ComplaintsforPawBoost

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  registered on paw boost to report my dog missing on July 31st-says it is free.you get to part where it says post and it asks you to buy a package of ******** posts or other postings that range from 45 dollars to more than 100 dollars a month.Couldn't find how to post for free.entered bank info as I was desperate to post my dog as missing. Later tried to remove bank card info and it doesn't let you.You can't cancel the payment.Can't find way to to delete account-tried and it is still there.If they want to charge a nominal fee of 20 bucks no doubt people would pay it-but don't scam people into buying things they don't want or need.Tried to post a found dog once and had the same problem

  Business response

  08/06/2024

  Dear ********, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We have sent you an email to offer assistance with this. For further assistance, please reply to that email or reach out to us for help.
  
  We want to let you know that it is free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the lost pets ******** page for your area, emailing local members of our Rescue Squad, creating a printable missing flyer, and adding the pet to our lost & found. The Rescue Squad is a group of rescue owners, shelter employees, veterinarians, and volunteers.
  

  PawBoost offers premium services that increase the reach and impact of our lost & found pet alerts. You do have the option to turn the post into an advertisement that is forced into peoples ******** feeds for a fee, as all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is optional. 

  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at ************************************************************************

  We can confirm that the subscription has been canceled and all your information was removed from our system. The card will not be charged moving forward. We also reviewed your account and it looks like you disputed the charge of $44.99 placed on Jul/31.  We cannot provide refunds for disputed charges. To try and help, we have accepted your dispute today, Aug/6. It is now up to your bank to determine the timeliness of the return of funds.

  Please reach out to us for further assistance at ************************************ We are happy to help in any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

  Customer response

  08/06/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  my dog was picked up by a person from pawboost right before me. I found a post with her pic on pawboost through ********* i responded they never replied again. Yet daily they continued to repost her as lost and had also posted various pictures. i have attempetd contact daily. my dog was picked up on 2/23/24 on ************ and ********* at ******* parking lot. i do not want to be trafficed nor do i choose for my loved ones to be either as well. i have to file this complaint about what they have done to my dog. she is a white female poodle m,ix. approx 1 year old. i would like to say that the day i messaged and told them that i have my paperwork, my dog registration was actually stolen. 'i have to resolve this in a ****** manner as i have mentioned i do no want to become victims of a backlash of a backlash.Exclude all of us from any retaliation. sincerely,************************************************** CADL B7147693 DOB 4/9/79 527-79-0350

  Business response

  03/18/2024

  Hi *******, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We have sent you an email to offer assistance with this. For further assistance, please reply to that email or reach out to us for help.
  
  
  We understand your frustration and are immensely sorry to hear of this situation. Please keep in mind that PawBoost acts as an intermediary company providing a place where people can connect and share information online. We do not have any direct contact with the pets, nor users, unless they reach out to us for assistance with their account. We do not have any information in reference to the pet, except what is displayed.
  
  
  Please reach out to us and provide us with the post information you are trying to contact. Such as the PawBoost 7 or 8 digit ID # located in the left-hand corner of the picture on the post, a link to the post, or the email address provided in the contact information for the post. With this information, we may be able to better assist you with contacting a potential finder. 
  
  
  Note that it is against our terms to become involved with custody disputes at this time. We are simply a platform for raising local awareness of lost and found pets. We can help with passing your message along to the finder and encourage them to reach out to you directly with more information. However, we cannot force anyone to respond. 
  
  
  You may also contact local police for advice and assistance. The rules around pet ownership depend on your local property rights laws and ordinances. They will be able to advise you on the best course of action to take. 
  
  
  We look forward to hearing from you! 
  
  
  Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have a cat that I reported Lost on pawboost.com The posting ID for the Lost posting is #********. Someone also posted that they had Found a cat in my neighborhood fitting his description and I have positively ID'd the photo is of my cat. The posting ID for the Found posting is #********. I have contacted the finder and I'm receiving no response from several emails and comments that I have sent. I am the owner of the cat trying to claim him and they will not respond. I have proof of ownership and photos. I emailed pawboost.com support team to assist me with reclaiming my cat and to see if they could contact the finder and they have also not responded. I have even received computer generated emails from pawboost.com stating that my lost post and the found post are a match. I don't know why someone would post that they had found a pet and then not respond to the rightful owner who's trying to claim it. I used the pawboost service trusting it was legitimate and all I want is to be contacted by the business and to get my pet returned safely home. As long as he is inside someone's house he cannot get out to return home. The cat was found and taken inside in my neighborhood not far from where I live. I need an address where I can go pick him up and no one will respond.

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  Hi ***, thank you for taking the time to write this feedback. We see that you were able to reach out to us via email on Feb/27 and Mar/8. We can confirm that we have responded to your request on Feb/27 and on Mar/8. We understand your frustration and are immensely sorry to hear that the finder has not responded and that the police haven't been supportive. 
  
  Please keep in mind that PawBoost acts as an intermediary company providing a place where people can connect and share information online. We do not have any direct contact with the pets, nor users, unless they reach out to us for assistance with their account. We do not have any information in reference to the pet, except what is displayed.
  
  We have passed your message along to the finder on Feb/28 and have encouraged them to reach out to you directly. Unfortunately, we have not heard back from the finder and we cannot force them to respond. Additionally, it's against our terms to become involved with custody disputes. We are simply a platform for raising local awareness of lost and found pets. Please continue to contact local police for advice and assistance. The rules around pet ownership depend on your local property rights laws and ordinances. They will be able to advise you on the best course of action to take. 
  
  So sorry we are not able to offer further help. 
  
  Sincerely,

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The website charges and then uses bots to send canned responses giving you hope that the post is being seen. These people are not real and are bots for the most part.

  Business response

  11/10/2023

  Hi *******, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We are so sorry to hear about your experience. We have sent you an email to offer assistance. Please reply to that email or reach out to us for help. 
  
  We have provided a full refund for the charge placed on Oct 3. You should receive an email confirmation shortly. 
  
  We can see that you have purchased the Maximum ******** Alert. When users purchase ******** Ads, we take the most recent ******** post for the pet and promote it with an ad campaign. The pet's post will continue to be seen, liked, shared, and commented on as long as the ad campaign is running. The ad campaign targets people within 20 miles of the pet's last seen location. Keep in mind, this does not mean that everyone within 20 miles will see the post.
  
  While it was active, Pearls alert was seen **** times by people in the ********, ** area, and clicked 349 times.
  
  We would like to let you know that PawBoost is a real company providing a place for people to share information about Lost & Found pets. We exist to help people with lost pets raise local awareness for their situation so that they have a better chance at reuniting with their family member. We do offer daily assistance, 365 days of the year and our response time is within 24 hours. We do not see an email from <**********************> to us, however, we have reached out to you to offer further help. 
  
  Also, its free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the lost pets ******** page for your area, emailing local members of our Rescue Squad, creating a printable missing flyer, and adding the pet to our lost & found. The Rescue Squad is a group of rescue owners, shelter employees, veterinarians, and volunteers. You do have the option to turn the post into an advertisement that is forced into peoples ******** feeds for a fee if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is optional.
  
  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at the following website ************************************************************************ under "What premium services does PawBoost offer?, and What free services does PawBoost offer?.
  
  Please reach out to us for assistance at ************************************ We are happy to help any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. - Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Texts claiming to have my dog. Would not send picture without me giving them the code they send. Happened right after visiting Paw boost site. #2 Today. Got text several claiming to have my dog .shes been missing over a year now. Would not send picture without me sending a code. He was very foreign sounding too.Then he called me several times. Asking for same. I have a private number. I DO NOT give out. How did he call me? Pawboost has it and once again I had been on their site early this morning and got these messages. Emailed Pawboost. Got the sane excuse as before. Do not trust them anymore. Somebody within their ranks is doing this or they are hacked and getting people's info. Dont want them contacting me again.

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  Hi *****, 
  
  We have received your BBB Complaint and are reaching out to offer further assistance with using PawBoost. 
  
  We understand your frustration and are sorry to hear about your experience. PawBoost is not a scam. We are an honest company providing a place for people to share information about Lost and Found pets to help reunite them with their families. We exist to help people with lost pets raise local awareness for their situation so that they have a better chance at reuniting with their pets. As part of this service, we need to collect contact information for the purposes of putting out the alert. What information we collect, how it is collected, and how it is used are all outlined in plain English in our privacy policy, which can be viewed here:  **********************************************************

  Protecting our users' personal information is extremely important to us, and we actively take steps to help protect the sensitive information submitted.  
  
  Unfortunately, scams such as these are prevalent across all public listing platforms (even outside of Lost & Found pets). The scams typically ask for money or personal information such as social security numbers, bank accounts, addresses, etc. This is a battle we are constantly fighting. 
  
  We have taken steps to educate our users about the scams and have implemented measures that make it more difficult for potential scammers to view phone numbers on PawBoost.
  
  Information on the scams can be found in the following link: *****************************************************************************************
  
  We apologize for any frustration or inconvenience; please bear with us as we continue fighting ongoing lost and found pet scams!
  
  If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know!
  
  
  Sincerely, 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 2nd 2023, I signed up for PawBoost's service to post my lost cat on their website and ********* First they removed my information from the poster image and the information I submitted, which would mean no one that saw this posting could contact me. When I saw this and needed to edit the information and images on the post, they never did and replied with an automated response that had nothing to do with my dispute and claims. I emailed them as they instructed about everything and had no contact with a real employee at the company. PawBoost is an elaborate and well-designed tech scam. Please be ware that even when you cancel your subscription with them you will still be charged WEEKLY. I was charged $89.99 WEEKLY until I realized this service was a scam and completely unhelpful. I cancelled on August 13th 2023, and this was confirmed in an email I received from PawBoost, however I was still being charged every week. Their phone number does not work and bots, not real people, respond to emails and calls. Needless to say, PawBoost did not address my concerns or help me cancel this reoccurring payment. I proceeded to delete my account and received an email confirmation from PawBoost, but this did not help and they are still ignoring and charging me. I now have to check in with my credit card company every 3 months to dispute this scam.I see PawBoost advertisements everywhere and am so disheartened by this dishonest, despicable company that preys on animal lovers in distress. They make false claims that the owners were reunited with pets. I have good reason to assume that everything that they advertise is fake. Do not give them your credit card information, as they will rob you.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  Hi *******************.  
  
  Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We have sent you an email to offer assistance with this. For further assistance, please reply to that email or reach out to us for help. 
  
  We have reviewed the account under <*****************> and we do not see any purchases under this account. We also see that you requested assistance with ******* alert ID#******* on Aug-1. This alert was created under a different email address and we responded on Aug-2 asking for the Security Key for that account so we could move forward with providing assistance. We have also reached out to the email that was used to create Tintins alert on Aug-2. We need this for security purposes, per policy. We have not heard from you since then. However, we would like to try and help. We have reached out to the email that was used to create Tintins alert today (Aug-16) to offer further assistance. We do not use bots, and our small Support Team is doing its best to provide an amazing experience and support to all our users. 
  
  We also see that the subscription was purchased on Jul-2 for Tintins alert. The subscription was canceled on Aug-6. The last payment was processed on Aug-6 and no charges were placed for that account after that. If there was a third email used to set up an account with **********************, please provide us with that information so we can further look into this. We would like to assist you with canceling any subscription and providing a full refund for any charge that was placed after Aug-13. 
  
  PawBoost is not a scam. We are a real company providing a place for people to share information about Lost and Found pets to help reunite them with their families. PawBoost is an ***** alert service for lost pets. We exist to help people with lost pets raise local awareness for their situation so that they have a better chance at reuniting with their family member.
  
  We are not able to assist via phone at this time. For assistance with using PawBoost please reach out to us via email. We do offer daily assistance, 365 days of the year and our response time is within 24 hours. 
  
  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at the following website ************************************************************************ under "What premium services does PawBoost offer?, and What free services does PawBoost offer?.
  
  Please reach out to us for assistance at ************************************ We are happy to help any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. - Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  this business is a scam! my brother and i have attempted to reach out to people on listings of found pets trying to find our dog and NOT ONE PERSON HAS EVER RESPONDED! NOT ONE! how can all these people be listing found pets but none of them reach out to the people saying it might be their pet? all these people do is sell our info. they charge us for things we don't need. i paid for ******** posts and they said oh **** people have seen your lost dog post....i told them there weren't **** people living in that area! they refunded me but wow...such lies!!! feeding on the missing painful hearts of people looking for their pets. they seem to be in **. if you can direct me to the right bureau to have these scammers investigated, i would be so grateful.

  Business response

  07/14/2023

  Hi **********************, 
  
  Thank you for sharing your feedback with us! We see that you were able to reach out to us via email. We have reached out to you to offer further assistance with using PawBoost. 
  
  We understand your frustration and we are so sorry to hear of your experience. PawBoost is not a scam. We are a real company providing a place for people to share information about Lost and Found pets to help reunite them with their families. People that lost or found a pet are trying to spread the word to as many people and as quickly as possible. 
  
  We do encourage our users to check their emails frequently and to reply to all requests as a lot of people are extremely worried and missing their beloved pet. We have considered requiring a phone number for creating the account but that would have a big impact on users creating accounts and/or alerts with PawBoost as a lot of people prefer to keep their privacy and personal information from being shared to the public. We will continue to work on encouraging our users to frequently monitor their emails and alerts for any message that *** provide with helpful information. If you need assistance with contacting someone who create an alert with PawBoost, please let us know. We are here to help any way we can! 
  
  We would also like to let you know that its free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the lost pets ******** page for your area, emailing local members of our Rescue Squad, creating a printable missing flyer, and adding the pet to our lost & found. The Rescue Squad is a group of rescue owners, shelter employees, veterinarians, and volunteers. You do have the option to turn the post into an advertisement that is forced into peoples ******** feeds for a fee if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is optional. 
  
  We are so sorry to hear that the ad campaign for your pet didnt reach the estimated views. Please keep in mind that the view count is an estimation only. However we are always happy to help and remedy the situation by providing a refund or re-launching the ad campaign free of charge to reach the estimated views. We can confirm that we have provided a full refund for the ad campaign purchased on November 21, 2022. 
  
  PawBoost is an ***** alert service for lost pets. We exist to help people with lost pets raise local awareness for their situation so that they have a better chance at reuniting with their family member. As part of this service, we need to collect contact information for purposes of putting out the alert. What information we collect, how it is collected, and how it is used is all outlined in plain English in our privacy policy, which can be viewed here: **********************************************************
  
  Protecting our users' personal information is extremely important to us, and we actively take steps to help protect the sensitive information submitted.  
  
  Please reach out to us directly for further assistance with using PawBoost or to request your information to be removed, we are happy to help any way we can. For assistance with using PawBoost please reach out to us using the following email address *******************************

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20301394
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Mandana Towhidy

   

  this is the pasted copy they always send. they never address why no one ever replies. it makes no sense. this needs to go to an office that investigates fraud. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I delete my account due to scams on their website Waiting for my refund Scared n nervous n worried about this

  Business response

  06/26/2023

  Hello ******, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We are immensely sorry to hear about this experience and to hear that you have received scam messages. We see where you were able to reach out to us via email. We have replied to your email to offer further assistance with this.
  
  
  We reviewed the account and confirmed the refund of $44.99 was successfully made on June 11, 2023. Please reach out to us if you need further assistance with this. 
  
  
  We're continuously battling these scams and are actively trying to notify our users via email about lost & found pet scams. Our email notification includes a link to our blog post that we keep up to date with active scams we are aware of; You may visit: ******************************************** under "Recognize and Avoid the Lost Pet Scam". 
  
  
  Keep in mind that it's free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the local lost pets ******** page, emailing members of our Rescue Squad, creating a missing flyer and adding a pet to our lost & found. We can also help with re-sharing and bumping the alert to the top of the feed for free to help keep the alert current, for assistance with this please reach out to us directly. PawBoost users have the option to turn the post into an advertisement for a fee. Unfortunately, all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is completely optional. 
  
  
  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at the following website ********************************************pawboost-faqs/ under "What premium services does PawBoost offer?, and What free services does PawBoost offer?.
  
  Please reach out to us for assistance at ************************************ We are happy to help any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. - Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Paid for Pawboost service to spread the word about my cat *****. I have reviewed my cc account and they have been paid each month $89.99. However, I cannot update the picture of him without being charged another $89.99 and I dont see him as a featured pet or on the sites any longer. Not sure what Im paying for.

  Business response

  06/03/2023

  Hello ******, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We have sent you an email to offer assistance with this. For further assistance, please reply to that email or reach out to us for help. 
  
  We want to let you know that you do not need to pay to have *****'s picture updated. Please reach out to us with a new photo of ***** and we will update the alert for you! 
  
  Keep in mind that its free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the lost pets ******** page for your area, emailing local members of our Rescue Squad, creating a printable missing flyer, and adding the pet to our lost & found. The Rescue Squad is a group of rescue owners, shelter employees, veterinarians, and volunteers. You do have the option to turn the post into an advertisement that is forced into peoples ******** feeds for a fee if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is optional.
  
  We can see that you have purchased the Maximum ******** Alert. When you purchase ******** Ads, we take the most recent ******** post for your pet and promote it with an ad campaign. Your pet's post will continue to be seen, liked, shared, and commented on as long as the ad campaign is running. The ad campaign targets people within 10 miles of your pet's last seen location. Keep in mind, this does not mean that everyone within 10 miles will see the post.
  
  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at the following website ************************************************************************ under "What premium services does PawBoost offer?, and What free services does PawBoost offer?.
  
  Please reach out to us for assistance at ************************************ We are happy to help any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. - Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  PAWBOOST:I paid pawboost to spread the word about my missing cat. The second they confirmed payment, they sent me a text stating that there was a scam about people responding saying they found your lost pet but they needed a 6 digit code they would send you so that they would send you a picture of your pet. I got the text from someone random doing this exact thing. Luckily I was not duped. Then, this site uses your ******** contacts to spread the word about your lost pet. Now, my FB contacts are all getting contacted by grammatically challenged people from who knows where asking them to add them as friends, how they loved our walls, etc. I cannot find a number to get in touch with pawboost, but I did find an email account . I sent them a scathing email, I am still receiving random texts and emails (as are my friends) trying to get us, them to friend them. This is Dispicable. Lowest time in your life, wanting to believe someone had found your pet. And then, s******* with all your friends private ******** account (which I gave them access to without knowing it). Please help! *********************** ************

  Business response

  05/25/2023

  Hi *****, thank you for sharing your feedback with us! We are immensely sorry to hear about this experience and to hear that you have received scam messages. We see where you were able to reach out to ** via email. We have replied to your email to offer further assistance with using PawBoost. 
  
  PawBoost is not a scam and we are not attempting to scam you. PawBoost is an online platform providing a place for people to share information about Lost and Found pets to help reunite them with their families. People that are searching for their lost pets or trying to reunite lost pets with their owners, are trying to spread the word to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, this may sometimes attract unscrupulous scammers looking to profit off their desperate situation. We're continuously battling these scams and are actively trying to notify our users via email about lost & found pet scams. Our email notification includes a link to our blog post that we keep up to date with active scams we are aware of; ******************************************** under "Recognize and Avoid the Lost Pet Scam". 
  
  We can confirm that we do not use your ******** contacts to spread the word, and your ******** contacts should not be getting messages by scammers. We do not have access to your ******** account, neither do we have access to your contact list. When you purchase ******** Ads, we take the most recent ******** post and promote it with an ad campaign. The ad campaign targets people within 10 miles of your pet's last seen location. We would love to hear more details on this so we can try to help and understand what happened and why your ******** contacts have received scam messages. 
  
  We would like to let you know that its free to add a pet to PawBoost, which includes posting to the lost pets ******** page for your area, emailing local members of our Rescue Squad, creating a printable missing flyer, and adding the pet to our lost & found. The Rescue Squad is a group of rescue owners, shelter employees, veterinarians, and volunteers. You do have the option to turn the post into an advertisement that is forced into peoples ******** feeds for a fee if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, all advertisements have a cost associated with them, but this is optional.
  
  PawBoost FAQ's about our free and premium lost and found pet services, including how to cancel active paid advertisement subscriptions, can be found at the following website www.pawboost.com/blog/ under "PawBoost FAQs".
  
  Please reach out to ** for assistance at ********************************** We are happy to help any way we can. Please let ** know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with using PawBoost. - Sincerely, The PawBoost Support Team

  Customer response

  05/25/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  I understand Paw Boost is not a scam, it is a fabulous way for people to reunite with their pets.  I was in a total panic and over reacted when I reached out to you and to Paw Boost.  I apologize.  There are always bad people who figure out how to scam legitimate companies who are offering a much appreciated service.  
  

  thank you for offering this service Paw Boost!!!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

*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. ↩