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!

They damn near killed my dog by tearing off the end of his tail. He almost bled to death. I probably need to do a whole post on the matter. My poor dog had to have half of his tail amputated to close off the wound. In the end they claimed he "may have had a rare tail condition that resulted in the need for amputation." I couldn't afford a lawyer. This may be better. I have talked at least a dozen people out of taking their dogs to them. It's not enough.

I brought my 3 year old shih-tzu into Petsmart today in Ottawa Canada to have her groomed. I've had one bad experience before where her nail was clipped very deeply, but this was not at Petsmart. I thought I would try Petsmart because I liked that they had a window where the groomers could be viewed. For some reason this made me feel more comfortable. I guess I assumed that bad things only happened behind closed doors. I got there a half an hour early because I wanted to view the groomer at work. I asked who was going to be grooming my dog then stepped outside and observed through the glass window. The groomer was just finishing another shih-tzu. The dog looked shaky, and had his tail between his legs, but this didn't put me off as I can imagine being up on a steel table isn't the most calming scenario. She finished the groom and attached a bow to the dogs collar then a manager came over to inspect the cut. This was when I little bell went off for me... I thought it was strange that someone be inspecting but again I had never been to Petsmarts grooming centre before so I told myself it must be standard practise... I have yet to find out as the incident I'm about to tell you just happened. Anyways I spoke with the groomer told her that my shih-tzu had a bad experience at the groomers before but that she was very sweet and under no circumstances would she bite or yelp. I just asked that she be gentle with her and try and comfort her as much as she could. She told me it would take about 3 hours and that they would call me when she was ready. She assured me that she was in good hands and not to worry. An hour later I received a phone call from the manager saying that my dog was okay but had been cut and was being transported to emergency at the local animal hospital. They asked if I wanted to meet them there and of course I agreed. I rushed over and waited 45 minutes for them to show up. They explained to me that when the groomer went to put my dog in the bath after shaving most of her body that's when she noticed blood all over her hands and found a laceration on her right flank (the extra skin bit where the leg bends) She had said that she was a little matted around that area and that because of that the razor must have just sucker her skin in. She told me that my dog didn't even yelp... so she thought that my dog wasn't in pain. Boy was she wrong. As most dog owners know, they have a high pain threshold and are also not big complainers. The manager and groomer were both very apologetic and at the time I accepted the situation. I told myself that accidents happen. Obviously this woman didn't intend to hurt my dog. She's only human and it could have happened to anyone... The manager and groomer asked if I wanted them to stay, I told them no as I didn't feel like making small talk! They left their credit card number and told me that all expenses would be covered. The doctor then inspected my dog and told me that at the least she would need a few staples and worst case scenario she would need more serious surgery performed... after he shaved the area where the laceration was it became clear that it was much more serious than anyone had thought. it was about 2 inches long and pretty wide. The vet said the area had been SHREDDED! he needed to clip a piece of skin that was hanging by a thread. Then the laceration required 5 staples. Still my strong girl didn't make a sound. She had to be sedated given a shot of antibiotics and then of course the staples. We got home and that's when it happened, she began to cry. I had never heard her cry before so you can imagine how heart wrenching this was for me. I'm now sitting here with her at my side wrapped up in a sweater administering pain killers and wondering what I should do if anything to try and prevent this from happening ever again. I appreciate that petsmart is paying the vet bills, but this should have never happened in the first place. I'm thinking back to the inspection the manager made and wondering if this groomer was new... Should I be pressing the manager for something more than just covering the vet bills? I don't want this young girl fired but I also don't want her hurting another animal. was this carelessness? the fact that she didn't notice she had shredded my dogs skin until she lifted her up to bathe her? why wasn't she paying more attention? I guess these are all questions I will ask the manager tomorrow when I assume they'll be making a follow up call. Anyways I just wanted to warn people of the potential dangers your pet faces when being groomed and because my google search returned so many 'Petsmart accidents' I'm starting to think that something more needs to be done...

wow that is not good mugain I hope your pet was ok after all of that. Sorry that you had to go through that

The exact same thing happened to my dog 3 days ago. I dropped him off at Petsmart at 4, then when I hadn't receive a call to come pick him up by 8 (they close at 9) I finally called them and was told the groomer was still working on him.
I arrived at around 8:45 to pick him up. He was on the table and the groomer was clipping his ears with shears. I payed and left, got to my car and saw something red on the seat. I picked him up and noticed a huge gash on his elbow (the part where the leg meets the body), the cut was so deep, the bone showed through.
By this time Petsmart was closed, but I went back and banged on the door and called the grooming salon on my cell phone. Thankfully they answered, let me back in, bandaged him, and gave me my money back.
They gave me the info for a 24 hr animal hospital and told me that the animal hospital had their credit card information and they would pay for it. I went to the animal hospital, waited around for an hour or two, finally got in to see the vet only to realize that Petsmart in fact did NOT have a credit card on file with them. It was 1am by this time.
I called the cell of the supervisor on duty at the time of the accident. She then called her manager, who then called the vet's office to tell them that he would NOT come in to pay the bill, he would NOT fax in the CC info, he'd had a "few drinks" and was under no circumstance going to come in to pay the bill at that moment. I took the phone from the vet tech and freaked out on him. Finally I called the cell of the on duty manager AGAIN and she called yet another manager who happened to be on vacation - but home (thank god) he was the actual store manager and not just a supervisor. Finally, at 2am or so, he arrived and paid the $600 bill, my puppy had to be sedated and received 6-8 stitches and has to wear a cone around his neck until he heals.

I hate Petsmart and will NEVER EVER use them again.

Sorry to hear that your dog got injured. It is not always the lack of the groomers skills when a animal gets injured. I have shaved a few of my own pets numerous times and i still from time to time by accident nick them. Nothing as serious as what happen to your dog mind you, no vet was ever needed. But dogs do get fidgety while getting groomed and they do move sometimes. It was nice of the groomers to be as sympathetic as they were, and to actually phone to see how the dog is doing. I know of someone who did not get 1/4 of what you did when their dog got cut and they did not complain.

I work for a petsmart salon. Accidents do happen. We dont plan on them happening, but they do. It sounds like your situation was due to a bad salon. Not all salons are like that. Even in my district. We pride ourselves on our quality. Yes, we do have incidents where a dog gets cut, but its rare. Also, groomers have been fired for having a high amount of incidents. I know that personally, when I have cut a dog, I feel terrible. I think about how I would feel if it had happened to either one of my dogs. Maybe Im just emotional, but I get teary when it happens. Not because I dont want to tell the parent, or the fact that I wont get paid, but because I genuinely care. Groomers work on commission, so whenever you dont pay for a service, we dont get paid. Doesnt matter if I spend 6 straight hours brushing, bathing, drying and grooming your dog, and your dog kicks my shears and I nick his pad or leg, I dont get paid. Thats like working all day for free. No groomer wants that.
My suggestion is to make another appt at a different petsmart. Ask to have the salon manager groom Duncan. Explain what happened last time and what your concerns are. Ask how long they have been grooming, how long they have been with petsmart, any questions or concerns you have. Also, ask for an express service where Duncan wont be in a kennel and you will be able to see most of the process. If you go in and get a bad vibe, leave. Also, go and observe the groomers beforehand, it will give you a good idea of what goes on there.
Good luck on getting Duncan groomed in the future. There is a good chance he will get over any anxiety of being groomed. I groom a dog that has previously been cut in around the same are from three different private salons. Shes an angel on the table and I have yet to cut her. You would never know what had happened to her previously.

I would have been angry as well if this were my baby...however, you must be aware that the dogs CAN jump whether they are on a noose or not! I do not believe this story either. The problem is that people take their dogs to these big chan stores hich hire ordinary people and train them to their standards. If you want a real grromer...stop trying to save a nickel and go to a reutable salon ! Petsmart and Petco should stick to retail !

vacume? really? c'mon. is that french for vacuum? ;) not trying to be pretentious... just joking with ya

but you're right about overbooking and high turnaround for their groomers. i left petsmart years ago, i was the only one not "schooled" by their "academy" and with any real skill. God Bless U and Duncan.

Accidents happen. It's unfortunate, but most of the time it's not the groomers fault. 99.9% of the time it's the dogs fault. If it's not and it's groomer error, the groomers are either written up or given a warning. Either the dog squirming around, being aggressive, or trying to bite our equipment.

There ARE vacuums in the salons. Most salons have them, and most of the time dogs are fine with them being on. We always ask before hand to see if the dog will react in a negative way.

Play the blame game all you want, but most mom-n-pop shops won't even tell you they nicked your dog. We don't plan on nicking dogs, and we hate it when we do it.

The fact of the matter is, we're dealing with moving targets and sharp objects. PetSmart approaches the situation in an apologetic and empathetic manner. I've never had anyone get mad at me when I first started out, although they were very minor.

Also, learn to spell.

Uh you have NO CLUE if it was your dogs fault or not. So you can play the blame game all you want.

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...

I can vouch for the fact that those witches in Arizona have an extremely nasty attitude.

PetSmart stopped selling equine supplies in 07 (sometime in the summer what wasn't sold got packed up and sent back) I know because I worked there at the time as they started pulling it from the stores and put the company up for sale. I was one of the equine employees that was relocated to a new position. So to say any store had horse supplies after that is a lie. They carry bronco fly spray because it is used for dogs not just horses.

nobody will let you return a gift card

My wife works at petsmart, yeah they stopped carrying horse stuff in early 2007 apparently.

Sorry, I meant to say sell the card for a few dollars less than what you paid for it on ebay. Like if it's a $50 card, sell it for $44. At least you will get some of your money back. Gift cards are a bad thing to buy anyway. I saw a show on TV that said 25-30% of them never get redeemed by the people who get them as gifts. Waste of money.

Sell the card for face value on ebay.

That is correct my two fellow respondents. If you had read the back of the card it would have told you it can not be returned or sold for cash. I know at several of my local stores there is horse products because my sister and I have bought the Bronco Fly spray. You could have used the card online and bough horse items.

Some PetSmart do carry equine items, but not all. It was possible she as talking about her store alone that no longer carries equine items. And the person above is correct. I've never heard of a store who returns gift cards.

i'm not so sure this was actually fraud or a scam...
i mean it sucks that you couldn't get a refund on the card but really, I cant think of ANY store that would let you return a gift card.

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;)

I bought a bearded dragon to replace a 6 year old one that died. This one died in 30 days and of course I couldn't get a refund. Telling me they have a health check before they get them is ridiculous. Who knows how long they had it before I purchased it. There had to be something wrong for it to die that quickly. I agree with you.

NEVER BUY LIVE ANIMALS FROM PETSMART!

I just bought a darling little hamster 6 days ago. I went to say goodnight to her and I found her dead. :(
Do I take her back? It's not a refund I'm after, and I would like another pet, but if she died within a week, I'm afraid another one from Petsmart will die too.

The irony is the customer is also the associate, she should of known the maintenance as that is her job. I also worked for petsmart as a pet care specialist, so i think there is more to this story then what has been posted. That would be like an alligator handler at a zoo, buys a pet alliagtor and brings it home and says oh my this thing takes work and could bite. Stupid people all around.

I used to be a customer of PetSmart, notice the part where I said used to. I went in today to get some ghost shrimp, small goldfish and an Otocinclus algae eater .The guy who was working the fish section was short with me and rude .I saw he was restocking the tanks and he told me I'd have to wait a half hour for the algae eaters .I said wait a minute, you mean to tell me your going to just cut them loose and then turn around and recatch them and not quarantine them first and not aclimate them for a week or so ? He said yeah it's fine we do it all the time .I noticed the ghost shrimp in the bag with several that were carrying young but 7 out of the 14 were already dead in the shipping bags .I said why don't you just sell me whats in the bag and this way we're not putting them through two shocks at once .I made it clear I wanted the whole bag and not to cut them loose and suffer pH shock. So what does he do ? He didn't bother to listen to me and just cut the bag open and dumped them in. I also asked him what is the PH of the water ? He replied ut was 8.0 .I said that high ? He never responded at all . I felt sorry for the fish and also the customers not knowing any better .This guy should have known better than to just dump all the fish including original water into the tanks that share a central filtration system .The amount of dead fish I saw was just sickening .He didn't even do a body count which your supposed to to get wholesaler credit back on dead fish .I worked in the industry on both sides retail and wholesale and fully understand how to take care of fish and how to ship and receive and do everything you're supposed to .The goal is minimizing shock and loss and making sure that the customer gets a healthy product and becomes a repeat customer. Naturally I wanted to grab the net from his hands and educate him on how to catch them correctly and give him a crash course in fish care .This guy was such a rude and short tempered person I didn't bother and saw no point .Also the main reason why the pH is so high is because they constantly dose the water with salt to keep disease from breaking out on a massive scale .I hoped I could save the shrimp but alas half died within hours .They along with the fish I bought were imatiated from the long transport from the hatchery wholesaler .The bags he was floating had almost no air left and he was handling them roughly like an butt .If this guy was my employee I would have given him one warning only and then fired him especially for his careless attitude and rudeness to the customer.

In comparison I recently bought from a locally owned pet store who handled the fish with care and precision and won't sell critters until they've acclimated and are healthy enough to sell and offer a full refund for any losses.They also understand water chemistry and don't share the same water for all tanks and even get species specific .Im sure their electric bill isn't cheap but at least all my fish live when I buy from them unless I messed up somehow . PetSmart used to also sell marine fish .Yeah I guess that got too expensive losing all those fish doing the same careless practices and so they dropped that type of fish . It's just a fact that there's going to be a loss in transport of live animals but you never treat them like crap afterwards or sell them right away . Sure I could complain to management or corporate but what good would it do ? Will anything change ? Doubtful. They're not going to change, ever .This is what you get with greedy corporate America with big chain stores who don't train they're staff and certainly don't pay them enough to care at all. PetSmart is the pet version of fast food and instant profits .As a wholesale employee I was also an investigator as well because shops like PetSmart used to make big loss claims and demand credits .So I used to pose as a customer and watch a fellow co-worker deliver the fish and observe their handling procedures .Most shops did well .The big chain stores always pushed their workers to do more faster and as a result quality suffered and of course the pets even more . I personally busted several stores and exposed their misdeeds trying to rip off their supplier .Bottom line is greed and not treating employees or customers or the product with respect that they deserve or training the employees properly .From now on Im buying and supporting locally owned stores . Better quality, better service and the money stays in the community .

I just returned a pet to pet smart. Realized after two days I could not give it the care it needed. They took it back but were very angry, making the comment that it was the second time that same animal had been returned! I am sorry but they should have mentioned that before I purchased it! I would have thought twice before purchasing if I had known this. They also scolded me for not doing research before choosing my pet! I did a ton of research! I am sure it would have been fine but apparently the animal I bought had been traumetized by the previous buyers small children. if I had known this I would never have gotten it. Obviously this special little creature needs someone very experienced to care for it. PetSmart needs to be upfront and honest about the history of it's animals.

My sons pacman died this morning and I took him when I got off work after seven so I have to wait until tomorrow to
Return the pacman . What do I do with his body I just have him in the cricket container in the truck

You should have done research...! Aren't they only supposed to let the animal be returned/replaced if it got sick or died? I see no reason for them to take back a fully healthy Guinea Pig, although they should have, seeing your an irresponsible owner. This is your fault for not researching and being prepared. And if you can't control your own kids to not do things, then you surely aren't ready for any pet. (Except maybe a fish.) Please don't blame PetSmart for this! Most of the workers LOVE animals, so that's why they chose to work there in the first place. (Notice how I said MOST. Some just do it because it was the only job available, and I don't agree with this at all.) So please, if your going to get another pet (Which I don't reccomend) PLEASE do your research first. Thank you.

I agree, pets aren't just items you buy on a whim, to 'try out'. They have feelings and can get attached to people very quickly. Do some reasearch before purchasing a pet. Almost all pets take work, its not like a book you buy, read when you want, and put down when you have something else to do. Teach your children not to put their hands in the cage, of course its going to bite! I have had two small children, at different times along the way, and it was because of that I waited until my youngest is 13 to get two pugs. Now, with his help I have the time to teach them, and take care of them. Returning an animal just because it doesn't 'fit your lifestyle' is terrible.

Wee[censored] - they got the point across, didn't they? Spelling is important yes, but you needn't lecture someone on it as long as what they are saying is able to be understood. Some people, however well-educated, have spelling difficulties due to learning disabilities such as dyslexia - which is NOT always just flipping letters around. Some people have a form in which they spell phonetically. Others just cannot retain the proper spelling of a word, whether they know it or not... getting snippy makes you look like the fool, not them.

Chrystina85 - I do also agree with Lisa, pets are not an impulse buy and you should have done your research. A pet, no matter how small, cute, or fluffy, is a huge responsibility. You must know not only what sort of habitat they require but what sort of care they need, if they need exercise and how, what they eat and how often, and of course, their interaction methods with people.

Most animals can be "trained" to be handled, but you must always remember they are still just that - animals. They don't have the complexity of thought and understanding of human behavior that so many people expect of them. I am not saying they aren't smart, many are, but they are smart in their own way that would fit their lifestyle in the wild... exceptions being of course for heavily domesticated animals like dogs and cats... though even they exhibit many behaviors of their wild ancestors.

Most animals, if unaccustomed to being handled particularly by children, will bite. It is a simple matter of training both the child how to handle it, and the animal to resist that urge to bite unless being harmed, that is the biggest responsibility of all. I am the loving owner of a ball python that I have had for some time. He was very young when I bought him (Not from Petsmart, either, as I have no guarantee of their breeding environment to know the overall health of the animal, in spite of a health guarantee, I went to a local reptile place that breeds not only his own snakes in a proper, clean environment to ensure they are disease free, but also breeds the feeder animals to ensure the same.) and was a bit snappy at first with being handled. But, time and patience prevailed, and now he is one of the most personable and loving snakes I've ever encountered. The only time he will bite is if he has had a bad shed and the excess shed is being (with proper education in doing this) removed. It's not comfortable for him, so he'll snap, but he never bites hard. He's handled by children with no problems, and most won't allow snakes to be handled by kids due to their tendency to bite. Not once has he bitten a child and I don't see it happening in the future.

I guess what I'm trying to say there... is that all animals in spite of any sort of negative reputation can be trained to be loving and touched without any sort of physical harm being done to the one touching it. What separates pet owners from those who consider pets family as opposed to simply pets... is the time and commitment they put in to their animals to ensure they are healthy, happy, and well-adjusted.

I have to say, though, I am glad you did want to return it. If you cannot find the time (And with a small child I do understand this) to train the animal and handle it regularly so it won't possibly bite, finding it another loving, EDUCATED home is ideal. But perhaps next time, think your purchase through a bit better.

I agree with Lisa that a living thing shouldn't be an impulse buy. They have feelings too! It is no lecture. As for mystdragon, learn to spell before putting out your two cents. It makes the entire company look stupid.

Y'all do know that frozen mice/rats were once live rats that were KILLED for Petsmart, right? So, what's the difference in letting the snake do what comes natural vs some person killing and stuffing it in a freezer?
Y'all know horses, cows, pigs, fish, and chickens were KILLED to feed your dogs and cats right?

I totally disagree with Pet Smarts policy, thus I will do my shopping elsewhere. Snakes need food like any animal. My snake will not eat frozen rats, only live. Snakes kill their food very humanely and it is over in a matter of seconds. I don't understand the argument Pet Smart proposes that they kill their feeder rats and mice humanely. They suffocated them, only in a different way. How about the rest of the pet food? Chickens, pigs, cattle, fish are all killed for food. Just because a snake can do it without anybody's help does not make it inhumane. No blood, no guts, a very clean kill. I have had my boa for over 20 years, and not once has the rat turned on the snake. A lot less messy than shooting a metal plunger into the skull of a cow or slitting the throat of a pig. I find Pet Smart absolutely laughable !

Well first off ash you never leave a mouse in any snake cage overnight that's just dumb... Pheobe u are a ###. I have 2 redtail Boas I " rescued " from an abandoned house. They WILL NOT eat frozen mice. They are not a conversation piece i handle them everyday and treat them like a part of my family so go play y in traffic...And coming from an ex petsmart employee no they don't feed frozen mice or rats.

"Actually, Petsmart DOES only feed frozen mice."

Not if the snake won't eat frozen they don't. Pet Smart and Petco BOTH feed live mice to snakes that won't eat frozen.

Pet Smart also keep their reptiles like ****. I've seen snakes dying from loss of mass in Pet Smart stores.

Disgusting people with a distorted view of reality.

I agree, all creatures need to eat. I used to go to the store when they did not have that policy. They had a lot of feeder rodents and fancy pet only rodents. I have been going to one of that pet store locations to get some Mystery Snails, and I saw that they do not have any feeder rats or mice. A matter of fact, they barely had any rodents at all. What a disappointment. I am looking all over the place for to get live pink eyed rats and mice to keep as pets and I cannot find them. I guess that people feel too guilty to kill a rat or a mouse so they buy it frozen. By the way, I even saw that they do not sell feeder goldfish any more. What are the fish supposed to eat?

Holly12- White's tree frogs should not be fed pinky mice. They are high in fat and not necessary to their diet. Pinkies could be offered very sparingly, if at all. These frogs are very likely to become obese in captivity, so a strict diet of feeder insects is highly preferable to a fattening rodent.

Petsmart feeds their snakes arctic feeder mice. These mice and rats are humanely euthanized and frozen to preserve them. Personally I had rather my snakes be safe from bites and possible parasites, so I feed mine frozen feeders. You can find them in the freezer located in the aquatics section. Snakes do not need live prey. Please do not be annoyed or angry that the store will not sell you live feeders. They cannot, it is against policy, and an associate can find themselves in trouble for giving in to your request. They have given you a healthy alternative for your snake, so pipe down.

There is no way Petsmart actually feeds their snakes frozen mice. They don't really boil water to thaw the mice like they told us. We have had our new snake two weeks and he hasn't even nibbled at the frozen mouse -- even though we have thawed according to directions. So, in the name of "cruelty-free" our ball python will starve to death. Too bad they don't eat the crickets they sell.

BTW, I wonder what snakes did for the last few millennia, before frozen mice were available?

pheobe, you're a f***ing idiot. You obviosly have never owned a snake and have no room to even post about snakes. Did it ever occur to you that people can have a snake as a pet and not a conversation piece or a decorative item?! I own 6 snakes and happen to be attached to them like your [censored] would be to a dog. Think before you post things pheobe...you're only proving to us all that you're a complete f*** up.

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.