Alyssa H.
First and Last Wag Experience
This was my first time using Wag - I heard all great things and had a wedding planned for the weekend so figured it was the perfect opportunity to use the sitting feature. I had never had a Walker before, but figured "what could go wrong". As I was a bit hesitant letting a complete stranger in my home, I reached out to Wag ahead of time asking what I should expect with my sitting. They mentioned "...adhere to the owner's feeding and care instructions, in addition to potty breaks throughout the schedule. Short walks are included in the schedule and typically occur 3-4 times per day for up to 10 minutes." I felt like I was in great hands. I reached out to the walker that was assigned to me weeks in advance to get an idea for her personality, see if she had any specific questions, etc. She was very short in her responses, but figured she was a professional and so she knew what she was doing and didn't need any tips/advice. During the sitting, getting any update from her was difficult. I did not want to seem like an overprotective pup parent by asking for updates, but then again, I was letting a stranger into my home with my dog, so I feel I had a right to. Her responses were short, not detailed. I asked how things were going and she responded, "Everything is good". I then asked for photos stating "I missed my girl" but really was concerned if she was even there. After 2 1/2 hours had passed I received a response from her stating her phone had been having issues with photos. I didn't expect for her to be there all day, so had she said, she just got back and was about to walk her, I would have been fine with that, however I felt her response was not genuine. After the photos being sent, I was already displeased by the lack of communication on her end so I chose not to respond to anything – as long as my pup was being taken care of, I was going to let the lack of communication go and hope for a better sitter next time. Next time will never be with Wag. I came home to a complete mess, it's as if I left my dog alone all weekend. Had I wanted my dog walked, I would have booked a walker, not a sitter. I came home from my vacation to pee stains all over my floor, a trash can full of poop clusters and pee rags (she didn't even try to hide the evidence), and poop stains on my carpet. I had purposefully made sure my home was in good condition prior to leaving, she was going to be staying there so wanted to make sure it looked nice for a guest. She obviously did not care to show the same respect towards me. I immediately called Wag on Sunday once I returned to describe the situation I had just come home to. The person on the phone could not help me and had to transfer me to a customer care rep that was going to have to give me a call back. I did not receive a phone call back and instead had to call back again, and again, and again. On Monday I received a phone call from a customer care person whom, after listening to my entire Wag experience, let me know that he was going to circle back with the Wag Walker, hear their side of the story and get back to me. I did not receive a phone call/email/text from Wag. The entire back and forth process dealing with their customer service and having to leave a message to get a call back is completely ridiculous. After countless calls/texts/emails for over a week, trying to get this issue resolved, I finally received a phone call stating I could get $100 free Wag credit or a full refund. I thanked the customer service rep for the offer but wanted my refund and to be done with Wag. My sitting started on September 7th, I filed a complaint for the sitting on the 9th, it is now the 24th of September and today is the day I received my refund - via a third-party application that I had to download, fill out my bank account information, submit an invoice to Wag, and then be paid by Wag. Last time I checked this was 2018 and if they are able to charge my credit card in the blink of an eye after a sitting, how can it possibly take over 2 weeks to process a refund. In conclusion, I would never use or recommend Wag again. I understand that I may have had one of a thousand rare instances but the fact that this was my first time ever using Wag and I felt like I took all the necessary precautions that I could have prior to the sitting, and this is how it turned out, is completely unacceptable. They let someone into my home that was unfit to watch my dog that they claimed passed a background and used that as their defense. I am not one to write bad reviews, but the fact that this happened to me, I felt it was only fitting to share my entire experience to hopefully help someone else avoid a similar circumstance.