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:08/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  The pet store sold us a puppy that they knew was sick did not disclose that to us said we had a 7 day vet guarantee we took the puppy to the vet it has worms parasite upper respiratory infection and multiple other things put my other dogs at risk and I have had to take them all to the vet to be treated and the pet store friendly pets will only pay for the medicine for the puppy even though they said they would pay the vet bills repetitively and they say that they quarantine the sick puppies and they knew he was sick and still had him in with other puppies we have had the puppy for almost a week and we are at over 3500$ all in on the puppy and I am glad we took the puppy since now he will get the care he obviously needed and was not given by this horrible company it is animal abuse

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/31/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/24/2024

  We have corresponded with this customer's wife multiple times. Each time after explaining our warranties and policies we have been cursed out. As stated in the 7 Day Health Guarantee we cover the cost of medications in the event the puppy is diagnosed with an illness, we have only received one invoice from this customer in which we reimbursed solely for the medications as stated in the warranty. If there are further invoices they should be sent to Friendly Pets and the customer will be reimbursed for any medications prescribed to the puppy that was purchased from Friendly Pets. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  When we purchased the puppy the salesman said that all medical costs would be covered we were lied to about his condition and that they had been seen by a vet he was sold to us knowingly sick we have tried to send invoices for visits they said they would only pay for medications that he received in the first 7 days but that is not what was said when we purchased the puppy he is still getting treatment for the issues he had and we are in over 1000$ in treatment we have submitted 2 invoices for the medication they refunded us for one of 2 they gave us 166$ on August 19th we submitted a new invoice August 13 for the second set of meds they never paid us for that round of medications and at no point did any of us use profanity with them on the phone just like everything else they have said is a bold faced lie 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2024

  Attached are the Puppy Warranty, signed and initialed by the Complainants wife ****** *****. It is clearly stated we will reimburse for medications only in the Limited 7-Day Puppy Warranty. Also attached are the documents and receipts showing we reimbursed for all medications prescribed to Meeko totaling in $166.09. Again these are the only invoices we have received from the customers, should they decide to send us any additional invoices for Meeko we will reimburse for any further medication prescribed to him until he is deemed healthy, as also outlined in the Limited 7-Day Puppy Warranty. These parameters have been explained multiple times to the customers.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Last week: 10/2-10/6, I went a few times to pet the puppies. I have had four dogs in my lifetime, and I recognize when dogs and cats are not well cared for. The animals show signs of virus and sickness. A few dogs ate their own fecus and drank their urinate-all while we were there. This clearly shows that they are kept in environments where this animal behavior is allowed and not cared for. The dogs eyes were very weepy, filled with water, some of the pups were very tired which makes me question if they have access to enough water and food. This is a puppy mill! Please shut this place down. Up to three dogs are being held in cages. I cannot imagine what else is going on behind the scenes. This place has very concerned reviews and all signs point to PUPPY MILL. I have full confidence that the Better Business Bureau will proceed with justice at the forefront to stop this practice. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  We are licensed and regulated by the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture and Livestock, all of our puppies are attended to and cared for according to the Animal Welfare Act. If puppies are showing any signs of illness they are immediately separated and isolated, then they are treated according to our affiliate licensed veterinarian. Our puppies do not come from puppy mills, they come from private breeders that we have worked with for 37 years. All of our breeders are USDA licensed and regulated, as well as licensed and regulated through their respective states Department of Agriculture and Livestock. We thank you for your concern and hope to see you back and better informed as you have purchased and used a Puppy Playtime Punch Card.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  I purchased, what I thought was a ***** *******. I paid $2500 for this breed. He came home with Kennel Cough which cost me time and money trying to get him back to health. Then I noticed his hair did not look like a ***** *******. I paid over $160 for a DNA test. the test came back that he was not a true ***** *******. He was 68% *****, 23 % Maltese, 5% Yorkie and 3.8% Havanese. after many attempts to speak with the owners, I never got a returned call. I spoke with a manager and she said she would speak to the owner. here is our email communication "Ok, I was trying to give you the opportunity to fix your wrong. I have many articles that say the complete opposite. You are supposed to be a reputable Pet store but obviously money is the only thing you care about, and you have no problem doing false advertising. I will be taking further action on this matter. Is a purebred 100%? The breeder’s association rules the percentage of fullblood genetics required for an animal to be considered purebred, usually above 87.5%. ***** ******* ******* From: Friendly Pets Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 2:26 PM To: ***** ******* Subject: Re: Registration Hi *****, We are sorry you are dissatisfied with your experience with us, but at this time we will not be providing any financial reimbursement regarding his genetic ancestry results as it doesn't affect him being classified as a purebred dog. If you do decide to register him through APRI you may also request a multi-generational lineage document that will state he is a purebred and his ancestors and their breed, ***** *******, will be listed. Thank you, Kennel Management Vayda and Reese"

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2023

  Maverick was diagnosed with Kennel Cough within our 7 Day Warranty time frame, we offered reimbursement of the medications prescribed to him per our warranty and the customer refused reimbursement and refused to send her vet invoices stating she needed more than the amount offered as "reimbursement didn't help her with hearing him cough at night". It clearly states in our Warranty Conditions that we do not cover DNA Testing, this is because it simply matches haplotypes found in the puppies saliva to the haplotypes of other breeds in the company's data base, these haplotypes can be found in multiple breeds as every breed of dog had to originate from another through selective breeding processes. Attached is the statement from *****'s chosen DNA testing company, Embark, stating that the DNA results have no affect on whether the dog will be considered purebred through Registration bodies. Again if she so chooses to register him through the body eligible, American Pet Registry, she will receive a pedigree of his lineage including his parents, grandparents, and ancestors, which will all be ***** *******s  as American Pet Registry does not recognize hybrid or designer breeds, and he would not be registerable if he were a mixed breed dog. Again we apologize for her dissatisfaction of the overall situation and misunderstanding of the information provided to her through the American Breeder's Association, as they are referring to selecting unregistered adult dogs for breeding that must be DNA tested in order to be registered for breeding as they have no recorded lineage, this is what happened when Maverick's ancestors were registered for breeding which is why he has a pedigree and recorded lineage of being a purebred ***** *******.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  see uploads attachments

  My Response:
  I had a ***** for over 17 years and he passed away 2.5 years ago.  I looked for a ***** ******* for 2 years.  I didn’t want to have it put on a plane and not know if he would come from a puppy mill.   I saw the friendly pet store advertising ***** ******* puppies and I thought at least they will vet the breeders and I will get a true ***** puppy.   I paid $2500 for this puppy.   This pricing in in line with true AKC registered puppies.    You can look at Maverick and realize his hair is “not *****” but very coarse. Which is why I decided to check before I addressed it with the pet store.
  
  I feel the Pet store did false advertising:
  The FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive advertising in any medium. That is, advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers. A claim can be misleading if relevant information is left out or if the claim implies something that's not true
  The pet store did not state that I would have to look through centuries of lineage to find out Maverick was ever a true ***** many centuries ago.    They did not tell me that I would have the responsibility of vetting the Breeder.     They did not tell me that this puppy was not a true bred of ***** *******.  They did not tell me that this puppy might be part Maltese and Part *****. They did not state Anywhere in their stores that they cannot attest the authenticity of the breed.  None of the responses they gave in their response were posted in their store or warnings that the puppy you are purchasing may not be what they claimed and had they are charging top prices.
  
  When I went to the store and asked for a manager.  She stated they are not responsible for the breeder.  She stated they can’t guarantee anything.  She stated that they don’t vet the breeders.   I asked her where in the store was that posted.   She asked me for all my information and stated the Owner would have to call me back.   They never did.
  
  My second call was told different but that the owner never got involved in these situations and that the Managers handled it.   5 minutes later I received an email saying they are not responsible and would not give me any of my money back.
  If you went to a car dealership and they said this is a Toyota, and you find out that the engine is a Dodge they would be responsible.
  I found out later that Maverick was from a breeder in ********.  You don’t see that till weeks after purchase when you get the ownership and so-called proof of the breed.   I contacted the breeder, and they asked me to send them the DNA results, which I did.  The response I got was “WHATEVER””   I have the text.   Attached.
  
  ***** *******
  
  
  This is False advertising!
  
  As far as the kennel cough:
  
  First of all, the Pet store offered only to pay for the 1 time medicine $39.00 not the 2 office visits I had to go for continued the puppies care.  Second of all I did not turn it down I said that the vet was concerned that Maverick might have a trachea issue as well but could not tell until the kennel coungh was over and I wanted to submit one bill.   It took Maverick 2 months to get over the kennel cough.   When I mentioned that I was told I only has so many days to submit the bill.   They act like kennel cough is a minor thing.  It is very dangerous, and Maverick coughed and hacked day and night for weeks and weeks.  
  April 25, 2017
  Categories: Shelter Medicine
  
  Add to the list of reasons to give to your family and friends on why they shouldn’t buy a pet store puppy: They can be particularly likely to develop severe or even fatal pneumonia if they contract kennel cough.
  Kennel cough is not a specific disease, but rather a complex of respiratory diseases affecting dogs, and more correctly known as Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (CIRD). It can include illness caused by both viruses and bacteria, and symptoms can range from a mild cough to death.
  Dr. Cynda ******** of the ********* ******* Medicine Program at the University of ******* is the researcher who originally identified an influenza virus in dogs, now a significant cause of respiratory disease in dogs both in the community and in shelters. She is now frequently consulted about respiratory disease outbreaks in animals. In a 2013 presentation, Dr. ******** cautioned that CIRD can be particularly dangerous in puppies from pet stores and puppy mills.
  “(CIRD) is deadly in puppies. Deadly,” she said. “It is a very common cause of severe, life-threatening pneumonia in puppies, because the bacteria are replicating and damaging the lungs in addition to the upper respiratory tract. This is a common cause of severe pneumonia of puppies in pet stores coming from the ******** and ******** puppy mills. I frequently get called about Bordetella pneumonia with puppies purchased from pet stores.”
  
  
  If you say that the item you are purchasing is a ***** ******* or German Shepherd or a maltese.   Then that is what it should be.  If an error occurred, then it is the store responsibility to rectify the situation.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2023

  We do not believe Friendly Pets has falsely advertised in any way. We sold you a registered ***** ******* and that is what Maverick is. Again, going back to the website from which you did the DNA test from. “Genetic ancestry and purebred status are two different, completely separate things. Purebred status is defined by pedigrees at registration bodies. Ancestry looks at segments of shared DNA. A purebred dog can sometimes share DNA with another breed. If this happens, you’ll see “Mixed Ancestry” in your dog’s DNA results. These results in no way affect registered “purebred” status or your dog’s standing with the registration body. Typically, a registration body certifies a dog’s purebred status through pedigree records and parentage verification, which do not rely on genetic testing.” *************************************************************

  
  We have never stated that we do not vet or are not responsible for our breeders. We have worked with these breeders for years and relay the information they have provided us regarding the dogs information to the customers. Nothing can be guaranteed 100% but regarding the status of Maverick, he is a registered ***** ******* and that is all that counts when it comes to “purebred” status. It would be different if we advertised Maverick as a Yorkshire Terrier while completely knowing he wasn't, but that is not the case. 

  
  As for Maverick’s state of origin, it has always been stated on your Limited Puppy Warranty, which was signed at the time of purchase, that he originated from a breeder in ******** as well as the breeders information and the dog's parent(s) names and registration numbers. As for the messages between you and the breeder we do not see any attachment regarding those.
  
  In regarding to the kennel cough, if you actually sent us invoices from your vet we would have been happy to cover the medication costs to treat Maverick’s illness. Stated in our Limited Puppy Warranty, again which was signed at the time of purchased and discussed verbally, under the Warranty Conditions it states “Friendly Pets does not cover the cost of any vaccinations, wormings, exam fees, fecal tests, hypoglycemia, cherry eye, ringworm, dental complications, lab work, DNA testing, or x-rays. As for his possible tracheal issue we do need to have vet documentation regarding the diagnosis.

  With the proper medication, kennel cough can be a very minor thing, same as humans having the common cold. You are more than welcome to submit your veterinarian documentations and invoices still and we can discuss how to help you in regarding the medication costs. Any puppy is at risk for developing either severe or fatal illnesses no matter where they are bred or housed, it is not something that can be completely avoided. 

  
  Again, we do not believe we as Friendly Pets have falsely advertised in any way. We advertised Maverick as a registered ***** ******* and that is what you purchased.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/08/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Maverick is a mixed breed of ***** ******* and a Maltese.  No matter how you spin this that is a fact.   I did upload the response from the breeder.    I am requesting a partial refund for the mixed breed.  I wanted a pure breed ***** and his hair is not ***** at all, it is Corse.   even when I brought him in one of your employees  said to me ohhh he looks like a Cairn not a *****.   I am not sure what the next step is but I am not satisfied with any of these responses.