs $21 per month.
Best for: owners and dogs who like surprises every month.
The ConsumerAffairs Research Team believes everyone deserves to make smart decisions. We aim to provide readers with the most up-to-date information available about today's consumer products and services.
BarkBox Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- BarkBox
- Website:
- barkbox.com