Brandi Wren D.
The most stressful part of my international move
This company was a nightmare to deal with. Their communication was horrible, and they didn't deliver what they promised. First, I was told my giant-breed dog would fit in a standard crate, which I found incredibly surprising. His final measurements were within an inch of the quoted measurements. When I received the chart to verify that he would fit into the crate size, he was a lot bigger than the entire paper the chart was on. This, I'm sure, was done so they could increase the price by over 21%...after I'd already been locked in, of course. Had they been upfront about the actual pricing, it would have been fine, but it was clear to me that they pulled a bait-and-switch to earn my business. I was sold the Care Tag system, and was promised it would keep me informed of my dog's movements while he was in transit. While he was in transit, I got no more than one update (after I complained several times). I received several reasons for this and got no clear answers. The reasons were numerous, including: - the airlines don't really like them - the airlines may take them off if they find them - this is new technology so the transport team might not be familiar with it - the tag wasn't activated (it was) - the type of plane he flew on would not use them So that felt like a massive lie, too. The communication was absolutely terrible from the beginning, so much so that a director took over my case after I complained and was lied to numerous times. Things got better after she stepped in...until my dog was in transit. I was told my dog would have three flights: Atlanta to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Munich, and then Munich to Madrid. It was only when I was telling my new coordinator/director how frustrated I was that I didn't receive the Care Tag update that I paid for that I found out his itinerary had changed. I had NEVER been informed of the change, and was treated like I was wrong for being frustrated that they failed to communicate important information (again). I told the director I deserved to know where my dog was and whether his itinerary had changed. Her response? "I'm sorry you feel that way". Additionally, my original plans had to change because the "airline had a heat embargo for the next month", and it wouldn't be possible to have him fly...but then that SAME airline was available to transport him literally three days later. I know changes can happen, but honesty is important. I didn't get that here. My dog arrived safely, which is the only reason I'm giving two stars. I had to become incredibly knowledgeable in the pet relocation process in order to make sure that everything was done, because this company failed me at almost every turn. Oh, and they raised the price on me by 50% through the process. Between the flights they had to change (which seemed very sketchy) and the resulting boarding of my dog because of those changes. I would avoid working with Starwood unless you enjoy fighting for information and thrive on stressful situations.
Response from Starwood Pet TravelSep 16, 2026
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this feedback. We're truly sorry to hear the experience left you feeling that our service didn't meet the mark. That's never what we want a family to feel, especially during something as significant as relocating a pet. We want to walk through a few of the specifics you raised, not to minimize your experience, but so you have full context: - The kennel sizing poster reflects a standard sizing requirement that applies to all customers, and its purpose is simply to help ensure every pet travels in a kennel that's properly and safely sized for them. - The additional charges you saw were tied to the larger travel kennel required and the associated airfreight costs. We did want to make sure we could offer something in return for the added stress so the last-minute delivery address change and kennel disposal were provided at no charge. - We also know the CareTags issue was frustrating, and we're glad Ryan was able to stay in close, regular contact with you to work through that directly. I also want to acknowledge how disruptive the flight changes were. Between the heat embargoes we had to navigate and Lufthansa's last-minute decision to cut the FRA–MUC leg in favor of a more direct FRA–MAD route, we understand how unsettling that kind of change can feel when your pet is in transit. We only learned of the change once Atlas was already in Frankfurt, and we let you know as soon as we did. Airline schedules, aircraft, and live-animal embargoes can shift with very little warning, sometimes changing day to day, and we know that unpredictability is hard to sit with as a pet parent, even when it's outside anyone's control. We're genuinely grateful you took the time to share this with us so we can continue to keep improving. We wish you and Atlas a smooth, happy start to your new life in Spain.