Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/04/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had an interaction with ******** who accused ******* fellow Vietnam Veteran of being the same person.The content of her emails to both my ********** had unprofessional accusations which could be considered defamatory.After reviewing this issue over the last few hours and researching my options of being defamed, I find it appalling her attitude on this issue.I'm elderly & my friend is older than I. She treated us like criminals.My **********, we're both vet's, risked our lives for freedom she enjoys as we celebrate TODAY!!! My friend is older than me... He can't work a computer.I've helped him before with other "online only" issues and NEVER had anyone accuse us as criminals! I would like my money back if this is the way you treat your customers Veterans or NOT. WE ARE NOT CRIMINALS No one deserves this abuse...

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2024

  Hi *******

  We reviewed your interaction with ********. She did not accuse you or your friend of fraud. Our system flagged that the code was being used by the same person. With that being said, she offered to extend the refer a friend discount to your friend if they are still interested in this offer, please have them contact our team directly for assistance.

  Thank you.

  *******

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/19/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [this Business keeps saying they will contact me but they never do, I get a ticket number but never a reply I get told upper management will email me but I never get an email, this is an ongoing delay tactic to try to avoid giving me a refund or retesting the dogs in question or both now.. .]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2024

  We are responding to this customer directly. Thank you. 

  Business Response

  Date: 07/30/2024

  We are responding to this customer directly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as ******************************************* is trying to blackmail me into signing an NDA because they know I will be putting the inaccurate DNA test results into a docuseries Im creating they want me to sign away my LEGAL RIGHT to honestly and publicly review their product I just want my money back for REAL money i spent with them.  
  

  they think they can threaten me with legal action if I review their product and the way their employees provably acted. Knowing I am an ****** resident they are trying to prevent me from getting a refund by demanding I appear in ************* in order to do some arbitration that I supposedly have to pay for ]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an embark testing kit through Chewy (a business that sells the testing kits). I received the kit and followed the instructions for activation and mailed back the tests. They have lost the test results and have asked for my proof of purchase, which I have provided in many ways and many emails and they will not send me a new test kit and they do not seem to be interested in resolving the issue in any way.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/20/2024

  Hello and thank you for reaching out. I apologize for the delay in getting this issue resolved. I have escalated the manner internally and a team member will be in touch with you today.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/31/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint. I requested a supervisor contact me. I was told that they wouldn't give any different response.  I then requested the email of **************** who is the *** of the company.  *********** is using hostage marketing to extract additional money from it's existing client database by updating their testing protocol to include potentially deadly diseases and requiring an additional $99 dollars after paying $159 for the initial test.  They would only be providing an additional 2% information.  It is unrealistic for current clients who have tested more than 30 animals to be required to pay this much when 98% ofvthe test data is in their database and will not change. I have tested 13 animals since January.  5 were tested in May. On May 30th, June 4, June 7. These results were within 6 days and 3 of the dogs do not have all the testing information as the newest 2. No supervision contacts you back. They do not provide information to contact anyone higher then customer service.  Their is no way to locate information on the internet.  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback. I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment. Regretfully, we are not currently able to automatically add new results to previously tested dogs. We are looking into this though as a possible future enhancement that we can offer our customers. As you noted, we do offer the option to retest your dogs in order to receive the latest conditions and traits for a discounted price of $99 per kit. This is to cover the processing fees for your sample(s). Regarding the current new health conditions, I see that you have reach out to the Customer Experience team and a specialist is working with you directly on a resolution. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 
  
  This is the exact message embark sent me when I first inquired about incorrect results. As you can tell per the reply, embark still has not acknowledged that there is a 0% chance my dog falls outside of the 18 month window despite attaching her medical documents to everything. They continue to deny factual evidence 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ********

   

   

  I understand these tests arent 100%, and Im okay with that, but this is 100% wrong, and they wont do anything to fix it. I even confirmed with her shelter that she did not come in as a puppy, so the results are WAY off.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2024

  I'm sorry to hear that you remain disappointed with your experience with Embark and your dog's age test results. The results provided with the Age Test are an estimate of your dogs age and birthday. It cannot (yet) pinpoint the exact birth date because methylation technology has not yet come far enough to predict age with that level of specificity. The results you received for your dog is a range of dates that are likely to contain your dogs birthday, also referred to as a prediction interval. The estimated birthday in your dogs results is the midpoint of that age range. However, it is possible that your dogs birthday is on a different day but is still within this prediction interval as 90% of dogs have a true birthday within that range.

  With the Age Test, 90% of dogs have a true birthday within 18 months of their estimated birthday. In other words, there's a 90% chance that *****'s birthday is within 18 months of the date we provided. 

  I hope that this explanation provided further clarification on how our Age Test works and what information is included with your dog's results.

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/17/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 
  

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  The results embark stands behind are factually false. They can be proved 100% false. According to embark, my dog was either spayed under 4 months old or born spayed; both of these options are impossible. Ive attached the record of her spay surgery occurring in October 2017
  Regards,

  ********

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2024

  I'm sorry to hear that you remain disappointed. As it's been previously stated, we stand behind our results and, per our policy, will not issue a refund.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Jan 2024 the kit was sent in. Result on Feb 16th The test was the premium version of Embark and key was to find the breed of my dog. They sent the results as 100% European Village dog. I sent in the picture of my dog as she is a Bichon Maltese. Their results were 100% village dog with traces of other dogs, NONE of them Bichon Maltese.Email sent multiple times and they close it as solved without responding. They seem to have to answer and just avoiding.They should reply and give a scientific answer and if they cant then they should refund the money

  Business Response

  Date: 04/02/2024

  Hello

  I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed with your dog's results. As our Results Specialist explained, sometimes looks can be deceiving and while your dog can look like a specific breed (or breeds), their genetic make up tells a different story. Our team reviewed your dog's results and found to be consistent with the **************** Village Dogs in our reference panel. 

  If you have any additional questions or would like more information about how our testing works, please feel free to reach out to our team directly.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have not heard from the business regarding their policy of scamming customers. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/24/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello,I purchased an Embark dog test on 12/26/23. I am writing to express my concerns regarding the accuracy of the test results I received. The results I received have raised some significant doubts. Specifically, her age. I adopted **** on September 16th, 2017. At this time, several vets had confirmed she had puppies within the last month. I am not an expert, but what I have seen online is that in some rare cases, dogs can be impregnated at 6 months, but most of the times, with Staffys, It will be at least 1 year old. The gestational period is about 2 months. This means she was at MINIMUM 8 months old when I got her if she is an outlier... but likely, she was 1 year 2 months when I got her, probably older.. I ordered the kit to see if maybe she was 8, 9, or 10? But, unfortunately, the number you gave is impossible, as it would have her giving birth to pups at age 5 months, meaning she would be impregnated at 3 months... unless she's a medical mystery, I am unsure if you should be selling this product to be this inaccurate. Basically - mathematically, the test is not accurate. It cannot be true - and your response of "oh it's +/- 18 months" was NOT advertised and is misleading. I am more upset as I believe you pull a random number and it's a scam not scientifically verified.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2024

  I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment. The product page for the Age Test states that the test will return a result within 18 months of the dog's estimated birthday 90% of the time. This information is not hidden and is accessible on the product page on the website as well as within the results themselves.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and I apologize for the frustrating experience. While we recently did stop automatically forwarding samples sent to our ****** address to our lab, those that are delivered to our ****** headquarters are still collected and will be forwarded if the swab is received in good condition. I apologize that that was not communicated to you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ********

   

   

  o Embark for your reference, as well as a photo of the Embark kit box. The box clearly states "Use By Date on Swab". The date on the swab in the test kit my husband ordered for me/Sammi(dog) is 11/5/23, clearly expired. Embark advertised their test kits were on sale for the holidays and afterwards. Were they really Black Friday deals or a way for Embark to get rid of old test kids? Either way, we are so frustrated with what we feel are unfair business practices by Embark. We paid $139 for two separate test kits we ordered for our two rescue dogs, ******* and *****. We believe we should have received test kits with swabs that are valid and not expired. How many other customers have had this same experience? Is this a valid business practice? We would like a replacement test kit for Sammi with a current swab expiration date or a return of $139.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2024

  Hello and thank you for reaching out! I reviewed your interactions with our Customer Support team and see that you were sent a replacement kit. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  Yes, Embark sent me a replacement DNA kit which I have yet to receive. This was after I complained to the BBB and after initially being denied a new and current kit. Furthermore, I was told by Embark's customer service rep that she could not guarantee that the replacement kit Embark would send me would have a swab that wasn't expired. So is Embark sending customers kits that have expired swabs and won't test accurately for $139? My experience is telling me that that is exactly what they are doing. That is so wrong. Their swab packaging clearly states "Use by Date on Swab". Embark should be required to send ALL customers swabs that are not expired!
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ********

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2024

  I'm sorry to hear that you are not pleased with the support you've received. If you no longer wish to proceed with testing your dog, please reach out to our team. We can issue a refund.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  This is the problem. I do want my dog's DNA tested and I want to be assured of the credibility of the results given that the test swabs Embark sent me were expired. Are you sending all of the customers who purchased your kits expired materials? Do you think that is a good business practice? Did you make your customers aware of the fact that they were purchasing old kits with expired swabs? We have received the results of one of Embark's tests for our dog, *******. You sent us a current replacement test kit with a swab that was not expired for ******* as we requested. We also requested a replacement kit for the another kit we got from Embark to use on Sammi, our second dog. The replacement kit we received AGAIN had an expired swab which we used because we had nothing else, no alternative. We are awaiting Sammi's results which have been delayed because of your business practices. We want those results! But I think Embark should be asked to apologize to all customers you sent expired kits to and cease this business tactic!
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ********