So I was asking around here for some ideas on barriers to keep the dogs in the back of the E and someone mentioned the Pet Net. I might have even seen www.handsnpaws.com mentioned here. But anyway, i found their site and they had a decent price and looked legit so I placed my order. Several days went by and I never heard back from them other than the initial receipt for my order. So i went to their website and checked the order status. It said the order was still pending. I used their contact form and politely asked if it would be shipping soon. This was the response I got...

No. We don't ship same day! Most of our items are
custom made, as stated online and in your order
confirmation. Happy to cancel this order since you
missed the information.

Now they are correct that a lot of their stuff is custom, I wasn't expecting same day shipping. But this is the Pet Net which is available anywhere like Pet Smart for instance. All you have to do on their site is pick a size. So the whole custom thing in this case is B.S. as far as I can tell. So I replied asking this. A week goes by and I never heard back. So the other night I went back to their contact form and sent the same message through there. This is my exact message...

Hi, it has been 11 days since my order with no change. I was wondering why this is taking so long when the item I ordered is not custom and is available from PetSmart.com and other online retailers? If you do not have the PetNet in stock I would like to be notified so I can cancel my order.

And this is the response I got this morning...

Ok..then you can order elsewhere. No problem. Thank
you.

:???: :mad:

This company is just plain horrible! I can't believe they stay in business! I ask a simple and valid question and I get nothing but a snotty attitude. No explanation or apology for the wait or anything. Unbelievable! I would really suggest that you NEVER ORDER FROM HANDS N PAWS.... EVER! Unless you like dealing with people like this. :mad:

What jerks! Thanks for the heads-up.

So I was asking around here for some ideas on barriers to keep the dogs in the back of the E and someone mentioned the Pet Net. I might have even seen www.handsnpaws.com mentioned here. But anyway, i found their site and they had a decent price and looked legit so I placed my order. Several days went by and I never heard back from them other than the initial receipt for my order. So i went to their website and checked the order status. It said the order was still pending. I used their contact form and politely asked if it would be shipping soon. This was the response I got...
Now they are correct that a lot of their stuff is custom, I wasn't expecting same day shipping. But this is the Pet Net which is available anywhere like Pet Smart for instance. All you have to do on their site is pick a size. So the whole custom thing in this case is B.S. as far as I can tell. So I replied asking this. A week goes by and I never heard back. So the other night I went back to their contact form and sent the same message through there. This is my exact message...
And this is the response I got this morning...
:???: :mad:
This company is just plain horrible! I can't believe they stay in business! I ask a simple and valid question and I get nothing but a snotty attitude. No explanation or apology for the wait or anything. Unbelievable! I would really suggest that you NEVER ORDER FROM HANDS N PAWS.... EVER! Unless you like dealing with people like this. :mad:

Thanks for the FYI....:neutral:

Well, before we blacklist them ... (a friend of mine is in the process of putting together a similar small web-based operation) ....

I looked at handsnpaws site, and it appears that they are an honest home-based online store.

Their home page plainly says: "Approximate processing time is 1 to 3 weeks depending on your shipping and product selection".

I checked out their long list of product categories and chose "Guys with Dogs", and there I clicked on shopping cart for the Doggie Football Uniform. Their order page says,

Need an Item in a hurry?
We've put some of our most popular on the "Ready to Ship Page" (http://handsnpaws.zoovy.com/category/readytoshipthisweek/)which you can access by CLICKING HERE (http://handsnpaws.zoovy.com/category/readytoshipthisweek/)or type "READY" in the search box to see which of your items are on hand.They also mention their coupon page and supply a link to their available coupons.

How can they be more honest about the fact that they are a small operation and can't offer the same instant gratification as petsmart.com or amazon.com? What they do offer is one-stop shopping for a huge number of specialty items that aren't readily found. But they have limited storage space and money for in-house inventory beyond the higher turnover "Ready to Ship" items. I'm sure that they've set up their network of suppliers of all the items, and when they get an order, they have to get it from their supplier then they forward it on to the customer, charging reasonable shipping fees. That would explain the long "processing period."

I've dealt with a similar antiques and collectibles site called RubyLane.com. It's obvious that Ruby Lane is a online company that has formed a network of small collectibles shops and by charging a small fee to all the individual shops, they offer one-stop online browsing of the inventory of all of those shops. Cool concept. I recently bought a 1950's home, and a friend mentioned that a pole lamp would be great in it. A search for "retro pole lamp" took me to Ruby Lane. I found a lamp that I really liked and when I started ordering it, the order page said PayPal only. I used "contact us" to ask if I could possibly use Discover. I received a quick email reply from a lady who said that she was a small shop and she couldn't afford the overhead of offering credit card service, PayPal only. I replied ok, but I really want that lamp so please flag it "in process" and I'll go through PayPal. She emailed me as soon as PayPal cleared and said, "PayPal has cleared, but I'm sorry, I hurt my foot and won't be able to go into the shop until about Wednesday, and then I'm not sure that I'll have the proper box to ship it in right away, but I'll ship it ASAP and let you know." I replied, "Sorry about your foot. Please keep me posted." On Wednesday I got an email that said, "I made it into the shop today, and your order was shipped." I got my lamp in perfect condition and hopefully her foot is better. Two rational people having a business transaction, go figure.

Sorry to be devil's advocate; maybe I'm defending my friend who is starting up a similar operation. :)

ps ........ that bulldog costume would be way cool if I had a bulldog, like their picture, rather than a Sheltie :D

I have order some stuff from them before and it took like 2 weeks, Why dump on them because you got poor service.....That is like telling everyone to quit going to Taco Bell, because you got sick off the burrito once....:neutral:

I have stuck to Jeffer's Pets, really good and really good prices :)

I have order some stuff from them before and it took like 2 weeks, Why dump on them because you got poor service.....That is like telling everyone to quit going to Taco Bell, because you got sick off the burrito once....:neutral:

Agree, and I don't think that their email was anything less than professional, brief and to the point. And they said that they would cancel the order, not cancel and refund the credit card or paypal. That probably means that they don't bill until they have the item in hand from their supplier.

And I'd bet that petsmart doesn't have things like the doggy lookout console seat, or the golf cart doggy seat for Granny and her friend. :-)

http://www.handsnpaws.com/c=3Y2Xc1j6FESru3BtUe0ZYbP6f/category/carconsolelookoutseat/

Why dump on them because you got poor service.....

Wow, are you serious? :lol:
Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"?
Let me know if you own a business and the name of it so I can make sure to avoid it. Poor service is not something I look for when researching a company to deal with.

THE POINT here is that they never offered an explanation or an answer to my simple question asking about the status of my order. Instead they made me feel like my business was not wanted. Fine with me. Failure to extend a simple courtesy lost them money and I purchased elsewhere for the same price.

When I get poor service from a business I inform them that I will no longer do business with them AND I will tell my friends and associates not to do business with them. All a business has to do is say the magic words...we're sorry, what can we do to make it right? It's up to others whether they choose to give the company their business. I am merely passing along MY OPINION and a recommendation NOT to do business there (and why).
And if I get ill from food, I tell the restaurant and my friends because, like poor customer service, bad food IS THE SELLERS FAULT. It IS within their control. I don't want to eat soemwhere that isn't safe or sanitary and I don't want to let my friends eat there either.
Unless we as consumers punish bad service and reward good service with our business then the good guys will go out of business. Not the way capitalism is supposed to work. Why do you think the BBB is in business??? Bad service, like bad food, end up hurting everyone.

My orders from JB Pets, Pet Edge (often better prices than Jeffers), Cherrybrook, J and J Dog, SitStay and Dogwise have all been promply shipped. Also, Clean Run (pricey)

My orders from JB Pets, Pet Edge (often better prices than Jeffers), Cherrybrook, J and J Dog, SitStay and Dogwise have all been promply shipped. Also, Clean Run (pricey)
JB AND PET EDGE are my two main sources online and I have gotten great service and prices from both. I buy dog food (Royal Canin) from JB because nobody locally carries it and my dogs do best on it. I feed my cats Royal Canin too but I can get it at Petsmart. I find cleaning supplies, supplements, treats and toys are cheaper at Pet Edge. Never a problem with either.

I dunno. I understand why d2mini would feel that way. At the very least the emails he recieved were a little terse. The writer's tone in an email could easily be misinterpreted, and the seller's response shows why. Maybe they didn't mean it to sound a little harsh, but that's the way they came off. If I received a reponse like that I wouldn't do business with them again either. With that being said, I'm all for the little guy vs. big, faceless corporations, so it's too bad they they dropped the ball as far as customer service is concerned.

I'm a dog groomer for Petco and I also own a german shepherd mix and a cat. I order most of my stuff from PetEdge, Ryan's Pet Supplies, or Groomer's choice. They are all very reasonably priced and pretty quick to get your order to you unless it's back ordered of course. They also have a lot a cute and fun things. Being a groomer and having to buy all of my own supplies I usually order from Groomer's choice because it's cheaper and located on S. Dakota and I am in N. Dakota so it gets to me quick. Take a look at their websites I think you'll like workin with any of them. :cool:

The main problem with many of these operations is that they aren't really businesses. They're simply middle-men.

That is; they don't offer anything of their own, they don't buy in volume to offer better prices, they don't even stock anything. They simply take orders and receive payments, then pawn off those orders to legitimate companies at some later date.

This "company" could likely be some guy in a cheap apartment who sits in front of his computer all day taking in as much money as possible, and putting off complainers for as long as possible. It could be that the "company" takes all the payments, sits on all the money for a month or two earning interest on it, then ships out orders at a snail's pace. Also, many of these operations know that a fair percentage of people will just give up complaining, and the "company" will keep that money.

I bought skis a few years ago from an online company that put me through the process. Turned out to be just some guy trying to juggle orders. I received the skis eventually, but only after several emails and calls.

Anyway, this is great info to post on a forum like EOC. It helps the members, punishes the bad guys, and it's the right thing to do.

Thanks!