Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bring Fido is a web-based phone app (similar to *********** or ******) that sells hotel rooms and is directed to travelers with pets. On 4/26 I booked a room through Bring Fido at a **** ******* in **********, NJ for a single room for one night. When I arrived I was told that there were no rooms available at the hotel, and that I would need to seek a refund through Bring Fido. When I contacted Bring Fido that informed me that I would need to seek a refund directly from the hotel, although I had booked through them. The hotel, and now Bring Fido have refused to refund me the purchase price of the hotel, that was sold to me, but not available because I didn't call the hotel to confirm that they had available rooms. Unfortunately there are lots of reviews stating the same situation that I didn't read before I used the app. Seeking a refund for 1 hotel night. Much appreciated.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Hi Lucas, you did get a refund. Considering your reservation was for not even a week ago, we would have hoped that you'd see all of the continued communication as clear record that we continued to work on your behalf. You booked a same-day reservation, in which we very clearly state "For same day arrivals, please call 877-******** to confirm availability of a pet-friendly room." This call to our team ensures that you will have a pet friendly room upon your arrival for this exact reason. Our service is to ensure that the listings generated through our valued booking partners remain accurate, and if you book more than 24 hours in advance, we do the leg work for you to ensure that's the case. If you are booking for a few hours from the moment of your reservation, we obviously don't have time to take that step, so that is why we ask that you call us before booking. When you ignore that request, it doesn't mean that won't help you if you have a subsequent negative experience, it simply gives you the heads up that we cannot guarantee the pet friendly room since those change regularly (and is the hotel's decision at any given time). When you called us with a problem, we immediately leapt in to action. Upon being told the hotel would not issue a refund, we let you know what was going on and continued to work for several days to change that outcome, and were successful, thus the refund check already in the main. I'm sorry you felt the need to post scathing and inaccurate reviews on two sites before even given us 5 full days to resolve your issue, but hope that you see the value of our work and will reconsider your opinion going forward. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Better Business Bureau,
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  BringFido assured me I would receive a $750 refund for cancelling a reservation 5+ days in advance. Here is proof of the email: ************************* Then suddenly, they retracted this refund guarantee and told me "there's nothing they can do" and told me to work it out directly with the hotel. BringFido took ZERO responsibility for the $750 I was owed (that they assured would be refunded) and left me to figure it out on my own! Absolutely disgusting treatment and I hope no one ever uses their service. Full Evidence of everything here: ************************* ************************* ************************* *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2023

  While it is always unfortunate when a guest is not offered a refund when they would like one, it is not at all uncommon for hotels to stand by their non-refundable reservation policy. Mr. ****** booked a reservation that was explicitly non-refundable. He cancelled anyway, but did it a few days prior to check in, so we were hopeful that there may be some refund even if not all. The hotel offered him a change in dates, but that was not acceptable, and that's okay, but it is the prerogative of the hotel to keep the money paid to them up front. BringFido simply facilitates the reservation to ensure there is pet friendly room available at check in. We also argue on behalf of guests in the hopes of obtaining an exception to the rule, and are successful much of the time, but there is never a promise made to the guest or guarantee of a refund until we have that confirmation from the hotel. It sounds like they were willing to work with Mr. ****** and not charge any additional penalty for the charges he would incur at check in (which may be where the confusion in terminology lies), but not willing to refund the money already paid. We fully understand this must be frustrating and wish it had a different outcome. This is just the inherent risk of booking a non-refundable reservation through any hotel anywhere in the world. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/08/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked with the Business Bringfido.com for a trip I was making with my dog from 3/2 to 3/5 at a hotel in Binghamton, NY. The hotel was in deplorable condition from the entrance. It smelled like smoke and MJ in the lobby. I have respiratory issues and could not wait in the lobby to speak to a manager. Therefore, I called the hotel manager from outside, to no avail because no manager was on-site. So I called Bringfido.com regarding my issue and the cancelation was completed; issuing me an email regarding the cancelation. I waited 72 hours to request a refund and was told I could not recieve one and told to reach out to the hotel, to no avail- no manager is ever at the hotel. The person I've bee in contact with from Bringfido.com is a person by the name of Erick W****** who reported he has reached out to the hotel and they state I stayed at the place but I have a cancelation email from BringFido.com on 3/2. The business has not been responsible in falsely advertising for places showing 3 bones as a rate and as a 1st time customer- I trusted this rating. The hotel is deplorable and I am requesting a full refund and no-one has been responsive especially when a cancellation was competed. Poor customer service and I wouldn't recommend booking with this business as they don't VET the places they are advertising on their website. ***** (uploaded)shows true rating for the hotel BringFido is rating at 3 bones.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/14/2023

  Though we're unable to find a reservation made under this guest's name or email address, we are sorry to hear of this experience. However, BringFido provides a robust database of pet friendly properties around the world, but is not directly associated in any way with the hotels themselves. We rely on the reviews of guests who have stayed with the property, much like the **** site mentioned here, to provide insight into what can be found once on site. We are also showing a 2.5 bone rating, not a 3, and there are explicit reviews stating other guest experiences (image is attached). Everything is clear and out in the open. We're not sure how such a low rating would equate to false advertising in this guest's mind. That said, we understand what it feels like to have such a negative experience while traveling and it's our mission to ensure that doesn't happen, which is why we work tirelessly to keep our records up to date, and allow easy avenues for guests to share their experiences on our site. It's regrettable that this person chose to make a false claim here rather than sharing their story where it would be helpful to others. If they would be willing to contact us at [email protected], we would be happy to try to find their reservation and look further into this. At this time, there is no way for us to follow up as no reservation can be found under the name or email address provided in BBB.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/14/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  

  
  

  They report that there is no record on my reservation. But I have confirmation and cancellation on my reservation. 

  Please note: 1 room, by me from 3/2 to 3/5-record Trip #: ************* and Hotel Confirmation: **********. 

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *********

  Business Response

  Date: 03/14/2023

  Thank you for providing the itinerary number. The name on the reservation is different from what is in this BBB case. In looking into your case, it shows that you chose a non-refundable reservation at the time of booking. These are a popular choice because hotels offer this option at a discounted rate. The policy states:

  Cancellation Policy
  Please note that this rate is 100% non-refundable. If you change or cancel this reservation, you will not receive a refund from the hotel.

  Again, this price, nor the cancellation policy are the decision of BringFido, but we did argue on your behalf to try and obtain a refund. Because of this, the hotel is within their rights to refuse a refund, no matter the reason. I know this is frustrating, and it's why we made multiple attempts to fight this for you. Our site had several reviews from previous guests, the most recent of which was from a stay in February, 2023 and is a 1 bone rating, and we'd encourage you to leave a review of the hotel as well. We always regret when a guest has a negative experience booking a property through our site, though periodically it's the case that a hotel is just not to their satisfaction, and it's because of our service, that many guests have some recourse. It's just not always the case and ultimately the decision lies with the hotel's management. We've escalated your case even further and will give this another shot for you, but as Erick stated, it's not something we can promise because it has nothing to do with the pet friendly guarantee or any BringFido policy. We will continue to communicate with your further directly and not through the BBB, as that is more appropriate and efficient. 

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. I booked in Feb 2023 - when was that review? This is still ineffective knowing that the place you are advertising is unsafe 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  BringFido is falsely advertising my short term rental as bookable by their web site. They have scrubbed the internet are all stealing photos to create an non-existent presence. My rental is legitimate and BringFido has intercepted my business using my photos without permission. The copyright violations alone would be thousands of dollars. I will seek legal action if my property is not removed immediately from the site. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  BringFido is the world’s leading pet travel and lifestyle brand. Our website and mobile apps connect millions of pet owners around the globe with more than 500,000 pet friendly places. There is nothing about our company that defrauds or intercepts business. In fact, quite the opposite; we bring properties business from customers that would not have otherwise found them. This individual reported that three of her properties are listed with BringFido, but there is only one. The other two complaints are referencing listings that link to a website named bluepillow so are irrelevant for this response. For the one pet friendly listing we do have that appears to be related to that person, it appears to have been shared with us by directly by our booking partner, ****, as we connect to their API. It is explicitly noted as pet friendly. She is likely simply unfamiliar with the booking process when it originates beyond ***o. Despite bringing her business, we have removed her listing as requested, so customers will no longer be presented with her property when searching for dog friendly rentals. Her request has been completed.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  BringFido.com is fraudulently using photos from my short term rental property- advertising it as their own, AND advertising it as Pet friendly when it is not. When a potential unsuspecting client tries to book it, they then redirect to other properties saying its unavailable. This prevents me, the legitimate property manager, from getting bookings, as they fraudulently advertise properties they don't have any contractual agreement with, which breaking copyright laws for each and every photo they are using without permission! ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  BringFido is the world’s leading pet travel and lifestyle brand. Our website and mobile apps connect millions of pet owners around the globe with more than 500,000 pet friendly places. There is nothing about our company that defrauds or intercepts business. In fact, quite the opposite; we bring properties business from customers that would not have otherwise found them. This individual reported that three of her properties are listed with BringFido, but there is only one. The other two complaints are referencing listings that link to a website named bluepillow so are irrelevant for this response. For the one pet friendly listing we do have that appears to be related to that person, it appears to have been shared with us by directly by our booking partner, ****, as we connect to their API. It is explicitly noted as pet friendly. She is likely simply unfamiliar with the booking process when it originates beyond ****. Despite bringing her business, we have removed her listing as requested, so customers will no longer be presented with her property when searching for dog friendly rentals. Her request has been completed.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a room thru BringFido.com. They took my $413.36 for a 9/13 hotel reservation at Vagabond's Inn - Carmel, Ca. Shortly thereafter they emailed me and said that in fact they had reserved a non-existent room and that I would need to book another room elsewhere. They also stated I would see a refund of my $413.36. TEN days later, I still have no refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  Hello ****, I’m sorry that your reservation through BringFido didn’t work out as we all would have hoped. Situations like this are exactly why BringFido is in business. 
  
  
  Staying with your pets is never just a “yes or no” response with us. Hotels often have pet policies that are contradictory to the rooms they have listed. For 16 years we have provided verbal confirmation for all reservations booked on our site so you don’t have to. Hotels like the Vagabond have only a select few pet friendly rooms. In this case they notified us immediately that these dates were no longer available. It’s frustrating for us too but this is why we are here. The hotel still had rooms available and there is always a possibility our guests could choose to make other arrangements for their pets. We don’t ever want it to get to that so finding out any problems immediately upon booking is preferred rather than finding out upon arrival at the hotel with no place else to go. 
  
  
  Your reservation was canceled without penalty and the hotel mistakenly charged your card. They were apologetic when we checked with them after you made us aware that you were charged. 
  
  
  I hope you’ll check with us again the next time you travel with your dog.