“We are definitely going to keep the monthly tradition going for years to come!”
“Messaged to cancel several times and still continue to take money.“
A dog treat and toy box subscription service whose unfair rules are buried in a long legal document.
Suspicious Address: False (+1):
Brand: BarkBox
Company: BARK
Address: 221 Canal Street, Floor 2 / New York, New York 10013
Email: happy@barkbox.com
Phone: (833) 227-5686
Website: BarkBox
No further questions!
Ridiculous claims: False (+1):
None found.
Onerous terms: TRUE (-1):
| guarantee days | guarantee starts when? | ok to open the package? | ok to try the product? | ok to use the product? | restocking fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | ? | yes | no | no |
- Returns are allowed only for unused products. But you may be able to get a partial refund for an unsatisfactory product that’s used. “If your pup isn’t happy with their BarkBox, we’ll work to make it right;” comforting but vague.
- You can only cancel a subscription before the first day of its renewal month. Unless you cancel, subscriptions renew automatically.
- If you have a subscription and your credit card expires, they’ll extend the expiration date (how?) and your subscription, and keep billing you anyway.
- You can’t sue them or join a class action suit or group arbitration. You can only request an individual arbitration. However, you can opt out of this restriction within 30 days.
Ads, spam, robocalls: TRUE (-1):
| “do not track” setting | email ads | robo-calls | “do not call” registry | text ads | junk mail | share your data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ignored | yes | yes | yes |
Lying and deception: False (+1):
None found.
Chicanery: TRUE (-1):
- Popup; “Choose your free zodiac toy!”
- The quiz about your dog is way too long; I doubt that BARK makes much use of this data, but it makes them seem caring.
- The lawyers did well. Terms are a dog-weary 15 pages long, 6,905 words. Sections are in hard-to-read upper case. The Privacy Policy is another 14 pages. From BARK, via Better Business Bureau: “You will still be billed and will receive boxes for the duration of the subscription that you signed up for. We try to make this clear in our Terms of Service but we understand that this may be missed!”
Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):
- Websites with more than three testimonials automatically fail this test. BarkBox has 5.
- Paid reviewers include Upgraded Reviews, The Unbox, My Subscription Addiction
Crummy product: Undetermined (0):
- From Consumer Affairs: “Domino absolutely loves her Bark boxes! It has been so hard to find toys that she both likes and can’t destroy in 5 seconds. We are so glad that we heard about y’all! So far her favorite has been the wrench, she carries it everywhere, even to the vets office!”
- “This box was not Oliver’s favorite. He did not like the toys. Treats were good and he shared with his sister. Would like toys that would work for a bigger dog. However even the Chihuahua did not like the toys.”
- “I’ve requested no pork base protein 2 months ago, and have had to throw out the the pork treats received in February and March. The toys are awesome. I had a 400.00 vet bill in Jan from the pork treats that caused severe stomach and intestinal issues. PLEASE no pork anything!”
- From Trust Pilot: “The arrival of Lily’s Barkbox is the highlight of her month. Now she thinks EVERY box delivered to our house is her Barkbox!”
Overpriced: False (+1):
| Seller | item | Rated | price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bark | Bark Box dog treat/toy box, one month subscription | $35 | |
| Amazon | Bark Box dog treat/toy box, one month subscription | **** | $39 |
Bad service: TRUE (-1):
Unlike most companies that do poorly in this category, complaints about BARK go beyond mere incompetence. Their subscription terms are onerous and are rigidly enforced.
- From Consumer Affairs: “I thought, like every other company that exists, that I could receive a shipment and at least try it for 7 days to find out if the product was good. Definitely not that way with this company. I would have been happy to even pay the following month while I wait for them to stop the charges but they said no, they have to continue charging me for the whole year.”
- “… I didn’t realize there was a “zero cancellation” policy with this service. Honestly, very few companies have these stringent terms. If a company wants to enforce these stringent guidelines there should be a huge WARNING box that pops up when the consumer is signing up warning them that they cannot cancel the membership.”
- “I tried out a 6-month subscription with this company and have yet to receive my first box. It’s been over two months since signing up and they sent me an email wondering why they couldn’t charge me for the 2nd month’s subscription payment. I canceled my card so that they couldn’t. They still have not sent out the first box and have been promising to do so countless numbers of times.”
- “Please do not waste your money on product. Poor customer service. Messaged to cancel several times and still continue to take money. For small dog send toys that bigger than dog. Dog won’t eat the nasty treats.”
- “My dog gets so excited when he sees his BarkBox. The quality of the products is top notch and the monthly themes are so clever. They make humans laugh and canines literally jump for joy. They also will customize the toys and treats to your dog. I have a dog that doesn’t love the tiny soft treats but goes crazy for jerky, so his box now has more jerky treats. And when a box hasn’t arrived, they immediately send out a replacement.”
- “On the whole, I love BarkBox. My Duckie now thinks every package to the house is for her LOL. But the delay in getting it has worsened exponentially. Initially, yes, there’s a pandemic so chill out. But I’m at the point of getting the box as the next month is starting. I’m getting emails advertising for me to add onto the next month’s box when I have yet to receive the current one.”
- From Better Business Bureau: “I asked for a refund about 6 times and was only offered MORE FREE BOXES… then promised i would be sent new boxes via ***** that day to arrive the next… another lie oh they also blamed the pandemic… I want my money back now they are ignoring g messages and [no] live human to speak to…. this is insane.”
Total score: -1
Unauthorized charges: I found several complaints about this.
- From Consumer Affairs: “I ordered a 5 or 6 month gift subscription for my nephew and his wife’s pups. They had my credit card on file and charged me for 13 months. What started out as a $149.99 a month subscription ended up at $199.99 a month for 7 additional months. They did refund the final month when I realized what they were doing. Bad Dogs!” (1/10/21)
- “There is no human to speak with at their customer service #. I have been fraudulently charged by this company and so has my daughter. We never ordered from this company yet they have fraudulently opened subscriptions for both my daughter and then me 6 months later.”
- ““Nowhere did I read auto renewal. It only says auto ship. So after my prepaid subscription was up, I was charged for another 6 months. I went round and round with emails and have not been reimbursed. The customer service is friendly but to me was very vague on answering my questions. Leaving me feeling manipulated. … $198 loss for me.”
- From Better Business Bureau: “I am charged by BarkBox on a monthly basis ($37.10) even though I never signed up or registered for any service, I have never received any good or services from BarkBox, and I have never contacted them for any reason. I contacted the company and they opened a ticket (#********) to seek resolution.”
Advice: Buy dog toys and treats at the store. Put them on the porch and ring the doorbell. Dog will be just as happy.
Scoring: There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the above business practices. But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined. The practice scores total to a Trustworthy Score between +10 and -10. I consider the seller responsible for paid reviewers’ statements.
Web Scammer Jammer 