Vanpet Yaletown Ltd

For 10 years I faithfully patronized this store. My dog died and I got another one. Then they cheated me on the program of buy 12 bags of Acana dog food and get one free. They made me buy 18 because they said the time expired. They write on cards which may or may not be accurate. I never went back again. I go to Bosley and it is all computerized and they showed me the computer tracking system which is printed on your receipt and told me there is no time expiry citing the death of a pet and a gap before getting a new pet without me telling him my story. I was so happy. I don't like to be cheated especially when I made it a point to support small independent businesses. No more. Chain stores for me from now on. I have not had a good experience except for a couple of times from grateful stores that finally closed because of covid. They lie and cheat their customers. I feel used.

DO NOT BUY FROM THE STORE! It's overpriced by 15% to 20% compared to Pet Smart and they will find all possible excuses to stop you from returning and exchanging even if you just bought it five minutes ago and came back to store . They will say either the package is damaged or you used it even for just a minute, then it's no longer resaleable and they have to ask their supplier the following day if this is returnable.....I found some other reviewers here had the same experience and were told the same thing several years ago. All staff including the owner are very rude!

So first off, I’m not one to ever write a bad review about a small business although the situation I experienced here was very brutal. I bought this retractable leash for my dog who fits weight description of the size of the box (Medium). While purchasing this product I asked the cashier what their return policy was, she said that as long as it’s in resaleable condition, it can be refunded within 7 days. So I went home, tried the leash for one walk (which is literally 3 blocks) and decided it wasn’t going to be a good fit for us because it seemed like she was too strong for it. So I went to return the leash that’s is in resaleable condition (as you can see) and explained to a different cashier (who I think may have been the manager) the situation. She instantly rudely said no I cannot return this item, you have used it and we do not accept products that have been used. I tried to explain to her that it was used once, was in resaleable condition and that her employee told me if it’s in resaleable condition it can be returned. I don’t think she liked that I was confrontational about this and that she was wrong because her employee didn’t say anything at all about the use of the product, nor does it say anything on the return policy on their receipt. She quickly started to become very disrespectful and told me that she could try to return it to the manufacturer but shes not accepting a refund and I’ll have to wait to hear back from her. After a lot of going back and forth regarding the refund policy, the condition of the product, etc. I left because to me it didn’t make sense as to why she was being so difficult and wasn’t just able to put it back on her store shelf. Then today (the 7th day since buying aka the last day I’m able to refund) I decided to go back because I actually read the bottom of the receipt and thought - well it says nothing about products being used and so I’ll try one more time. This time the original girl who told me their refund policy and sold me my items was there, which gave me relief! I was very nice and explained my situation again and she cut me off near the end saying you used the product we can’t return it, and that her boss told her about the other day already. At this point I’m shocked at their lack of customer service, but remain calm and just told them I’m not leaving until I get my money back. Mind you this whole thing is so stupid over a plastic retractable leash. She told me that when I bought the product she told me it had to be un-used. Which is a lie. If I didn’t ask her what the return policy in the first place she wouldn’t have mentioned anything. So the boss from the other day came out of the back and was instantly rude and condescending (again :)) being very firm with her not refunding the leash because it’s been used and that I was told it can’t be returned if it’s been used. Which again, is a lie. I told her I live nearby, this is a great pet store, and I don’t want any altercations. I’d like to come back here so please just refund me money and we can continue our days. She then threatened me and said if I don’t leave she will call the police on me for disrupting the peace of her store. I wasn’t yelling or anything I would have stood there silently until she refunded me. This threat of hers didn’t scare me, so I continued to try to reason with her how insane it is that they won’t just take the damn leash. This continued again, until I decided that this was never ending and I would rather give it to someone else then allow them to get money from reselling it. I’ve never had such a terrible customer service experience before in my life. I also told them they consider should putting “can not be used” on their refund policy for future customers of theirs, so they don’t have problem again. And of course she was rude again and condescendingly said thank you for your opinion, we will look into it with a fake smile. So that’s my experience with this pet store. Hope it helped those of you who may potentially have something to return to them! My friends and family are never going back.

Pedestrian freindly pet store in Yaletown. Great location, very well organized store with friendly people. Great place for your pets!

I love this place and so does my pup. Always friendly, always helpful, and always ready with treats.

Absolutely recommend this store. Friendly and welcoming service and good product offering! My dog would be treated so well there that every time we were in the neighborhood she would try to pull me to the store!

Carries the brand I'm interested in, like Fromm Gold. I don't frequent this place unless I have business in Yaletown and downtown. Overall, good selection of different brands compared to the larger pet store retailers.

I am not in the habit of leaving negative feedbacks but feel this warrants it. While the older owner is a nice person, the short Asian lady working for her is absolutely terrible. She has no manners nor has any people skills whatsoever and should not work in a customer service capacity. She has a disrespectful tone and is totally ignorant of her own shortcomings and then wonders as why customers react negatively to her. When providing advices to customers you should never assume and borderline insult them by starting your sentence to the likes of "How do you know what your dog likes?" or "Why do you want to give him/her varieties? Did they say so?". Seriously. My guess is that this person seems to have something to prove to herself as if she is an expert of some sort, which nothing is farther from the truth. Real people in the know tend to be humble/patient and do not feel the need to force their view on others. I have called the owner out of courtesy but will no longer support the store and will take my business else where. As this type of behavior is absolutely uncalled for and unacceptable not to mention quite unprofessional. There are plenty of other better pet stores in Yaletown.