Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/07/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 8, 2023, I received a promotional text with the wording “Open Farm: 20% off Freeze Dried Raw and more” with a link to their website. Since this was a limited time offer, I immediately went to the website, however, the promo code did not work for Freeze Dried Raw, the exact name of product which was directly referenced in the promo text. Customer Service, (****** and *****) indicated that the offer did not apply to Freeze Dried Raw, although they were unable to explain why, and would not speak by phone. The unwillingness to acknowledge or address what appears to be very blatant Bait and Switch/False advertising, is a very poor business practice, especially for a company that purports to be highly ethical and “on a mission to do good.”

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2023

  Open Farm’s mission is transparency in our recipes and communications. Open Farm ran a promotion for 20% off toppers with a purchased of a bag of dry Kibble or RawMix at regular price. The terms and conditions of this promotion code were listed in the copied link when customers click through from the advertised SMS the customer received. The SMS adverted “Build your perfect bowl and save on toppers” and showcased 20% off Freeze Dried Raw and more (toppers) with a link for more details and restrictions.

  The customer contacted Open Farm on June 12, 2023 and our Customer Experience Team replied to the customer on June 12, 2023 letting them know of the conditions of the promotion code and gave them the below steps and extended the promotion for the customer an extra 18 days, which they did not take advantage of. The customer did not have a bag of dry food in their cart, so the promo code did not work solely on the Freeze Dried Raw recipe in cart.

  The following communications with steps was sent to the customer via email in June 12 and June 13, 2023:

  This promo code is valid for 20% off toppers (Wet Rustic Stews, Wet Rustic Blends, Bone Broth, & Freeze Dried Raw Morsels) when you purchase at least one bag of dry kibble or RawMix.
  Steps:
  1) Add at least one bag of your pet's favourite dry kibble or RawMix
  2) Add any toppers mentioned above (maximum of 3 toppers per household)
  3) At checkout, add promo: ***********

  This promo is valid from June 5th to June 12th at 11:59pm EST. The discount is not valid on Bundles, Gently Cooked, Freeze Dried Raw Patties, Treats, Supplements, or Dry Food.

  With regards to the promotion information, this would have been explained through the link provided on the text, along with the homepage on our website which detailed the information for the discount code.

  We are happy to extend this promotion for you to get your pet out all their favourite recipes to build the perfect bowl ????
  This promo is valid until June 30th at 11:59pm EST.

  We value all feedback from our customers. Serving customer’s pets delicious meals is at the heart of everything we do, and we want the shopping experience for these meals to be flawless! We will pass this feedback onto our marketing team. Promotion details can always be found on our site and legal copy for customers to review.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This does not answer as to how the language: "20% off of Freeze Dried Raw" does not translate into 20% off of your product with the name of Freeze Dried Raw. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2023

  At Open Farm, we offer a variety of options to build a bowl with multiple recipes and was the focus of the promotional offer. This specific promotion was a build a bowl promotion with our kibble as a base to offer a variety of textures and recipes for pets to enjoy! The complete terms and conditions for promotional offers can always be found by clicking the link provided in the SMS message. This is done due to the limited space provided in SMS messaging systems (Promo terms and conditions link provided in text message sent to consumers: ******************************************************. Freeze Dried Raw Morsels were included in the promotion and offered at 20% off with the purchase of a bag of dry kibble.
  Please see below the terms and conditions listed for the PERFECTBOWL promotion provided for customers in SMS link, email, and on website:

  Terms & Conditions:

  Build the Perfect Bowl & Save
  Online: Buy any dog or cat kibble (including RawMix) and get 20% off your topper until Jun 12, 2023. Enter *********** in the discount/gift card field at checkout. Toppers included are Freeze Dried Morsels for dogs or cats, Bone Broth for dogs or cats, Rustic Stews or Blends Wet Food for dogs or cats. Discount applies to a maximum of 3 toppers only. If more than 3 are added to cart, discount will be applied to the toppers with the lowest product price.  Bundles or Packs are not eligible for this promotion.

  Autoship customers must add toppers to their Kibble autoship order through your customer account and apply the discount code to qualify. Toppers may be added as one-time add-ons or autoship products. Orders exceeding the maximum discount may be cancelled automatically. Offer limited to one use per household. No cash value and discount cannot be combined with other offers. While supplies last.

  In-store: Prefer to shop in-store? Get $5 off toppers when you print the in-store coupon and take it in to your favourite neighbourhood pet shop. Toppers included are Freeze Dried Morsels for dogs or cats, Bone Broth for Dogs or Cats, Rustic Stews or Blends Wet Food for Dogs or Cats. Offer valid up to 2 toppers (units) only. One use per household and cannot be reproduced or combined with other offers. Offer expires 10 days after printing. While supplies last.

  We are more than happy to extend this offer further to this customer and their pup to take advantage of the delicious savings. If the customer is not wishing for dry food. We can offer 20% one bag of Freeze Dried Raw Morsels to them as a good will gesture as we always appreciate our pet parents.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 21/08/2023

  The Open Farm response refers to the limited space in SMS systems, implying that deceptive/misleading advertising is justified by these limitations. However, LESS space is needed when the goal is to omit a misleading statement. There are many ways to successfully communicate a promotion without a statement which sets an expectation which is then negated in Terms and Conditions. There was adequate space in SMS to state “Buy any kibble and get 20% off toppers” vs. “20% off Freeze-Dried Raw”.  My goal was to encourage Open Farm to re-evaluate this marketing tactic and I recognize this has been unsuccessful.  I appreciate the BBB organization, thank you for providing a method to communicate with Open Farm.