WHO YOU GONNA CALL?. So now you know. Petland lied to you. You have a puppy mill puppy. The horror of what you have unwittingly helped to perpetuate is rivalled only by the fact that your new puppy has "issues". After we got past the illnesses, we were faced with a very aggressive puppy. We couldn't let our little boy play with him. We had to learn new techniques for dealing with him. Housebreaking was extremely difficult and at the rate he's growing, our other dog doesn't stand a chance against his aggressive play. I discussed pediatric neutering with my husband who was originally opposed to the idea. Less than a week later, he was insistant - GET IT DONE! I contacted our new vet's office who said they don't do pediatric neutering until 5-6 months of age. However, after Lucky's last visit to the vet, the vet was very willing to neuter Lucky post haste. So at 3 1/2 months, Lucky was neutered in an attempt to minimize his aggresson issues. But we were still quite upset. When we were talking to Petland representatives about the puppy, we asked a very pointed question: "Did this puppy come from a puppy mill?". Their response was immediate and definite. "Absolutely Not! We don't do that here." But in fact, they do. And they knew at the time they made that statement that it was absolutely, positively 100% false. That's called Fraudulent Misrepresentation. It's a statement that at the time it's made, the maker knows it is not true, and makes the untrue statement in an effort to entice the other party into entering into a contract. That's exactly what happened here. We needed some resolution. We needed something to happen here. We wanted Petland to own it's responsibility for it's statements and make a few adjustments to their "Health Guarantee" which locked us into using what we considered to be a substandard veterinary facility. We initiated a complaint with the THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. The Better Business Bureau "Building Better Business" by Bullying Baited Buyers. When I think (thought) of the BBB, I thought of it as a bastion of right, the objective party to a dispute, a means of resolution, a champion for the consumer. HA HA HA! When you contact the BBB, the case is assigned to somebody. In our case, this somebody was brand new. He knew nothing about puppy mills, puppy growth averages, illnesses, etc., beyond his admission that "he has a dog". In fact, this was his very first Petland complaint but he would be handling all Petland cases for our area going forward. I thought this person at least would have some experience in this area. I thought wrong. What are the requirements for becoming a case manager at the BBB? You'd think with their high standards, business ethics, etc., they'd ensure that their people have some experience. Think again. Customer Service - Better Business Bureau seeks a mature, customer service representative to respond to public inquiries, answer emails and other administrative duties. Must be computer literate, friendly, team-oriented and patient. 2 years prior experience required. Bilingual a plus. Fax resume and salary requirements to 512-445-2096. No phone calls please.. So you could, conceivably, have done telemarketing and qualify for this job. Nice. A Case Manager position with the BBB requires no specific or unique experience in dealing with dispute resolutions. No knowledge is required to make a determination of wrongdoing, and if you gloss over the legal stuff that's over your head, you don't really have to address the real issue at all! Please to enjoy correspondence from Petland and the BBB regarding our complaint: BBB Complaint Activity ReportSo, I called the good Mr. Patrick Devastey to see if I could glean some insight into this Administrative Closure. We had requested arbitration, we received nothing. And this is what Mr. Devastey told me. "The dog gained weight." It took a few moments for that all to sink in. We complained about Fraud and deliberate misrepresentation, we complained about the health of the puppy and subsequent problems, but mostly, we complained about fraud. But the vast dispute resolution specialist skills of Mr. Patrick Devastey, a man whom by his own admission, knows nothing about animal health, puppy mills, acceptable weight gain in puppies or how animals are transported, has deemed from a cursory glance at the Records, that since the puppy gained less than one third of what a healthy puppy at his age should gain, that there was no issue with Petland, Petland did nothing wrong and the BBB need take no further action. Good one BBB! Chalk up another win for Business. Oh, and with Mr. Devastey in charge of all future Petland cases in Central Texas, the practice of administratively closing cases due to shoddy replies and mediocre evidence, a proud tradition of the Central Texas BBB's handling of Petland Georgetown Complaints will go on. A business open less than a year. Way to go BBB! There are over 200 Petland Complaints in the BBB's database. Don't rely on the BBB. They have untrained, unqualified staff handling important matters and accepting the word of a company who won't even sign a name to a letter as gospel. |
