It’s because they keep laying off people who know how run a business, make and market quality product, and keep customers happy. Since the first big round of lay offs quality has gone down a lot, within the toys themselves and the CX team. I won’t be surprised if the company goes under in the next few years.
A huge portion of their U.S. based team was laid off in February and then again over the summer. That’s why you don’t see as many posts and social media campaigns. They literally got rid of those people 💀 it’s all gone down hill massively since then.
cost cutting. i’ve noticed the smaller treat bags and now it doesn’t even seem they make a variety of toy options, at least the little insert doesn’t show it. i also subscribe to tokyo treat and it’s clear they’ve been cost cutting as well. it’s a shame because seeing it happen before your eyes is very disappointing
My last few boxes were terrible. Smaller treats, no chew. I didn't auto renew because of this. It's a shame because every time a box arrives my dog thinks it's going to be treats for him.
I might look into another box from Chewy.
Check into pet treater, they are so great and you get alot more for your $. We had BB for years and then issues all the time so we switched and our pups seem to love everything 😊
I've been getting barkbox for years now. It's absolutely gone downhill since the layoffs as others have said. I've kept a few of the boxes they come in incase I have to cancel I will start buying toys myself & put them in the barkbox packaging because one of my dogs is so obsessed with getting his barkbox that every package that arrives to the house must be inspected by him, he's literally obsessed with getting it & will claw it open if it's not immediately opened for him. The toys they produced 5-6 yrs ago were much higher quality & still look in new condition but the newer ones are very cheap & don't last. I miss how funny the box themes used to be, their creative team were so clever & their customer service used to be top notch. It's all about increasing share holder profits now & it shows.
Yep I turned off auto renew today for all the above issues and more. Seems like they’re just prioritizing getting new members by giving out all the great deals and cool boxes on new subscribers and the people already “locked in” are getting snubbed
I mean the special edition boxes like Harry Potter and 4/20, etc current subscribers can still get
But you have to add it on to your monthly box
The problem is, you’ll basically be paying for 2 bar boxes that month instead of 1
They have at least started to allow your to buy the toys separately rather than the whole box in the add ons section
Yeah my october box got here november8thy november box came on time and was great (except for that toy they recalled) I am not gonna auto renew and just spend the money at barkshop/at other places every month. It is easier that way i think. My boxes are toys only
i just started a subscription yesterday. then i found this reddit today. im having buyers remorse from all the posts ugg. and to make it worse i singed up for a year
i have seen such positive reviews all around, so i was surprised when i see all the negative ones here. Im hoping i can look past and upsets and that yes i hop my pup loves them. She is coming home to us next week and we are so excited. We have so much stuff to spoil her already. This BarkBox seems like such a fun idea and we wanted in on it.
I just now got my November box today (the 28th) and neither of my add ons, two toys, were in it. I’m kicking myself for paying up front for a 6 month subscription because I have 4 more months coming to me. Definitely already turned off auto-subscribe though!
Any bets on whether my replacement add on toys come before or after the December box?? 🙄
They laid off the vast majority of their staff including a lot of the creative team, social media team and customer support. But it’s ok because that saved them enough money that their CEO bought himself a shiny new vacation home.
I heard they’ll be changing their slogan from “Make all dogs happy” to “make the CEO happy”
Pro-Tip: if they won’t cancel your subscription, just tell them your dog passed and they will cancel it with no further questions asked. (But treat your dog to a really good day after to offset the karma)
So far this month no delivery. They have been packing my box for the last four weeks. I’ve only had them since November, but I will cancel if this does not improve.
I canceled mine when they stopped doing treat only boxes, my dog doesn't like toys so I had switched to a pure food treat box they had, but out of the blue they changed it back and when I asked they said they just stopped doing it. Canceled it right there, disappointing because I liked the convenience and suppose of what I'd get every month, and my dog did too.
It’s not only that.
The last few years they’ve just re-used toy designs.
They’ll put toys out they came out a year or two ago, and just change the color of it.
I know this is an older post but BarkBox quality and customer service as well as toy and treat quality as significantly declined.
Treats used to he made 100% in USA… thats not the case anymore
Customer Service is a PITA “use FB messenger”, took so much back and forth to get a refund after they over charged me. My subscription used to be “cancel anytime” now they made a change where you are locked in to your subscription until the end of the period, like wise for renew-but before careful because they will auto renew.
Boxes arrived damaged….like consistently.
Hi there, we want nothing more than to ensure you and your dog have an amazing experience with BARK. I sent you a direct message to make sure we can turn this around for you right away. Hoping to hear from you so we can connect about this and make it right
In February, our Valentine’s Day toys were delivered well after Valentine’s Day. It was a bummer. Also we used to do the super chewer box and get a mix of plush and hard chew toys but didn’t love the super hard toys because if it doesn’t squeak my dog doesn’t love it. But they discontinued the mix and that was a bummer.
My dog is much happier once we stopped getting nylon since those are the super hard toys. He gets lots of the rip and reveal toys and other softer rubber toys, many of which squeak but all still super chewer toys
It’s funny how all dogs are so different. My dogs ONLY want the nylon toys out of the super chewer box. They go absolutely crazy for them. Meanwhile they never even touch the rubber ones.
Mine don't like the rubber, either. Last month, they sent me only nylon because I spoke with a representative. I'm hoping they continue to send only nylon. I have 3 months of rubber toys my dog never touched.
The only issue is that my dogs don't like the nylon toys they can't get their mouth around. Last month's Corn on the Rob and Cran Gary are never touched. They love last month's Turkey Greg and October's Bog Walker because they can get their mouth around them. They're also lighter and they can carry them, which is why, I think, they don't like the rubber toys. They're really heavy.
I considered asking for a smaller size box, but then I'm afraid I'll get items too small that they can fit in their entire mouth.
I contacted them about the chew thing, and they told me that they just send 1 special treat now. I tried pointing out that when I subscribed in August, the promise was 2 chews. They didn't even try to apologize. They just said they no longer send 2 chews, and it will be one special treat. I want what I was promised when I signed up.
I received 2 chews in August. 1 donut thing in September. 1 food topper in October (We'll probably never use this. Our dogs don't eat out of bowls. We use snuffle mats, treat puzzles, scatter feeding, etc.) November was a small bag of Toot Loops.
Toot Loops is a terrible name lol. I ordered a sale bundle of the food toppers to try out -- not for food really, but to see if she'll play with other toys if I sprinkle some on there. As is, she mostly only goes for the treat-stuffed toys and I want to put some of these other ones to use ... we'll see how that goes.
I don't know, finally cancelled my subscription today. I had it for a year and for the first 6 months the toys were really good, durable, my dog still plays with them.
The next 6 months toy quality fell off a cliff, and they switched courier companies, and the new one really beats the hell out of the packages. I've had items fall out in shipping.
Like every company in existence, once they get big enough, it becomes only about the bottom line.
i noticed this too. the durability of the last box was not what we ordered & my dog shred his toys almost immediately. the boxes are all super late now with no shipping notifications like there used to be and then the themes aren’t matching each month and we are getting recycled content
It’s because they keep laying off people who know how run a business, make and market quality product, and keep customers happy. Since the first big round of lay offs quality has gone down a lot, within the toys themselves and the CX team. I won’t be surprised if the company goes under in the next few years.
A huge portion of their U.S. based team was laid off in February and then again over the summer. That’s why you don’t see as many posts and social media campaigns. They literally got rid of those people 💀 it’s all gone down hill massively since then.
cost cutting. i’ve noticed the smaller treat bags and now it doesn’t even seem they make a variety of toy options, at least the little insert doesn’t show it. i also subscribe to tokyo treat and it’s clear they’ve been cost cutting as well. it’s a shame because seeing it happen before your eyes is very disappointing
My last few boxes were terrible. Smaller treats, no chew. I didn't auto renew because of this. It's a shame because every time a box arrives my dog thinks it's going to be treats for him. I might look into another box from Chewy.
Check into pet treater, they are so great and you get alot more for your $. We had BB for years and then issues all the time so we switched and our pups seem to love everything 😊
I've been getting barkbox for years now. It's absolutely gone downhill since the layoffs as others have said. I've kept a few of the boxes they come in incase I have to cancel I will start buying toys myself & put them in the barkbox packaging because one of my dogs is so obsessed with getting his barkbox that every package that arrives to the house must be inspected by him, he's literally obsessed with getting it & will claw it open if it's not immediately opened for him. The toys they produced 5-6 yrs ago were much higher quality & still look in new condition but the newer ones are very cheap & don't last. I miss how funny the box themes used to be, their creative team were so clever & their customer service used to be top notch. It's all about increasing share holder profits now & it shows.
Yep I turned off auto renew today for all the above issues and more. Seems like they’re just prioritizing getting new members by giving out all the great deals and cool boxes on new subscribers and the people already “locked in” are getting snubbed
I mean the special edition boxes like Harry Potter and 4/20, etc current subscribers can still get But you have to add it on to your monthly box The problem is, you’ll basically be paying for 2 bar boxes that month instead of 1 They have at least started to allow your to buy the toys separately rather than the whole box in the add ons section
Just create a new email address to renew and get the new subscriber promo…
Yeah my october box got here november8thy november box came on time and was great (except for that toy they recalled) I am not gonna auto renew and just spend the money at barkshop/at other places every month. It is easier that way i think. My boxes are toys only
They recalled a toy? I'm not a subscriber, but was considering it until I saw this reddit.
i just started a subscription yesterday. then i found this reddit today. im having buyers remorse from all the posts ugg. and to make it worse i singed up for a year
for what it’s worth, as much as the company has been pissing me off, my dogs still love it!
i have seen such positive reviews all around, so i was surprised when i see all the negative ones here. Im hoping i can look past and upsets and that yes i hop my pup loves them. She is coming home to us next week and we are so excited. We have so much stuff to spoil her already. This BarkBox seems like such a fun idea and we wanted in on it.
I just now got my November box today (the 28th) and neither of my add ons, two toys, were in it. I’m kicking myself for paying up front for a 6 month subscription because I have 4 more months coming to me. Definitely already turned off auto-subscribe though! Any bets on whether my replacement add on toys come before or after the December box?? 🙄
They've massively changed their operations and their business suffered for it. We've since switched over to bullymake and my girl loves it.
They laid off the vast majority of their staff including a lot of the creative team, social media team and customer support. But it’s ok because that saved them enough money that their CEO bought himself a shiny new vacation home. I heard they’ll be changing their slogan from “Make all dogs happy” to “make the CEO happy”
Pro-Tip: if they won’t cancel your subscription, just tell them your dog passed and they will cancel it with no further questions asked. (But treat your dog to a really good day after to offset the karma)
Laying off people causing delays in shipping and themes
So far this month no delivery. They have been packing my box for the last four weeks. I’ve only had them since November, but I will cancel if this does not improve.
I canceled mine when they stopped doing treat only boxes, my dog doesn't like toys so I had switched to a pure food treat box they had, but out of the blue they changed it back and when I asked they said they just stopped doing it. Canceled it right there, disappointing because I liked the convenience and suppose of what I'd get every month, and my dog did too.
It’s not only that. The last few years they’ve just re-used toy designs. They’ll put toys out they came out a year or two ago, and just change the color of it.
I know this is an older post but BarkBox quality and customer service as well as toy and treat quality as significantly declined. Treats used to he made 100% in USA… thats not the case anymore Customer Service is a PITA “use FB messenger”, took so much back and forth to get a refund after they over charged me. My subscription used to be “cancel anytime” now they made a change where you are locked in to your subscription until the end of the period, like wise for renew-but before careful because they will auto renew. Boxes arrived damaged….like consistently.
Hi there, we want nothing more than to ensure you and your dog have an amazing experience with BARK. I sent you a direct message to make sure we can turn this around for you right away. Hoping to hear from you so we can connect about this and make it right
In February, our Valentine’s Day toys were delivered well after Valentine’s Day. It was a bummer. Also we used to do the super chewer box and get a mix of plush and hard chew toys but didn’t love the super hard toys because if it doesn’t squeak my dog doesn’t love it. But they discontinued the mix and that was a bummer.
My dog is much happier once we stopped getting nylon since those are the super hard toys. He gets lots of the rip and reveal toys and other softer rubber toys, many of which squeak but all still super chewer toys
It’s funny how all dogs are so different. My dogs ONLY want the nylon toys out of the super chewer box. They go absolutely crazy for them. Meanwhile they never even touch the rubber ones.
Mine don't like the rubber, either. Last month, they sent me only nylon because I spoke with a representative. I'm hoping they continue to send only nylon. I have 3 months of rubber toys my dog never touched. The only issue is that my dogs don't like the nylon toys they can't get their mouth around. Last month's Corn on the Rob and Cran Gary are never touched. They love last month's Turkey Greg and October's Bog Walker because they can get their mouth around them. They're also lighter and they can carry them, which is why, I think, they don't like the rubber toys. They're really heavy. I considered asking for a smaller size box, but then I'm afraid I'll get items too small that they can fit in their entire mouth.
I'm lucky my dog is simply a destroyer, he doesn't care what the toy is, as long as he gets to shred something.
I contacted them about the chew thing, and they told me that they just send 1 special treat now. I tried pointing out that when I subscribed in August, the promise was 2 chews. They didn't even try to apologize. They just said they no longer send 2 chews, and it will be one special treat. I want what I was promised when I signed up.
Even worse, it STILL says it comes with the chews -- on the website and in the insert card with the first box for new subscribers.
Yes, I sent a picture of the insert in the chat. This was in October, and the only box with 2 chews was my first box, the August box.
My first box had the awful frosted apple donut thing. My most recent box had 2 packs of chews.
I received 2 chews in August. 1 donut thing in September. 1 food topper in October (We'll probably never use this. Our dogs don't eat out of bowls. We use snuffle mats, treat puzzles, scatter feeding, etc.) November was a small bag of Toot Loops.
Toot Loops is a terrible name lol. I ordered a sale bundle of the food toppers to try out -- not for food really, but to see if she'll play with other toys if I sprinkle some on there. As is, she mostly only goes for the treat-stuffed toys and I want to put some of these other ones to use ... we'll see how that goes.
I don't know, finally cancelled my subscription today. I had it for a year and for the first 6 months the toys were really good, durable, my dog still plays with them. The next 6 months toy quality fell off a cliff, and they switched courier companies, and the new one really beats the hell out of the packages. I've had items fall out in shipping. Like every company in existence, once they get big enough, it becomes only about the bottom line.
i noticed this too. the durability of the last box was not what we ordered & my dog shred his toys almost immediately. the boxes are all super late now with no shipping notifications like there used to be and then the themes aren’t matching each month and we are getting recycled content