PetSmart
Reviews and Complaints

I recently had a terrible experience with the Petsmart PetsHotel located at 8695 South Park Meadows Center Drive in Littleton, Colorado. My dog was booked to stay there from Friday night (8/29/14) until midday Monday (9/1/14). I provided clear instructions to the staff that my dog was to be fed 1/2 a cup twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I even measured out the contents of each bag and packed 8 baggies of food with 1/2 a cup in each, as well as 4 baggies of treats.

However, when I picked up my dog on Monday, I was shocked to find that all four treat bags had been returned to me, and there were four bags of food left. If my dog had been fed according to my instructions, there should have only been two bags of food left. It was clear that my dog had not been fed properly, and had only been given half of the food he should have received over the course of three days.

When my husband went back into the store to inquire about what had happened, he was met with resistance from the manager, Brea, who claimed that our dog had been fed correctly. However, she could not give a definite answer when asked how much our dog had been fed each time. She even suggested that the employees may have moved the food around in the bags, which was a ridiculous explanation. It was obvious that our dog had not been fed properly, and we were extremely disappointed in the lack of care provided by the staff.

The manager's response was even more disappointing, as she had the nerve to ask my husband what he "wanted her to do about it". We simply wanted our dog to be fed properly, and for the staff to show concern that their procedures for feeding dogs were not working correctly. We were eventually refunded the cost of the stay, but we would have much preferred for our dog to have been properly fed.

The Operations Manager, Britton, promised to "open an investigation", but when we received a call back on the situation, he claimed that the food was right and that my husband wasn't even in the store during check-in (which was a complete lie). He even suggested that I had agreed that the food wasn't measured, which was not true at all. It was clear that the staff were not only incompetent, but also willing to lie to cover up their mistakes.

Overall, our experience with the Petsmart PetsHotel in Littleton was absolutely disgusting and deplorable. We hope that the staff are properly reprimanded and that the policies in place for ensuring the correct treatment of animals are reviewed and improved. We also hope that Petsmart takes customer complaints seriously and does not simply redirect them back to the store that caused the problem in the first place. Our trust in Petsmart has been completely shattered, and we will not be returning to any of their PetsHotels in the future.

So i started up my 55 gal about 3 months ago, and since then all the fish i have bought from petsmart alone have all died or are going to die from a very common fungal diseases. And i have even asked the manager at the hurst texas 76053 location about it and they immediately confronted me with rudeness and attitude. They get trained with these things but yet still dont educate me about it and will keep selling me sick fish. The last time i bought fish from there they literally died in the bag before i even got a chance to put them in the tank. And now i have to start all over and get another heater and filter. I also have to throw out all my decorations and gravel. And also all theyre betas look sick as hell like they dont even take good care of them and they even try to get u to get a way too small tank for the beta if u buy one.

Placed 3 phone calls while attempting to cancel an order just placed.

Date: 9/8/20023 order placed in error by non-account owner.

Placed 3 phone calls while attempting to cancel an order and was hung up on each time I requested to cancel order #[protected] for Fancy Feast 48 cans.

It appeared when mentioning canceling the order the phone was disconnected.

I believe one of the representative's names was Maurine.

Your determination to destroy America is failing, as your business. Please STOP DEI and apologize. I am a activist for Christian beliefs. I recently changed my stock holdings to tell Marxist businesses like you to stop or suffer financial loses. When I complained, I was quickly shown the door even though I never raised my voice or made a disturbance. The violated my right to free speech.o

I had a 20% coupon was expiring and called the store manager to see if it would be honored. I said I would be in on Tuesday for senior discount, and asked if my coupon would be honored. Both Garrett and Alysa said yes, and that it would not be a problem and they both were extremely nice. I dropped off my two dogs and waited Tuesday evening for the dogs to be groomed. No one informed me that the coupon would NOT be honored, and the salon manager went behind my back, and told the front desk NOT to honor the coupon. When the dogs were finished, the front cashier, Lindsey, denied the coupon and was very, very disrespectful. I explained that I had been promised by the store manager that my coupon was to be honored, and that I could have come in on the weekend, at my leisure, instead of being there late at night, and it would have been cheaper by using the coupon! She said well the salon manager told me NOT to honor the coupon, and I don't care what else you were told, and I am here late too and I have a job that I have to work ...just like you!@@@@@ DRAMA!

I took my puppy to be groomed and Kayla Independence Missour said he hadn't had his rabies shot so they couldn't do it.Understand the dog is a toy poodle less than 4 months old.I called my vet and he said I can't believe they did this he can't even get a rabies vac until hi is 4 months old. I got all his vac up to date but as far as I'm concerned Petsmart just lost a costomer

I had bought some minnows from pets smarta little while back that gave my gator parasites and I have him frozen in my freezer because how much I am attached to him and just don’t want to bury him and spent so much time with thought I sent my complaint in but never heard anything back I don’t know Maby I didn’t send it to the right email but call me at [protected]

I took my 4 yr old pomeranian to be groom at your Loganville Petsmart, I ordered the deluxe furminator pampering package. I did not receive any of the products that was included in this package deal. My Pom did not get her nails trimmed or her teeth brush, no bath fragrance or bandana as was included in the package, was not fermented and was wet when I picked her up.

To: Corporate Headquarters for Pets Mart Pet Hotel

Regarding Incident of July 14, 2023 at the Reston, VA, Petsmart Pet Hotel and Banfield hospital in Reston, VA.

I have boarded my dogs with the Reston Petsmart for many years without incident. This week was an unfortunate exception to the many prior happy times that my pets have had at your facility. This exception needs to be corrected. Both an apology and a reimbursement of a changed flight is requested.

We left our two dogs, both 4-year-olds, at the Petsmart Pet Hotel on Wednesday July 12 around 3:30 pm. I did not have any difficulties checking in the dogs and things seemed normal. I signed several new forms and they added the dogs updated medical records to the computer.

On Friday morning, I received a message from Rosa asking me to phone the kennel. I phoned and was informed that Kona threw up a clear liquid around 9 am, had an unusual liquid bowel movement (no other information was given), and was sent to the Banfield medical center co-located in the store. I asked Paul, the person I was speaking with, what she had eaten over the past two days. He read me the record. I asked what time she was fed breakfast the morning of the event, and he said 9 am. I explained that Kona has a sensitive digestive system and that she will throw-up stomach acid if not fed by 6 or 7 am; she has always done this. I was not given any further clarification on the condition of the stool, but she has been known to have soft stools when her stomach is upset. Paul stated that Kona had explosive, runny poops. This was not something we have seen before and were not certain this was factual. I was upset that they sent her to the medical center without speaking with us first. There was not blood in either of the fluids so it seemed that she might have gotten hold of a “treat” that did not agree with her. Paul forcefully told me that this is their procedure and that having two unusual events requires that he send the dog to the medical center. I explained that this is not unusual for Kona and that I would like her returned to the kennel with her sister. He became very angry and said that she could not come back until she was seen by a doctor.

This was our first issue. A non-bloody vomit of stomach acid for a dog that has a sensitive digestive system is not cause to send a dog to the medical center. She was eating and drinking, and based on her condition when I picked her up she was perfectly healthy and happy. The second issue was that they did not attempt to send me a picture of the stool so that I could see what they were talking about. I explained to Paul that a little over a month ago, Kona had Giardia which has been successfully treated but left her digestive system sensitive. He would not listen and told me that if she could not be evaluated by a veterinarian, she would have to be picked up that day. I was in California with my family for a memorial service for my husband’s brother and for a family reunion that had been planned for over a year. I did not have anyone able to pick my dog up and was very upset that Paul was ignoring the information and requests that I was giving him. I asked if he had called Kona’s regular vet; he did not answer that question. When I checked the dogs in for this stay at PetsMart, the Occoquan Animal Hospital’s information was on the top of the sheet with updated vaccinations that I provided. She handed me back the records, I expected the receptionist to update our vet in your system as I had her update our new home address.

I phoned the Banfield office and asked to speak with the veterinarian that was seeing my dog. I was connected with a technician who told me that I could not speak with the doctor and that Kona would be treated. I stopped the young lady and explained that I had not given permission for them to treat my dog and would not do so if I could not speak with the vet first. I asked for the veterinarian to call me and waited over an hour but did not receive a call. She stated that the veterinarian had not seen Kona. Apparently, she told the kennel staff that I refused to have Kona seen. That is not what I said, I said that they did not have permission to treat her; that is different than an evaluation. I got another angry call from Paul saying that if I did not allow her to be treated, she could not come back to the kennel and that I would have to pick her up immediately (despite the fact that I was on vacation in California [hence why I entrusted PetsMart with boarding my dogs]). I asked why he had not called my veterinarian, he said they have a special relationship with the on-site Banfield office and that they use them.

When I called Banfield again to talk with the doctor, they refused to allow us to talk with the doctor until after we authorized treatment. My husband, Philip, joined the call and said that we wanted to talk to the doctor first so that we could provide background information on our dog’s medical history. The technician refused and said that we have to authorize “treatment” before we can talk to the doctor. My husband, Philip, said that we do not want Kona treated until we can talk to the doctor. They refused again, saying that the doctor must evaluate Kona before we can talk to the doctor. Philip said that an “examination” is different that “treating” the dog, and that we want to discuss Kona’s medical history to inform any examination. They refused again. Philip then resorted to asking how much an examination would cost. They replied that the initial examination is at no cost for transfers from PetsMart Pet Hotel. Philip then authorized the examination but absolutely no medications or other procedures until the doctor calls us back first. They agreed.

The Banfield vet saw Kona and called us after the visit. She said Kona looked good. She did not have a temperature and did not look ill, but she was a bit watery in the rectal exam. She suggested that the kennel give her a couple pills with probiotics and some fiber bulk. We asked if the pills were completely necessary, and the doctor said that they were not and could just be sent back to boarding at PetsMart. I declined the pills as it would not immediately solve a runny stool issue and wanted to avoid introducing something new to her GI track. I suspected Kona had been given a treat which threw off her system and assumed it would resolve itself in a day or so. I asked if she could go back in the kennel with her sister, she said there wasn’t anything wrong with her, so yes. The doctor was quite helpful and indicated that Kona was in pretty good condition.

I was assured by the doctor that she would send Kona back and let them know that she was not ill so that she could stay with her sister. Paul called almost immediately and said that Kona would have to be under medical boarding. I said that the doctor said that Kona was fine and could be boarded. Paul disagreed and began threatening us, insisting that we pick Kona up that evening (again, I was in California, not Virginia) and that he would not be responsible for her condition. He also told me that since I declined treatment, he would not allow Kona to come back to the PetHotel. I let him know that the doctor was just suggesting probiotics and said she was fine and could go back. She stated that Kona could be stressed and that is the possible reason for digestive issues. Probiotics are something to help digestion and are good, but they are not antibiotics or other necessary medical treatment. Paul insisted that she be picked up and said that if she could not be picked up that she would have to be medically kenneled (in a small cage by herself, which would just increase her stress, not providing comfortable boarding) until I came to get her. I told him that the doctor said she was fine to return to the PetHotel. He said in an angry, raging voice that my husband and I were very threatening and that he would check with the doctor. He also implied that my dog could not continue to stay at the kennel for the remainder of my trip.

At this point, I was beyond frazzled. My pets, part of my family, were being stressed, along with myself and my husband. I was not certain what had happened, but I no longer had any confidence in what was going on in PetsMart at Reston or the technicians at Banfield. I booked a flight home departing just two hours from my last conversation with Paul. It was a red-eye with a long lay-over in Phoenix. I packed up rushed to the airport, leaving my husband and family before the memorial and before the reunion. My family trip was ruined. Before I boarded the plane, I phoned the kennel to find out where Kona was located. They said she was back with her sister at PetsMart. I asked if she was okay, and they said yes. Paul had not called me back. I told the worker who helped me that I should be there by 9:30 am in the morning to pick up my dogs.

When I landed on Saturday morning, traveled to Dulles to pick up my car (I was not able to get a flight back to the same airport) and drove to the Reston PetsMart to pick up the dogs. The pet hotel office was messy and chaotic, with papers in disarray all over the counter. The young woman in the dog group play room was spraying all of the dogs and yelling at them. The staff was busy with other customers, and I waited calmly for my turn. When I told them I was there to pick up my dogs and their possessions and pay, the woman helping me brought out the dogs bedding and food. She was having difficulty with the computer and asked a colleague for help. The price listed on the computer that I could see suddenly changed after the colleague helped her. I asked what happened and the colleague said in an angry voice that they stayed for 3 nights and that was the price. I said okay, I was just confused at the sudden change in price shown. I paid and then asked the original woman if she would wait for a few minutes for before bringing out the dogs so that I could put their possessions in my car. She kindly said she would. I came back and she brought out my dogs. They were both energetic, bright eyed and clearly in good health. The woman and her colleague said to me “You are not compatible with our business and you should not come back here to board your dogs.”

I was angry. I had been a customer for many years and had never had such a horrible experience as they provided this now ruined vacation.

1. Your Pets Hotel was entirely unreliable as a boarding kennel. I missed the memorial service for my brother-in-law, family reunion, and vacation.

2. Your manager, Paul, refused to accept any information on my dog’s health situation as it relates to the observed events (a single acid reflex and a loose stool), saying that he blindly follows corporate policy and that if we have any issues then we should take them up with Corporate, not him.

3. I was told that I must use a captive veterinarian (Banfield) rather than my regular vet, which is very familiar with my dog’s medical situation and history.

4. I was told by the Banfield technicians that we must approve treatment before we can even talk with the vet.

5. I was told that I must abide by any treatment that they offer for my pets to remain at the Reston PetsMart Pet Hotel.

6. I was told that I would have to pay for medical boarding of my pet even after the Banfield vet said that she was in good shape.

7. It was implied by Paul that my dogs would be put out of the facility if I did not pick them up that even (despite the fact I was across the country in California).

8. I was treated rudely and disrespectfully throughout—as if I was an unreasonable dog owner.

9. I was shocked at the statements from your employees when I pointed out to them the vigor of my dogs who were obviously very healthy.

10. After picking up my dogs, I found them healthy, happy, and bouncy. Kona’s next stool was perfectly normal. This makes me suspect that the PetsMart staff gave my dogs a “treat” without my permission that upset Kona’s stomach and caused the runny stool.

I cannot get the memorial service or the family reunion back. I cannot get the family time back nor the money spent for the trip. However, I do expect my flight-change fee to be reimbursed by PetsMart. The change in flight cost me $304 that I paid to American Airlines, who were gracious and helped me get back to pick up my dogs from a facility that was clearly being improperly managed.

As previously stated, my prior experience with this facility has been stellar. I have boarded my dogs there for over eleven years (not exclusively these two, but a prior dog, although these two have been there several times). The prior management was competent, was able to work with pet parents to keep the dogs safe and happy and did not have any unreasonable behavior. However, I no-longer have any confidence in this facility. Its management is incompetent and rude; the workers poorly trained and showed no ability to recognize a dog’s condition; the staff have no interest in discussing a pet’s medical history; the facility is messy, disorganized in the front office and dirty as I looked at the play area. The restroom at the PetsMart in Reston is also a mess and in disrepair.

I request that you rectify the situation at the Reston, VA, PetsMart Pet Hotel, issue me an apology letter, and at least reimburse me for the flight change fee as partial compensation for the inept capabilities at this location.

Sincerely,

Claire Anton

13767 Ulysses Street

Woodbridge, VA 22191

Cell: [protected]

The problem started in the Monroe store. My dog was left alone in a cage and began to scratch. Instead of calling the number they were given, they kept calling my number which can't be reached during day. They then proceeded to take her to the vet. They added notes to her chart saying she could only be an express groom (which surprise surprise costs more) and we didn't give permission for. We decided to go back to the Woodhaven store since this was the one who had taken care of her for years. Not knowing about this "note" my husband made an appointment days earlier. Appointment's now go through a call center who obviously has no background on the animals. I get a call (again calling the wrong number) an hour before her appointment saying it can't be done and had to be rescheduled. It was very important to be done by that day, thus why it was booked a week in advance. The establishment had no care, or concern and in no way tried to fix the problem. So, after bringing my dog to your establishment for 10 years, this is how you treat a customer. No wonder private groomers are preferred--at least they care. All I got from the groomer and the manager is the middle finger.

I am extremely upset with my recent experience at Petsmart. On Sunday June 27, I received a voicemail informing me that my dog was ready to be picked up from grooming services in approximately 30 minutes. However, when I arrived at the store, I was shocked to find that the store had been evacuated due to a fire alarm. I immediately approached an associate and asked about my dog, only to be told that my dog was still inside the store.

After waiting for approximately 30 minutes, the fire department arrived and deactivated the alarms. It was then that I was informed that there were five other dogs still inside the store as well. This is completely unacceptable, especially considering that Petsmart's website states that they keep kennel time as minimal as possible and have someone on hand to check on pets frequently.

I am not only disgusted with Petsmart's policies to leave dogs inside during a potential fire, but also with the way I was treated by the district leader during our phone conversation. He seemed to have little concern for my dog's wellbeing, even laughing when I expressed my concerns about my dog's distress two days later. When I asked how he planned to fix the situation, he dismissed my feelings and said, "What else did you expect?"

As someone who frequently brought my dog to Petsmart for toys and treats, I am extremely disappointed with the way I was treated and the lack of care shown for my dog's safety. I will be following up with the OSPCA to inquire about Petsmart's policies and procedures, and I am seriously considering never returning to this store again.

I had a reservation for my two dogs at Petsmart and unfortunately, I was running late by 15 minutes. When I arrived, I was disappointed to find out that they only had me down for a bath and brush for my dogs, even though I had requested a scissors trim and specifically asked for someone who knew how to trim Australian shepherds properly for show dogs.

To make matters worse, the groomer wasn't even at the station when I was checking in, which took the person who was helping me a whole 15 minutes to complete. When the groomer finally arrived, she claimed that I was a half hour late, which I disputed and clarified that I was only 15 minutes late. She then informed me that my reservation was only for a bath and brush, which was not what I had requested.

I had been to this salon twice before and both times they had buzzed my shepherd's coat, which I had specifically asked them not to do. The second time, I refused to pay because they did not follow my instructions on how to groom my dog. This time, when I called to make an appointment, I made sure to request someone who knew how to groom Australian shepherds properly for show dogs. They assured me that they would set my dog up with the right person.

However, when I arrived for my appointment, they told me that they would not be able to trim my dogs because of the last time they had attempted it and didn't know how to do it properly. It felt like they were blacklisting me because they didn't know how to trim Australian shepherds.

If you have an Australian Shepherd, I would advise you to avoid Petsmart. I wish I could groom my dogs myself, but I rely on groomers to know what they're doing with this type of breed, and it's clear that Petsmart does not have the right groomer on staff at their Forest Lake location.

The staff members were rude and unhelpful, and I had to take time off from work to make this appointment. They didn't seem to care about my inconvenience, even though they were the ones who had set up the appointment wrong. As a result, my dogs did not receive the grooming that they needed.

I recently had an experience at Petsmart that left me feeling unvalued and disrespected. On October 7th, 2020 at 5:30pm, I went to the grooming service and was told to wait outside. I waited for 10 minutes outside and another 10 minutes indoors with others who were also waiting. However, another family got their dog before me and only waited for 10 minutes. When I informed the young girl with long brown hair about how long I had been waiting, she did not say anything. The other young girl with arm tattoos who was grooming another dog also did not care and randomly said "whatever" under her breath.

Their unprofessional and rude behavior was almost Ghetto-like, and it left me feeling disrespected. As a customer, I left Petsmart feeling undervalued and drove home feeling badly. These young girls need to be trained on good business practices and customer service. They need to learn the value of treating people with respect and the importance of good customer service.

I spoke with one of the managers and filed a complaint with the BBB. I will also write more reviews to teach them and corporate entities how to treat people, especially their customers, in a business exchange. Petsmart needs to provide more customer service training and supervision to their employees.

I had been going to Petsmart for 10 years as I had 3 different pets, but based on this bad customer service experience, I will go to another Petsmart or Petco or rather support small business owners who value good business and their customers. It's a shame because other groomers like Gonzo and Sharon exhibited good thorough customer service.

Petsmart, please train your employees on the benefits of good business and good customer service. It's important to treat your customers with respect and provide them with good customer service.