PetSmart
Reviews and Complaints

Went to Petsmart on June 2, 2009 to buy cat food. Noticed three teens scaring and banging on the glass encloures of the cats up for adoption. I immediately ran up to a male employee and told him what I witnessed and he said"The cats are fine they are enclosed". So, I could see he didn't want to work. Then I proceeded to the cashier who informed me me that these boys hang out in the petstore frequently and do this. She paged the manager but, she never showed up. I called the home office and after three days a young woman named "Emily" called to tell me that they kicked the boys out of the store. Well, how about the employee who did not care? She said that everything is solved because she discussed it with the two employees. Well, all is not taking care of and I informed her that I will never shop at the store again.

Complaint about Sugar Land Store and Employees. I was in your store yesterday...While in the parking lot one of your Petsmart employees ran in to my car with a string of baskets (approx 6). The damage to my car was notable. We went in to talk with the person in charge, George..., he was unhelpful and uncooperative in dealing with us. He left us standing for almost an hour while we tried to get information about what we should do about the incident. Both the employee and the person in charge refused to give their full names or even the name of the Store manager. At one point the employee George threatened to call the police and have us thrown out of the store... Luckily there was a Sugar Land Police officer in the store at the time. The officer, M. Bates, looked at my car and agreed that the damage was notable and we needed to obtain the information from the employees as to what to do. Your employees became a little more cooperative with the police officer there and he had them actually call your corporate office and get a claim number for us. We did nothing wrong and were very saddened by the uncooperative attitudes we received from your employees and the fact that it took a police officer to actually get some of the information we needed to feel comfortable that if Petsmart does not do the right thing, we have the officer as a witness to what the employee and we said happened and the what damage was done to my car.

It is difficult to understand, other that some dishonest motives, why the employees would not give their full names or the full name of the store manager,

I hope that we will hear from you regarding this matter.

If a shopping cart dented your car you should be pissed at the auto maker. A cart shouldnt do that. Sounds like a piece of crap.

Management Lacks People Skills !

I have been with the company 7 years and have NEVER witnessed an employee bang on the cat enclosure. Our employees work very hard to keep the cats healthy and happy. We have to constantly get on to customers for harassing cats, small animals, etc. The manager made every effort in her power to handle this incident, including taking a step further to call you and assure you that the situation has been handled. Please do not make company wide assumptions based on the actions of one employee.

Also, to Cookiemonster... Please take a second to realize what you are assuming. Petsmart is the ONLY... ONLY... company that doesn't sell cats or dog in effort to help save homeless animals. The ONLY company that has over 2, 000 programs all in effort to help save homeless and mistreated animals. The ONLY company that will donate floor space to help local shelters adopt out animals.

Try to be more grateful. Those cats could be euthenized, but instead on display in hopes to find loving homes.

Thank you for your efforts to help those poor cats. I volunteer with a cat rescue group and our cat shelter is inside one of the Petsmarts. We deal with rude people banging on the cage glass all the time to harass the cats, etc. It is infuriating. What is worse is that the Petsmart employees could care less about the cats and sometimes it is the employees who are doing the banging on the glass!

Commonsense, honey focker dog, sniff your marker!

Honey
You should be taken to court for that spelling alone!

Yes there is abuse in the salons! I have seen it in 2 different salons and I had an investigation going on people. Guess what...nothing happened! Those people are still working. Im freaking out! I have worked here for yrs and can not believe this is happening!

I worked in the PetSmart grooming Salon in Concord New Hampshire, and witnessed DAILY the mishandling of dogs and cats.

Dogs that where "trouble" where routinely choked, yanked around, and pinned (this was usually in the back room where they were being dryed.) muzzles were put on too tight. Terrifed dogs were force dried, and held down with muzzles on.

Breathing impared dogs (shi-tzus, bulldogs, pugs) where put under cage dryers, when it is against policy.

Dogs that refused to enter the large metal drying cages where shoved, choked and slammed into them.

One dog, a basset hound seriously ripped a nail.

Cuts and razor burn were common.. the smaller ones not even being MENTIONED to the owners, who, after being smiled at by the groomer, figured their "little Monkey" had a great time.

I tried during my time there, to come between MANY a stressed out groomer and terrified dog.

When I complained the managers found "reasons" to write me up. I wound up quitting in disgust after making a complaint to the VP, and hearing nothing back.

I now work in a private grooming facility that does not REQUIRE dogs to be done in an hour.

I worked at a Petsmart and saw how horribly they treat the animals, they had a conurd bird sitting in the cage for months going unsold because nobody in the store knew how to properly care for it and the manager didn't care. The bird was balded in many places, didn't have much personality, it looked very unhealthy and sick. Petsmart is very cruel when it comes to their fish, they let the fish eat each other in the tanks and wont bother taking the carcus's out, they always have unhealthy and half dead hermit crabs up for display with empty food dishes and they dont even give the hermit crabs two water dishes that they need, because they wont survive without fresh and salt water dishes. These people do not care what so ever about the animal or it's future, they only see the animals as products and they will sell the poor animals to the stupidest customers.

I completely agree about the poor customer service! There is something terribly wrong with the company culture--across the board. Here's what happened to my family:
My husband and I were shopping with our dog today at the Petsmart on East Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ, and had training treats to reinforce good behavior with us. We were suddenly approached by the manager and told to leave. He asked us no questions. He said, "You can't train your dog here. You'll have to leave the store." I told him that we visit the store every week to buy food and toys and that we always train him as we walk through the store. He said, "No, you'll have to leave. You can't train your dog here. It's store policy. We have dog obedience classes here and what you're doing is like grooming your dog in the back of the store, when we have a grooming service here." I said, "We aren't trainers. This is our pet, and we're only socializing him." He was relentless. He went on and on and seemed so agitated, as if there had been a slew of professional dog trainers coming in with clients and their dogs. Yet, he never asked us who we were, nor did he approach us with any kind of courtesy.
Finally, we put back the food we were about to purchase and said we'd never shop at Petsmart again. It didn't seem to bother him at all, but he did say that we could stay if we weren't professionals. I thought, Now why would I want to buy anything from a store that had a manager who would verbally accost a customer without asking any questions?!
It also occurred to me that dog trainers don't sell food. So, why would the store not welcome anyone who wishes to purchase store items and reinforce good dog behavior?!
The whole experience was a stunning example of failed customer service. This manager has lost the company thousands of dollars from a heretofore great customer.

Chuck, I work at Petsmart also and you really just help her make her point about horrible customer service by acting and talking that way. We, as Petsmart employees, should make the company look better by conducting ourselves in a positive outlook. By acting like a degenerate, you make the company look bad.

Sherrie, things will happen that we at Petsmart sometimes can not see. I do not think the way they acted, if the story is correct, is acceptable. There is alot of nasty stuff that some times gets overlooked or missed, and the company should try to quickly correct the situation. Come to my store and I promise you if I am working, you will be taken care of!

To Chuck Book - you have obviously missed the original point. Yes, there will always be messes like this in pet stores across the nation - HOWEVER, what the original poster is complaining about is the POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE and LACK OF RESPECT by the store management. To be dismissed the way she was after making a legitmate mistake is just terrible CUSTOMER SERVICE. And look who is calling the kettle black - why don't YOU move on with YOUR life instead of blogging about the bloggers like a whiny little ###! Sheeesh!

I too work at Petsmart. The truth of the matter is, the store is ALWAYS filled with dirty, disgusting things much like what was described above. Our store is located in Baltimore, MD and our monthly sales #'s exceed those of ANY eastcoast/mid-atlantic Petsmart. Needless to say, the store is constantly packed with customers (and, in turn, their animals, which many people choose to bring in). The comment regarding the fecal matter and urine outside and inside of the store is laughable. When you have 100's of dogs/cats walking through the store on a daily basis, it is inevitable they will do their business within the premises. Not only do we not know that it there always (as if we have some sort of ###/piss radar), but it is actually the owner's responsibility to clean up their animals' mess, which is the reason there are numerous "Oops!" stations located throughout the store. Come on now folks, it's a pet store. There is always going to be some sort of mess somewhere. We have rotten food packets on our shelves as well, filled with maggots none the less, which, if you've ever smelt maggots, they smell horrible. It is an ongoing problem throughout nearly every petstore across the nation, and I hate to say it, but no matter what anybody says or how high up the chain they climb in quest of a resolution, the problem will NEVER end. That's all there is to it. So suck it up, make your purchases and move on with your lives instead of blogging about it like a whiny little ###. NOBODY CARES!

chances are, since it was on/near the single packs, it was probably from one of the packs bursting and then going rancid. It happens from time to time, though the customer service you got was deplorable if you're being honest. I work at PetSmart and that's not how we are trained to deal with customers.

Come on Jason she had a real complaint. Ya the petsmart in Louisville KY, is also really nasty and after a year they quit caring about picking up the dog crap outside the store. You go into the store and there is animal piss everywhere. and no one caring to clean it up.

"I was told by my credit card company it was illegal to charge for a service that has not happened "

So that means that when you fly somewhere, you don't pay for your plane ticket until after you get back home. Wow, I am going to have to try that. Does it work for other things too? Like should I not pay my health insurance until after I go to the doctor?

There are two petsmarts where I live that are within a few miles of eachother on the same road. Sometimes someone would call one store and think they're calling the other. Also, yes, it is standard policy to charge for something like dog training before the class because there are limited spots. Doing it the other way can and does cause people to change their mind and never show up. And the reason you have to come in to return a class is a) paperwork has to be filled out by you so that if it's a common complaint, especially about the trainer him or herself, then it can be resolved and there i a papertrail to refer and b) a signature is required. If you kept the class, obviously you'd have a reason to come in, and they can get your signature for purchasing the class then.

are you sure you made the appointment at petSmart and not petco?

I found it funny to see you always reply good things toward notime. On a lots of topics.

Maybe someone should check both account ip to see if its the same.

Once again NoTimeForIdiots shows He is an IDIOT. Maybe you are the one getting anal sex...

Ive been grooming for 25 years. I have seen every thing. Dogs so matted that the hair comes off in one solid mat. Looks like a rabbit fur. Ive seen maggots living under these mats. It sounds like they did everything right. They called you to inform you of your dogs condition. You didn't want a skirt and thought the dog would look funny in a schnauzer cut. Well whats left, a shave. You think the dog looks terrible now. So you were proud of him when you brought him in all matted? I would of been embaressed if I were you, bringing in a matted dog. Thats considered abuse. If you dont want to brush your dog then keep him groomed every month and keep his pattern short. They worked hard for that money and it wasn't thier fault it had to be shaved.

I agree with SheGroomsDogs. I too am a petsmart groomer. We don't shave dogs like that without 1)you knowing exactly what we have to do, 2) getting your signed and verbal permission to do so. In the times that customers have completely refused, then I have had to decline the groom for the fact that dematting an extensively matted dog is very painful and dangerous. And Petsmart policy is...if you were not satisified with it and it's not what you signed for...you get your money back.

I'm a petsmart groomer, and it is NOT OUR POLICY to shave your dog without your express permission - not to mention that they obviously didn't follow policy, or you never would have left the store without knowing your dog was matted. Yes, I agree - brush your dog, this won't happen. However, you were lied to, because trust me. We give refunds on grooms all the time.

Sweetie, trust me. We groomers don't like to shave pets. It's not something we get a kick out of. But sometimes, it has to be done. We know your dog is going to look ridiculous, and we know that you're going to be upset about it. However, the mats that are on these pets' bodies are not only close to impossible to brush out without a) hurting your dog or b) stressing your dog out, but they are also not good for your dog's skin or coat. So maybe if ya take a brush to your dog every once in a while, we wouldn't have to clean up the mess then take the heat for it. It's simple really. If you don't want your dog shaved, take care of it and its coat.

I worked there when this happened and we were told to keep our mouths shut...Ray West is by far the worst manager I have ever worked for! Jackie was the one who performed the act and she was not hired as VET TECH..she was a team leader(if that is really something). The DM Healy is just as much a loser as West and there was 2 other managers(Gail) and I can't remember the other one's name, that knew about the crazy stuff that went on there and did nothing, as not to TICK Ray off...because he was such a jerk.

mr west is the biggest [censored] iv'e ever met and his little ballsucker steve is no better

PetSmart the same in Arizona. PetSmart is the Walmart of animals.

MYY FREND'S

THSI IS THE CONPLIABT THTTA BRAUGT ME TOO CONPLAIBT'SOARD, ,

I WAS SERACHING ON LIEN WHITH "" GOGGLE, COM "" & FONFD THSI ONE SOEM HOW I THNIK I WAAS HEPLPIGN SERACH ING FOUR PET'S SMATR KENEL'S FOUUR MY WIVE

I ASSHURE YOUU MY FREND'S I WAS NNAT SERACHING FOR ANY THINGN GROSE OR INAPORPIORTE

IN MY OIPIGNON THSI PATRICULIAR CONPLIABT IS HALVE GROSE & HALVE HIALROUIS

EJNOYY1!

SICNERLY

BLESING'S

REGRAGS'

Dr M A CARNARVORO

Laura, what are you worrying about? Your dog was the one staying there and I am sure he enjoyed himself!

disgusting, ew edAnger you are disgusting!

please give more details on the "Relieving" process

That is disgusting! I was a vet tech for 2 years and I never heard of anyone "relieving" a dog's erection! These people are sick!

I want to know why I couldn't find any rawhide chews for my dog that were made in USA. Most were made in China! My dog won't get anything that is made in China! By the time a recall goes out, it will be too late once they have consumed whatever poisen China has decided to put in their food items.

the pet care manager is very rude. she has no clue what she is talking. i was looking at the Guinea pigs and they have fleas. also she does not take her animals to the vet there are sevral in the back room that have been left there. birds are dropping dead. and she does not know why cause she won't do any thing about it. i don't think this is right

I can't help but wonder what kind of dog you have and what exactly you think the "breed cut" is for it.

ing at store 1085 in largo, fl for grooming and pet needs for 2 yrs now for our Morkie bella. yesterday i called to set up a morning appointment and discussed with the girl exactly what i wanted it was the package for around $24 bath and lil trim around face we go back and forth between that one and the full body trim every two or three weeks. so my wife takes her in tells the girl btw she is in heat the girl asks my wife if she wanted several different services and she stated " what ever my husband asked for" hrs later my wife goes to pick up the dog and she is charged $32 plus $6 for conditioning. now i personally brushed my dog that am to make sure there were no knots in her fur and she was fine especially since we just got a full groom just few weeks ago, but even if i had no problem with the $6 upcharge for conditioning i do have a problem with the $32 charge for my services when i clearly spent 10 min on phone making sure they know what i wanted. when i called the store the lady looked in the computer and found my appointment and notes as to $24 package but wasn't sure why it didn't turn out that way and stated she would have the manager call me back. the manager (i think her name was leslie listened to me then put me on hold for 11 minutes exactly and then argued that i always get this package when i know i don't. i said i'm unhappy and want a refund and she said "sir thats not going to happen" now they have lost a petsmart customer and advise you don't beleive their pet grooming customer always happy or its free statement right on their website.
I was left with a bad taste in my mouth and not happy that the manager treated us that way and decided to show how I felt with my money, spending it elsewhere. Well after several months have gone by I have been able to clearly look back at the situation clearly seeing that we never seen bad service from the grooming end of it but because a mix up was handled badly by a manager is why I have the bad taste. So I thought I might try patronizing another location as I am between two, maybe I would be happy again. So I placed a call to my next closest store in Tyrone fl and the lady tells me she is unable to schedule me due to my file. Now the bad taste comes back as I realize the manager in largo wrote some untrue information or marked our file somehow because she didn't, like that i reminded her of the companies policies. I wrote and called corporate office ... No call back
I also want to add they do not let the dogs go to the bathroom, not enought staff to take some outside ever. So hopefully you know this and aren't detained in picking up your pooch. I think there should be a negative star setting for corporate companies like this that don't care about customer service .

How do you know the pets are not taken to the vet and they are left in the back room? Last time I knew customers didn't just walk into the backrooms at stores.

all right i'll tell you why you can't find rawhide made in the USA at Petsmart. Its fricking expensive, you may ask well why so expensive...well because as americans we like to be paid well and we are gonna sell are crap at a high price so their is a higher profit margin. PETCO sells rawhide made in the USA and its more expensive than regular rawhide. I would say that its higher in price to increase the profit margin on the product, as a business they are open to make money and in order to make money they have to make it more expensive since it costs more to buy than the chinese rawhide.

sounds like a employee. If you don't know the line of operations and what to do to correct a problem then you just got hired or you could care less to work there, or work at all. You prefer to sit back and collect a pay check for doing nothing.

One thing I would suggest (although I assume you'll never go there again) is to find one groomer that does well and specifically request that person on each return trip. We really like Janet and request her each time. We have never been disappointed by her service. I am sorry you had a less than stellar experience. Unfortunately, it will probably sway others from taking their beloved pets there.
JLT

So instead of going online to a message board why don't you call corporate if your so concerned about the well being of the animals? It's not that hard to send an email?

Next time, take a picture or a video - you can email anything these days. Or ask to speak with the store manager and explain that if you don't see improvement you want their name and you'll be contacting corporate. See how fast things change when their butt's on the line;)

Have you reported this incident? PetSmart policies require all animals to be seen within 48 hours of being moved to the quiet room. Also, company policy states that if an infestation is discovered in even one bag of food, all food of that brand in that area must be removed and written off. Please report these incidents. Could possibly be poor managment.

You are a ###. If you have ever returned anything before then you would know that the standard return policy that most stores have is 7 days. Some stores do allow returns within 14 or even 30. Since you said you were buying lots of stuff there anyways, why is store credit such a problem?

The fact that you believed the generally clueless 15 year old cashiers that these places hire, shows how stupid you are. If it took you 60 days to return stuff then obviously you werent dissatisfied with the stuff you bought, you just never used it. So why should the store be responsible for you buying stuff you dont need? Next time return the ### you dont need or are dissatisifed with within a week or deal with keeping it.

That return policy was instated shortly before you went to return an item. Before, there wasn't a limit, but as of (I think November) there's a limit. It's now listed on the back of the receipt, as well. The cashiers weren't told of a change until shortly before the change.

This company has just recently changed their return policy. I think it went in affect as of November of 2008. Yes, this company's return policy was no time limit on returning merchandise. When the policy changed, their stores posted when the new return policy would take affect.

Yes, it is tricky get some reptiles to eat frozen foods, but it can be done without starving the pet. Feeding live food can be dangerous for the pet because the prey can injury and even kill the pet that is trying to eat it.

I agree completely. It is not particularly cruelty-free to sell snakes, especially to little kids in communities that don't have an abundance of pet stores, and to not sell feeder mice or feeder rats. The store is pretty much condemning every snake they sell to starvation, at worst, and, to my way of thinking, is probably responsible for at least some of the 'humane' dumping of exotic reptiles out in the countryside where they can 'forage for themselves'. As if.

By the way, starving snakes probably comes under the heading of cruelty.

You will have no trouble buying crickets at these stores ... and they know the crickets are used for food. I guess 'cruelty' towards insects is cool with them.

You sound like a horrible client that wants nothing but miracles done for you, even though you're not fulfilling your end of the deal of maintaining your dog's coat. Stop blaming the groomer for not being able to undo your

I go to this petsmart all of the time, and have had nothing but good experiences. The groomers there are very knowledgeable about their craft. They only have the dogs best intentions at heart.

Lucky for me, I don't have a dog that will knot up if not properly brushed and combed daily. She does however not like having her feet touched. Since going there regularly to have her nails trimmed, she has become much more comfortable with the procedure, because those girls have taken the time to work with her, and I am beyond grateful.

Working to get the mats out doesn't mean getting the mats out. There's a point that you have to realize that it is in the dogs best interest to just shave them and start over. It's absolutely ridiculous and very selfish to expect a skilled groomer to put your dog in pain just because YOU don't like the idea of a dog with shaved legs, and are worried about what other people will think. It's called Humanity before Vanity, and it's something that more people should practice.

Even tonight, I watched a very skilled young lady slowly and meticulously shave a matted shih tzu, and watched it come off in one pelt. I couldn't imagine allowing a poor animal to get into that condition. The dog was so sweet, and his groomer was very patient, as it looked like he did not like having his feet touched. Granted yes, he was a naked little dog in the end, but there would have been no reason to painfully remove those mats simply because the owner would have wanted it. It's not the dogs fault that the hair got knotted up, it was the owners for not taking care of them.

It does sound to me that you are simply upset because you were told something you did not want to hear, and I highly suggest you reevaluate yourself and how you view others. They care about the well being of your animal.

And $46 is nothing for a grooming for a lhasa. My sister owns one down south, and gladly pays $60. These dog require alot of work, and a groomer should be paid for her time and skill.

Perhaps you should brush your dog. There's no way to brush mats out without it causing extreme amounts of pain, and if your dog is that precious to you, why would you want the staff to hurt him?

This sounds like you were just told something you didn't want to hear, not like a legitimate complaint at all.
And yes, if I saw a dog with only parts of his body shaved, I would assume he'd had surgery or been sick.

I go to this PetSmart all the time, and I've had nothing but pleasant, above and beyond service and grooming.

Don't listen to this person. Unfortunately, she cared more about dogs than my father. My father died on Thanksgiving and in our opinion, she murdered him. You can't trust anything she said for the drugs she is on. She was so jealous of my father's dog that she fought with him constantly. I hope we find justice for my father.

I agree. I saw the same thing too! I was a customer coming in to PetSmart and saw one of the groomers being very rough with a poor dog that was shaking like a leaf. It was awful. I always say: "If you don't like your job.. LEAVE!" I hate when people who work in a service industry are miserable and mean. Ew!