Pick A Date and We’ll Think About Getting Started Within the Week

 

This is the face you get when you are Petco (not affiliated) and you tell me to pick a date for repeat delivery and then you don’t actually abide by that date.

I’ve been a big Chewy fan (not affiliated) for years because they have the prescription cat food that one of my cats needs for crystals in his bladder.  Violating hippa, showing the patient, but he’s so cute, why not?  

Trying to get it in person near me would be a pain and cost a lot more, so my vet told me about Chewy and I’ve been really happy.  You get a slight discount for regular orders and when you choose a date, that’s when it ships.  

See that last sentence?  That’s where Petco needs some tutoring.  You choose a date and it ships.

When Fletcher arrived, he came with a specific rice bran pellet that I can’t find anywhere around me for any kind of reasonable price.  Not wanting to change things right away, I knew I’d be buying this for a while. Chewy doesn’t have it.  I keep checking.  If they had it, none of this would have happened.   

Petco has it for $10 less than anyone else.  Conveniently, they also have a pick a date to ship system, so I expected it to work just like Chewy:  

I pick a date, they get it together and ship it on that date, I get it within a few days of that date.  Everyone eats, no one is worried and I’m happy with the service.

 🚨 Spoiler alert 🚨 I am not happy. Everyone is worried.  If I’m not careful, no one eats.

Because with Petco, and I have this from 2 different customer service agents in two ways (on the phone and over chat), that date is when Petco begins the process.  They give themselves 24 hours to pack it.  AND THEN, they give themselves 2-5 business days to get it shipped.  Which for me will possibly be another week to 10 days for shipping, depending on whatever determines shipping in my area.  

Are you as furious as I am?  Let’s recap:

 I selected the 24th as my order date.  

The 24th came and went and I realized I didn’t get the email that said it had been shipped.  I’ve been ordering online for a long time, I’m kind of a pro, so I know I’m supposed to get that email.  

2 days later, on the 26th, which is more than 24 hours later in case math isn’t your thing, I contacted Petco twice where twice, I was told their policy.  

They had it packed and now they have 2-5 business days to actually ship.

Meanwhile, someone plows through rice bran faster than I expected (it’s only been 1.5 months so give me a break) so I didn’t have a spare bag.  The only place nearby has it but it’s literally $10 more.  But I was desperate because he had like 2 meals left so I bought it.

And now I wait 2-5 business days plus whatever shipping days for my supply to arrive.  

Of course I’ve ordered extra and now I know this asinine policy so I will be sure to stay on top of it.  Because they have it cheaper, I have to keep getting it from them.  Not a soul on this planet has it that cheap which is another concern all together, but that’s not why I brought you here.

I brought you here to suggest that if you’re thinking about using Petco, look elsewhere.  They also neglected to give me the 35% off my first repeat order, which they proudly display all over their website so, yep, I had to contact customer service for a 3rd time.