ComplaintsforPet & Aquatic Warehouse

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a puppy from this pet store. When filling out the documents I was advised but the representative who assisted me, if I did not receive my pets registration documents within 30 days I would be issued a refund. I purchased on 5/13/24 and today is now 6/20/24 & I have not received the documents. When calling to address this concern the manager said that it was 120 days I advised her what the representative advised me as well as what the documents clearly stated that I signed while there & was given a copy of. The documents state 30 days . She wants to argue me down that it is 120 days. I want the refund as advised & the registration documents.

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Hi ******,The time period in which we have to provide registration papers by, as dictated by Virginia law, is 120 days after purchase. You will receive your papers via email on or before 9/10/2024. I have provided scans of the sales contract showing, on page 1, where you initialed your understanding of this. Pages 2 and 3 also have "120 days" listed as the time period.Page 4 shows where you chose "Email" as the method with which you chose to receive your papers. In that section, it asks that you allow a "minimum" of 30 days to receive your papers. The reason we ask for customers to be patient with the arrival of their registration papers is that we do not always receive the papers from the breeders at the time we take possession of the puppies. In some cases they arrive later. Customers sometimes assume that the puppies come with their papers, or that they will be registered at the time of purchase. Neither is true, which is why we lay out the details of the registration process in the sales contract (see pg. 1). This may be where the confusion is. The sales person would never have told you that you would receive your papers within 30 days so I think it was just you misunderstanding what she was saying.

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 2/17/2024 I completed a credit report to purchase a puppy at Pet and Aquatic Warehouse, *********, VA. I am 86 years old and was unable to do the computer info on my own, staff documented the info without explaining the contract to me and esig was done by employee. . I was unaware that staff at front desk were requiring my granddaughter to sign another contract without discussing with me, she was told it was just a checklist. The employee placed the form on the counter with her hand covering the top of the form. The puppy was I’ll directly after getting him home with respiratory problems and was taken to the Vet on 2/21/2024 In accordance with directions by the pet shop and tests were performed as directed by staff at the pet shop. The puppy was positive for respiratory issues and Giardia,a highly contagious parasitic disease. The pet shop reneged on accepting return of the puppy. The pet shop then refused to discuss the case with me claiming that my granddaughter was the owner, since they claim she signed the warranty contract which was coerced and not approved by me as the buyer per credit contract. I was scammed and taken advantage of as a senior citizen . I was deliberately isolated to prevent me from knowing about what was occurring in another room. I paid almost 2800.00 for the puppy and almost 800.00 for Vet bill testing required by the pet store. I also have 2 other dogs that will require testing for Giardia

  Business response

  03/04/2024

  We have contacted the customer and the complaint has been resolved privately.

  Customer response

  03/13/2024

  I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The business did give me a refund for the dog. In order to get my refund I had to get lab tests. They originally told me that they would reimburse me the costs for the lab tests. They did not. I would like them to reimburse me for the $1,000 lab costs.Regards, ******* ****** 

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  That is not factual. In my email I specifically said that I would not reimburse for vet costs if you returned the puppy which is laid out very clearly in our sales contract (which your adult daughter signed). I also made an exception to our policy of requiring a letter from your veterinarian certifying that the puppy was sick in order to receive the refund. After having learned that you called our store within hours of purchasing it, and then put the puppy on ******* **** less than 36 hours after that (asking only half of what you paid for it), I decided it best for the puppy to be returned. I'm glad I did because the puppy smelled very heavily of cigarette smoke when you brought him back. You'll be happy to know that he has a new home with a very loving family with lots of land to run and plenty of fresh air to breathe.

• Initial Complaint

  02/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  defective product right out of box/ business not standing behind product sold and not willing to refund fully or work with customers. Stating they are not accredited by BBB so go ahead and complain.

  Business response

  02/15/2024

  Hi *****,I'm sorry that you were not satisfied with your purchase. Please bring your item back to the store, along with your receipt, and we can issue you a refund for the purchase price. While it is normally our policy to not allow returns on glass aquariums, yours is a plastic desktop aquarium and does not fall under that policy. I apologize for my staff not realizing that. While it is normal for the body of an air pump to be warm to the touch when it's plugged in, it should not be so hot that you can't leave your hand on it (I don't know if that's the case here). We will examine the pump after you bring it in and if we determine that it is defective in that way, we will contact the manufacturer so that they can address the issue.

  Customer response

  02/22/2024

  I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. At this point it is past the 30 days for return as stated, however if they are willing to still accept the return it would be appreciated since a resolution request was clearly started before the end of the 30 days.  Please inform.  Regards, ***** ******

  Business response

  02/23/2024

  No problem, we can still do the return.

  Customer response

  02/28/2024

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. Regards, ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On February 17 of 2022 my wife saw a video from Pet and Aquatic Warehouse on Facebook advertising a puppy as a toy poodle. That same afternoon I went up to the pet store and saw the puppy sitting behind a glass that had a tag that said Toy poodle born November 23, 2021. I purchased the puppy for $2800. Over the next few months it kept being brought to our attention that our dog did not look like a toy poodle. Even our groomer and our vet said there is no way she was a toy poodle. I took all of our paperwork that Pet and Aquatic Warehouse supplied us when we bought the puppy and all of our paperwork states that she is a toy poodle. Yesterday July 13, 2022 my wife and I took our puppy back up to the pet store and spoke to the general manager. We advised him that we bought this puppy because they advertised her as being 100% pure bred toy poodle and that we were planning on breeding her. If we had three litters and four puppies a litter at $2500 per puppy that’s $30,000 that we are out of because she is not a toy poodle. I told the general manager that we just wanted a refund and he was extremely rude and told me that they don’t guarantee the breed of a dog. I asked him how his company could advertise a puppy as a purebred toy poodle and charge me $2800 for her and then tell me that there’s a small clause in their paperwork that says that they can’t guarantee the breed of a dog. I simply asked for a refund and he very rudely told me to leave. It’s bad enough that I spent $2800 on a puppy that I was going to breed but now I’m out $30,000 because I can’t breed her.. The worst part is now we have to do a DNA test and pay for that to find out what kind of dog we even have. Right now we have no idea what kind of dog we have that we paid $2800 for. The dog we thought we were buying should not grow bigger than 8 pounds and we have a dog that’s currently 16 pounds and has a much Sterner temperament than a toy poodle. We just want a refund !! Please help us BBB. Thank you !!

  Business response

  07/22/2022

  Hi Mr. *******. I was very surprised to hear about your complaint. We take great care in making sure that all paperwork is accurate so we avoid any problems like this. I have taken the liberty of attaching copies of your sales contract for you to review. As you can see, nowhere on the sales contract does the word "Toy" appear before the word "Poodle". I have also attached a copy of the sales receipt and ID Collar that your puppy was wearing at the time of purchase. You will notice that the puppy is listed on the receipt as a "Poodle" and the collar says "Poodle". I can not speak to the Facebook post as it has long been deleted. I no longer have the tag from the window that you spoke about but as I am the one that prints the tags, I can assure you that it did not say "Toy Poodle" because the paperwork did not say "Toy Poodle". You have a copy of the puppies health chart that we use in-store to list the weight of the dogs while in our care and the vaccines given by us. That calendar has the word "Toy Poodle" hand-written, mistakenly, by one of my kennel staff but since that is the only place you see "Toy Poodle" on any of the paperwork, it hardly rises to your charge of false advertising. I have spoken with the sales person that assisted you that day and she assures me that she did not tell you that the puppy was a "Toy". In fact, she remembers telling you the weight of the parents (11 & 9lbs.) and that the puppies adult size could not be guaranteed. The "small clause" on the warranty was initialed by you, acknowledging that you understood that we do not guarantee breeding ability, adult size, and various other things that no one could possibly guarantee in a live animal. The reason we do not list Poodles as "Toy" or "Miniature" is because those names are based on the height of the dog measured from the floor to the top of the shoulder blade once the dog is fully grown. All Poodles, whether Standard, Miniature, or Toy, are considered the same breed. Your AKC paperwork lists your puppy as a "Poodle". The AKC dictates the breed of a dog for the purposes of breeding and registering the litters, showing, and various other benefits of having a registered dog. If a DNA test said that your dog is a piece of Gouda cheese you would still, according to the AKC, have a Poodle.The person who assisted you when you came in to ask for a refund is our Operations Manager, not our GM, that is me. I'm sorry if you thought he was rude but he said that you were not exactly pleasant. I believe that you have a very healthy Poodle and that is what you were sold. I'm sorry that she got bigger than you had hoped but that doesn't mean you can't breed her. In fact, for breeding purposes (and her health), the female should always be bigger than the male. If you find a 4-5lb stud, you may very well have some small puppies in the litter. However, you could not sell them as "Toy" or "Miniature" because, like I said, that is not the breed but a name that is determined for classifying an adult dog. I hope this helps clear the matter up for you. Based on all that I see and have presented, I do not believe that a refund is in order. Thank you.***** *******, GM

  Customer response

  07/22/2022

  I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. let me explain something to you Mr. *******. we had a toy poodle for almost 13 years and we had to put her down in January due to cancer. all we wanted was another toy poodle. I may not be able to prove it now but your Facebook video 100% said toy poodle and that is what attracted my wife. She sent me the video on Facebook and I took a lunch break a little while later and went into your store where the case that was holding the puppies 100% said toy poodle. Then the paperwork that your assistant filled out that shows the weight and the shots consistently also said toy poodle. that’s three different things that me and my wife saw that said toy poodle. So that afternoon when my wife went in to sign the paperwork she never questioned the paperwork that simply said poodle. and to be clear, your sales assistant never went over any of the paperwork. Nothing was disclosed to my wife. She was simply told to sign here and sign here and date here and initial here. She was never disclosed any of that information in regards to the fact that y’all don’t guarantee the breed. I am 100% unsatisfied and this transaction is costing me thousands of dollars. I am going to give you one final chance to refund my money and do what’s right or you will leave me no choice but to pursue other options. Since this has happened I have also had tons of my friends and family come out and tell me that something similar happened to them from your store. Your father used to be a great businessman in this town and I would hope that since you took that store over that you would do what your father would do in the situation. Which is realize that you guys simply messed up and that refunding me my money back would be a very wise business decision. I am going to put this in the hands of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and let him deal with this his way. Just remember. Karma is a real thing Mr. *******. I hope you do the right thing. Regards, ******* *******

  Business response

  08/10/2022

  I am sorry you are dissatisfied with your new pet.  I have nothing different to say to explain this, except, as previously stated:The "small clause" on the warranty was initialed by you, acknowledging that you understood that we do not guarantee breeding ability, adult size, and various other things that no one could possibly guarantee in a live animal. The reason we do not list Poodles as "Toy" or "Miniature" is because those names are based on the height of the dog measured from the floor to the top of the shoulder blade once the dog is fully grown. All Poodles, whether Standard, Miniature, or Toy, are considered the same breed. Your AKC paperwork lists your puppy as a "Poodle". The AKC dictates the breed of a dog for the purposes of breeding and registering the litters, 

*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. ↩