We received several quotes for our dog's overseas move (from Washington state USA to New Zealand) and chose PetRelocation because they seemed reasonably priced. But by the time we were done, we had paid what top-notch services (like Starwood) would have charged... but also had to deal with months of incompetence, anger, frustration, and poor communication.
It would take a novel to lay out all of the troubles we had. Here's but a few of the highlights of this journey through hell:
** They said they would arrange all of the vet appointments. They did not. Several times, we ended up having to call the vet from the other side of the planet (we had already moved, and our dog was with a caregiver back in the States).
** They demanded that we get a $774 crate instead of the one we chose that was about $200 (which was the Sky Kennel, the very same crate in PR's "how to choose a crate" brochure). When we questioned this, they said the Sky Kennel was too short for our dog (it was a half-inch difference). We ended up getting a $450 crate.
** At one point, the invoice magically went up $1,000 for no apparent reason. A closer look showed that it was the international airfare, which jumped from $2,500 to $3,500. When asked, they said it was because the original quote was allowing for a smaller crate and she has since been measured to a larger PP90 crate. Funny, the PP90 crate was listed on the original quote along with the $2,500 airfare. This was also never fully explained. When we pushed back about the crate (see above) and switched to the slightly shorter one, the airfare dropped back to $2,500 on their invoice... because we'd called them out on it.
** At one point, Maegan was supposed to call me back on the phone. She ended up emailing, saying she could not figure out how to dial a New Zealand phone number from the States. And she's an international relocation expert? Had she never heard of Google or WikiHow? Why not just get WhatsApp like everyone else on the planet?
** On the eve before pickup for our dog's first flight (there was a domestic flight and an international one), our caregiver noticed an error on the vet's paperwork. Though it was a weekday, and only 6pm on the West Coast and 8pm in Texas (where PetRelocation is located), we were unable to reach anyone by phone or email. We called and emailed THREE different PR people (Maegan, Kristina, and the "ace vet team") and didn't get an answer until the next morning AFTER our dog had been picked up. Luckily the forms worked out anyway.
** We were promised constant updates on our pet once she began her travels, but PR did not follow through. After the domestic flight, our dog was taken to a kennel until her flight the next morning. The kennel had a password-protected webcam so we could peek in on our furry friend. The next morning, a totally different dog was on the webcam, causing a brief unwelcome panic in our household. We scrambled to get an answer and could not reach any of PR's people. We finally got a hold of one of PR's outside contractors. Turns out our dog's departure was after "checkout time" at the kennel and PR didn't want to pay for overtime.
** When we got up in the morning, the flight tracker showed that our dog had arrived at the airport three hours prior. But there was no update from PR at all. We sent frantic emails, and after a whole hour, Kristina replied to say that it was our responsibility to arrange pickup at the airport via the quarantine place, and that once our dog is on the plane, it's out of their hands. Oh and please let her know that our dog has arrived safely (isn't that HER job?) We reached the quarantine people and were told, "She was picked up a while ago and the van's just arrived here." Photos of a very happy dog were sent minutes later. We almost cried with relief, thinking that our dog was abandoned at the airport and was going round and round the baggage carousel... Thank GOD PetRelocation was out of the loop, and our dog in the safe hands of competent and loving people.
Do yourself a favor and pay the extra money to hire Starwood. Trust me, once PR jacks up their prices to allow for "airline price changes" and fancy crates, you'll end up paying pretty much the same thing. They'll just hide behind the "costs may change" clause in the contract if called out on this.
Your sanity and your pet's safety are on the line here! Don't cheap out like we did!
TERRIBLE customer service. HORRIBLE communication. AWFUL experience. read more