Rip-Off Pet shop 'guarantee'

As you know I got my two new bunnies from a pet shop last week. They came with a 'guarantee'

The guarantee was that if they are ill or die within 7 days- then they will pay for the bunnies to receive treatment or replace the bunny for free if it dies!
They also sent a voucher for a free health check with a vet nurse!

I thought- thats great that they will pay any treatment- really positive idea! Plus the vets that the voucher was for is the same vet that checks the pets in store.

So- I booked the health check for tomorrow......... then when twiglet started coughing today I called the pet shop (the guarantee said i had to ring the shop first)

The phonecall went something like this.....

ME: 'Hi, I bought two bunnies from you last week,within the 7 day guarantee, one of them is coughing and sneezing, I made the appointment for the vets tomorrow for the health check- if the vet nurse suggests a consultation or medication- do they bill you?

STAFF : 'No, you have to bring the bunny to the store and the vet will see them when they do their weekly rounds'

ME : 'Well, I dont think its in the best welfare of the bunnies as they have had the stress of moving here, then they will have more stress going back to the store, then home again'

STAFF ' Yeah I understand, take them for their check monday and if they need treatment, then bring them to the store'

ME: 'Ok, what day do the vets come to the store?'

STAFF: 'Either tuesday or wednesday, they would stay at the store overnight'

ME ':shock: Im sorry, I cant put them through that, Cant the vets just bill you? its the same vets that you use, they need treatment before tuesday'

STAFF 'No im afraid not, I understand if you want to pay for your own treatment then'

.............

I cant believe the pet shop would allow this? I am now thinking of all the people who have bought rabbits there that would allow the rabbit to just die of illness to get a free replacement.....rather than pay their own vet bill within the 7 days.......

The shop would obviously recomment customers to WAIT until WEDNESDAY.........to see the vet, so its cheaper for them.....

Sorry for the rant- I just cant believe they put a price on animal welfare!

I am surprised that you are surprised !!

Jack's-Jane said:

I am surprised that you are surprised !!

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Ditto.

i suppose! less suprised! more angry ! lol

I'm not surprised.

I should imagine it's cheaper for the pet shop if the bun just dies - a replacement costs them less than the vet's bills. It just 'costs' the bun its life.:evil:

After all, it's "Only a Rabbit".

Does the pet shop have any logos showing which animal welfare or 'Assured Pet Specialist' schemes they are members of?

what do you expect when buying an item of stock

Snouter said:

I'm not surprised.

I should imagine it's cheaper for the pet shop if the bun just dies - a replacement costs them less than the vet's bills. It just 'costs' the bun its life.:evil:

After all, it's "Only a Rabbit".

Does the pet shop have any logos showing which animal welfare or 'Assured Pet Specialist' schemes they are members of?

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just checked the paperwork i got and 'no' unfortunately!

I am not surprised by their response. What does surprise me is that a Mama Doe who is also a forum supporter and therefore a regular reader of the posts of unwanted bunnies on here, purchased bunnies from a pet store.

Jemma&Theo said:

just checked the paperwork i got and 'no' unfortunately!

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I was being somewhat facetious. I did not really expect them to have anything substantive. A meaningless window sticker, possibly.

It certainly appears to be a case of 'caveat emptor' for buns.

Moral of the story - don't buy from pet shops!

Snouter said:

I was being somewhat facetious. I did not really expect them to have anything substantive. A meaningless window sticker, possibly.

It certainly appears to be a case of 'caveat emptor' for buns.

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I would say the same applies to all animals purchased from a pet shop / garden centre, sadly.

luvabun said:

I am not surprised by their response. What does surprise me is that a Mama Doe who is also a forum supporter and therefore a regular reader of the posts of unwanted bunnies on here, purchased bunnies from a pet store.

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yeah we did discuss this the other day, I am sure im not the first however I am confident that the majority of pet shop sold rabbits do end up in rescues.

I have my own reasons for doing this, mainly the fact that the two siblings would have been split up as one is a REW and the pet shop said 'they wont sell her because people dont want REW's'

There are still only the same amount of rabbits in the country, just these two are going to get a good life... If I didnt get them someone else would and probably stick them in a 2ft hutch at the bottom of the garden. You can never guarantee any rabbit, either from a rescue or a pet shop will be treated well, but I can guarantee that mine will...

What a very sad argument from someone who has been a member on here for so long
I'm sure your rabbits will be well looked after..lets hope they don't end up in a rescue..I'm sure some members adopt/buy then return/give up their animals rabbits

right, lets all jump on the bandwagon........Like I say, im not concerned what moral crimes other people think I am committing.......

I am concerned with the health and welfare of rabbits, ALL rabbits, not just ones that are in rescue.

Yes, I did have to give a bunny to a rescue two/three years ago, when I was 18, and homeless, and I regret it like mad. But I lost my home and couldnt just carry him round in a back pack.........

Now I have my own house and hope to be opening a rescue in the next few years when I have landscaped the garden.... Call me a hypocrit, call me whatever....... my ''popularity'' or ''moral high ground'' on the site is not my number 1 priority..........

I bought 2 rats from a certain chain, I desperately needed some friends for one of my old boys who had just lost his brother and seemed quite depressed. The rescues I normally go to had loads of girls but no boys (sods law!) so I had little choice really.

Within a day one of them was showing signs of respiratory problems. I phoned the store and was told to bring him back and leave him with them, they'd take him to the instore vets and he'd have to stay at the store for as long as it took to finish any course of meds the vet prescribed!
I told them I was perfectly capable of medicating my own rat and did not want to leave him with them thank you very much! After lots of waiting around on the phone while they tried to work something out they made an appointment for me to take him to their vets myself and agreed to me keeping him at home and giving him the meds :roll:

I would have preferred to take him to my own vet to be honest but I felt that if I did the store would be getting away with selling poorly animals. At least it cost them a vets bill!

tigerbabe said:

I bought 2 rats from a certain chain, I desperately needed some friends for one of my old boys who had just lost his brother and seemed quite depressed. The rescues I normally go to had loads of girls but no boys (sods law!) so I had little choice really.

Within a day one of them was showing signs of respiratory problems. I phoned the store and was told to bring him back and leave him with them, they'd take him to the instore vets and he'd have to stay at the store for as long as it took to finish any course of meds the vet prescribed!
I told them I was perfectly capable of medicating my own rat and did not want to leave him with them thank you very much! After lots of waiting around on the phone while they tried to work something out they made an appointment for me to take him to their vets myself and agreed to me keeping him at home and giving him the meds :roll:

I would have preferred to take him to my own vet to be honest but I felt that if I did the store would be getting away with selling poorly animals. At least it cost them a vets bill!

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Im nott sure if it does- they must pay like a £200 flat rate per visit to the store to do them all in one go. Just couldnt put mine through it! Just annoying that they use it as a selling point to the general public...... I have (and would rather) pay the bills than put them through the stress of re-settling again

Jemma&Theo said:

Im nott sure if it does- they must pay like a £200 flat rate per visit to the store to do them all in one go. Just couldnt put mine through it! Just annoying that they use it as a selling point to the general public...... I have (and would rather) pay the bills than put them through the stress of re-settling again

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The store I got my rats from made an appointment for me to go in to the vets when I wanted to, which happened to be first thing the following morning. I certainly wouldn't have waited if they'd insisted on the arrangement they offered you.

tigerbabe said:

The store I got my rats from made an appointment for me to go in to the vets when I wanted to, which happened to be first thing the following morning. I certainly wouldn't have waited if they'd insisted on the arrangement they offered you.

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Oh I see I misread......... no especially at 10 weeks old, poor things dont take much does it to make them so ill at that age.......

Sending lots of healing vibes for your bunny xxx

antigone said:

Sending lots of healing vibes for your bunny xxx

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thanks the health updates will be in the other thread, this one was specific for my rant!!!