Petco has long been a popular choice for pet supplies, but their customer service can be a major drawback. This review highlights a particularly frustrating experience with an online order for airline-approved travel crates, exposing significant issues with Petco’s customer service policies and procedures.
As a loyal Petco customer for over 10 years and a Vital Care Premier member for 5+ years, I recently placed a $500+ online order for two travel crates of different sizes. While the order arrived on time, Petco delivered two of the largest crates instead of one large and one smaller as ordered. This error, just two weeks before a planned move to Hawaii, triggered a series of frustrating interactions with Petco’s customer service department.
Initially, I was informed that I needed to email a picture of the incorrect items. Following this, their team would require 1-2 business days to verify the error and then contact their third-party vendor. The vendor would then need 3-5 days to respond, with Petco contacting me 1-2 days after that. Only then would a carrier be dispatched to retrieve the wrong crates, and finally, the correct crate would be shipped. This lengthy process meant potentially not having the necessary crate in time for the move.
Requests to speak with a supervisor to expedite the process and ship the correct crate immediately were met with resistance. Despite multiple calls and waiting over 72 hours, supervisors reiterated the same policy: Petco would not send the correct item until they retrieved the incorrect ones. This policy effectively held my money hostage due to their mistake.
This experience highlights a critical flaw in Petco’s customer service approach. Their rigid adherence to policy prioritizes retrieving incorrect items over customer satisfaction and timely resolution. There was no offer of a discount, apology, or any attempt to mitigate the inconvenience caused by their error, despite a history of spending over $10,000 at Petco.
Ultimately, this incident led to the cancellation of my Petco membership and a search for alternative suppliers. Petco’s customer service policies need a serious overhaul to prioritize customer needs and provide efficient solutions. This experience serves as a cautionary tale for those relying on Petco for time-sensitive pet supplies. Their inflexible policies and lengthy resolution process can create significant stress and inconvenience for customers.
