ComplaintsforThe Farmer's Dog, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We started using Farmers Dog in September of 2023. Our 9 month old ****** Terrier was very healthy and a good eater. We used Farmers Dog as a topper mixed in with some of her prescription kibble in hopes to add fresh food to her diet. Farmers Dog gives feeding instructions to put Parmesan cheese on the food should the dog not seem interested. We started doing this when ****** started to not want to eat the food anymore. I fully trusted the advertising and what Farmers Dog claims about how they test their food etc. It didnt **** on me until my dog is now in the hospital for several days for severe pancreatitis to look at the fat content of their meals, not to mention the suggestion to add Parmesan as a topper. We were giving our dog WAY too much fat, which we strongly believe is what triggered a very acute and severe case of pancreatitis along with other very severe GI implications. I shouldnt have to do my own math to figure out how much fat Im giving my dog. I trusted their supposed experts that come up with these meals and how they assign said meals to your animal. I have now spent over $7,000 in vet bills to remedy this situation. While I doubt to ever get refunded due to what the company will say is a lack of proof of cause I deeply regret ever having tried this company or their food. It is unclear whether our dog will survive hospitalization or the complications that have arisen or will arise since her pancreatitis diagnosis. Dog parents - please beware and do your due diligence before ever feeding your animal this food.

  Business response

  10/23/2023

  We're so sorry to hear your experience with our fresh recipes fell short of expectations. Hopefully it's reassuring to know that our recipes are formulated alongside multiple-board certified vet nutritionists to be 100% balanced and complete per AAFCO standards to replace a standard diet for dogs 8 weeks and older. While the fat content of our fresh recipes is comparable to other commercial brands, we do outline during signup that our recipes may not be an ideal fit for dog's with specialty dietary needs and we recommend checking in with a vet prior to transitioning to a new food to ensure it's suitable for their needs. We also outline this guidance on the *** page of our website (*********************************************). While were experts on our fresh recipes and meal plans, nothing replaces the knowledge of a certified veterinary professional when considering a dogs history and individual dietary needs. Our team would love the opportunity to support you and your dog further please reach out to us directly at ********************************** so that we can help.

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have been purchasing The ******** Dog pet food for the past couple of months. Our dog likes it but did not like to eat it right away because it has to be refrigerated and he did not like it cold. One day, I checked the packaging and it said nothing about heating the food. I microwaved it just so that it was warm and fed it do my dog. He ate it and then seemed lethargic a while later. As he is an older dog, I didn't think much of it. The next day, I heated the food and he ate it again. A while later, he started vomiting. The vomiting continued throughout the night and he became totally lethargic to the point where we had to take him to an emergency vet clinic (it was a Saturday). They did blood work, gave him fluids, a shot to help settle his stomach and sent us home with medicine. The vet was familiar with The ******** Dog and had given it to her own dog on a trial basis only. She told us that it was heating the dog food that had made it poisonous to our dog . Why wasn't that information in their packaging materials? When I called The ******** Dog, I explained what happened and they refunded my purchase price. I put any future orders on hold and told them that, because there was no warning or instruction not to heat the dog food, I wanted to be reimbursed for the $450 emergency vet bill we incurred. They promised that someone would get back to me and that never happened.

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  Customer reached out to our company on 9/16 to inform of of their dog experiencing digestive issues. Customer mentioned that the vet  told them microwaving the food is problematic. Customer asked for reimbursement of vet bills, and says there's not mention from The ******** Dog to not microwave food. Supervisor reached out to customer on same day (9/16). Supervisor refunded order as a courtesy. Customer would like vet bills reimbursed. Supervisor explained food safety protocols and let them know that we don't advise against microwaving and customer's are welcome to microwave to take chill off of food, recommend against microwaving longer than 30 seconds (only because it may affect the nutrients). Supervisor said a specialist would follow up via email. Specialist followed up via email on 9/16 to gather more information on how the food arrived and how it is being stored. Specialist also provided the next steps for the customer if they are seeking a vet bill reimbursement claim (document was attached to email that outlined the process). Customer never responded to this communication, so we will attempt a second outreach at this time.

• Initial Complaint

  09/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The Farmers Dog has been nothing but problems for me over the past 2 years. While the dogs like the food, there is apparently no systems in place to prevent overlapping shipments. Almost as if the shipping department has no idea that a box of food for 14 days was delivered a week ago. I canceled the 7 day reserve previously, as theres no room left in the freezer. This last shipment was sent after I received a text re next order shipping. I responded by advising that I just received a 14 day supply, last week! The NEXT day, a box of frozen food is sitting on my doorstep. No room in the freezer. While they agreed to refund the charge, this is now the third time this company has shipped too early and charged my bank account. Its not right and seems to be a pattern of failures in this regard. I am truly disappointed.

  Business response

  09/15/2023

  We're so sorry to hear you were having issues with the timing of your deliveries. For a bit of context, our system tracks the number of packs we're sending and the time passed since your last delivery and uses each pup on your plan's portion size to calculate how much food you have on hand. From there, we'll set up your next order to arrive right when you're running low and at a time that aligns with your safety stock preferences. As a reminder, your safety stock preferences let us know how many days' worth of food you'd like to still have on hand from your previous delivery when your next box arrives.
  
  On that note, it looks like at the time of your last delivery, we had confirmed that each pup was eating 1/2 pack per day, with orders arriving every 14 days and an ideal safety stock of 7 days. However, it looks like there was a voluntary 3-week delay between your 8/16 delivery and the delivery made on 9/8, which resulted in your pups only having 2 days' of food on hand from the previous order upon delivery. As we aim for your days of safety stock to be on hand at all times, if we're tracking that your safety stock is running lower than it should (and you have less than the set number of days of food on hand), your next order will be sent a little earlier to build those days of extra food back up.
  
  All that said, after reviewing your plan, we can confirm that your last order arrived at the correct time based on safety stock settings and plan details, though we completely understand if those plan settings weren't the best fit for you and your pups at this time. We appreciate your feedback here as we always strive for transparency and customer understanding when it comes to the specifics of their individual plans, and would be happy to discuss further with you if any other concerns come up just reach out to us at ********************************** and mention this review.

• Initial Complaint

  08/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered from farmers dog. My order totaled 22 packs for almost $200 when I received my order A guy pulled up in a random vehicle dropped it off. Once I opened the box. I realized the food was not frozen, nor did it have an ice pack in it like the previous box. Im not going to feed my dog food Im not sure is safe when I contacted the company, the only solution they had was for me to buy additional food at the local grocery store although Ive paid them nearly $200. *** had no other solutions to this problem other than me spending more money. Unacceptable.

  Business response

  08/11/2023

  Prior to this incident, this customer's account was flagged as a result of having multiple accounts under the same shipping address, name, and dog information which is a violation of our Terms of Service. After reviewing this customer's order and their claims, we noticed it was only in transit for about 9 hours. Please note, we insulate all deliveries well enough for food to travel to its destination and still be safe to eat and can sometimes be in transit for up to 2-3 days. Due to this, we had to review with our ********************* what could've occurred to have caused an order to arrive outside of our standards given the short period in transit. Since then, our team did offer this customer a replacement at no additional cost via phone call, as well as, an optional temporary recipe to cook for their dog while their replacement arrives.

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  7/1/23 See email communication uploaded to you. Passed email to my sister for a free box of food.Company now has changed the offer. Please see communication uploaded.In good faith, the offer was clear, FREE BOX of their food.

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  While reviewing the customer's previous comms with our team, it looks like there may have been some confusion. The referral link does provide a discounted trial, in this particular case the discount is 100%. We also noticed the customer forwarded the email to us, rather than to their sister as intended, and we recommend they forward that link along to their sister so they can set up a free trial if they're interested. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Why tf dont you ship to the rest of America? We have all these huskies pulling dogsleds and they just get fish oil kibble

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  At the moment, we don't ship outside the 48 contiguous *************, but we definitely hope to in the future. We want to enable every dog to live their best life possible. We also offer for prospective customer to feel free to subscribe to our newsletter on ***************** to stay tuned for updates. They can go all the way to the bottom right of the website, input their email and they'll be all set to receive updates if anything changes. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I checked every aspect of their website and ToS before buying to ensure the food was not frozen; only the word "fresh" is used and it is used heavily.When my order arrived, the food was not "fresh" but instead was frozen solid, unlike other brands I've ordered of high-end dog food.I request that their website (and other forms of advertisement) specifically designate this food as frozen.

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  Our food is considered fresh because we use clean ingredients free of additives or preservatives, and all of our ingredients are sourced from human-grade food purveyors, meaning our recipes are entirely safe for humans to eat. They're then gently-steamed in our USDA-certified kitchens and quickly frozen to preserve nutritional integrity.
  
  Because our food is fresh, we must ship the packs frozen in order to ensure that our recipes arrive to ****** is safe condition, as the health and safety of the dogs we feed is our highest priority. Our food can last for up to 6 months when kept frozen in the freezer, but can only last for up to 4 days in the fridge once defrosted.
  
  With all of that said, I sincerely apologize if this information was not communicated clearly, and I've made sure to share this feedback directly with my team. We always want to ensure that you and ******'s expectations are met, if not exceeded. At this time, we don't have to ability to provide ****** with our fresh recipes without keeping the packs frozen before use, but we'll be sure to keep you posted if this could ever be feasible for us in the future.

  Customer response

  07/10/2023

  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:

  [Your Answer Here]

  Per the *** requirements for listing the word "fresh" to describe a product, the product must never be frozen. The fact these products are frozen before shipment (and we have no proof that they aren't just kept frozen long term as well) should be explicitly communicated to the customer when they are going through the ordering process. I had to dig through the website and use a word search function to finally find where the word frozen was used ONCE to describe the phases that this food goes through.

  Please let me know how you will remedy this issue, and effectively communicate to your consumers that this product will arrive frozen and not "fresh". The consumer should not have to search and search for this information, it should be communicated in some way before the order is placed. Your wording is confusing as in several other locations it says the food is refrigerated, which does not mean the same as frozen. This would look like reporting that the products use "fresh ingredients" instead of saying the entire, finished product is "fresh" as the *** and any normal consumer use the word "fresh" for items that are not "frozen" or "fresh frozen"

   

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  07/28/2023

  Hi *******, we apologize for any confusion caused as that is not our intention at all. Thank you for the feedback, we will be updating the website to ensure anyone can see the food is delivered frozen in places beyond the FAQ.

  While our food is fresh and customers do need to refrigerate the food before consuming, we do not use any preservatives, and since the order you selected was 14 days of food, the product does need to be delivered and stored frozen in order to last 14 days.

  We do believe this is the safest option that allows food to be preservative-free, and wed encourage you to be highly skeptical of any product that claims to be fresh, never frozen at all, and not delivered daily. In addition, all the research weve seen shows that freezing the food the way we do does not have any negative impacts to nutrition or quality. All that said, we always strive to make sure people know what they are getting. So we will make this more clear on our website for anyone that might be concerned. Thanks so much for the feedback and pointing this out.

• Initial Complaint

  06/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I switched my dog from an all raw diet to Farmes Dog for monetary reasons. He was on Farmers Dog for about two months and the last three weeks started throwing up a lot and got a terrible yeast infection on all four paws. His feet are bleeding. There must be some kind of filler in there that is a simple carbohydrate that they arent divulging. This is how yeast grows. *****. He is in terrible pain. He wont let me touch his feet to treat. Its just a horrible situation.

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  I'm so sorry to hear that ******* is dealing with a yeast infection and not feeling well as a dog owner myself, I am fully aware how alarming this could be. While I completely understand your concerns and want only the best for *******, I want to assure you The ******** Dog is 100% nutritionally complete and balanced for all dogs 8 weeks of age and older. 
  
  I 100% understand your concern with the quality and integrity of our recipes, especially given ********* experience. I truly appreciate the care and attention you've put into ********* health we absolutely share the same concern. Our recipes are formulated by a team of board-certified vet nutritionalists with extensive knowledge on dog health, and we have several standard operating procedures to ensure that there's no opportunity for contamination of our food.
  
  For context, we cook and package all of our food in a USDA-certified kitchen, where only human-quality food is produced we aren't aware of any other pet food companies committed to the same level of safety and quality. With that USDA certification comes rigorous inspections, health codes, and ingredient standards that we're required to meet. For example, all the vendors we buy our meat and vegetables from are human food purveyors who can only sell meat deemed safe enough for humans to consume. We also pay a lot of attention to the temperature and nutritional integrity of our ingredients throughout the entire cooking cycle, eliminating any possibility for harmful bacterial growth. We're also registered with the ********** of *********** and formulate all our recipes to meet AAFCO requirements. 
  
  That said, our recipes are formulated to fully replace a standard diet, but many pups with a range of health issues are also doing great on our meals. However, there are always considerations to be made for dogs with underlying health conditions and/or breed predispositions to certain diseases. For this reason, we always encourage customers to speak with their vet prior to transitioning to a new food source to ensure it's suitable for their needs. In case it's reassuring to know, we also outline this guidance on the *** page of our website (*********************************************). 
  
  In case its helpful, our Veterinary ******************** is happy to get in touch with your vet directly to answer any questions they have, or ease their concerns. Just let me know the vet's name, practice, phone, and direct email, and we'll get in touch with them as soon as possible. We ask for the email to respect their typically busy schedules, so if it's available, this is the preferred contact method. 
  
  Again, I'm so sorry to hear of ********* experience, and I can only imagine how uncomfortable they must be with their skin issues. I do hope they're feeling better today. To provide a bit more insight, allergies and sensitivities are specific to each individual pup. They occur when a pup's own immune system is overreacting to something in the environment or in their food.  By providing our complete ingredients list (which I can confirm our Customer Experience team sent via email), hopefully with the help of your vet, you're able to pinpoint a specific sensitivity and avoid foods with this ingredient moving forward. Rest assured, our recipes do not include ***** in them, and you can confirm this by reviewing the ingredient list we've sent over. 
  
  As a courtesy, I do see our team was able to refund you for your last two orders. Given ********* experience, I would recommend tossing out any packs you feel uncomfortable feeding. 
  
  At the end of the day, I want to assure you that our highest priority always has been and always will be the health, safety, and happiness of the dogs entrusted to us. Were a company of dog people just trying to do right by the animals in our lives and we wouldn't be here without devoted pet owners like you, so we truly appreciate your diligence in sharing these concerns with us. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you do have any further questions or concerns.

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Farmers dog charged my debit card $171.93 on a suspended subscription. There was no email or phone notification. When Farmers Dog placed the unauthorized order and charged my debit card it ******** my account. Again this was an unauthorized transaction on a suspended account. I dont have a dog, I did this as a favor for a friend but he decided to cancel it after the trial pack because it was too expensive. Also because less than a week after the trial period order was placed they charged my debit card over $100 for the next shipment. This subscription was cancelled many months ago and then out of nowhere they reactivated it and charged my card. This company is misleading people and now are refusing to refund my money on an order that Farmers Dog placed without any type of authorization from either myself or my friend.

  Business response

  06/16/2023

  We have spoken with this customer and resolved this issue. We've acknowledge that while the account was reactivated by the account holder through their customer account, and while we strive to make our reactivation process clear, we also understand that it may have been unintentional or the process was overlooked. The customer has been advised to report the charge through their bank so that we can ensure the funds go back to them in accordance with the bank's fraudulent transaction protocol. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Be warned, this company will bait and switch you. I found reviews from 2021 warning this, and I am thoroughly disappointed in the companys unwillingness to DO BETTER two years later. I started Farmers Dog on a trial basis which was initially around $25 for my pets initial 14 day supply. I had planned to re-evaluate the cost prior to her next shipment, and make a decision about whether or not I enjoyed the product because some of us live by a budget. Well, Farmers Dog didnt even give me a chance to because not even a week after I received my first supply you charged me for an entire months supply. Which was MORE THAN four times the price of my initial purchase? This was outside of my budget, and placed without my authorization. I spoke with a customer service representative and noted that I did not authorize this transaction and kindly requested like a refund and she said there was nothing she could do. The craziest part is that the food has not even shipped yet and they refuse to cancel it. It is processing and I was given the runaround about the order already being sent to the kitchen well maybe you shouldnt have sent it without my consent. Why am I paying for your mistake? I think one of Farmers Dogs selling points is that you can pause/cancel anytime? Nope. Whomever handles customer complaints, I strongly urge you to bring this feedback to someone who can actually do something about it. If you are going to auto-renew TRIAL plans, double the ordered supply, and quadruple the price, I would suggest that you say that when people are checking out? Seems extremely misleading. On top of everything, my poor pup has an upset stomach from your food and now you are sending me more. I will be taking my business somewhere else, and I WILL NOT recommend you to anyone. If anything, I will warn others. I am going to request again that my issue be resolved. You may contact me by phone or email.

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  We're terribly sorry for any confusion regarding our subscription service and wanted to reach out and provide a bit of clarity on both our plans and communications to hopefully clear up any confusion caused.On that note, we see that ******** plan was created on 5/22, with an expected delivery window for his trial of 5/24-5/28. We state at checkout that The ******** Dog is a recurring subscription service with no long-term commitment and that any unprocessed orders are able to be cancelled. We strive for transparency regarding your upcoming trial and all future orders, so we do include information about your plan past the trial at checkout. To clarify, we bill and ship orders as noted under the "After the trial" section and then the cost including tax is presented immediately after your plan is activated. This information is also always available via your customer account ************************************).From there, we also include information about future orders in our checkout confirmation email, the email notifying you of your trial box being delivered, and a separate email a few days into your trial outlining the upcoming cutoff to make changes to your plan if you'd prefer not to be billed. Did you happen to review these emails? We totally understand if they were overlooked, though we always strive for clear communication as we never want an order to arrive without your knowledge so your feedback on this is appreciated. In case it's helpful, those emails were sent on 5/22, 5/26, and 5/28, respectively.While this isn't an attempt at excusing or minimizing your experience with our subscription service, we hope it provides some additional reassurance that we similarly share a value for clear communication. We see you were able to get in contact with our team on 6/2 and your plan has been suspended so that nothing else further bills, and we've processed a refund for your most recent order, but please do let us know if there's anything else we can help with.

  Customer response

  06/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and the issue has been resolved.
  
  *********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

*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. ↩