I have used Chewy for several years for my cat’s food and Breeze litter supplies through their subscription service. Once, they didn’t have the EXACT items for my subscription in stock, and I got an email saying I could order replacement items with free shipping (code provided.) The problem is that the code didn’t work; I had to buy extra product to get free shipping (I figured it would get used, right?) Then the item came back in stock, and they shipped the subscription! Suddenly I was buried in product and had spent WAY more than I had budgeted for! I thought it was a fluke until we got a puppy; then this nightmare happened:
I ordered the 54” x 34” x 30” Frisco Heavy Duty Enhanced Lock Double Door Fold & Carry Wire Dog Crate & Mat Kit.
It arrived in a box that had been previously opened and then taped shut again. All the cables to secure things inside the box had been cut, and the pieces had all been shoved back into the box in such a way that they were all caught on each other and bent badly (despite being a heavy-duty metal crate.) We had to cut the box open to get the pieces out. It then took us over an hour JUST TO SEPARATE the parts and another two hours to assemble (as it required bending many of the pieces back into place as much as possible.) When we finally got it together, we discovered that the side door did not latch or swing properly due to bending in the frame (we tested the door before assembly; it swung and latched fine. However, once held “straight,” there is not room for the bent pieces to flex enough to work.) Also, the bars don’t line up with the latching mechanism. Finally, the ad says (in three places) that there is a divider, but there was not one in our box.
Chatting with a Chewy rep, I asked to be sent a replacement panel for the one broken side preventing us from using the crate as intended. I was told this could not be done (which, I get, in theory. But why pay to ship a whole crate here and back when we only need one piece?) I was offered ONLY two options:
1. Spend another $216 to buy another crate and eventually get a refund or
2. Request a replacement
BOTH of these options, I was told, could be completed ONLY AFTER I disassemble, rebox, and return the entire crate we had just finally put together. Other than repeatedly saying that they understood I was frustrated, there was no consideration for:
- the time and energy I had already spent assembling the crate
OR
- the time and energy I would have to spend disassembling the crate
OR
- the week I had already spent waiting for the crate to arrive
OR
- the MONTH (at least) I would spend with a puppy but no crate because I would have to wait 5-7 days for the box (which I had to specifically ask how I would get one before they said they could send me a new one) to arrive, then rebox the crate, then notify Fex ex it was ready to be picked up, likely wait 1-2 days for them to pick it up, wait 5-7 days for the box to get back to Chewy, wait god knows how long for the replacement to be processed, wait 5-7 days for the replacement to ship out, cross my fingers that the replacement wasn’t also broken, and finally assemble another 32 cubic feet of crate.
OR
- if I bought a second $216 crate, the week IT would take to arrive, AND cross my fingers that the replacement wasn’t also broken, AND finally assemble another 32 cubic feet of crate.
OR
- the fact that Chewy sold me something someone else had obviously returned without even checking to see if it was in a condition to resell and/or if all the parts were still there.
***I was notified two days later that they can not, in fact, send me a box to return the crate in, but I am welcome to buy one from Fed Ex!***
It is NOT MY FAULT that Chewy failed to verify that the previously returned item was not damaged.
It is NOT MY FAULT that Chewy failed to confirm that all the pieces were in the box before reselling it.
It is NOT MY FAULT that the crate is bent so badly that it doesn’t work properly.
But Chewy apparently thinks it should be ENTIRELY MY RESPONSIBILITY to do all the work (multiple times,) be out twice the cost of the product, buy a replacement box, be without the product I paid for, and/or eat the loss entirely.
I did not ask for a free crate.
I did not ask for a discount on my crate.
I did not ask for a credit.
I did not even ask them to provide me with the missing divider.
I ONLY asked them to replace the one panel, which was so broken it rendered the entire crate non-functional!
I do not find this to be acceptable customer service.
So, we suspended our subscriptions and sent in a review of the crate, including our opinion of Chewy’s service. That review is “under review” (and has been for four days as of 05/08/23.) We will see if they actually care or not. In the meantime, if you get a large or bulky item that appears damaged in any way, send it back immediately. Don’t try to work with it, or you might be stuck with it.