Blacklab28
Hilliard,#2UPDATE Employee
Sun, June 28, 2009
I have worked at Petco for the last 3 years. I am one of the managers. First off, Petco doesn't sell dogs. Therefore, they could not possibly be buying their dogs from puppy mills. Secondly, EVERYTIME an animal is returned in my store during the 15 days guarantee, they are taken to the vet. They are then treated for whatever they are diagnosed with. Once their treatment is finished and the vet releases them for sale, the person who originally purchased the animal is contacted to see if they are still interested in the animal. Only if the original purchaser is not interested is the animal sold to someone else.
Ravenslvr
Grand Prairie,#3Consumer Comment
Fri, June 05, 2009
so what anon is trying to say in a professional way, it might go to the vet eventually, especially if its dieing, but you aint getting it back. Petco is a sham. all their pets are wick. why don't you just go to walmart and buy a fish there. their fish are just as healthy. if your gonna buy a fish or any other animal go to petsmart where they don't obtain their pets from mills and mass breeders.
Ravenslvr
Grand Prairie,#4Consumer Comment
Fri, June 05, 2009
petco buys all of their dogs from puppy mills. it has been in news papers and on the news. never buy an animal from them because you are just funding puppy mills
Anon.
Leominster,#5UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 05, 2009
"If you send your pet in to Petco while its under your 15 day waranty, it will never make it to the vet. It will vanish with corporate telling you (It was sold to another customer)" I have worked at a Petco in Massachusetts for 7 years and I have personally made vet visits routinely over that time period. It is Petco policy that a vet must be contacted regarding ANY sort of illness or injury an animal sustains, whether is originates in our store or is a customer returned animal. In the case of customer returns, the animal is refunded (so Petco legally owns the animal they are treating), it is promptly brought to the vet (within a day or two, depending on severity of illness) and it is kept in an isolated room with STRINGENT guidelines for cleanliness and record keeping of medication schedules. Attached with the animal's vet paperwork is the original sales slip filled out by the customer so that any associate can identify it as a customer return, and the customer is notified as soon as the animal is well and has finished any prescribed course of medication. While I suppose it is technically possible that an occasional animal could lose the customer paperwork and accidentally be sold to someone else, you can be sure that before that happened it would have received all reasonable measures of veterinary attention.
Pearlheartgtr
Holbrook,#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, May 11, 2009
Okay, first off, you NEVER ADD MORE THAN 1 INCH OF FISH PER 5 GALLONS OF WATER TO A NEW TANK!!! Adding too many in the beginning or will result in death. You need to wait up to 2 months before adding more fish to the tank after it has been cycled. And once again, 1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water. The cloudiness is called New Tank Syndrome. The tank is going through the Nitrogen Cycle. Not all Plecos are algae eaters. The common Plecos sold by Petco eat 'some' algae but also require other foods. Sometimes (usually with fancy goldfish because they move slow), they will suck the slime coating off of them. I doubt your Plecos were doing that though. If you bought Siamese Algae Eaters (what most people think is an algae eater--they'll even go as far as calling them Plecos), they do not eat algae! Just because it sticks to the glass doesn't mean it eats algae. They tend to become aggressive and knock around other fish. As for the rat, You can't blame Petco for the bite marks on it. Petco (and every other pet store) buys from wholesalers who keep all of their animals in deplorable and cramped conditions. They will fight, they will get bitten. It has been about 2 years since I worked for Petco and more than a year before that, as per corporate, all small animals (except guinea pigs and ferrets) were to be fed Lab Blocks. I don't totally agree with the lab blocks but most rat keepers and vets recommend feeding them. Your rat might not have liked eating them or was stressed in his cage and that is why he looked not up to snuff and perked right up the next day. He could also have been intimidated by other, more dominant, males in the cage too. Petco employees have the right to refuse an animal sale if they feel the animal will not be properly cared for (or if they are just sick and tired of the customer buying things only to complain again). I turned down many sales at my own discretion.
Jcrown
Winchester,#7UPDATE Employee
Sun, October 19, 2008
The algae eater is called a Pleco, not a Platco, and it eats ALGAE (being an algae eater) NOT FISH "Coatings" I am constantly amazed by customers who do ZERO research before purchasing a fish tank. If you had done ANY research at all before setting up your tank you would have known 1. that cloudy water is a natural part of the nitrogen cycle and is a healthy step in aquarium setup. 2. that fish should not be moved from one tank to another because its stressful and can make them sick 3. that algae eaters eat algae and 4. that fish are PETS and YOU are responsible for making sure they have all of the things they need. Blaming the employee because you were too lazy to do a little reading before you bought your tank is irresponsible and disrespectful.
Scott
Sanbruno,#8Author of original report
Mon, July 21, 2008
Beware of pets you buy from Petco. Here is a paste of a letter Petco corporate sent me, and believe me, they do not follow it. If you send your pet in to Petco while its under your 15 day waranty, it will never make it to the vet. It will vanish with corporate telling you (It was sold to another customer) When in fact it was either sold as pet food for a snake or put down to save money. This letter I'm pasting is a responce from corporate. Dear Scott, Thank you for contacting PETCO regarding your store inquiry. I appreciate you taking the time to write regarding your experience at the store. I apologize for any confusion you may have regarding the PETCO companion animal 15 day guarantee. PETCO guarantees the health of all companion animals for 15 days of the initial purchase. A verbal agreement to take the animal as is, is unacceptable. If the animal is sick and you are still within the 15 day policy, PETCO will take the animal to the vet and once the vet gives the animal a clean bill of health you should be able to take your animal home. If you believe your rat is sick please take the animal back to the store. The Manager on duty will be able to assist with getting him/her to the vet for possible treatment of the illness. If you have any other questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us 888-824-7257 and we will be happy to assist you. Thank you for your continued patronage. Please contact us again if you need any further assistance. Sincerely, April H. Customer Relations Coordinator --------------- Another baby rat was bought from a different Petco store. The rat had what looked like freckles on its tail, and a cute spot under its neck. Turns out, the freckles we not freckles at all but lots of scabs as if it was bitten over 100 times. The spot under its neck was a huge chunk of fur and skin missing from what looks like a bite from a large rat. The baby rat was also least 3 weeks old and should not have been taken from its mother as it could barely even walk well. I'm adding pictures of the baby and I really home some good animal rights people see this. When I called corporate about the baby rat, I was told to rbing it to the store I bought it from for a refund. I reminded them of the letter they sent me and was told "We dont know where that letter came from, in order for your pet rat under the 15 day waranty to get help, you must return it for a refund where it will be sent to the vet, and if the vet clears it with a bill of good health, it will be sent to a store for sale with no guaranty you can buy it back as it could end up going to any petco store" I talked with a store associate and found out the truth. Most sick animal returns, expecially rats and mice are not sent ot the vet like they state. They are either put down or resold as food for snakes. Right now My wife and I are caring for the rat, giving it medacine and trying to keep the wounds clean on the baby. Its gotten better these past 2 days, but only time will tell if the baby rat (TWIX) will make it.