Pet Amber Alert They take your money, do not do as they claim Maspeth, New York

On 8/10/10, I reported my cat missing to Pet Amber Alert. I paid around $80 to have them send notices within a 100 mile radius from my home to various businesses such as vets, pet stores, animal shelters, and similar places, and also, to place automated phone calls to my neighbors alerting them of my missing cat.  That same day, they sent me a confirmation e-mail and stated my report would be reviewed immediately and would start processing shortly.  Further, they said I will receive a confirmation e-mail and poster within 12-36 hours, which I did.

On 8/12/10,  I received another confirmation that my poster and info had indeed been processed within 100 miles of my home.  They further recommended that I make at least 20 copies of the poster and hand them out around my neighborhood.  This alarmed me, since I had paid them to make all these contacts.  

I then went to my vet at Mission Animal Care Center and asked if they had received the faxed poster.  They had not, and said they never receive them by fax.  None of my neighbors had received phone calls, and the poster was not at any local pet stores.

In the meantime, I found my cat on my own, and called them to notify them on 8/12/10.  Two days later, I received an e-mail from them, asking me if I'd found my cat yet, and to remember to report it if I do.  Now I'm wondering if they ever check their voice mail.  Over the next several days, I placed calls and left voice messages aking them for the list of businesses they faxed the report to so I could confirm if they were telling me the truth.  Finally, I spoke with a person, who said the list would be sent immediately.  I never received it.  They never responded to my phone calls or e-mails after that.

I was left with no other choice but to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.  The complaint is #8279728.  They never responded to the complaint, and the BBB was forced to close it on or around 10/26/10.

I have read the previous 4 complaints on this site and see they have all had almost exactly the same problem.  To the first person who ammended their complaint because the company sent a list afterall,  I'd be curious to know if they actually followed up and called those contacts to confirm.

I'd also like to point out that they state "Our Pet Detectives will design a poster that attracts attention and produces real results."  They did no such thing.  They printed exactly what I wrote, which was not polished, since I thought they would be doing that.  The picture was gorgeous, but the credit goes to my kitty for that.

One good thing I have to say in their favor, the free info they have in the missing pet guide is what prompted me to look for her by asking neighbors, and following those leads.  I found her almost immediately, trapped in the local schoolyard. 

To the owner of this company, I would like to say, if this isn't a scam, then you should be firing some of your employees for not doing their job!