Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Date of Transaction: November 2021 Amount of money: $1350 What the Business Committed to Provide You: Their website reads: “In the event that your collar is unable to be repaired or needs to be replaced outside of standard warranty coverage, loyal customers may purchase a replacement at a heavily discounted rate.” What is the nature of the dispute: Generation 1 collar broke and they will not stand by any of their claims to repair or offer “heavily discounted rate”. They claim they “clearly communicated” the end of life of the collar, which is clearly false (see attached emails). They sent 1 email on Jan 31, 2023 stating the App would be removed from the app store and stop working. They never once emailed about when the Generation 1 collar would be End of Life. Whether or not the business has tried to resolve the problem: They emailed me and called me but they claim Gen 1 product is End of Life and they emailed letting customer know, even though they never did. Company told me the broken collar is not fixable and I am out $1350 after just 3 years of use! Not a company that stands by their product. Their website reads: “In the event that your collar is unable to be repaired or needs to be replaced outside of standard warranty coverage, loyal customers may purchase a replacement at a heavily discounted rate.” Yet when asked about this statement they told me they could not offer any discount for a replacement. I bought my SpotOn collar in November 2021 directly from SpotOn. The Generation 1 collar was $1350! In November of 2024 my Generation 1 collar is now broken. When contacting SpotOn support they were quick to throw in my face that Gen 1 is dead and they would not be able to help at all! No upgrade path to Gen 2, no way to fix Gen 1. Yet when going back through my emails there was no clear communication around when the Gen 1 collar would be “End of Life”. Don’t waste your money on this collar the company won’t even stand by.

  Business response

  11/27/2024

  I spoke directly with Mr, ******* on Monday, 11/24 to discuss his experience with our Support Team and his disappointment with our Generation 1 product no longer being supported. We discussed opportunities for improving our future communications to be more clear. We did replace his collar 5 months after his initial purchase in 2021.  Unfortunately with the govt shutting down 3g networks, our generation one collar cannot be updated and we no longer provide services for repair as the technology is obsolete. He was given multiple opportunities to upgrade the collar in 2022 and 2023, which he declined. I agreed that greater empathy could have been provided. I offered him the opportunity to purchase our gen 2 collar at a significant discount along with a free one-year subscription for our tracking features. He declined the offer and stated he wanted to try and fix the collar himself.

  Customer response

  12/04/2024

  
  Complaint: 22601797
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: 

  I filed this Better Business Bureau complaint only AFTER talking to the person who replied to this email. Nothing in this email is new info to my complaint and thus does not solve anything.

  Here is the statement on their website I hoped they would stand by: “In the event that your collar is unable to be repaired or needs to be replaced outside of standard warranty coverage, loyal customers may purchase a replacement at a heavily discounted rate.”

  I rejected their offer of 15% off ($999 discounted to $849) for two reasons.

  1.  Based on the claim above I don’t feel 15% is a heavily discounted rate. In fact, this 15% off was simply their Black Friday sale that they offered to every new or existing customer. Also, no one offered me any discount until I asked what their Black Friday deal was.  The policy to "heavily discount" seems most likely a "last resort" if they even stand by that policy at all.  I would have expected the "heavily discount" to be one of the first things they offered me when finding out my unit was "unable to be repaired".  The fact is they did not offer me anything different because my unit was unrepairable. Because of this, I do not believe they are standing by their claim above.  

  2.  I no longer Trust the SpotOn brand.  Say I do accept their Black Friday pricing and upgrade, who is to say they wont release a Gen 3 next year, making my Gen 2 obsolete and forcing me to re-buy the the product for a third time.  

  I would also like to refute this claim: "He was given multiple opportunities to upgrade the collar in 2022 and 2023, which he declined."

  I sent all four emails I received from SpotOn about the upgrade to Gen 2 collar.  It was a Dec 1-Dec 30 2022 marketing campaign and finally a single email on Jan 31, 2023 that offered the upgrade and mentioned the App being discontinued in March 2023.  However the email also stated "What exactly is changing?  The collar itself will continue to contain your dog. The app no longer receives notifications or tracking information for the collar."

  That is ALL they said was changing.  Literally not a word about the Gen 1 collar being "End of Life", "Discontinued" or "Unrepairable".  This was the final communication I received about my Gen 1 collar.  

  I do not believe I was given a proper chance to upgrade given the poor level of communication.  I first purchased my unit in November 2021.  By March 2023, only 16 months later, my $1350 was obsolete and they did not take enough effort to communicate that to their users.  

  Sincerely,
  
  *** *******

   

  Business response

  12/11/2024

  We are sorry to hear that Mr. ******* is not satisfied with our resolution attempts. Several outreaches including marketing and customer service emails have explained why the generation1 collar is no longer supported.
  
  We are not able to provide a refund as this collar was purchased 2 years ago. As the collar is out of the warranty period, and no longer supported, we can provide a price match to the generation 2 out of warranty policy. This allows for a customer to make a one-time purchase of a certified pre-owned collar for $299 or a new collar for $499.  This would be for our omni-sim generation 2 collar, which is the most up-to-date, advanced, technical collar that we have on the market.  
  
  If Mr. ******* would like to proceed with this offer, he may contact customer support at 603-488-1504 and speak directly with Kevin, Will, or Colleen and we will take his payment information over the phone and get the collar out to him as quickly as possible. We can also arrange for a Technical Support call for him to provide set up assistance.   
  
  
  Should Mr. ******* decide to proceed forward, we would ask that the complete this order by 12/31/24.  We respect if Mr. ******* decides to not take any further action, especially is he has lost confidence in our company and product. 

  Customer response

  12/13/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22601797, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  I have called and placed the order for the upgrade to Gen 2.  I appreciate SpotOn standing by their Gen 1 customers and the policies they state on their website.  

  Sincerely,
  
  *** *******

• Initial Complaint

  10/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We paid $1100 for the collar and a 2 year tracking plan. After 6 months ownership, on 10/6/2024 our collar was broken at the base where the correction pins s**** in. The company replaced the collar with a refurbished collar at no cost. Within 48 hours, the 2nd collar broke at the identical spot. This collar has an obvious deffect. The base is made of a weak piece of plastic, therefore when our large pet is playing with our other pet, he rolls on the ground against the pins and cause the base to crack. We have informed SpotOn Fence with no resolve the 2nd time. We were offered a discount for a new one but this does not correct the deffect. Not sure what the discount is but unaffordable. The first collar was totally unoperatable and would not recharge. The second collar has been superglued in place at this time and does recharge now. There is a risk to my pet, not knowing if correction is inappropriate and if tracking is accurate. This deffect could possibly put my pet at risk so we have to use it with supervision. Not why we purchased the collar. We highly recommend SpotOn Fence modify the base to secure the safety of future pets and provide us with a modified collar. I would also recommend recalling the collar for owners of pets in the range of 100 lbs. The size, weight and activity of the pet is a determining factor of the collar weakness.

  Customer response

  10/16/2024

  Spot On Fence has recently reached out to us regarding our discrepancies with the collars. We have come to an agreement and we have excepted their offer. We would like to reserve the details to protect the interest of the company.  At this time we consider this resolved and are pleased with Spot On Fence response. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased 3 collars and 3 gps subscriptions from SpotOn on 08/04/2023 and received them on 08/17/2023. I spent $3,924.90 on this product. After only a month of using the product, I began to have issues with charging beginning at the beginning of September, 2023. I messaged the company and they sent new chargers. The inconsistent charging made training difficult, especially through the winter (we didn't bother using them since we couldn't rely on the charging which makes training difficult). As spring came, we began using the collars again, rotating them through the one charger that worked, and trained our dogs. Our Great Dane began pushing the boundary and needed static correction. In April of 2024, after our dogs were fully trained as advised by SpotOn, I attempted to use the static correction on the Great Dane's collar. I noticed that, not only did the static not work on her collar, it didn't work on any of the collars. I contacted customer service and was given the run-around of suggestions for troubleshooting that were available on the website and pamphlet provided with the product. No solutions solved the issue. They offer to check the collars or provide new ones. To top it off, they wouldn't reliably charge. Sitting on the chargers all day, I got messages from the app saying the collars were powering down due to insufficient battery. I became frustrated with the customer service and on-going charging issues. I discontinued use of the product since it did not work and no solutions worked. A week ago, I again tried to ask for help with the collars hoping the company figured out a solution to this issue. When I brought up the same issue to customer service, I was again given the run-around of suggestions that don't fix the issue. This time, they said they would look at the collars but for a FEE because I am outside of the 1-year window. I'm confused how you can charge a fee for solving an issue that never worked after spending $3,924.90.

  Business response

  10/10/2024

  We are in the process of working with this customer with an amicable resolution. We have offered that all collars come in for inspection and courtesy repair, despite technically being outside the warranty window. Customer has taken us up on this offer and we have begun the *** process. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Details provided in attached document.
  

  Business response

  10/02/2024

  Please see attached PDF.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought the spot on fence satellite collar in april of 2023 and paid 1200 dollar for it before tax and shipping. It is now February 2024 and have been paying a 10 dollar subscription fee every month. They actually double charged me for the first three months but did back pay me. This collar simply isnt reliable to keep your pet safe. Time and time again my dog has left the boundary and thankfully hasnt been hurt. I expect a **** of a lot better quality collar and service for that price. Through all the troubleshooting no progress has been made to make this garbage collar operate correctly. Now after a year of issues after issues im outside of the warranty timeline and they will not refund my money for the product they charged me so much money for, that simply is unreliable and will eventually get my beloved dog killed or at least hurt.

  Business response

  02/20/2024

   

  Mr. ****** purchased his SpotOn collar in April of 2023. The collar comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty. Mr ****** reached out to our support team a few times for assistance with connecting the device and troubleshooting. In January 2024, we issued him a postage paid shipping label to return the unit to us under warranty for inspection and potential repair. He has not returned the collar to us.
  
  Purchase amount was $1340.90 before taxes. This included 2 optional monthly subscriptions that were subsequently refunded. The net purchase was $1,243.53.
  
  We would be glad to work with Mr ****** and repair the collar if he returns it to us. Our return period as clearly listed on our web site is for 90-days. Mr ****** is many months outside of the return period, but still within the warranty period.

   

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased two (2) collars from Spot On. The system simply DOES NOT WORK. I check, double check, and triple check the system. And yet, it doesn’t work. Ever. 1. Its as though I work for the company with amount of time and effort I have put in and am still expected to do. 2. This is a premium product and does not work. I simply expect it to work. It cannot find a the satellite, or before it was the “forest mode” was on, now its reboot this and that. I don’t work for Spot On. 3. Despite my efforts to be reimbursed by the company, they refuse. Now, after almost another year and 20+ more running away events, here I am with a system that does not work. 4. This collar is now causing personal harm. My children and I worry anytime we leave that the dogs will run away. This morning, after triple checking them, my dog was returned home by a stranger. This is the 3rd time in the last 7 days. 5. The entire neighborhood is upset as I “cannot seem to keep my dogs in” and they have now threatened to call the police. I expect my money back. Simple as that.

  Business response

  11/20/2023

  We have reveiwed ** ******* concerns and have communicated a resolution with him to refund one of the collar's he purchased. He was well outside the 90-day return window as well as the1 year-warranty period. We tried troubleshooting various times with him and in the end our system is not a good fit for  him and his family.

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20857478, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased 5 collars for 5 new puppies we took in, all under 5mo old. I have to agree that they hide their complaints and after further research must agree that their customer service after taking your money is pretty horrendous. Of the 5 collars, one was refurbished/sold to someone else prior to me, as can be proven by the subscription that was attached to it. At first they tried telling me it was new, then later said it went to another customer before me. 2nd one was defective from the beginning, a "fatal error" and would need to be replaced with a refurbished one. After using the collars for around a month, woke up to find none of them working. 5 dogs, 40 acre farm, in the process of teaching boundaries and the collars stopped working. Called the company and they told me there was something wrong with their server and it could take up to a month to fix. That was also the weekend that one of them decided to venture off the farm, with the other 4 in tow. No ability to track them, gone. Ended of finding them, but after that how can I trust this product? I was about ready to return them because of quality issues, but then to find they couldn't even keep their back end systems running, which the collars are entirely dependent on to work? I'm sorry, but for something that costs more than the latest iPhone I had to find something else. All the collars look exactly the same, so I marked the first initial of their names on the inside of the collar. For this, they charged me $150/collar for a total of $750. I even addressed this with their customer support staff in which they have a recorded ticket. The guy said it wouldn't be a problem and a dry erase marker takes it right off. I have to assume they put a new piece of rubber on my collars and sent them off to another unsuspecting customer the way they did me. If they kept up their end of the bargain, sent me NEW collars, and spent the money to keep up their infrastructure I would have kept them I expect a full refund.

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  I spoke with the customer on 8/2/23 and provided a full refund of $750 and apologized for the service experience.
  There was writing on the dog collars which is normally not covered under warranty. He had been advised to clean them inaccurately by us and we have owned this issue. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased this collar in March 2023. I did not set the collar up until moving in May 2023. The collar worked with minimal issues until the end of June/early July 2023. I have had issues with the boundaries not working. I was initially told to delete a home zone due to heavy tree coverage possibly causing the collar to incorrectly believe my dog was inside. This did not resolve the problem. Upon contacting costumer service the second time I was told that the poor collar performance was likely due to poor cell coverage and that I could exchange the collar for a Verizon collar. Unfortunately, I wrote our address on the collar with permanent marker and was told they would not be able to exchange the collar. Within this email I was told that the collar would still work as advertised but the tracking may not perform well due to poor cell service. However, the collar does not provide static feedback or any feedback when my dog crosses the boundaries at times. I sent a 3rd email/message to costumer service stating the continued issues and have received no further contact. The collar is approximately 4 months old and does not work as advertised at the cost of $1200.

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  Thank you for reaching out about this issue. We apologize for any confusion caused during the previous customer interactions. We will assign your case to one of our senior agents, who will be reaching out to verify the issue and, as needed, process a warranty claim for the collar per our regular processes. We apologize for any frustration met throughout this process.

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  5/7/2023 I purchased the spot on collar. Paid $1,390 I followed the training program with my dog, and everything was going great. The product is a wireless dog fence which sends tones to the collar when the dog crosses. For the initial phase of training you keep your phone with you, and your phone mimics the sounds of the collar because the collar makes a very low noise not as loud of as the phone and you have to be able to hear it for the training. After about 5 weeks he was ready to be done with training and no longer use the phone app, well it turns out that he does not hear the beep on the collar. He did great when we are with him and the loud beep comes out of the phone, but once he is off the phone and on his own he does not react the same. On 6/15/23 I reached out to the company to let them know I wanted to take advantage of the 90 day money back guarantee since my dog can not hear the collar. They told me that the dog does in fact hear it because their ears are sensitive. 6/17/23 they responded They did not even take the time to ask me any questions about my problem just proceeded to say that my problem can’t be real. 6/24/23 I emailed again letting them know I was not satisfied with their answer. 6/26/23 They emailed me and asked me to check the fence boundary and provided instructions to which I replied and let them know the fence boundary was working great. No reply. 7/3/23 I emailed once again letting them know the fence boundary was working fine. Still no reply.

  Business response

  07/11/2023

  We appreciate the customer reaching out to us. He is still well within his return period for the collar. To file for it, please follow this link to our returns page to file for a return. ****************

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I ordered a collar on 4/3/2023. Collar was shipped to be on 4/10, delivered 4/11. I did not open & activate the product until 4/12. Upon doing so, I discovered that the size large I ordered did not fit well (size medium & large collars have overlapping sizing). I requested an exchange to a size medium on 4/13. On 4/21, exchange to a medium was mailed. The exchange was delivered to my house on 4/25. It is important to mention that my dog was neutered on 4/18, so I had to leash walk him and keep him sedated for the duration of his recovery until 4/28. Therefore, I could not begin using the medium until 4/29. Upon removing the collar from the box, I noticed the box was damaged, but I did not overly inspect the product. On 5/16 my collar began not connecting to the GPS mapping. Upon inspection, I noticed the area attached to the contact points was cracked—I believe this was a manufacturer defect in the plastic resulting in the crack as there is no other way the damage could have occurred. My dog is quite lazy. SpotOn allowed me to submit a warranty claim on 5/17. The warranty claim was approved on 5/24 and the replacement collar was sent back to me (without a choice). I received the collar on 5/26, but did not activate it until 5/27. Upon trying to activate, the collar has not worked properly & I have been in constant contact with SpotOn. It would not charge and has had nonstop GPS tracking issues. I emailed on 5/27 and stated I wanted a refund. On 5/31, SpotOn told me via email I could get a refund and sent me the link to process. I followed the instructions, received an approved refund request and mailing label. Then, was emailed hours later retracting their directions and stating I was now not able to get a refund because of the prior warranty claim (again cracked item was manufacturer issue &defective) which was the first time I was ever told such. They’re refusing to honor their own instructions. I’m paying for a product that doesn’t even work because of them.

  Business response

  06/08/2023

  Thank you for contacting us. We would like to extend our apologies to the customer and will accept the product back for a full refund. Based on our information, it appears she has created a return label to have the product come back to us prior to the cancellation done by our team members. Please use that same return label and RMA number, and once it is in our facility I will begin our processes for a refund. Please note: it can take up to 10 days from the date of receipt of our product to process the refund. 

  Customer response

  06/08/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩