The absolute worst online experience of my life

Shopping at physical AbsolutePets stores have thus far been a good experience.

But dear prospective online shopper - beware! Support AbsolutePets Online at your absolute peril!

I have been doing 90% of all my household goods, grocery, toiletries, and pet food shopping online for a number of years. I have supported dozens of online stores in my years of shopping online. I am an entrepreneur and own three businesses, including a retail store.

To say that my experience with AbsolutePets Online was abysmal and appallingly bad is putting it mildly. The frustration and rage that this experience has created have certainly aged me. I paid a small fortune to be strung around and ignored, and then at long last, I was rewarded for all of my troubles by having money taken from me due to items that were short-delivered.

03/05/23: My online order is placed for the amount of R4,571.21. All items purchased are marked as 'in stock'. Imagine my surprise when a delivery fee of R575 is tacked on at check-out, making my order worth more than R5,000. I scroll back to the home-page looking for a clear warning of the exorbitant delivery fee and eventually find it mentioned in one of the FAQ sub-pages. I am enraged by this, as this is the first online store that I have ever supported that actually ASKS for courier money for an order worth more than R500, never mind R5,000. Mostly every other online store in SA delivers FOR FREE for any amount over R500. Why the company's CEO would think that this is competitive behaviour is anyone's guess.

Anyways, I have spent nearly 1.5 hours putting my order together, and I am not about to spend my precious time again looking for available stock for the same items on another website.

03/05/23: I pay for the order plus delivery, and send an email to AbsolutePets to focus their attention on the unexpected, exorbitant and wholly uncompetitive delivery fee.

Between 03/05/23 and 10/05/23: No updates or communication from AbsolutePets on my order status. I phone them twice during this time to receive vague 'I am sure your order will be ready tomorrow' answers.

10/05/23: I send an email to AbsolutePets asking for feedback on my order.

12/05/23: It is now one and a half weeks after placing the order. The silence from AbsolutePets is deafening. My order status has not changed or been updated - the order is still stuck at 'processing'. My telephone calls are not being returned. None of my emails have been answered. Other pet supply retailers would've delivered my order days ago or right about now.

I go and buy emergency food for my pets at my local vet.

I reach out to AbsolutePets on Messenger and blow a gasket about their complete lack of customer service. Suddenly there is action. I receive a response to my last email stating that some items are out of stock and that all items that are available will be shipped to me now, and that the outstanding items will be sent shortly after.

The website status is updated. Some items are marked as shipped. I note that the items that are marked as outstanding do not match the items that were described to me via email as outstanding. I write it off as human error by hasty pickers and have faith that all will arrive as it should.

16/05/23: The partial order arrives. I note that the items that have arrived do not fully match the items described as 'shipped' on my online order status. I take photos. AbsolutePets state that the following items are outstanding:

- 3 x Little Big Paw Mousse Ocean (Fish) 85g - 2 x CatIt Creamy Tuna (5x15g) - 4 x KIT CAT KITTEN MOUSSE TUNA 80G

The following items are in fact outstanding and NOT INCLUDED in my order (I also diligently mark it off on a copy invoice) but assume that they have just made a mistake with their online system, and all will be correct with the outstanding follow-up delivery:

- 2 x Orijen Original Cat & Kitten Food 340g - 2 x CatIt Creamy Salmon (5x15g) - 3 x CatIt Creamy Tuna (5x15g) - 1 x Weruva Feline Mack & Jack with Mackerel & Grilled Skipjack in Aspic 156g - 1 x Weruva Feline Paw Licking Chicken in Gravy 156g - 3 x Little Big Paw Mousse Ocean (Fish) 85g

24/05/23: It is now more than a week after receiving my partial delivery. I have to make additional purchases elsewhere to feed my cats. I have had no further communication from AbsolutePets. I ask for an update via email, and I include a full summary of all items that have been short-delivered.

24/05/23: I receive an utterly irrelevant email from Nikita about their reasons for the delivery fees in response to my courier cost complaint email dated 03 May. I respond to her and air my grievances about the complete irrelevance of their explanation seeing how they are not competitive and cannot expect to expand their online base to rural markets with this type of approach.

29/05/23: Still crickets from AbsolutePets. No telephone call, no email, no order update. Where are the rest of my items!? It is now NEARLY 4 WEEKS since I placed the order! I blow up on the Messenger / whatsapp line again.

Shingie contacts me and tells me that items are still outstanding. I opt to receive a refund on the outstanding items. He promises that he will refund the outstanding items as well as a delivery fee as a show of good grace. I accept.

31/05/23: A refund shows in my account, and I note that it is R478 short of the amount I am due. I write to Shingie to ask for an explanation, and I summarize again what was short-delivered.

06/06/23: No response from AbsolutePets. I send an email to Shingie again.

Shingie replies and tells me that the team assures him that they have picked the order correctly. He asks for 12 to 24 hours to further investigate the matter. I answer him with photographic evidence of the goods taken directly after unboxing. I admit that I did not take the best photos as I did not expect it to come to this (I had a gut feeling though - that's why I took the photos!), but at a minimum, it can be clearly seen that I had only received 1 of the 3 Orijen Cats & Kitten bags, and that some of the items that they have 'supposedly sent me' are not there.

It is now 30/06/23, and I have not had a phone call, feedback, email, or any word from AbsolutePets. Items were short-delivered, I was short-refunded, I feel done in and ****** from, and this was simply the worst online experience of my life.

It is ostensibly my word against the word of the AbsolutePets pickers. As the online team has demonstrated a complete lack of competence, you can rest assured that there is likely not a grain of evidence in my favour.

Do yourself a favour - order online from PetHero or Canine&Co. Order even from PetHeaven if you really need to.

Order from AbsolutePets only if you would like to experience a complete lack of competence, the necessity to buy interim food elsewhere to keep your pets fed whilst you wait on your order, a lack of customer support, short-delivered items and a lack of transparency/accountability from the picking department, and have money taken from you as a final curtain drop.