"Foster Smith proclaims items made in USA, but after placing a rather large order I realized nothing was stated about the rawhide chews being made in the USA. Approx. 2 hours after placing the order I called and asked where the rawhide chews were made and was told China and Argentina! I was told I could send them back (at my expense) and get a credit! A credit for what, more items made in a foreign country, I think not! You would think after all the trouble in the past ( still today) with pets getting ill and dying that would be the last place to utilize! Obviously our loved ones mean nothing to them. It's just a money issue with them!

Even after contacting them and going over the issue, my reply was, we will remove you from our mailing list! Talk about cold!!!!

Never will order from them again.

Connie Leadbetter"

"I made a purchase online using a valid $5 coupon which I found online. When checking out at time of purchase, the $5 coupon was applied. However, when I received my order, they did not apply the coupon and claimed that I have already used a coupon on a previous order. I've contact the merchant to explain that I agreed at check out to pay a certain amount which included a coupon. If they were not going to honor the coupon then it should of read invalid when I entered it online. Anyways, customer service was rude and in their email they said they were sorry but there was nothing they would do. I'm filing a dispute with my credit card about this. I do a lot of online purchasing and I will never use this vendor again.
"

"I have made many purchases from Drs. Foster and Smith and have always been very satisfied. They always communicate well and ship fast. The last order that I placed was on a Friday afternoon and it was shipped the same day. I have ordered one thing that was backordered and it was marked clearly on the site and on the receipt. I also have had one item that I received that was damaged even though it was well packaged and when I called them, I immediately spoke with a human (no automated voices and numbers to push) who was very nice and helpful. They immediately shipped out a replacement item with no hassles. I received the replacement and it was great. This is a wonderful place to shop!"

"Wow, I am really shocked at some of the negative experiences people have had. It's hard to believe they are talking about the same store!

I have purchased from Drs F&S several times and have never had any issues with shipping or customer service. On the contrary, every time I have called with questions the person I spoke with knew about their products and a lot about pets too.

I have been in the tropical fish hobby for over 20yrs, including running a fish only store. I can tell the difference between someone that knows what they are talking about or just making it up as they go along. Even my most specific and "advanced" questions were answered correctly (just because I ask doesn't mean I don't already know)

I have purchased big ticket items and cheap stuff too. No issues to date. Fast shippment, fair pricing (not the cheapest by far), and great service.

***In response to the statement that they do not post negative reviews, they RARELY post reviews period. I have rated multiple products good and so so and not one of my ratings has been posted. I don't think user reviews are a priority for them at all. After what I have spent there, I would think they'd give my reviews attention. I'd rather have the quality of experience I have had over the years than be posted any day..."

"Please beware that ordering your pets prescriptions on line via DRS FOSTER AND SMITH will save you money, however it takes FOREVER to receive the drugs, your pet could die while waiting and they do not accept any responsibility. I ordered 3 different prescriptions for our animals online, and had to send in the prescriptions because they would not accept them unless faxed by the vet. Ok, I understand that. But I'm in Michigan, and they are in Wisconsin, I sent the prescriptions on Friday, October 3rd, received a call on the 9th to confirm, and they claim it took 5 days for them to receive the paperwork? I don't think it's unreasonable to assume I should have recieved them within 5 days if they ship ground service. Then I was told they would be shipped that day. NOT. Called the 10th to find out where they were, oops, they are shipping that day can expect delivery on Monday, nothing received. Spoke to supervisor and she said they were put on TRUCK Friday, but JUST LEFT TODAY AND WON'T BE DELIVERED UNTIL THE 15TH!!!! EVEN THOUGH I'M ONLY 1 STATE OVER. I'm LIVID.
Worst service I have ever seen, and they are supposed to be serving sick animals? BS!! Now I'm concerned about the quality of they medications the use.

"

"Good prices, fast shipping, poor packaging. One item in my order arrived broken due to poor packing. Customer service was great, they sent me another one no questions asked. The major problem I had is that I tried to submit a review for an item I bought from them. The item was poor quality, I ended up returning it. I felt that others should be aware of the items flimsy construction. Of course they refused to post my review for the item. So do not believe the reviews on the item page, they do not post negative reviews. Also they are very slow to refund on returned items. I retuned an item they recieved it on 6/26/08 it is now 7/12/08 and they still haven't refunded me.
I think I will stick with petsmart or petco."

"I ordered a 50 gallon aquarium heater and a 4 pack of Biobags (charcoal filters) form Drs Foster and Smith. I ordered on May 30, 2008 and received my items June 6th, 2008. The whole order, shipping and tax included, was $26.97, which is very reasonable in my book.

They shipped when they said they would and packaged the items well. They also included a very cool catalog in the box.

I was very satisfied with my purchase from this company."

"I purchase most everything online. Drs. Foster & Smith is probably one of the best online companies I have ever done business with. I order from them once or twice a month and have done so for the last several years.

I order on Sunday evening and they ALWAYS ship the following Monday. I ALWAYS get my order before the end of the week (Ground).

Their customer service is perfect as they always are quick and responsive whether by email or phone.

When something does not work or I decide I simply don't need it, they take it back with no questions asked.

On their Aquaria.com side, if a fish dies, they refund my money, no questions asked.

Bottom line.... A+ for Customer Service, A+ for Speed of Shipment, A+ for their return policy.

I have found items for less money. It's just not worth messing with the other companies unless Drs. Foster and Smith don't stock what I want."

"Be very careful if you order from Foster + Smith. They do not tell you on their shipping policies page how they really ship your order. They say they use Fedex or UPS ground. In fact, they use a service called Smartpost, which is slower than either the post office or Fedex ground. Their customer service is very bad: they appear to believe that they do not need customers. They would not provide an email or mailing address for their corporate offices when I asked for it in order to register my dissatisfaction. Their local Better Business Bureau has several unresolved complaints against the company by customers who were unhappy with the shipping policies. I will not be ordering from this company again due to their failure to be honest about how they actually ship orders by ground and because of their extremely bad customer service. "

"AWESOME STORE!!! Bought 2 flare nozzles for ball joint tubing and Coralife RO unit. Shipped same day, arrived 3 days later. Flare nozzles came too big from MANUFACTURER, were politely credited back to account, the RO unit had flow restrictor missing from MANUFACTURER, shipped flow restrictor 2 day air for free. 24/7 customer service, very polite experience will always buy from them."

"I am in the process of setting up a saltwater aquarium, so I have placed 3 orders with Foster and Smith in the last 3 weeks. I have had an excellent experience with them. Orders have arrived quickly, very well packed and I have even received coupons for use with future purchases.

On my last purchase, I ordered a test kit that was listed as backordered on their site. I decided that I didn't want to wait, so I called to order a diffent test kit that was in stock. After one ring, a person answers the phone--no voice prompt system. The experience only got better from there. I talked to a very friendly woman who handled my request quickly and politely.

As someone who buys a lot of stuff online, Drs. Foster and Smith are the best site I have done business with."

"Reasonable prices, fast shipping, great selection and friendly service.

An incorrect item was shipped in my last order. A call to the 800 number had it resolved quickly and painlessly; the correct item was in my hands a few days later."

"drsfostersmith.com was almost a model web site and vendor.* (See additional comment at end) The site itself is well-designed, and combines a wealth of information and a very robust line of pet-related products.

Prices are very competitive, and in my case, among the lowest I was able to find any where.

Shipping charges were reasonable, and shipping was relatively fast. I was not thrilled with the packaging, however. I ordered a dozen different items and they were apparently all just thrown into a large box by their warehouse picker. A little more care should be exercised.

Their communication was excellent, with order confirmation and subsequent shipping confirmation (with tracking info) promptly sent via email.

I've not had occassion to use their customer service so I can't comment on it.

In comparison to some of their competitors such as PetSmart, PetCo and Petland Discounts, I'd have to say that drsforstersmith.com is generally better.

Addendum to original review:
On my second order, I was very disappointed to find that an item which was listed as in stock was actually on backorder. I received no email regarding this, and only found out about the delay after a week when I checked on the status of my order. ALL backorders should be communicated as soon as possible, and an option to cancel the order should be provided in such cases."

"While not the cheapest, these guys deliver fast and have great customer service. All of my orders from them have gonce very smoothly. This last one was ordered on Sunday and delivered on Wednesday. Once, I had took advantage of thier 60 day return policy. I no longer had the box. It didn't matter, they were fine with it. Then I forgot to put the RMA slip in the box! They said all they really needed was the tracking number. When they recieved the package, they promptly refunded my money. This is a great company buy pet supplies from. "

"This is one of my favorite places to buy pet supplies. Moderate to low prices. Excellent website with useful tips. Fast shipping & tracking. Thumbs up for Drs. Foster & Smith !"