ComplaintsforThe Farmer's Dog, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Requested a refund on an order that wasn't supposed to be placed. **************** is non-existent

  Business response

  07/05/2024

  Customer left complaint in regards to being billed for 2 separate 16 day orders within the span of 24 hours. To provide a little clarity into how our subscription service works, we send a certain amount of days worth of food per order depending on their dog's suggested portion size. From there, these orders are then scheduled to arrive right when they need them in addition to how many days worth of food they want to keep on hand in between each order to ensure they don't ever run out of food. We also track how much a god is eating per day and how many packs they have on hand to keep their deliveries in sync. We also have cutoffs to make changes to these orders which is to make sure we can prepare their dog's recipes before shipping.
  
  In this customer's case, they're set to receive 16 days worth of food every 2 weeks while they have between 3-4 days worth of food on hand. After taking a closer look, the customer was scheduled to receive an order between July 1-4 with the cutoff for this order being June 26th. The customer went into their account online and updated the delivery date for their subsequent order (set up to arrive between 7/15-7/18) on June 28th to arrive between 7/1-7/4 which was the reason for the duplicate orders and led to this confusion.
  
  All that said, the customer reached out to our customer service team on June 29th after they were billed for the order they adjusted themselves asking why they were charged and to request a refund. Since we've been dealing with a much larger than normal volume, our customer service department wasn't able to get back to them until July 1st (after the 2nd order had been fulfilled), so we were unable to adjust this order or cancel it. After some back and forth with the customer, our customer service team had since refunded them for the 2nd order that was placed. One of our specialists will be reaching out to them via phone/email to provide further support for the customer and offer them a credit to take care of their next order if they'd like to give us another chance.

• Initial Complaint

  06/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Deceptive pricing scheme. Apparently The ******** Dog charges their customers per day or per calory, not per pack which should be the right thing to do. Since we are mixing other food due to our concern about high fat content of the ******** Dog food, we lowered the packs per shipment significantly (from 25 packs per shipment to 14). Surprisingly, the total cost barely dropped. The company claims that they did not have a per pack pricing. This is a scam. This is from the company (basically the price doubled): The 304 calories, 1/2 pack per day at 50 days of food averaged $4.14 per day (before tax) which is $221.29 (including tax). The current portion is 201 calories, 1/4 a pack on a 56 day plan which averages $3.57 (before tax) which comes to $213.85 per shipment.

  Business response

  06/15/2024

  On 6/12/24, our customer reached out to inquire about different plan options we could provide. It is important to note that they had previously contacted our *************************** before lodging this complaint, and we endeavored to provide assistance. We supplied options and cost breakdowns for transparency and strived to clearly outline the nature of our subscription service and its implications.
  
  To further clarify, we work closely with our on-staff board-certified nutritionists to determine the optimal meal plans for dogs based on their breed, age, activity level, ideal weight, and body condition. Based on this information, our plans will cost between $2 and $12 per day.
  
  In this particular customer's situation, the expense of their plan was marginally higher on the 50-day plan due to the larger portion size they were receiving (304 calories while consuming 1/2 pack per day), in contrast to the adjusted 56-day plan, where their dog's portion size was smaller (201 calories while consuming 1/4 pack per day). The reduced portion size resulted in a decrease of over 50 cents per day in their daily cost.
  
  Furthermore, the portion size a customer may select to feed will directly affect how many servings one pack can provide. In the customer's full plan at 304 calories per day, each pack would last 2 days. Our customer was inquiring about a different subscription plan, on the 201-calorie plan, each pack would last 4 days because they would be feeding less food. This explains why 25 packs are being sent in their 50-day order while their 56-day order would only contain 14 packs. Weve reached out to this customer to provide them with as much support as we can and will keep an eye out for their reply.

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Due to the very high cost of the product, I canceled the subscription. Unfortunately, the company charges your account way before shipment. They promised a refund which I never got. Emails dated 2/252024, 3/27/2024 and 3/29/2024 states that they refunded my account which in fact, the bank has no record of. Per emails, two different versions were provided about refund. Both are false.

  Business response

  06/19/2024

  This customer started their subscription October 02, 2022 and cancelled on October 30, 2022. Although our cutoff to make changes to their last order was October 26, 2022, our Customer Experience team made an exception and successfully canceled and refunded their processed order totaling $156.81. An automated refund confirmation email was sent to the customer upon initiating the refund.
  
  On November 19, 2022 we provided the customer with an Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) to assist in locating their refund through the bank. We did not hear from this customer again till February 2024 when they claimed they had not received their refund. At this time, we can confirm the refund was processed and those funds are no longer in our possession. As a result, we are unable to issue a check as requested by the customer on March 2024. We have advised the customer to review their transactions from the relevant timeframe, given the considerable time that has passed since the refund was issued.

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Weekly order of freshly cooked food for my 3 dogs. The company refuses to tell companies when food is cooked. This food consists of proteins such as beef, turkey, pork and chicken that need to be kept frozen and cannot thaw be refrozen. They sent me an order that states sent Monday 2/26/24 even though the labels were printed on Friday 2/23/24 for the shipping. The company refused to tell me if the food was previously frozen and on what date it was cooked. The company states that it's a trade secret. Thus, the food could potentially be frozen for months and sold as fresh food. The order packed in dry ice has been en route for 5 days if delivered tomorrow 2/30/24. Their delivery of sending boxes of fresh food that takes 5 days is negligent and unsafe. Refusing to tell me when the food was cooked so I can understand how fresh it is and how long it can last is not a safe food handing practice. When the food arrives after traveling for at least 5 days it is not safe to eat. I spend $170 weekly for each box. I am filing this complaint in response to my fear that the food safety protocols are not being met especially since the company refuses to tell customers when the food is actually cooked and sends food without any customer service to insure the food is delivered in a timely manner.

  Business response

  03/02/2024

  Customer is mentioning some concern in regards to the freshness of our fresh dog food as well as the shipping/delivery of our orders.
  
  As far as our food goes, we cook and package all of our food in a ****-certified kitchen, where only human-quality food is produced. With that **** certification comes rigorous inspections, health codes, and ingredient standards that we're required to meet. All of our food is cooked according to the *** thermal process, which ensures the center of the meat reaches and maintains a specified temperature set by the **** and ***. After cooking, the food is then sent to be packaged in a closed system which reduces the risk of cross-contamination.
  
  From there, our food is then packaged while still hot and then sent immediately to the freezer and frozen following **** regulations. These regulations are in place to ensure that we kill bacteria through the cooking process and to control any potential growth through the cooling process. Our food remains sealed and in a frozen state until it is packed to ship which further controls the risk of bacterial growth. Additionally, the food is packed frozen with dry ice or cold packs to create a temporary freezer while the food is in shipment.
  
  Lastly, the customer expressed concern in regards to when we create a shipping label and ship out our orders. Typically, we bill our orders the Thursday before an order is set to ship out. Once this order is billed, we then generate a shipping label to prepare this order to ship the following week. In this case, their order was scheduled to ship on Monday, 2/26 so the order was then billed on Thursday, 2/22 with the shipping label created on Friday, 2/23. This order then was packaged and shipped out as scheduled on Monday, 2/26 to arrive between the delivery window we provide of 2/26-2/29. The freshness of our food is paramount so while we do ship our food in temporary freezers, we never want our food to be in shipment for more than a few days.
  
  That said, if any order is delayed or scheduled to arrive outside of the given delivery window, we'll always provide the customer with a free replacement as we'd never want to have a customer feed their dog food that they aren't comfortable with. For this particular order, the carrier ***** did delay the delivery this order for a day due to "operating conditions". The window we provided for this order was 2/26-2/29 but with this delay, it was scheduled to arrive on 3/1 according to **** The customer contacted out customer service team and we contacted *** to have this order returned to sender and set up a free replacement order to ship out asap, to which they contacted one of our supervisors and then cancelled. Since the customer wanted to also cancel their subscription with us, the supervisor they spoke with also applied a credit to their account in the amount for 1 full order ($187.77) in case they wanted to reorder again in the future.
  
  The quality of our food, the health of their dog, and their experience when it comes to the delivery of our orders are always our main priorities so one of our specialists has reached out via email to provide further support.

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This is the second time *** complained to the Farmers Dog for not having ice packs in my order. I have a note in my account that the building I live in has a refrigerator for items being delivered that needs to be stored. When I complained to The Farmers Dog the first time the customer service representative was very apologetic and sent me a new order. It happened a second time and when I complained the customer service representative said I need to speak with *** in order to make sure they are dropping off my package in the designated fridge. The fact my building even has a fridge for deliveries is a LUXURY. The issue is my orders not coming with ice packs. I kept the order thinking it would be okay, but my dog has been throwing up every other night due to this spoiled food. I pay hundreds of dollars a month for this food and they cant even make things right and on top of that, make my dog sick. I am now throwing out all the food and will be waiting for the next delivery.

  Business response

  02/06/2024

  In order to create a temporary freezer for dog's fresh food while it's traveling to our customers, we include dry ice and/or cold packs in each shipment. This customer claims neither were included in their order, which resulted in food not arriving up to our standards. We'd never want our customer's to feed anything they are uncomfortable with and that doesn't arrive in safe condition. For this reason, we've refunded this customer for their last order and ensured their next order is set up to arrive as soon as possible. In addition, while we don't have the ability to control the delivery performance of our carrier partners, we always want to assume responsibility however we can. With that, we've made sure to add all necessary notes to this customer's delivery instructions in hopes it'll help the carrier. We have spoken to the customer and suggested signing up for the carriers free program to leave their own detailed notes.

  Customer response

  02/08/2024

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After researching this brand, my wife and I decided to put our dog on it in order to give him the best possible nutrition. Advertisements and marketing material for this company show that it is a plied and has been approved by multiple veterinarians. They also claim that canine nutritionist Develops the formulations and the they are safe and optimal. After putting my dog on this food, for approximately a three month period, he developed an acute case of pancreatitis. Upon further investigation, the fat content in his food is both out of range for standard diets, and does not fall within veterinary guidelines for fat content. A cursory review of complaints across the web will show that numerous cases of pancreatitis have been documented by customers of this company. In some cases the dogs have died. These people should be shut down for their misleading and false marketing practices. This food is not safe.

  Business response

  01/25/2024

  Customer is stating that their dog developed a case of acute pancreatitis after eating our food for about 3 months. While there are always considerations to be made for dogs with underlying health conditions and/or breed predispositions to certain diseases, we always encourage customers to speak with their vet prior to transitioning to a new food source to ensure its suitable for their dogs individual needs. Additionally, our recipes are formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists to ensure they are 100% nutritionally complete and balanced, and we regularly send batch samples to labs to confirm they show adequate levels of the appropriate nutrients for a healthy diet. That said, the health of all the dogs we feed is our top priority so one of our specialists has reach out to this customer to gather more information and provide any support they can.

  Customer response

  01/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I will await someone from Farmers Dog reaching out to me or my wife.  The purchase was made by ***************** for our dog *************************.  I have conclusive bloodwork and a veterinarians diagnosis of pancreatitus due to the fat content of this **** being way above same limitations for any dog.  I can be reached at ************ or **********************.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business response

  03/25/2024

  We pride ourselves on outstanding customer service and strive to reply to our customers in record time. To that end, we have been in active communication with this customer since January 24, 2024 when he brought his claim to our attention. To note, customers receive dry matter percentages on a typical analysis basis within the feeding guide we send with each order. He has received 4. Still, we care so deeply that we have respectfully answered his question on dry matter basis multiple additional times through our CX department. At the same time, we have asked him to submit documentation relating to his request for reimbursement because he claims our food caused a reaction in his dog, but he refuses to provide any verifiable documentation that we have requested or to allow us to contact his veterinarian. It pains us, but we have reiterated to him that we have done everything we can until he provides the information necessary to investigate his claim. We cannot do anything more without that documentation, and we truly consider this to be resolved.

  Customer response

  03/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********* and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Attached is further email correspondence describing farmer's dog's lack of response, intentionally misleading marketing practices, and overall failure to adequately resolve my issue.  Happy to provide further detail and email correspondence as required.  

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

• Initial Complaint

  12/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I agreed to a 2 week free trail 12/14 on 12/22 I tried to cancel.They already billed my card. They said I had to cancel before 12/20 6 days after the initial agreement. They said they sent emails about delivery. They sent emails. but they were just advertising Nothing about delivery status or billing. I feel they scammed me. 2weeks free trail. But you have 6 days to cancel. I don't feel that was enough time for dog to de get used to food

  Business response

  01/04/2024

  Were sorry for any confusion caused here. Customers are notified at sign up that we are a subscription service and by checking out they are agreeing to the subscription plan that is shown to them on the check-out page. During check out they are also notified that any unprocessed order can be cancelled. Then following check out the plan that they have signed up for is outlined again, and they are sent a welcome email that details this as well. Emails are also sent before the cut-off for each order is set to be processed with the cancel by date and time noted. Our ****************************** is available 24/7 via phone, text or email, and are always happy to help with any questions! We have since discussed this directly with this customer and theyve since noted that weve provided a satisfactory resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  12/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I found a strange object in my dogs "fresh" food. I think it may be a piece of cardboard. Irregardless this is unacceptable. I had already canceled my subscription prior to finding this. Thankfully I saw it and fid not feed it to my dogs. Someone needs to be held accountable to make sure this kind of error does not continue to happen. Just disapointed and disgusted.

  Business response

  01/04/2024

  According to the pictures provided, what they found in their food is often referred to as scorch. To provide more information here, scorch is a buildup of ingredients from the side of the cook dish, similar to what's seen on a pan after cooking scrambled eggs. While edible, this isn't up to our standards, and our team is working hard to rectify this issue in our kitchen. We've reached out to the customer via email and are currently awaiting a response.

• Initial Complaint

  12/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered into a relationship with The ******** Dog (hereafter TFD) in May of 2023, and received without incident my first delivery on May 30, 2023. On that occasion I scheduled a second delivery date for December 2023. In October, I adjusted my second delivery date to October 21, 2023. On that occasion, I set a third delivery date of January ****. Receiving my delivery on October 21, 2023, the Snap Sticks I purchased were spoiled. My partner called TFD and spoke with a representative there who advised us to trash the spoiled food and indicated that a refund would be processed. My refund was processed successfully. On November 2, 2023 a charge was posted to my credit card for ****** by TFD. I filed a dispute with my credit card company and contacted TFD on November 3 or 4 to attempt to cancel the order. I explained that upon scheduling my order for delivery in October, I had set my next delivery date for ******** and I was traveling out of state and would not be able to receive the package. They informed me that my account showed my dog was on a three week cycle, and there was nothing they could do. I was unable to receive the package that was delivered November 10, and I filed a dispute with my credit card company, who reports contacting the merchant on November 14, 2023.Although I set a third delivery date for January ****, TFD arbitrarily decided my dog was on a three week schedule (this was not a choice I made, nor was it indicated in any of the material that was sent to me October 21), and either the successful delivery in October or the representative who handled my refund triggered this arbitrary three week schedule which, without my consent, rescheduled my January delivery for November. We were already out of town and without email when TFD sent an email to announce that the third order would be coming November 10, and were therefore unaware of the change until the charge posted. TFD has not responded to the credit card company to refund the ******.

  Business response

  12/26/2023

  Based on the customer information provided here weve been unable to locate any accounts to verify the activity in question here.
  

  Customer response

  12/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  The business claimed we could not be identified, so I am providing further identifying information.
  The name on the account was *****************************. ****** is the name of the dog. Our mailing address was ********************************. Please indicate if further identification is needed.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

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

  Business response

  01/11/2024

  After looking through the customer account activity we were able to see that the delay in question was not made until 11/2, and the cutoff for changes to their next order was 11/1 at 11:59 PM as listed in the order reminder emails we sent out. Therefore, an order was already in line to be processed through our kitchen. Order change/cancellation deadlines are communicated the Sunday prior to billing and are followed up the day prior to the cutoff. In this case, these dates were outlined in emails received on 10/29 and 10/31.

  
  Weve been unable to locate any prior communications with our ****************************** about this order and the charge for the order in question was later disputed directly through their bank, so were unable to issue any refunds on disputed charges as that decision lies solely with the bank. We have since reached this customer via email to address this information further and are currently awaiting a reply.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 11/01/2023, I began feeding my dog Farmers Dog. I followed the instructions and gradually increased the amount I gave her / mixing with her old food along the way. This fresh and all natural dog food has made my dog so sick. I want to cry thinking that I caused my dog to be this sick because I believed the advertisements for this company. If I had done my research, I would have seen the multiple complaints on BBB and other sites. My dog is not the only dog that has suffered from this food. She was throwing up for a week and continues to have gastrointestinal issues. My dog has never had a sensitive stomach or issues. She has always been very healthy until now. She looks so tired all the time and we have to feed her a special diet or boiled chicken and rice until she heals from the damage caused by this horrible business. Manipulating dog owners into thinking they are investing money into healthier food for their dog is horrible. This company needs to be shut down!

  Business response

  11/28/2023

  Per their account, the customer received a trial order from our company on 11/1/2023. We have no record of any communication from the customer, so they did not give us any indication that their dog was unwell or having any digestive issues. When the customer canceled through their online account, the reason chosen was price related, and that they had not realized the total cost of the orders when they signed up. Switching a dog's diet can be a big change to their digestive tract, and every dog is truly unique and will transition differently. We're always here to guide customers if they have any concerns throughout this process. That said, we reached out to this customer on 11/28/2023 after learning of these concerns.

  The health and safety of the dogs we feed is our top priority, so we'd never take a case of a dog feeling unwell lightly. We want to assure you that we cook and package all of our food in a USDA-inspected kitchen, where only human-quality food is produced. With this comes rigorous inspections, health codes, and ingredient standards that we're required to meet. We're confident in the quality and freshness of our recipes and are awaiting the customer's response so we can follow up on how their box arrived and find out more information on their dog's symptoms and what precisely transpired so we can better help and understand the situation.

  Customer response

  11/30/2023

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  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. ↩