by Anon
My next door neighbour recently purchased a budgie from Petsmart on Laird ave. The bird died on Saturday. She phoned the store and was told of a 14 day policy. It was a baby, and the girl who served us did not know a thing about birds. We were hoping they would replace it but no, they have a 14 day policy on animals sold from them. I will never shop there again, nor will  my three sisters. Between us  (children’s pets included) we have 11 dogs, four cats and three gerbils. They have lost us as customers, We will  all shop at The Menagerie on Parliament  Street from now on. Shame on you PetSmart. You turned your back on a 10 year old boy who lost his pet in less than a month.
Beast Master says...
Personally I feel PetSmart has steadily gone downhill over the past year or so becoming esentially an “Americanized Box Store” of pet supplies. Quality and expertise is what I consider department store level.
Nice Sass says...
I’m with you Beast Master; for as long as the PetSmart in Windsor, ON has been open, I shopped there monthly for cat food. Around three years ago, I started to notice that every time I was in the store, I had to wait an absurd amount of time in line at check-out, with only one line open at any given time.
The odd time a second person would arrive and hesitantly open a second check-out when there were more than 6 customers in line, but that’s ridiculous.
There was no rhyme or reason to when I attended, so it clearly was the standard practice to only ever keep one person on cash at any given time. I’m not a big fan of unnecessarily waiting to provide my hard-earned money to a business, when there are Mom and Pop stores charging $1 or $2 more down the street. I ended up doing that instead and was much happier for it; my time is worth at least that much to me. PetSmart needs to re-evaluate their service initiatives.
Anon says...
Every store has a return policy and if they made exceptions for one, they’d have to make exceptions for everyone. If they even made exceptions in the first place, it would defeat the whole purpose of a return policy. Unfortunately pets die and unfortunately with anything you buy you risk getting a dud.
Even someone who knew birds inside and out probably couldn’t have told you that bird was going to die, so don’t blame it on the staff member - in today’s demanding service industry, you cannot expect every single associate to know every single thing about what they’re doing or you’d be standing around waiting forever.
I definatley won’t stop shopping at Petsmart, and nor will my three sisters.
Starleen says...
Sorry about your little bird.
You should probably email or write their Head Office with the same story you have here and they might listen to you. As for the store employees they might not have much power to do anything.
H says...
Anon, I think you need to re think the whole making exceptions thing. Most good stores will make an exception to help a customer out, it is a little something called good PR… public relations. Stores need to treat customers like people and not numbers or objects. And for the record, policies are not written in stone, any manager will tell you that. They are more or less of a guideline for them to follow and they can make decisions based on a case by case scenario. Anon if you want to let big corporations push you around and waste your hard earned dollars well good luck to ya, but the rest of us have more of a back bone than that! Either way people should try supporting their locally owned pet stores providing that they aren’t into puppy mills and all that terrible stuff!
R says...
Did you take the bird to your vet to make sure it was a healthy one or did you just take it home and hope it lived for a few years. Vet checked is before they go to the store. Mean while how ling was the bird in the store on do you know really know how old the bird was? Their are programs in place to help employee learn about Avation and if the employee is not sure they should be going to an associate that does no more. Second birds are sensitive to smells and enviroment and diet so if any of those things are out even just a little a bird can not live. if you are cooking with non-stick and or teflon you bird will never last three hours it can die in two hours.
The store should have obligated the 14 day policy providing that it was within 14 days. Customers should also know that if one store isn’t fulfilling their obligations they should be takeing it to head office. Since 1 of the head offices is in Toronto the other in Phoenix you should have gotten a great repley.
There is no puppy mill action at Petsmart they all go through Charities and you would know this if you where aregular customer cause there is always some sort of money raising in the store like just a buck, Change their luck or the t-shirts they sell or bags.
lalita1985 says...
Budgies are very fragile and as someone mentioned before all birds are sensitive to their environment. Perhaps the bird got a draft on the transport home, which would kill a bird quite quickly. There are things to look for when purchasing a bird as well. You don’t want to buy a bird who spends alot of time on the bottom of its’ cage, as that is an indicator of a sick bird. Budgies also breed very easily, and quickly. They are mostly raised on a seed diet from their breeders which causes alot of sickness because of poor nutrition. Most people do not ensure thier budgies are fed fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a diet consisting of 100% nutrition pellets.
Mari says...
THERE WAS A DOCUMENTARY THAT CAME OUT SOME TIME AGO ABOUT CERTAIN PET STORES SUCH AS PETSMART THAT HAD ISSUES WITH CUSTOMERS DUE TO ANIMALS DYING IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD. “RAINBOW” WHICH IS THE COMPANY THAT BREEDS AND SUPPLIES SMALL ANIMALS AND BIRDS TO PETSMART HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY. SO BY THE TIME THESE ANIMALS GET TO THE PET STORES, THEY ARE ALREADY AT RISK OF GETTING SICK OR DYING. CHECK OUT PETSMARTCRUELTY.COM.
samie says...
i had a problem close to the same i took my small animal back in a box they act quite quick if you have the animal with you and they do what you say when you are thier in person
kerry says...
I’ve kept budgies for over 20 years and enjoy them very much.Last year I bought a budgie from Petcetera that died within a week of buying it.The manager was called and my budgie was replaced,pronto.I don’t mind petsmart the store is very clean,cozy and they offer some good coupons.I always find good sales,like sheba cat food for 39c on there clearance shelf.They do have to find more employees though, that can handle a cash register,there have been a dozen or so inexperienced workers that haven’t a clue.
Vancouver Island says...
Who buys animals from a pet store still? Aren’t there loads of animals available from shelters and rescue organizations? So many posts talking about replacing birds/animals as if it were a piece of merchandise. Wake up, whether it be a budgie or a gerbil or a dog, they are life and precious. Too often animals are destroyed at shelters for lack of space simply because some dim-wit bought it on a whim from a PETSTORE and didn’t realize it required some time and effort to care for it. ADOPT. DON’T Buy from petstores.
Christie says...
You couldn’t pay me to buy a pet from a pet store, especially PetSmart. I am very sorry to read of your neighbour’s loss. Next time (if there is one) I hope she’ll choose to buy a pet from a reputable breeder or rescue organization. She’ll save a bundle, and get an animal that is not locked/ caged without freedom and reasonable human contact in a tiny box for public observance for nearly its entire life.
Animals being sold in stores like PetSmart makes me sick. Seriously.
Andre says...
I think the 14 day policy is more than reasonable how do they know
if the bird has been fed properly and givin water and has an appropriate
cage at the customer’s house . Im sure you probably did everything right
or else you wouldn’t be surprised by the death of the bird, but i’m sure some ppl out there would take in an animal without knowing how to properly care for them , and then abuse the stores good will of replacing the animal , it sucks but we all have to pay for other ppl’s stupidity .
K says...
Did they nail it to it’s cage and try to convince you it was sleeping?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Stephanie C says...
Hi there,
Sorry to hear your bird died.
I would strongly suggest you write and speak to the manager of the store, and perhaps to the head office.
Please don’t take your business away from the store because of sh*tty public relations from the store.
If you got some dunce who is working there part time and doesn’t give a rat’s ass about things, it’s unfortunate that they couldn’t help you with better information about the bird and maybe things you need to know about it.
I know that Petsmart usually works with shelters to help adopt out homeless animals. I have volunteered several times at the one on Brant Street in Burlington and they cycle through different shelters to give turns for different shelters. That speaks volumes to me as opposed to pet stores that sell puppy-mill dogs for crazy prices.
I hope that the bad experience you had will not affect your feelings about the store in general. There will always be crappy employees, but hopefully there will be reasonable management staff or regional/head office managers who will take care of the problem.
I highly recommend adopting from shelters, because they really do the background work and are not into adoptions for the money made.
Again, very sorry to hear your bird died. But please let the store and head office know, so that they can deal with the bad employees and hopefully prevent something like this from happening again.
Take care,
Stephanie
Stephanie C says...
Just want to emphasize:
I know, for a fact, that Petsmart in Ancaster Meadowlands and Petsmart on Brant Street in Burlington cycle through different shelters/SPCAs to adopt out cats (and occasionally dogs at special adopt-a-thon times of the year).
The Brantford SPCA is one of those shelters, and I volunteered for them this weekend for pet pictures with Santa.
I cannot comment on the smaller caged animals, but for cats, you are still working with shelters to adopt via Petsmart, which I think is great.
Petsmart is the only chain store in the Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford region that works with shelters on a consistent basis.
MrBT says...
I made a rule for myself; I will not shop at any pet store that has a ‘14 day dead policy’ any longer. Period. I have had WAY too many run-ins with this policy. It is terrible. They obviously question their own animal’s potential for survival. Unfortunately, most pet stores buy the ‘leftovers’ from a breeder, or worse yet.
We bought a guinea pig (adding to our small family) from a pet store. We got it home and within a day we realized something was not right. It’s a good thing we had it isolated, because it had an upper respiratory infection, caused by something contagous. We found this out from not only a vet but also seeing all the other pigs there were now deathbed ill. Vet said that his chance of survival was great (As were the rest of the guinea pigs). The medication was about $60 per pig. We went back to the pet store and told them what was going on. Immediately on the defense, they said that they wouldn’t pay for the medication, that they wouldn’t refund the pig because it wasn’t already dead, saying that it was caused afterwards (Even though it was visible in the cage ALL of them had it). This was manager. Store owner was called in (Obviously to have us kicked out), but the owner, at the manager’s dismay, told us that they could only help the pig if they took it back and they’d have them all taken care of. Figuring they’d do the right thing, we returned the pig and told the owner that when the pig was better, we would buy it back. Suffice to say, the next day we came in to see our pig, when we saw the whole cage cleared out. Okay, so they isolated them. We asked a kid working there and said ‘Oh, the pigs? Yeah, they were sick. We had to deal with them. They’ll be another batch of them in 3 or 4 weeks.’ !
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to buy animals from pet stores anymore; Partly due to the sheer markups for the ‘leftover’ animals. $700 for a ‘Himalayan’ kitten with no papers; $1300 for a chocolate lab which has been clearly crossbred with something else but pawning it off as a chocolate lab; And the $1300 Sun Conure Parrot which you can get a hand-raised one from a breeder for $600-$700.
Jbird says...
11 dogs, 4 cats and 2 gerbils, and you still want to get a bird? you’re EXTREMELY insensitive when it comes to animals. It clearly shows in your post. you’re not even concerned that this living creature died; you only care for your money. It’s more than likely you killed the bird yourself, whether from stress, what other people listed above…or your kid himself handling the bird too roughly. Only an autopsy can determine whether it’s your fault or petsmart’s fault, and in the case where a bird dies in LESS THAN one month…..chances are, it’s 100% your fault.
Furthermore, birds and predatory animals simply cannot cohabit. I have a friend who kept insisting that their cat loves the bird, only to come home one day and find the bird’s wings ripped off and dying of pain and blood loss. Yes, the bird was there first. Yes the bird and cat lived together “peacefully” for 3 years together.
Try adopting birds instead. There are so many birds given away, even for free, and you’re still saving one life. Don’t support the bird mill. It’s cruel. but, do the poor birds a favour and just stick with dogs and cats. They can take more abuse.
Maxine says...
I am surprised that the Laird store treated you that way. My fiance and I buy all our supplies for our cats there, even though PetSmart can be a little more expensive than other places. The customer service we have experienced is second to none, and we have never waited long in line, even on Saturdays before Christmas. I would try again, because that does not sound right.
Karen says...
I understand all your angry, Anon. I also had a BIG problem with PetSmart last year. We bought a parrotlet sold as a 2 months baby. He was very shy and kept hidding all the time. Because of our other birds we kept him away until he his first appointment on a avian vet, but he looked very sick and we had to rush to the vet in emergency. Turned out he was 2 YEARS old, with megabacteria and other major health problems. We came back to the store and told all that happened and they said “bring the bird back and we will give your money back”, it was still in the 14 days policy and they would refund the money I spent with the vet. Anyway, I asked what they would do with the bird and they said “give back to the breeder in Newfoundland”. We were in BC!!! There was no way the bird would stand a trip. They said their vet would check before BUT when I asked who is the vet nobody knew. They didn’t even know the licensed avian vets in the area!
He was such a lovely bird.
We didn’t give the bird back to them and I wrote a nasty letter. We kept Speedy (the bird) in treatment with a licensed avian vet for 3 months. They refunded around 70% of that, the other 30% was their burocratic customer service that kept complaining about the way some invoices were written. Speedy died later, the infection was too much.
Also, check the company U.S. Global Exotics, Inc. They are one of the major suppliers of PetSmart. They were charged this month for cruelty to animals. The images are shocking. Peta has a website just to tell about PetSmart on http://www.petsmartcruelty.com/
Janice says...
I too was mad at Petsmart… that is terrible about the bird … I bought a large bag of catfood at petsmart late last year… on the shelf it said it was on sale… in a hurry I didn’t notice I was charged regular price and when I did notice I dropped it… On my next visit I mentioned to the clerk and she asked if I had a petsmart card and said that unless you have one you cant get sale prices. I wasnt told this when I bought my original item… just what I need another card but cant get sale prices without one… what kind of scam is that….
hi says...
that is horrible that they would not replace the budgie:( though because the pet care is are cold hearted , other petsmarts arent bad..i work at a petsmarts in pet care and i can so i love my job and give 100% heart and soul for the animals…the people at that store who are in pet care are not doing their job what so ever… i really do think you should call or email head office and let them know
tim says...
no…u obviously didn’t fight this hard enough…. my ferret died 3 months after getting it….it was born with a heart defect….and i got a new ferret for free!!!….look into more….
and budgies are like $10….don’t be so cheap
are you serious says...
THANK YOU Jbird… you said what I was thinking. How did your neighbourgh’s bird become an “us” situation” when it came to that bird. I’m sure that 10 year old boy had something to do with the bird’s passing… so shame on you…
I personally love petsmart. I go to 3 different locations depending on what area I’m in but in every location I find that the staff are courteous, the managers are always on the floor helping the customers (I probably interact with managers packing away products more than anything) I’ve had associates go out of they’re way to find products for me that are not even sold in the store.
I worked in retail before, I know how it works… walk in with a jerk attitude and you’ll be treated like one. From the sound of the poster, I have a feeling that’s exactly what happened.
Anonymous says...
I work at PetSmart and when it comes to the 14-day guarantee, it’s extremely hard to get around. After 14 days, the animal isn’t even in our system anymore.
Radeyah says...
Personaly, I’ve had budgies for 12 years now. They have a great life span if they are taken care of well and treated properly.
They don’t die from smells actually, the teflon crab that’s BS!
bob says...
how did you kill your’s? i’ve been trying to kill my girlfriend’s budgies without making it look like i did it, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jennifer37 says...
A moderator should remove STFU’s comment. He sounds sociopathic, and we all know what that leads to.
To the pet owner, I am sorry about your bird. We seem to be living in a society where, more and more often, speciality stores are becoming less and less specialized.
Tim says...
Vancouver Island says…
December 4, 2009 at 2:32 am Who buys animals from a pet store still? Aren’t there loads of animals available from shelters and rescue organizations? So many posts talking about replacing birds/animals as if it were a piece of merchandise. Wake up, whether it be a budgie or a gerbil or a dog, they are life and precious. Too often animals are destroyed at shelters for lack of space simply because some dim-wit bought it on a whim from a PETSTORE and didn’t realize it required some time and effort to care for it. ADOPT. DON’T Buy from petstores.
COMPLETELY AGREE WITH VANCOUVER ISLAND. STOP BUYING ANIMALS, START ADOPTING THEM FROM SHELTERS!!
Johnny the Matt says...
We got no food, no jobs… our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!
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Anon says...
If the bird died and it was pasted the 14 day marker they owe you nothing. If it only got sick and died after 14 days or longer of being in your house then YOU made it sick. Birds are extremely delicate animals and will die very quickly from any disease they get. If it takes more than 14 days? you bought a healthy bird and YOU were the reason it died.
Elly Kroschel says...
There might be some thing incorrect with your RSS. You should have someone take a look at the website.