ComplaintsforBarkBox

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have never used BarkBox or received anything from them, but there was a $23 charge on our September credit card statement. We would like our money back. If BarkBox has any of our personal and financial information, we would like them to delete it.

  Business response

  11/02/2021

  Thank you so much for taking the time to share the details of your experience with BARK. We extend our sincerest apologies that you are seeing charges to your account that you havent made.  We can see that our team has reached out to you and addressed this concern. We have closed that account and fully refunded those charges at this time.  Please reach out to your bank to further secure your account. Thank you for your patience and for reaching out and letting us know about this.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/01/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  As the owner of a pandemic puppy I decided to purchase a 6-month BarkBox subscription on the recommendation of a friend. The toys are high quality and pup enjoyed the treats. The problem came when I received a 7th month box and logged in to my account to check why. It was then I realized this business has an automatic auto-renewal process and my 6-month subscription had "renewed" for another 6 months. I immediately "opted out" of this feature and emailed to ensure this was taken care of. And yet I have now received an 8th month and still they are insisting I must fulfill a "commitment plan" for another four months. I have cancelled payment through PayPal and hope this will solve the problem before the 9th month (which is set to process tomorrow morn). I am not seeking remuneration, I am happy enough with the products, but the service and policies of this business are questionably ethical if not just plain unethical. UPDATE- literally they JUST CANCELLED IT- this is now an FYI report.

  Business response

  10/01/2021

  Thank you so much for taking time to share your feedback with us. We are so happy to hear that your pup enjoyed all the toys and treats they received through BARK. Although, we do want to sincerely apologize that the automatic renewal of your six month plan caught you off guard. We certainly never want to take our customers by surprise or make them feel taken advantage of. To clarify why this happened, all of our plans do automatically renew unless the auto renewal is disabled prior to the end of the commitment. This can be done through your account dashboard at any time. We try to make this clear upon sign up but we understand that it does get missed. We offer our sincerest apologies for the frustration this caused. Upon reviewing your account and recent interactions with our team, we can confirm that your account has been closed and September's box has been refunded. To further make this right, we have also gone ahead and refunded the price of August's box which is the month the plan renewed. These refunds should both reflect back into your account within 1-3 business days. Moving forward, you will no longer be billed or shipped boxes. Thank you again for reaching out to our team. We are truly grateful for the opportunity we had to spoil your special pup, but we are very sorry this experience was not perfect. If there is anything more we can do for you and your pack, please don't hesitate to reach back out to our team! 

• Initial Complaint

  09/11/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We signed our two dogs up with Bark Box. Since signing up we don't get both boxes without having to contact them all the time. We cancelled service July 2021. They took money from us August 1, 2021. We only received 1 Bark box. We keep being told the one for Bailey was shipped, it's in transit, give it another day. One again in September they took money out of account for two Bark boxes. Contacted them for refund for August box not received. Once again told it is in transit, it will be delivered today sometime. It is 9 pm, no more deliveries are coming tonight.

  Business response

  09/14/2021

  Thank you so much for taking time to share your feedback with our team. We want to start by sincerely apologizing for that one of your pups has not received all the goodies that were promised. We certainly never want to leave our customers waiting on monthly boxes and we can't apologize enough for failing to provide the perfect experience. As pup parents ourselves, we completely understand how disappointing this experience has been and we want nothing more than to make this right. Upon reviewing your account and recent interactions with our team, we understand that one of your pup's has missed out on both July and August's box. We also see that an order for a replacement box for August was marked as delivered on September 11. With that said, we do understand the frustration caused by the missing box and the delay with receiving a replacement. To make up for this, we have gone ahead and issued a refund for August's box. To further make this right, we have closed this subscription and have also issued an additional refund for September's box. It does appear that September's box has begun the shipping process and cannot be halted, but please feel free to keep this last box on us. These two refunds should reflect back into your account within 1-3 business days. Moving forward, you will no longer be charged for or shipped boxes for this particular subscription. We truly appreciate you thinking of BARK when spoiling your pups but again, we are incredibly sorry that this experience was not exceptional. If there is anything more we can do for your pack at this time, please do not hesitate to us know. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 7/22/21 I joined BARK eats (a branch of the Barkbox company) because they offered a free month of dog food. The next month I received an email on 8/13 stating I was being charged for a monthly subscription. I emailed right away I wanted to cancel the subscription. On 8/15 I received the package and I emailed again asking to cancel my subscription. I never received an email back. Then today 9/10 I received another email saying my subscription would be shipping. I emailed again, called the number which rang and went unanswered, and reached out to their text line phone number all without a response. There is no way to cancel the subscription through the account portal and I cannot remove my payment information. I would like to stop receiving the product I do not want and get a refund for the payments I did not authorize. In total $133.68.

  Customer response

  09/10/2021

  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. I was refunded half of the total I initially asked for and my subscription has been cancelled. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I don't feel as though it's in my dog's best interest to continue with this subscription service. The treats give her really bad diarrhea and the toys only last a few hours to a day. For the price they charge and the difficulty it is to simply cancel a subscription is absurd and I am not fond of these business practices.

  Business response

  09/07/2021

  Thank you so much for taking time to share the details of your experience and letting us know about how the contents of your box were not the best fit for your pup. We want to sincerely apologize that the treats upset your pup's stomach and that the toys did not last long. As pup parents ourselves, we completely understand the concern this has caused. Rest assured, we would never send anything that we wouldn't trust giving our own pups as your dog's health and safety is our number one priority. With that said, we do understand that all dogs have their own unique needs and preferences and certain types of treats and toys may not be suitable for all pack members. We also want to apologize for any frustration regarding the cancellation of your account. We never want our customers to feel taken advantage of and we hope to not only provide clarity, but resolve this issue right away. Upon reviewing your account, it does look like a ************************************ July 2021 with a promotion for a Free Double Deluxe box. While customers do have the option to cancel the automatic renewal of 1, 6, or 12 month plans, we typically continue charging for and shipping boxes through the remainder of the commitment chosen at check out. However, we certainly do not want to lock our customers into a plan that is not suitable for their dog. To make this right, we have gone ahead and closed the 12 month plan and issued a refund for September's box as well as a refund for the add on items. These refunds should reflect back into your account within 1-3 business days. It does look like September's box has been received by warehouse and unfortunately, we cannot halt the shipping process at this point. However, please feel free to donate any unused or unwanted items to a local shelter or pup in need. After this month, you will no longer be charged for or shipped boxes. If you ever decide to rejoin the pack, please know that we do offer customization options to include more or less of particular items and we also have the ability to adjust the durability of the toys. We truly appreciate you thinking of BARK when spoiling your special pup and can't apologize enough that this experience was not perfect. We wish you two nothing but the best moving forward. If there is anything more we can do for you at this time, please don't hesitate to contact our team directly! 

  Customer response

  09/08/2021

  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

  08/27/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I saw an ad on ******** for the August promotion where I get 6 toys for my first box for the **** I clicked it and signed up for it. I received my order with only 3 Toya, 2 treats and 1 chewer. The other toys were missing. I reached out and the first rep said no there is no promotion on that and I only get 3 toys. 2 normally and 1 free one. I have the ad saved on my phone I chose and they still wouldn't honor it. I decided to chat again today and even showed them the promotion and they said I got a different promo then that. I asked how can that be seeing I signed up through that link and promotion and was just apologized for it but nothing on how they ate going to correct it. I canceled my 6 month subscription because I felt betrayed and was not honored for what I chose. I want a refund for my order seeing I didn't get what I bought. They don't even care that I didn't get the extra toys.

  Business response

  08/31/2021

  Thank you so much for taking time to share your feedback with our team. We want to sincerely apologize for the confusion caused by the coupon code applied to your 6 month plan. It certainly is never our intention to mislead or betray our customers, but we completely understand the frustration that has been caused. We hope to provide clarity to this situation and resolve the matter right away. Upon reviewing your account, we do see that a coupon for 6 free extra toys was applied. This means that each box in your 6 month commitment would include 1 extra toy at no additional cost rather than including all 6 extra toys in the first box. Again, we do apologize for the misleading advertisement. Rest assured, this feedback has been recorded to the appropriate teams to mitigate confusion moving forward. With that said, we do want to confirm that as of August 27th, our team has closed out your plan and placed an order, at no additional cost, for an additional WWE toy and a bag of treats. Once this order has been delivered, you will no longer be billed or shipped boxes. To further make this right, we have also issued a refund for the price of the first box. This refund should reflect back to the original form of payment within 1-3 business days. We truly appreciate you thinking of BARK when choosing to spoil your special pup. We can't apologize enough for the poor experience and we do wish you and your pack nothing but the best moving forward. If there is anything more we can do for you at this time, please don't hesitate to reach back out to our team! 

  Customer response

  09/01/2021

  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

  07/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was scrolling Facebook and saw an ad for a free dog bed. Free dog bed. Yay. So I click it and it's bark box. I chat with them on Facebook messenger. They say they will send me a gift card within 10 days if I buy a certain dog bed up to $38.99 not including taxes and shipping. So I pick out the size and color I want and order it. They ask for the email to send my gift card to and tell me to make sure to check my spam box. I forgot about it for 6 weeks. Today I remembered and checked my emails for the card, and my spam box and remembered I'd emptied it. Then I notified bark that I'd not received it or accidentally discarded it. They notified me in a pretty standard letter that I did not and would not be getting the card, but they would send me a toy and treat for the dogs. I asked for a refund for my item. Which they obliged to. I believe this is common practice, worth looking into and worth reporting if it's happening to others.

  Business response

  08/02/2021

  Hi there. Thank you so much for taking time to share the details of your experience. We want to start by sincerely apologizing for the frustration caused around the advertisement for the dog bed as well as around the gift card. We strive to provide all of our customers with a consistent, stress free experience but we understand that we failed to do so in this situation. For that, we offer our sincerest apologies. Upon looking into this matter further, we found that we were unable to send a gift card because we issued a refund full refund for the price of the bed. However, because you did not receive what you had initially expected, we would love the opportunity to make this right. We will have our team follow up with you directly to further assist and find the best resolution. Thank you again for taking time to share this feedback. If there is anything more we can do for you and your pack, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

  Customer response

  08/03/2021

  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]

   

   yes, I was finally issued a refund, I was though initially refused my visa gift card after purchasing the dog bed which was the advertised offer. It was not the I did not get the card because I got a refund. I am very concerned that this is common practice.

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  08/05/2021

  Hi there - thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. Your concerns are valid and we take these very seriously. Since last month, we have moved away from utilizing promotions of this nature which resulted in our team not having access to send a gift card. After looking further into this instance, we found that a one time internal user error on our end was the reason behind the gift card not going through at the appropriate time. For this, we are truly sorry as we know this experience is not on par with what is expected of us. We appreciate your invaluable feedback as this has been used for us to align with our team on how we can avoid errors like this in the future as well as evolve the promotions that we use. We are always looking for ways to improve and adjust to ensure our customers receive the BARK experience that they deserve. We look forward to hearing from you so that we can make this right - please feel free to let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.
  

  Customer response

  08/06/2021

  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

  07/25/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Hi BBB, I received in the mail suspiciously 2 packages from Bark Box. When I opened them I was confused because they were dog treats and dog toys. When I checked my credit card statement I realized that I been charged on July 21, 2021 for $37.32 and $47.98 on my credit card for transactions that I did not authorized. I did not make this purchase and the irony of the matter is that I don't even have any pets. I don't even know how this company got hold of my credit card info for this transaction. I would like to report this company and file a complaint for fraud and scam. I would like a full refund. Thanks! Sincerely, ***** ****** ************ 

  Business response

  07/28/2021

  Thank you so much for taking time to share your feedback. We want to sincerely apologize for any concern or frustrations caused by unauthorized charges as well as for the items you received. We completely understand how upsetting this must be and we want to ensure the issue is resolved as soon as possible. We were able to locate the orders and charges within our system by the information you have provided through the BBB. Upon reviewing the orders, we see that two accounts have been created under your billing information. These accounts have been terminated and a refund for each charge has been issued. These refunds should reflect back into your account within 1-3 business days. As for the items you did receive, please feel free to donate to a local shelter or pup friend, or dispose of the items however you see fit. Rest assured, BARK has your best interest in mind and your security is of utmost importance. We have found that when a person's card has been used to fraudulently make a purchase through us (or any online service), the person using the information will often have product sent to the billing address associated with the card. Again, we understand how concerning this can be and we are here to offer support in anyway we can. Thank you again for alerting our team of this issue. If there is anything more we can do, please do not hesitate to email our team directly at *********************** 

  Customer response

  07/29/2021

  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. ↩