Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
January 1, 2014
Writing Pet Store Complaint Letters
©1997 Melissa Kaplan
Writing is something all of us do, to one extent or another, yet when it comes to writing a letter of complaint about something which harmed or killed one of our pets, for some reason people aren't putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard and paper in printer) and writing letters. This is a major problem as increasing numbers of animals are dying and the stores and product manufacturers don't know or don't care. If they only get one or two letters, they can delude themselves that it was just a stupid customer who misused their products. You don't believe they think that?
Zoo Med's customer service person has said on rec.pets.herp that customers are stupid if they buy hot rocks for species that shouldn't have them (such as iguanas, despite the fact that their hot rock ads show iguanas on hot rocks) and that customers are stupid if they cover rocks with towels and socks because that is a fire hazard - Zoo Med knows that is exactly what people are doing yet they do not put any warnings on their packages.
A Four Paws representative snidely told me, when I pointed out how worthless their spray-on-body vitamin was, that "People will buy anything with a picture of their pet on it, whether it is any good for them or not." This was said in front of one of the owners of North Bay Aquatics pet store (Cotati, CA), who had asked me to look at the product the rep was trying to sell him that day. He didn't care: the next time I was in there, I saw this product on their shelves.
This is the same store that told ball python buyers to buy hot rocks even though the book they sold for ball pythons clearly stated that hot rocks were inappropriate for them. When one buyer tried to return the unopened rock she bought there earlier that day, the store refused to take it back.
Writing
your letter
Address your
letter to the store owner or, if a chain, the store manager.
Specify in your letter the:
Store name
Store street address, or at least the street it is on, as well as the city and state
The name of the employee to whom you spoke or a physical description if you did not get the name
The date (month, day, year) of the transaction or information exchange, and approximate time of day
Explain the nature of your complaint:
"Several of the tanks contained feces that were clearly weeks old as they were dried out."
"The fact that the water bowls have not be attended to in some time is evident by looking at the lines of evaporation of the feces-contaminated sludge in the bowls."
"The tanks are too cold for the species housed in them. This is in part confirmed by the presence of an undigested mouse in the clump of old feces sitting in the [species] enclosure. This would also indicate that the subnormal temperatures have been ongoing for some time."
"A dead [species] was seen in the [species] enclosure. Several [species] were seen to be extremely lethargic [emaciated, dehydrated, etc.]"
"Mites were observed in the [species] enclosures/on the [species]."
"Despite my being told by the staff that the reptile was captive bred, upon inspecting the [species], I found several ticks. This means that the animal was either wild caught or housed with wild-caught specimens. This means that it was also subjected to other parasitic organisms and must now undergo veterinary testing for same."
"I was sold a [name of manufacturer and actual item] [light; hot rock; litter; vitamin spray; enclosure; etc.] with the understanding that it [would provide the necessary wavelengths; heat required for proper digestion/metabolism; was appropriate for day and night use; was safe and appropriate for [species]; would not cause harm if ingested; provided all the vitamins my [species] needed; was too small for my [species] to be able to provide the necessary temperature gradients required by this species; etc.]"
"I was told that [species] are easy to care for. Upon realizing that it was failing to thrive when cared for as your employee instructed me at time of purchase, and with the equipment and supplies that employee told me I needed, [as described in the book sold by the store], I did more research and found out that the following things I was told by the store was incorrect: [provide list]."
"The employee lied to me about the ultimate [size; temperament] of the species, claiming it was [what the employee said], when in fact it is [what it really is]."
....you're getting the drift of this by now, right?
Send copies of the letter to:
- if the store is part of a chain, send copies to the district or regional manager, and to corporate headquarters
- the humane society or department of animal regulation that has jurisdiction over the store (check your city and county pages in your phone book)
- the local herpetological society
- State department of consumer affairs (check the state pages in your phone book or your state's website for a link to the agency's website)
- The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission
- if the animals involved included ones publicized as spreading zoonotic diseases, such as turtles and iguanas, send a copy to the county department of health
Were you sold a sick
animal?
If the pet store
or expo herp seller tells you the animal is healthy and it in fact turns
out not to be (verified by copies of your veterinary bills):
File a complaint with your states attorney general.
File a complaint with the state Better Business Bureau/Consumer Affairs department.
Sue the seller in small claims court for the cost of the animal (if it dies), the additional equipment, etc., you were forced to buy (if, knowing before purchase what proper care entailed, would have resulted in your not buying the animal), and veterinary expenses. The courts don't recognize pet owner "pain and suffering" related to the loss of an animal, so document all expenses.
If the animal was purchased through the mail, file a complaint with the United States Postal Service, Mail Fraud Division.
Sold a bill of goods
(worthless or harmful products)?
If the pet
store sells you a product which is in fact worthless or causes harm to
your animal even when used as directed or pictured or implied on the packaging
or by the store employee, manager, or owner:
File a complaint with your states attorney general.
File a complaint with the state Better Business Bureau/Consumer Affairs department (check your yellow pages or your state's website for a web link), and with the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission
Sue the store and manufacturer in small claims court for the cost of the animal (if it dies), the additional equipment, etc., you were forced to buy (if, knowing before purchase what proper care entailed, would have resulted in your not buying the animal), and veterinary expenses. The courts don't recognize pet owner "pain and suffering" related to the loss of an animal, so document all expenses.
If the product was purchased through the mail, file a complaint with the United States Postal Service, Mail Fraud Division.
Bought something
because of a magazine advertisement?
The herp specialty
magazines out there, like all other magazines, are supported primarily
by income from advertisers. The problem is that they are accepting advertising
which is intentionally misleading to their readers (such as ads for hot
rocks adorned with lounging iguanas). Some magazines even have monthly
columns wherein products are "reviewed". Since most readers
are looking to be informed by the magazine, and these readers are operating
under the assumption that the magazine knows what it is talking about,
readers are lead into making inappropriate purchases based on these ads
and reviews. From questionable vitamin sprays, to inadequate or wholly
inappropriate lighting, to harmful litter substrates and leashes, reptiles
are getting injured, sickening and dying because people listened to what
they thought was the voice of authority, only later finding out it was
the ringing of the cash register.
If you purchased a harmful or worthless product because of an advertisement in a herp magazine, write the editor and let them know exactly what happened; enclose copies of your documentation. Tell them that it was their acceptance and publication of misleading advertising graphics and copy that led to your purchase of the product and the resultant injury or death of your animal.
The addresses of the magazines' editorial offices may be found inside their front covers. Be sure to specify a date and issue in which the ad appears. Better yet, make copies of the ad and enclose it with the copies of your letter.
I know, I know...
I know how
busy life can get, and how easy it is to put off unpleasant and time-consuming
things. But the most effective messages will be sent, and powerful points
made, by those of you who have actually suffered a loss. Based on the
mail I get, there are lots of you out there, and I know that I am only
hearing about a tiny fraction of the deaths and crippling injuries. If
you are really pressed for time or still uncertain what to write in the
aftermath of your animal being harmed or killed by a product, see if this
complaint form letter will
serve your purpose. If it doesn't, please: take the time to write a letter
of your own.
Remember that the time and money you spent going to the store and buying the products which turned out to be worthless, dangerous or inadequate are worth something, too, as is the time you take off work to take your sick reptile to the vet. You wouldn't have had to take the additional time, spend the additional money, nor worry as excessively as you are over your sick animal, or explain to your partner or kids why the reptile died, if the store or magazine ad hadn't misled you to begin with. You had a reasonable expectation that what the store told you and sold you was what you needed.
It is time pet stores were held accountable for their actions. Only you can help make it so.
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