Complaints

This profile includes complaints for The Farmer's Dog, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  The Farmer's Dog, Inc.

  214 Sullivan St New York, NY 10012-1354

  
• 

  The Farmer's Dog, Inc.

  201 Varick St New York, NY 10014

  

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:12/21/2023

  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.

  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

  Date: 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

  Date:12/18/2023

  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 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

  Date: 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 Answer

  Date: 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

  Date: 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

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 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

  Date: 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 Answer

  Date: 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,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/23/2023

  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.

  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

  Date: 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

  Date:10/02/2023

  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.

  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

  Date: 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

  Date:09/15/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 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

  Date: 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

  Date:08/10/2023

  Type:Delivery 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 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

  Date: 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

  Date:07/31/2023

  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.

  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

  Date: 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

  Date:07/24/2023

  Type:Delivery 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.

  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

  Date: 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

  Date:07/10/2023

  Type:Delivery 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 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

  Date: 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 Answer

  Date: 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

  Date: 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.