Forgot to provide an update here that the credit card ended up siding with me and provided a FULL refund around March 2017. This is after jumping through hoops on gathering support on how I was defrauded. So yes, you can get a refund from your credit card if you escalate the issue and provide evidence of a breach in contract. Taking this route is time and emotionally consuming so most people just take the loss from these thieves. Note: I was in contact with BBB, Chamber of commerce, and neither were helpful. I'm sharing this with my fellow yelpers so that you don't waste your time. The only option is seeking a refund from your credit card. If that fails, your only option is small claims court which will cost you more time & money. Akona knows this, which is why there are a dozen reviews after mine with exactly the same experience! read more

Akonapet Pet Relocation Service - Refused my letter requesting for a refund - Sneaky, sneaky! - Pet Transportation Near Me

See all

RUTH IS MISERABLE TO WORK WITH!!! Our friends moved to Hawaii and needed us to keep their chocolate lab for the remaining quarantine period as he had to start a new job. Fine. The paperwork was filed, etc. Then it came time to book. I didn't have much to do with it until Ruth needing the documents. She was AWFUL! I emailed what was asked. Didn't hear a word, figured we were good. 24 hours later, I get an email - subject in all caps - asking me where stuff was. One doc wasn't on the requirements list, the other (pics) Id sent in a separate email that she didn't take the time to find before being unnecessarily rude! Then she refused to respond to emails from myself or the wife. She told the husband he would be the only one she'd respond to. Never mind WE had the dog. In Indiana. If I lived in Hawaii, I would start a competing business to put this woman out of business. No one should be treated like this - it's a super stressful situation to start with and Ruth only makes it worse. She got fired. And the dog arrived, safely, to Honolulu yesterday. Thanks for nothing, Akona! read more

DO NOT USE this service. Ruth seems really nice at first but as soon as she gets your deposit she stops returning calls and emails. When you mention that you have been calling or emailing her she LIES and says she has returned your calls or emails which is NOT true. READ OTHERS REVIEWS and you will see I am not lying. I'm in the process of requesting my money back and doing this myself. read more

DO NOT USE OR TRUST Akona Pet Relocation Service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCAM!!!!!!!! Ruth ghosted us for weeks. I sent many emails and even resorted to calling every 10 min for over 2 hours trying to get a call, text or email response and still didn't hear anything. It started off great until I paid a deposit and then that is when things turned sour and she ghosted us. DO NOT PAY THESE PEOPLE A CENT and make sure to read a lot of other reviews because we are not even close to being alone in our experience with this "company". We, and others, have been delayed in the process because of their lack of service and have had to stay on the mainland to start the process over with another company. Ruth divides families, screws with our fur kid lives and rips you off without even flinching. This is the most corrupt and disgusting people (Ruth) and companies I've ever worked with. A few other customers of hers and I are even talking about forming a class action suit to go after her because the same thing happened to all of us and we are all stranded on the mainland or have divided families and great extra costs. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE!!!!! read more

Transporting four dogs from Indy to Kona. This started out great and then just died. We paid everything right on time, bought the four crates from Ruth, sent the original docs to here as she requested. Despite repeated email, phone, text we never heard back when the flights would be or where from. Took our four dogs on the road for 10 days in an RV to get them to LA. We hoped to fly on the 6th and never heard a date or time. DOH called me to say the forms they had from Ruth were out of date. Quarantine called to say they didn't have any forms. Stuck in the RV in AZ with no info we finally contracted another transporter on the 2nd who stepped up and got it done. Tails of Hawaii were amazing. We have requested refund. read more

Akonapet Pet Relocation Service - Pet Transportation Near Me

Absolutely horrendous service. We could never get a straight answer for a timeline and once they received our deposit they stopped answering calls and emails. Completely unprofessional and rude during correspondence. Ruth is rude, incompetent, and shouldn't be handling matters that have major impact on people's lives and moving. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! Edit: Apparently they can respond to negative reviews but not constant phone calls and emails from me or my veterinarian. read more

I used their service 5 years ago, and how absolutely horrible my experience was with them is still on my mind. Everything went wrong; the plane tickets were wrong (had to repurchase tickets), the times set were incorrect, etc... ...they never responded to any of my phone calls. I left messages and I was simply ignored. This service is horrible, as soon as they have your $ they do not care about you or your pets. My dogs are my children, they are more then family members to me and this service cause me so much trouble and never responded to My calls. They are a complete con. Scammer - Beware if you care for your pets. read more

SCAMMER BEWARE! Akonapet charged us over $300 to "start" relocation of our 2 dogs a month ago. Upon payment, we signed a contract that stated a 7 day No-Refund policy. That means from 8th day onward, a lady named RUTH can: 1. Not provide any info or communicate a week before our planned flight/move. 2. Not respond to multiple emails or voice mails. 3. Deny any refund while on a 3 way call with my credit card dispute rep. Speaking in a rude manner as she recites their 7-day No-refund policy and from past credit dispute experience. Karma! This business will not last. read more

We have used Akonapet for over 8 years and never had the slightest problem. They know all the rules and players in Hawaii especially those dealing with quarantine and needed paperwork. They also know all the major airline rules and needs. They keep up to date with all of it. As long as people know how to follow instructions and paperwork on a timely basis Akonapet makes life for the pets and owners very easy. Traveling with pets to Hawaii is not like driving from state to state or flying them within the mainland. They are also very experienced in getting pets in and out to foreign countries. Don't know what Mari W. problems are but obviously there are more than dealing with Akonapet. Calling any vendor every 10 minutes over 2 hours will rarely get positive reaction. Nancy and Curtis Boyd, Houston Texas and Hawaii read more

A bit of a communication issue here and there but these guy were great. They have thought of everything. We have 2 medium size dogs.One 13 years old and one 18 months. We were worried that this would be a traumatic experience for them but when it was all over everything turned out great. And because we had all the correct forms we flew through inspection. I would use them again. In fact, when we checked in at Alaska Airlines in Oakland and I gave the counter girl our forms she said " Oh these guys are great, we have 2 other people today using them". read more

August 14th my 2dogs and 4 cats and myself moved to Kauai from Fort Worth Texas. NOT GOP Around January 2017 I read all requirements and the timeline of relocating pets to Hawaii. Wow! I made sure they all had a current rabies shot and at least 1 prior. That they all had chips and following the timeline all had their rabies-titer test done and successful. Then I contacted Akona Pet Relocation. They did the stressful part, assuring all the paperwork was done correctly and according to timeline requirements. Made flight arrangements, also that I had the right kennels and sent passport pkgs with all stickers and instructions for placement. The very important one was the sticker with their picture, import permits and leashes, tags with their name and a folder for all their paperwork. Arrangements were made by Akona Pet to have Kauai humane center to complete the direct release insp. Mary was great. I Do recommend Akona Pet Relocation . If you do the stuff that is required of you then they can complete their part of the plan...with much less stress. Thank you Ruth and Maxima.. I believe people are more likely to complain online than compliment. read more

Akonapet Pet Relocation Service - Sievers Pets - Pet Transportation Near Me

Do not use this company. We first contacted them in June 2018 and our dogs are still not relocated to Hawaii.They take your money and do not provide the services that are contained in the contract. They do not return phone calls or emails. On January 21 2019 Akona Pet was to book air travel for our two dogs. We paid them in full back in November 2018 for booking our dogs travel. They never booked the air travel, never responded to our inquiries about the confirmation of travel and never provided any airfare details to us for travel they agreed to book by February 8 2019. We are now demanding a refund due to their breach of the contract. I never received any phone call on February 4 2019 from any one at Akona Pet. I never received any email with flight details from Akona Pet Service. read more

Our experience with Akonapet was like being on a roller coaster ride. I never knew if I would be getting the "helpful and calm" Ruth or the angry, screaming and telling us to "shut up," Ruth on the phone and that was when they even bothered to answer the phone or return an email. Without Carolina we would not have made it with our move. Ruth seriously needs a job where she does not work with customers because she has ZERO customer relations and you are shamed, scolded and made to feel as if you are a bother. There are many other pet relocation centers out there and I would not recommend Akonapet to anyone. BEWARE! I can truthfully say that I have NEVER been treated so poorly by anyone where I was the paying customer and they were the ones providing a service. Our daughter was treated the same way with them never returning emails, phone calls and being more than happy to keep her deposit, yet providing nothing in return. Stay as FAR AWAY from these people as you can. They do not even possess the basic knowledge of how to treat others with kindness and respect. Read the reviews and realize the central theme here. It's time for them to find a new coloring book to color! It was HORRIBLE from beginning to end and we kept hoping it would improve, well, it did NOT! read more

I feel very bad about writing this, so waited a long time to do so. But from the other reviews, I guess it is time. We did get good service the first time from Akonapet, but after using them for a few more years after that, my reaction has become much the same as what the other negative reviewers have said. The outbursts in interactions with me, as well as mistakes, and some really, really close calls due to those mistakes finally gave us the impetus to 'go it ourselves.' Consistent replies to calls and emails .. .uh.... not so good. Getting back and forth with your dog or cat really isn't all that difficult unless there are very unusual circumstances, and in those cases I'm not sure the help from Akona pet would be up to it either. Contact one of the vets who will help out, and contact the state animal import people...they are helpful and kind. Since we strarted doing this ourselves, it has turned out easier that trying to work through this service, and more reliable as well. I would not be surprised, BTW, if I am identified, at getting a kind of enraged phone call and being read the riot act. This is one of the modes of behavior I've experienced, alternating with nicer interactions read more

We used Akonapet to travel to Kauai with our Golden Retriever and cat in May of 2018. If I could give 0 stars, I would. Just because this company comes up first in your google search, does not mean they are the best. They are absolutely awful to work with. I really wished I would have read all of these reviews before choosing to use Akonapet. Without exaggeration, I think my experience with them was one of the most frustrating, and terrible experiences I've ever had from a customer service point of view. I really can't recall ever being treated worse as a customer. First, once they have your contract and your money, they will literally never return a phone call or email. Ever. We had to resort to blocking our number, or calling from a different phone to get them to answer our call (shocking, when it's a number they don't recognize, they actually answer!). We had numerous questions along the way, as this was the first time that my husband and I had ever traveled with pets (we were traveling with our dog and cat). The most frustrating part was trying to get our airfare booked, and to have our animals on the same flight as us. My husband and I like to book early in order to get the best fare and seats. The project plan that Ruth uses doesn't have the step of booking airfare until quite late in the process. It would seem that there would be some consideration here for people trying to get the best rates. I called and emailed dozens of times to try to get our flights booked, but to no avail. We became more and more frustrated as the weeks clicked by, and the airfare kept going up. They could have cared less. Honestly. Finally, when it was time to book the airfare for the pets, Ruth sent us a reservation request form to complete with our desired airline and flight number, and she had said she'd book our pets by the end of that week. 4 weeks went by, without a single response from them. Our airfare had increased by nearly $1,000.00!!!! I finally got fed up and called the airline myself to book our pets, and emailed Ruth to let her know. Only then did I receive a rude, condescending, and snarky response from her. Then, we had an issue with our dogs crate size. We completed the measurements that we were asked to do, and it determined the crate size. However, it must be very exact. It turns out we were about a half inch shy of what we needed to be. We even took the crate and our dog down to the airline to ask them if it was a big enough crate. The employee said it was big enough, but her supervisor took a look and said it was just barely shy. This caused us to have to get a larger crate, and that put us over the weight limit for our airline of choice and so we had to choose a different airline to accommodate the new weight. To be fair, Ruth did tell us she thought he needed the bigger crate from the beginning, but we really checked and thought it was fine. What can I say? We made a mistake. I told her I made a mistake. I have no problem admitting it... it was our first experience having to travel with pets and to deal with crate sizes, etc. Since I'd had such a hard time dealing with Ruth up to that point, I contacted the Kauai Humane Society myself to remedy the situation. I wish I had worked with them directly from the start. They were so nice and accommodating. Well, when I emailed Ruth to let her know what happened and that I had contacted the Humane Society myself to change our flight info, she FINALLY called me back. To say she was incredibly rude would be an understatement! She had the nerve to tell me that she was just "really annoyed." Now mind you, I'd been biting my tongue for months, because I didn't want to jeopardize getting our pets to Kauai safely. It took everything I had not to blow my top at that point. Our pets made it to Kauai without incident. Everything went smoothly. However, the entire experience with Ruth was completely miserable. She is so very rude. You'd think that after all of the negative reviews, they'd take some responsibility and make some positive changes. My husband and I were shocked that a business would treat their clients like this. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT CHOOSE AKONAPET. read more

Ruth was extremely hard to communicate, failed to return phone calls and when I emailed her, she didn't get back to me. She closed my file because travel plans changed even though I communicate with her every step of the way. When the pandemic hit, I knew there would be some issues, but when I finally reached her she never send the passports for my dogs, she failed to book flights even when she claimed that no flights are booked sooner than 2 weeks. I needed flights book early 30-45 days due to arrangements for my flight and the shipping of personal items, she new all this info, yet when I explained this, she was rude. She took my money, she became elusive after I declined their kennels and she never responded to my emails and calls . Luckily, I found a different company from Florida, "Starwood" who have been very helpful I would not recommend their services She will take your money and run. I have all the email to prove it!! read more

Certainly, It takes a lot to relocate to Hawaii, and moving pets is a long process that is surely right at the top of your list of things to do...of which there are many. My first recommendation is for you to talk to your vet. They can help with this whole process just as well as anyone. My second recommendation is, whatever you do, DO NOT engage Akona Pet. The word "service" does not belong anywhere in relation to this business. When and if you DO get a response its rude, presumptive, arrogant , condescending, and short. Specifically Ruth. Do yourself a favor and call your vet. My colleague worked with his vet, and the process was straight forward, on time, and painless. All during the same moving window as mine, under all the same regulations and changes to the Hawaii system recently. Except that ours arrived 6 weeks PAST our target...and certainly based off other responses from the owner, it's not due to them... Akona Pet needs to "decode" thier absence of customer service, and take some accountability. Read all the reviews and, Look elsewhere! read more

I wish I would have seen the Yelp reviews before I started working with Akona Pet. I just Googled pet relocation and they came up first. I did get my pet safely to Hawaii using Akona Pet, but feel that I could have gotten him here a little sooner if not for some communication problems. I originally asked to have all emails be sent to me here in Hawaii, with a copy being sent to my brother in California (who had the dog and had to take him to vet appointments, get the crate, get him to the airport, etc. very important things). At first they were able to accommodate and then somehow I got dropped off the emails and they only went to my brother, who didn't notice that I wasn't copied and so thought things were being taken care of that weren't. When we finally found out it was three weeks later and when I then pointed this out to Ruth she then wouldn't take any correspondence from my brother and wouldn't even copy him on any. So my brother had to send me information, which I then had to turn around and forward to Ruth. Lots of red tape and the worse part was that she was just not friendly. Felt like the information I needed should have been sent more timely, and felt like I always had to be calling to get the information. They weren't proactive, but reactive to my calls. And I always felt like Ruth just told me the answers to my questions, but never elaborated or gave me and additional information that I needed for clarification, but just basically answered what I asked. And the tone was that the information was all on the forms, so read them and understand and don't be so dumb. I didn't have any problems with credit card charges, just those stated above and again, just would have preferred to work with someone more forth coming and more friendly. People love their pets and get anxious and nervous that they are doing everything correctly and if you have questions and need clarification, it shouldn't be "well just read the paperwork". Towards the end, I dreaded having to call her for anything. Very disappointing and it didn't need to be this way. read more

My pet Bella safely flew across the ocean to our final destination, but the service was very frustrating meanwhile. Ruth always picked up her phone through getting quotes and inquiries, but as soon as I booked and paid my deposit, she was so hard to get hold of. Meanwhile, Hawaii Quarantine Station staff is much more friendlier and helpful to do it by yourself without any pet relocation services! read more

This business made my experience of bringing my pets horrific. They are rude, poor communicators and made me worry unnecessarily. It's so easy to do it yourself. Call the Dept of Agricultural quarantine yourself. They are very helpful and won't charge you! read more

I have mixed feelings about this as I want to be fair, but in all honesty, I just can't write anything glowing. If I would have seen other reviews prior to using this service, I probably would have done something different. However, at the time I started the journey, they were the only service to call back or answer the phone right away. This was in the beginning of April, right about the time the world shut down. I need to add that Covid and the current climate for flying dogs to Hawaii did not help things. Delta and United both stopped flying animals which left me with few options from middle America. I ended up flying back this past week and driving my dogs to LA to get on a Hawaiian flight to get this done. Like many before me, Ruth answered the phone promptly and for the first several weeks, great. Prompt service, answered calls and emails. Detailed lists of things to be done by me. Detailed emails of what is to come and charges to be incurred. Very helpful. Money spent up front. Then we moved. Because we didn't have a place purchased or rented yet, we had to leave the dogs behind until we were established. I kept Akona informed the entire time. I purchased the crates from them at the very beginning because it was easier and I had them sent to the people watching the dogs. The responses, both email and voice gradually just stopped. We had made it to the islands, quarantined, rented and then purchased a house, kept Akona in the loop and really, very sparse or no response. I panicked and worried. I wrote long emails and called, called from different phone numbers, left messages, tried to work out my own flight plans and ask for advice or guidance. Sometimes getting a response and sometimes not; mostly not, but I knew that they were getting the messages based upon responses at time. Until the past month when I started inquiring if Ruth was physically OK and asking how she was personally. I started to receive short responses. I emailed back immediately and waited. Ruth, if you are reading this, I had to use the tactic because everything else failed to get your attention. Thank you for eventually helping me get the dogs here. Long and short: I knew that this process of moving a family to the islands during a pandemic was not going to be easy. House full of stuff, moving cars, people, animals, etc., we knew was not going to be easy, the reason I wanted help with this particular part. At first, Akona was great. Then they weren't. I eventually got the dogs here yesterday, with help from Akona at the last minute, but if I had to do it again, I would do it all on my own or use another service. I still never received the "passport" or all of the items for the crates. The crates were defective and I had to fix them myself and get all of the items ready myself. Bottom line: Dogs are with me now. I don't have to work with Akona anymore. I will move on and I am sure they will too. I wish that I could write a great or even good review. I'm not upset, just done. I hope this helps someone else make their own decision. read more

Very disappointed...after finally deciding to use their services, I got in touch with Ruth on Feb 27, she took my info and my cc for the deposit and said she will email me the next morning. After not hearing from her for several days, my husband called on 3/3 and left a message. You'd think if someone left you a message saying no paperwork was received they'd call right away....not. I then saw all the negative reviews on Yelp and I began thinking if I made the right choice..being one review was just made in Jan. I called this morning and emailed and so did my husband. After receiving a stinky email from my husband I get an email saying to check my spam folder. Knowing I am waiting for important paperwork don't you think that would be the first place I would check? I then ask for a refund and all of a sudden I get emails and a phone call. I ask for a refund again, which they gave cause I didn't sign anything, Ruth has the nerve to email me saying it's obvious I can't afford her services...really???? Who does that..very unprofessional. The right thing to do was apologize for the non communication and inconvenience and just refund the deposit without some degrading remark. It's not the point of me not being able to afford it, obviously I could cause I called, its the lack of response in a timely matter, especially if I did not return any signed forms in a timely manner ....maybe a follow up phone call or email would have done. Then seeing all the bad reviews on Yelp made me think twice. Ruth needs to learn customer service.....I also called my vet to see when they called and it wasn't til today that they started...after my hubby's email/phone call. Below is the last email from Ruth..... Very unprofessional and bad business practice. This acknowledges your decision to terminate service. A receipt for the refund is attached. You are clearly unable afford our Services and the consultations Jodi received on January 13 and again on February 28, therefore you have been refunded the deposit. I am pleased to close your file. Ruth This is the email received from the owner: Attn: Mr. and Mrs. Hogin,   I am the Owner of AkonaPet Pet Relocation Service, Just wanted to let you know that we have been a successful business here in Hawaii and California for over 15 years. Occasionally we, like any business are not able to please everyone. Some choose to be Unreasonable and some realize that they can not afford the move, and some for various reasons choose to back out. We complete aprox. 5-600 pet moves a year. From Celebrities to Breeders to Military to Retirees and Job relocators. Ruth does a wonderful job and has been a Pro at this for many years..., She handles the phone and the Contracts, She has a working relationship with all the Major Airlines and is a large part of our success.   We at AkonaPet will not alter our business practices, we have a Proven formula that works. We are sorry that you have chosen another direction with your pets, and wish you well.     Please note that we have honored our commitment.   Sincerely, Mitchell Wynn DEAR MR. MITCHELL WYNN: 1. I CAN AFFORD YOUR SERVICES 2. REASON FOR BACKING OUT WAS DUE TO LACK OF COMMUNICATION BY RUTH AND NUMEROUS NEGATIVE REVIEWS ON YELP. 3. YOU DID NOT HONOR YOUR COMMITMENT...I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY DOCUMENTS TIL AFTER SEVERAL PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS WERE MADE TO RUTH TODAY, AFTER I DECIDED TO CANCEL 4. TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY read more

Thank God we made the decision to hire Akonapet! Although we had most of the rabies regulations figured out some time earlier, we began to get a sense of the complexity of the other practical aspects of moving our three dogs to the Big Island of Hawaii. The size of the crates needed, the scheduling of the airlines, etc., all proved to be much more difficult than we had anticipated. If we had attempted to do it all on our own, I truly believe would have made some irreversible decisions that would have cost dearly in time and money. Ruth was exceedingly clear from the start, and when difficulties arose related to the size of our dogs, or to the type of aircraft flying to Kona at this time of year, or several other unavoidable issues, Ruth presented the options to us clearly. It turned out the dogs needed to spend part of a night in Honolulu enroute to Kona, and Akonapet made arrangements to have them fed, watered, walked and cared for before their final leg over to us. It's not easy to bring dogs to Hawaii, especially three big ones, but Akonapet made it as smooth as possible, and they surely helped us avoid disaster! read more

So I am trying to get things as ready as possible to move my dogs to Hawaii, it's hard to do in 8 weeks! Anyway.... I have called a couple places and am not only interested in pricing but with what it all involves especially having a bulldog. Well I called Akona Pet Relocation and when Ruth gave me the quote by piecemeal, I had to add it myself, and I responded that I had gotten a cheaper quote and was in the middle of asking a question, I was rudely told mid word, "Well good luck with that company!" and hung up on...... I want believe how rude. Being cheap isn't so much what I am looking for, it's the fact that I need to know what is all included and where my dogs will be on the plane!!!!! They even have their FB locked down so you can't do reviews or post to the page! read more

Though I was worried a few times with our communication....I could NOT have done my move to Hawaii with my dog without the help of Akona Pet Relocation Service!! We thank them from the bottom of our hearts and would recommend them to anyone looking to move with a pet. Mahalo!! read more

Akonapet Pet Relocation Service - Aloha!! Arrived safely in Hawaii! - Pet Transportation Near Me

I would give 0 stars if I could! This woman Ruth didn't do anything she promised on the website. The worst service ever! She didn't even get my phone number correct after I told her many times I changed it! My dogs almost flew to Hawaii with the wrong phone number on everything! Then I found out that my dogs could fly in the cabin on Alaska airline after she told me that they had to be shipped as cargo! Probably because she sells kennels! Basically all she will do is not call or email you back and then accuse you of not having money to take your dog to Hawaii when you want a refund. I paid Ruth almost $1000 for two dogs and still ended up paying $700+ to fly to Ca and pick up my dogs so that they could fly on the plane with me. Super super tacky. See you in court Ruth read more

Moving from Brooklyn to Hawaii was a huge ordeal, and my wife and I were buried in the retirement process and with the move. There were so many issues with moving a 35 year old parrot and without Akonapet, we certainly would have screwed it up. Ruth worked with us every step of the way to make sure we got it right, and we did. When we started the process, we also had a two year old Rottweiler who died quite prematurely. Ruth was in the process of guiding us through that ordeal as well. read more

Update on my previous review... if I could give Akonapet 6 stars, I would. I mean this sincerely. There was no way we could have done this without their help. We were even getting compliments from the airline agents at check in that we had everything well organized and ready for them. This truly made it smooth on us and ultimately our cats. We followed all instructions, and sure enough we arrived in Hawaii, inspection was already done by the time we picked up our luggage, no quarantine and the cats came home with us! Thank you Ruth and team, we're very grateful. read more

Buyer Beware! I had utilized Akona Pet some years ago and was very satisfied with the service. In 2018 I was bringing in a dog and decided to use their services again. BIG MISTAKE! I admit there were some hang ups with the breeder/trainer in California. I paid the bill a month in advance of the dog coming to Hawaii - another big mistake. The trainer decided to bring the dog in on an airplane instead of shipping. Because I had contracted with Akona Pet I felt responsible to pay her time and effort which by the way included her not returning emails or phone calls however I also had to pay for the vet at the airport when none was used. The vet costs $476 and she paid none of that. I disputed that amount and lost the dispute as the merchant refused compensation. What's up with that? We are considering litigation since citi card has no ability to help me. She did not fulfill the contract in my opinion and Akona Pet pocketed the $476. I have lived on the Big Island for 30 years and never have been treated so unfairly. Warning: do not use Akona Pet! Please read the reviews in Yelp. That 5 star rating next to the business' name is a fraud! Lois R read more

Please read and believe the reviews. Working with Ruth was a painful experience; she made the entire process stressful; she is dishonest, disorganized and rude; and she has zero accountability for the mistakes made on her/the company's end. My advice would be to work directly with your vet (if you have a good one -- they know how this process works) and/or use another pet service (I've heard and read good things about Island Pet Movers). And if you need support with an inter-island transfer/layover, consider flying with the pets yourself or pay to have someone you trust do it. One of our vet techs said they would have gladly flown with the dogs -- having witnessed what we went through with this company -- and that (paying for a ticket and cheap hotel for a couple nights) still would have saved us a lot of money. I'm not big on giving credit to or posting negative reviews (in fact this is the first time I've done it) but I really wish I'd done my homework before working with this company, especially for something as emotional and complex as relocating your beloved animals to Hawaii. Our purpose in hiring a company to help with this process was to reduce the stress and complexity involved in this process -- but this company, particularly Ruth, only provided the opposite while charging thousands of dollars. It was a nightmare from the start, and I strongly considered cancelling the flight altogether in the 11th hour (and losing $2,000+ dollars). AkonaPet knew we had an urgency to move the dogs and all state quarantine paperwork had been filed through them at that point -- so they had us by the proverbial balls, which meant they could treat the situation and us however they chose (and they did -- and it was a terrible feeling). At 7.5 months pregnant when the dogs finally flew, I was an emotional wreck because of this company's disorganization, dishonesty and negligence. The only positive in the entire situation is that the dogs arrived safely, but in hindsight I know that was possible without all the stress and confusion created by AkonaPet. Do your homework, take the bad reviews to heart (my experience is consistent with the other negative reviews about the company and Ruth) and find another way to move your pets. I can assure you there are better, smoother, more transparent, less stressful and complex ways to make it happen. read more

I give Akona 4 stars. I've only done a phone consultation & wasn't even a paying customer but Ruth was just a peach to me over the phone. She gave me a lot of helpful information that *another* company told me they wouldn't disclose to me until I signed a contract with them! When I asked Ruth to speak to the negative reviews on yelp & share her side, she said NOTHING negative, bad or demeaning about the reviewers. She also was not the least bit defensive in sharing with me how she did her best to be professional & courteous & have proper follow through with those previous customers. To me, that says a lot about someone's character. I have yet to interact with any of the other employees read more

I cannot say enough good things about Ruth and Carolina from AkonaPet. The process started last November when I received a schedule and paperwork for relocating our precious Niko, Rory, Molly (our 3 Collies) and Dylan (our cat) to Hawaii. The attention to detail and support through this process was amazing. No matter how many phone call I made to them with questions came the answer best made for our pets. The day finally came when all of our pets arrived here in Hawaii their new home safe and sound. I highly recommend your services to others. Mahalo, Niko, Rory, Molly, Dylan and their mum Juliana Patron read more

Ruth and Carolina really walked me through the whole process, I had so many questions and concerns about my fur baby's travel. They made me feel at ease and relaxed, and reassured me through the whole process! They filed all nessesary documents, and in a timely fashion! Thank you Akonapet for making the whole relocation for Leland and I a breeze! read more

If I could give less than one star I would. Absolutely horrible working with. I also have a co-worker that made the mistake of using Akonapet and we both share the same feelings on how terrible the services are. Rude and unprofessional instead of informative and helpful to someone new to Hawaii pet quarantine. I was told about pet relocation services from my manager at work and it sounded like something that would help, so I went home and googled "pet relocation services". Sure enough, Akonapet pops right up in front. Don't assume that because they pop up first, they are the ones to use. Just READ OTHER REVIEWS, as I found the yelp app too late. Even at quarantine, the inspector "felt my pain". Do yourself a favor and use AtHome. read more

The lady took my deposit and pretty much just disappeared. No email or call backs ?! Scams I had to do everything on my own..

I do not recommend this company for a pet relocation service. My husband and I used Akona Pet for our recent move to Hawaii. In the beginning we had no problems with the service, however, as our move date became closer we began to experience many problems. Our emails to to Akona were not answered in a timely manner or went unanswered altogether. We ended up sending some information via email 2-3 different times. Many times we were able to reach Akona by phone. The last time that I had a phone conversation with them the phone call was handled in a very rude and unprofessional manner. I was talked to like one would talk to a misbehaving child throughout the whole phone conversation. When we had our flight dates scheduled my husband called Akona with our flight information, so that our dog's flight could be booked. After not hearing from them for a few days my husband called, and discovered that they had not booked his ticket and had lost our flight information. I ended up booking his ticket myself at the last minute. We will NOT be using this company again, and would advise anyone considering them to find someone else. We paid $300 for them to handle our move, but when everything was done the only thing that they did was file the import forms. The import form that Akona Pet filed was filled out incorrectly by them, and caused problems for me when I went to pick my dog up at the quarantine station. Thankfully the quarantine station workers were super helpful and told me how the forms should be filled out. read more

Would rate no stars, if possible. My initial phone conversation, today, trying to get a couple basic questions answered, so I could figure out how to begin the process, was met with such rudeness and sarcasm, I was aghast. Every question was met with negativity. I was told absolute untruths based on my vet and research of the quarantine requirements. We relocated with our dog, several years ago, on our own, and though the process DID have a number of details involved, we accomplished it on our own. I will do the same this time, because the person I talked to with this service today, actually said things that are NOT true, and when I asked about them, was abruptly brushed aside, with her speedy dismissal. "Conversation" ended with my feeling abused and depressed, but now that I am seeing some of the reviews here, am relieved to not have to deal with this bogus "service". Beware, folks. read more

I accidentally put one star. There should be none. She took my money with promises of calling my vet and sending me a form and she did not. I wish I read the other yelp reviews first before giving her $175 deposit. She stopped returning my calls and texts. I never received a form even though I gave her my correct email twice at two different times, once during the initial call where I gave her my deposit and another time four days later when I hadn't received it yet. I have a time sensitive situation going on and I waisted nearly ten day waiting for Ruth to call me back, call my vet, or at least send me a form. Do not give this person money!!! I have a dispute on going with my bank against her $175 dollar deposit. She will also say $300 in the initial call, and then add money on when when it is another island. But she won't tell you that until after you have given her a deposit. It is worth it to do it by yourself then to work with people that have no care or concern, like Akonapets. read more

Ruth and Carolina were wonderful. They made a very stressful situation easy. I didn't have to lift e a finger during the process. Always returned calls and emails immediately. File all the crazy Hawaii paperwork, made our flight reservations and of course got out dog direct released. Not sure about those two crazy reviews since I received the best service I could ask for!!!!!!!! read more

I moved to Hawaii a year ago - Got settled into the lifestyle, found the right home, found the job, made friends, made a life. However, without my sweet boy, Hawaii just wasn't' home, completely. I researched and called around for the right company to help me, as with my schedule and the time difference to Chicago, I couldn't bare missing a deadline or detail regarding his shots for outpatient quarantine. I am blessed to have had a dear friend look after my boy Zayne and sooo thankful to have found AkonaPet to step in and take over. Ruth and Carolina were helpful, sincere and thorough from my initial inquiry to the day of his arrival. They answered all my questions (alllllll of them ;), made sure he was scheduled and on time with his appointments, managed All of the many pages of paperwork, touched base with me as needed and accepted my probably toooo many calls per week to check in. I'm a nervous momma when it comes to my boy and Ruth was so patient and kind with each call and email - She calmed me down when things beyond our control happened (Chicago Weather = Flight Delays), and assured me as each day passed, down to the hour/minute(s), watching just as eagerly as I was as his flight was on it's way home to me ... finally. The paperwork to the Animal Agriculture Department was on time, organized and not with a single missing detail or issue. Ruth and Caroline made sure that when the time came for me to pick him up, that it was smooth and seamless, which it was. Having my Zayne home with me again has made Hawaii now my Home Sweet Home and without AkonaPet, I am positive the process would have left me stressed (even more so!) and undone ... I can never thank you ladies enough ~ My boy is home where he belongs and it is truly in thanks to You!! I will absolutely recommend AkonaPet to any and everyone that has their baby traveling to Paradise. Mahalo!!!! :) read more