Petco — Attraction in Totowa

We had previously been using a different large pet supply retailer in Secaucus for grooming services (hint - their name also begins with "Pet"), and we loved them. The service was personalized and professional, and we never had an issue. However, we decided to give Petco in Totowa a try because since we moved to the area they are now closer to us than the place in Secaucus.

I took our dog there twice, and each time the service was just OK. The first time, I had specifically asked for a teeth brushing, and when I picked him up it hadn't been done. When I asked they took him in the back and MAY have brushed his teeth, but I have no way of knowing (it seemed pretty quick). I'm also not quite sure that they trimmed his nails. The gold star is that they didn't charge me for the teeth brushing because of their error... so that was nice.

The second time I dropped him off, they said it would take about an hour and 20 minutes (which is just about right) and that they would call me when he was ready. They even verified my home number and I gave them my cell number since I knew I'd be out running errands for awhile.

Over two hours later I realized the time and still hadn't heard anything, so I called. There seemed to be some confusion, and finally someone was able to get the status of my dog and tell me that he was ready and waiting. I have no idea how long he was sitting around waiting to be picked up (but given he has short hair and doesn't need much maintenance, I'm guessing it wasn't exactly 5 minutes). And I'm guessing that whatever waiting area they have for the dogs isn't exactly spacious and comfortable.

When I went to pick him up, he came out and looked/smelled great...but his leash was covered in a ton of light colored dog hair from somewhere - it literally looked like the leash had been sitting around on the floor of the grooming area. My dog is black, so I wasn't about to put the leash on him since it was only a matter of time before all of that hair ended up on him. The employee handed me the leash and was about to go back into another room when I pointed it out and asked him to clean the leash off (how could someone not notice a ton of light colored hair on a black leash?)

They also didn't leash my dog before they brought him out to the main grooming waiting area, so when the door opened he ran right out (he's initially hyper and excited when he sees me). He would have gotten out into the main store area (and possibly outside the store altogether, since the exit door was right there) if I hadn't been right there to grab his collar (another safety issue is that the door leading to the grooming salon swings out, so a dog his size could easily jump on the door and open it quite easily).

All this to say that compared to the service we got at the other place in Secaucus that also starts with "Pet", the Petco operation seems a bit disorganized and lacks some of the extra professional touches that I would expect them to have if they are supposed to be competing with the other big-box pet chain. I would normally say that you get what you pay for, but the prices between both places are very similar; Petco doesn't cost any less. I will continue driving further to take our dog to the Secaucus location, or else try out the services at the same retailer's Wayne location. But Petco is a no. I'll stick to Petco for...

Disappointed with Customer Service at Petco Totowa

As a new puppy owner, I was extremely disappointed with a recent incident involving puppy food infested with maggots and how it was handled by a rude staff member at the Petco Totowa location.

I purchased Purina ONE +Plus puppy food, as I usually do. Upon picking up the bag at the store, a moth flew out, and I noticed the dog food bags were covered in spider webs. As a first-time buyer, I didn’t think much of it. I stored the food in a Vittle Vault container I also purchased at Petco Totowa. To my shock, I later discovered the dog food was infested with maggots.

I simply requested a replacement for the dog food and the food storage container. However, the staff member I dealt with was extremely rude and showed no empathy. I expressed my concern about the health risk this posed to my puppy and my two toddler children. Instead of addressing my concerns, I was told that the issue needed to be taken up with Purina, as Petco Totowa only sells the dog food.

Despite my repeated attempts to explain that the Purina dog food sold at their location was spoiled and infested, the employee dismissed my concerns and refused to accommodate my reasonable request. This staff member lacked professionalism, empathy, and any knowledge about the matter, making it clear they were unfit for a client-facing role.

Thankfully, I visited Petco Clifton, where the experience was entirely different. The staff there were knowledgeable, empathetic, and genuinely helpful. They provided guidance and tips on how to handle the situation and manage the transition to a new dog food.

A huge thank you to Petco Clifton for your outstanding customer service. Unfortunately, my experience at Petco Totowa left me frustrated and disappointed, and I hope improvements are made to prevent this from happening to...

I’m aggravate that my dog is terminated from Petco grooming service cause he is a hyper dog. I think the staff was supposed to groomer him last time was new and got scared of my dog. That staff report my dog now he not allowed. This happened last October. The other day I made an appointment for my dog the guy that made my appointment, doesn't tell me my dog is not allowed on Petco grooming. So on the day of the appointment, I get a call from Petco grooming was a woman on the phone. To tell me my dog is terminated from Petco grooming services he is not allowed on any Petco for grooming. For the reason he was energetic and have knots on his hair. I have a one year old Goldendoodle he will be energetic plus he will have some knots on his hair that’s why I took him for grooming at Petco. Also, that day the staff not even groomer him she not even try to give Goldendoodle the benefit of the doubt. Also that day there was another lady I think she was the manager that was just telling the staff was going to groomer my dog to tell me to go to vet office where they can put my dog to sleep so they can groomer him. Seriously, put my Goldendoodle to sleep just to have his hair cut. Wow! My Goldendoodle all that's needed is patience. Clearly Petco grooming staff...