Petco to Pay $900,000 to Settle California Lawsuits

May 28 --------------- Petco Animal Supplies Inc., the No. 2
U.S. pet-supply chain, will pay more than $900,000 to settle two
California lawsuits that claimed the company mistreated animals
and overcharged customers, the Associated Press reported.
Petco didn't admit wrongdoing. It agreed to pay $600,000 in
fines, $200,000 to install equipment at its California stores to
ensure pricing accuracy and $101,000 to cover investigation
costs. The settlement resolves suits filed by the district
attorneys of Los Angeles, Marin, San Mateo and San Diego counties
and one by the San Francisco city attorney, AP said.
San Francisco's investigation of Petco found sick and dying
animals kept in freezers, untreated animals with contagious
diseases and animals in unclean enclosures with no water, San
Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera told AP. The counties
alleged that San Diego-based Petco kept animals in unclean cages
without proper care and overcharged customers by $1.19 on average.
``We are pleased to have resolved these matters on terms
that are consistent with comprehensive policies and practices
already utilized by Petco to serve the best interests of our
customers and companion animals in our care,'' Darragh Davis, a
Petco vice president and corporate counsel, told AP.


Should've been more like 9,000,000 ... IMO


Take care - Joe

And does this suprise anyone? I think it is just a decade late or so.

I'm surprised about the overcharging. Here at the Petcos in the Sacramento area I am usually severely undercharged -- usually with live feeder rodents. Once I went in and bought 10 live adult mice (at a sales prices of $.99 each) and they charged me for 10 adult crickets instead. I had purchased a number of other things at the same time and didn't even notice the huge price difference until I checked my receipt later that day.

That was one of the more severe cases, but almost every time I go I am charged wrongly for animals (always less, never more). Sometimes I will go and buy frozen adult mice and I am charged for pinkies instead. Once I bought the largest size rats they had (which I think were about $6 each) and they charged me for the smaller rats (something like $2 each). I don't know if the employees just don't care since I don't see how the managers can tell who did the wrong pricing or if they just don't notice that they aren't ringing me up correctly.

Fair arguement, but this MIGHT be an isolated incident, but is in your favor that is for sure.

I have seen few week old boas and balls, skin sagging and obviously not fed often (if ever if they are newborn) and severly dehydrated for $219 (boas) and $149 (balls), sometimes lower as well. Backbones that are so visible it is sickening due to the lack of nutrients (food and water).
I can swallow the price if the animal was healthy, but come on.
I have also brought it to the Managers attention, in more than one store, about the severe mites that have been found by me (not on all animals, but enough) and they pass it off as 'normal'.

Personally, I would not buy ANYTHING live from there. In fact, I was in one the other night to get water bowls to put on a kennel for shipping a dog and that was the first time I have bought anything other than aquarium supplies for my son's fish tank in YEARS.

The place needs help, no doubt about it.

We have a different situation here. Due to this areas high concentration of reptile specialty stores, they sell reptiles at very very low prices. And now they are opening more stores here. The care of animals and knowledge of staff is very minimal and should be address by the corporation. Even if they only see animals as money they should realize that they will not make money on dead ones.

Well, I do know of one petco employee who management wouldn't let go to hospital because she was sick. She is also pregnant!

Her husband went and took her to the hospital regardless, where she was diagnosed with I believe, a viral infection that DID need treatment. No harm has come to the baby.

This gives you an idea of the mentality of some petco management people who care more about money then anything else.

Originally posted by evansnakes
We have a different situation here. Due to this areas high concentration of reptile specialty stores, they sell reptiles at very very low prices. And now they are opening more stores here. The care of animals and knowledge of staff is very minimal and should be address by the corporation. Even if they only see animals as money they should realize that they will not make money on dead ones.

Actually Even, they don't NEED every store to make money. In fact, I've often thought that they opened some up knowing in advance that they would fail. I guess it makes sense on a corporate level.

We had a bunch of them and petsmarts open up near me about 10 years ago. They came in, lowered prices on EVERYTHING and drove at least 8 long time Mom and Pop shops out of business. Then prices went up until they, the petcos and petsmarts figured out that the neighborhoods they were in would NOT support superstores. Then they closed. Poof. Just gone.

Now some of the mom and pop's are coming back. There are still a few of the big guys but less than half of what there were 10 years ago in my area. They've learned and now seem to target the more afluent nieghborhoods instead of densly populated but poor neighborhoods.

They do still suck though. They are still selling iguanas for 12.99 and nile monitors as great pets. They're getting 7.00 for green anoles too. I was just in one last night to buy dogfood, the only thing I buy from them and was amazed.

Oh well. When you're that big it REALLY DOESN'T matter if one or two or a dozen stores don't make it. Just close em up, take the corporate write off and open up 20 more someplace else.

Wes Pollock

They need to raid our petco here in Peoria Il.They could also raid our superpets also.I saw a labyrinth burmese for 395$ and it had a ri was dehydrated and starved.I told the owner and he blew me off.Petstores just make me <font color=red>[**censored**]</font>in ill....Paul Yancick

What is the point of the boa pic attached?

I would also suggest you tone your language down a little or you may not be a member for long!

They are still selling iguanas for 12.99

I've NEVER seen a green iguana at a Petco for that cheap.

FWIW, our local Petco has exactly ONE Green Iguana left in the store, and I've been informed by people in the right places that it is the LAST iguana they will sell. Green Iguanas are no longer on their auto ship list.

Sometimes, Petco cannot be blamed for the condition of the animals they recieve. Blame Lasco, blame Tropaquatics, blame Gourmet Rodent. These are the companies that are supplying thousands and thousands of animals to Petco.

Bottom line - make sure you know the whole story before you point fingers. Or at least point ENOUGH fingers...