Petco — Local services in New York

I’ve typically had positive experiences at Petco, and the staff is always friendly. On March 29, I brought my dog, Oliver, in for vaccinations and purchased the Dog Shield Pro package for $195—it was the most affordable option in New York. Due to the number of vaccines he needed and his small size, I was advised to return in a couple of weeks for the Rabies and Lyme vaccines. When I came back on April 26, I reviewed Oliver’s medical history with the attending vet. I mentioned that he had vomited once after receiving a rabies shot in the past and that he takes medication for seizures. Based on this, the vet refused to administer either vaccine and told me Oliver would need to be seen elsewhere—despite the fact that he had already received part of the vaccine package at Petco a month earlier without any adverse reactions. The vet assistant assured me I could call Petco’s customer care line to request a refund since they were unable to administer the remaining vaccines. I followed up, took Oliver to his usual vet (where I paid $230 out of pocket), and contacted customer care. Initially, the representative was unhelpful and said the issue needed to be escalated. When I finally received a callback, I was told there was no alert in Oliver’s file and therefore they couldn’t issue a refund. It was extremely frustrating to receive conflicting information from customer care, only to be told that nothing could be done due to missing documentation—something that should have been added by Petco’s own staff. Despite multiple follow-up calls and the fact that Petco’s own vet declined to provide the service I paid for, Vetco continues to say they’re unable to issue a refund. This experience has been both disappointing and frustrating, especially after being told I’d be eligible for one.

Recommendations: If a pet’s medical history may disqualify them from receiving vaccines, this should be communicated before purchasing a package. There were no disclaimers indicating that prior complications could result in a refusal of service. Vet assistants and attending vets should be fully informed of refund policies and ensure that proper documentation is placed in the pet’s file when a service cannot be completed. If an attending vet is uncomfortable administering a vaccine, they should clearly inform the customer that they may return on a different day, as attending vets rotate daily. Had I known this, I would have rescheduled and avoided the extra $230 expense. Unfortunately, I was left with the impression that Oliver could no longer receive vaccines at any Petco location.

As a long-time customer who has typically had good experiences at Petco, I expected better communication, accountability, and...

No heart ... cold, robotic and incredibly unreasonable protocol. It wouldn't have cost them a bloody dime to let me switch two little cans of Fancy Feast flavors for two different flavors of Fancy Feast because I didn't have a receipt. My cat is very sick ... down 3.5 lb which is HUGE. For a store that only sells animal products ... it's unreasonable they wouldn't let me JUST SWITCH THE FLAVOR. My family actually knew the original owner for years who passed away, Leonard Greene. I don't think he would approve of their newer implemented robotic protocol that lacks any type of heart whatsoever. He's rolling in his grave. HONEST TO GOD... NOT TO EXCHANGE 2 LITTLE CANS of Fancy Feast flavors for 2 different flavors because I didn't have a receipt??!! It WOULDN'T HAVE COST THEM A DIME! Just AWFUL BUSINESS PRACTICE. Yes, I'm absolutely FURIOUS! DISGUSTED.

CHEWY IS NOW MY "GO TO". I purchased $130 worth of food from CHEWY that my boy won't eat. They credited me the entire $130 and told me to donate the food ... and they were so sorry to hear about my cat. THAT'S called GIVING BACK. THAT'S called a GREAT COMPANY.

Petco, ... NO ... small minded and PETTY. Unbelievable! I'm a big believer in giving back. I do it all the time . Helping people is so easy. It would be a far finer world if there was more of it.

SHAME ON PETCO! ... as they donate tens of thousands of dollars to kill pounds. I deal with it on a daily basis here in New York and it's a living nightmare as they kill these wonderful healthy adoptable animals. It is what it is and I believe in telling the truth. The public should only know what The Advocates know.

Meanwhile, back to Petco .... they really need to learn how to do reasonable business versus greedy and small...

Petco customer service has been slowly declining especially one of the associates named Sabrina after waiting for 15 minutes to get help finally Sabrina showed up we went to get a hamster due to our beloved hamster had passed away after having him for 2 years, so when it was time to pick we where locked with one of the long hair hamster and I recently bought another connect house so he can have more room keep in mind that I explained to her that I already had a big enclosure for him and the house we bought was just to give him extra space, so what Sabrina did next was called us liars in front of other people saying that we need to buy an enclosure from that store that she approves, so she can go ahead and sell us the hamster, I refused and told her that I had a big enough enclosure for the hamster and she kept on saying that we were lying because she needed to see us get the enclosure and after calling us multiple times liars we decided in a dwarf hamster and even then she was still trying to convince us to get an enclosure that she approves but we did not budge after that she did not give any more info about the dwarf hamster or even talked to us she went with the hamster to the register and proceed to gossip about what she did to us and calling us names with the other employees and soon enough everyone in the store where looking at us if she was not happy doing her job she should quit and get someone else to do it because people like her are why customers stop going to stores because it's easier to buy things online and not have to deal with characters like Sabrina. Came out of the store feeling like returning everything that I bought and going...