Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromStephanie S

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Wish I could give 0 stars - they said my dog was not even born before she had puppies. Completely incorrect age as well as 100% pitbull which vets have said is very much unlikely. I think their science is fraudulent and their customer service did not even listen to my request - which clearly laid out why my dog could not possibly be the age they said. They put "18 months" in fine print so really they could guess any age and get away with it. Really excited for them to be in a class action someday. Horrible company.

• Review fromJennifer D

  Date: 01/17/2024

  They lost my 2 specimens. These are expensive tests to just lose. I would never recommend due to poor customer service, frequently losing customer samples AND the fact that is impossible to talk to anyone at the company! Like, when you call, the prompts tell you to communicate online. But their chat messages only have canned responses. What kind of company doesn't have real people you can talk to about their million dollar business?? Stay AWAY from Embark. Terrible company to do business with!

  Embark Vet

  Date: 01/19/2024

  I'm sorry to hear about your experience with returning your sample to our lab. We currently provide support through email and chat. Our team is available from 9am until 9pm and will respond to your inquiries during that time. I see that since submitting this review, a member of the team responded to you and assisted you with ordering replacements. Please note, if your original samples arrive at our lab before the replacements, we will move forward with processing those originals.

  Thank you.

• Review fromKathy K

  Date: 11/02/2023

  I purchased a dog DNA test kit. Don't waste your money. I think they've got the best scam going with these tests. Perhaps other DNA testing companies could fall into this same category, but I'm not going to waste any more money to find out. They're getting rich though. Biggest issue is they make false claims. They are NOT "accurate", maybe "accurate" to their standards. When my dog's results came back I thought it was a huge mistake and something was switched or the sample compromised. My mixed breed dog, glaringly looks and acts corgi/collie like. She's a low rider, fawn & white in color, white legs and paws, long bushy white-tipped tail, white fairy saddle over the back of her neck, super thick coat, long snout and pointy animated border collie ears. Every person/vet she's ever met stated oh she's got a lot of corgi in her. Of course, their website has an explanation for visual traits. In fact, their website pretty much has an explanation for every complaint or question a dissatisfied customer could possibly ask. Kudos to the content writers they hired for this...they got their monies worth not to mention the content helps for any future legal issues. My dog came back 23% **** **** (not one black spot on her tongue), 16% lab retriever (ok maybe) 12% german shepherd (uh I don't think so), 9% Rottie (yeah right) and 38% SUPERMUTT...dah dada dah (probably like the term they use to use "Village Dog", wow that's a convenient category). I emailed them my dissatisfaction and included additional pics of my pup because I was so miffed. As posted in other complaints, I got back a typical boilerplate response with the exact same information posted all over their website of "EXPLANATIONS". I didn't at any point ask for a refund. I asked for a complimentary test to run again. Nope, nadda, no way it's in our terms and conditions (which I read and already knew). Not only do they make false claims but they smile as they charge your card. BUYER BEWARE!!!

• Review fromDee L

  Date: 08/30/2023

  I have used embark many times with some issues in the past with some questionable results. This issue on my most recent though I will not have overlooked. I tested a puppy from my own litter, who embark has BOTH PARENTS on my file for (not to mention I have seen her grandparents embarks as well). Well my pups test came back with 6.3% breed *no call* which should have stated Labrador since mom is 12% lab They put it in a supermutt section and put *possible breed Labrador and Chinese crested* I contact them asking them to correct the error since they have both parents on file and can compare the dna and confirm parentage and they said they do not correct testing. So I told them I want a refund. They said they do not give refunds for scientifically accurate tests (lol) well if the test isn't scientifically accurate since I know who the parents are and have their dna which proved no Chinese crested is in the line, aren't I entitled to a refund? The puppy in question does not have,not the slightest bit of Chinese crested in her and now I have to pay for a retest to clear her genetic pool so I have record that she is what she is supposed to be(and yes I am ******% without a doubt certain of her parentage as even the % left no call is accurate to what should have been Labrador on the mothers side). They use all this tricky word play so they can deem themselves not responsible, claim to be ****% accurate, but clearly they are not.

• Review fromChris M

  Date: 04/07/2023

  I purchased kit a embark breeder DNA test kit on 06-30-2020. Today I attempted to active my kit online and it says that the kit has already been activated. I reach out to embark via chat and I was told that my kit "expired" 2 years after purchase and that my only option was to either abandon the $140 kit or pay an additional $25 to be mailed a replacement swab. I was told that this is in embark terms of service. I was also told that I should have received an email outlining a timeframe expiring Jan 2023 during which I could have requested a free replacement swab for this "expired" swab. This is not true. I never received this communication that embark is alleging they sent to me. Upon further investigation, I have discovered that this "24 month expiration" condition was NOT in the terms and conditions of sale when I purchased the kit on 06-30-2020. To now require a $25 replacement fee is unacceptable as I did not agreed to this term at the time of sale. At time of sale I was not informed of an expiration date on the product or service I was purchasing. I am requesting a free replacement of the swab.You can see the terms that embark had effective at my time of purchase at *******************

• Review fromM. R.

  Date: 11/23/2022

  I have a short haired, floppy eared, hound looking dog. The results came back with highest percentages Id cocker spaniel, poodle, chihuahua, maltese and yorkie. Other than a part chihuahua possibility the others are ridiculous. I sent in pictures but just just got back email essentially stating they were correct. I had my other dog done and he also was the first three breeds. I wonder how many chihuahua, poodle, cocker spaniels are in their database. I do not believe all breeds are equally represented and this company is truly a scam. I am really unhappy with this company.

  Embark Vet

  Date: 11/30/2022

  Hi ****** - I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your experience. As our Results Team specialist explained, when many breeds are mixed together, it gets difficult to see each breed evidenced visually, and sometimes dogs look more like a breed that isn't even in their ancestry depending on the traits they inherit! Interactions between traits can be complex and unexpected. This is why visual breed identification is unreliable. Even shelters and veterinarians guess breed mix wrong 75-80% of the time, and, in many cases, is generally a best guess based on your dog's appearance. Our own veterinarian team will admit that even with their years of clinical experience, they too guess the wrong breed mix of dogs. There was a study done by ******'s Dogs (a project of ******************* of Harvard and MIT, and *********************), called the MuttMix Survey where they had people (including dog professionals) attempt to visually identify dogs. They state, "Beyond casual enthusiasm for guessing dog breeds, ***** participants boasted some experience as dog professionals. The overall accuracy of all participants averaged at 25% correct for all guesses made. Dog professionals surpassed that accuracy by only a narrow margin, averaging at 28% correct guesses for all guesses made."If you have any additional questions about how our test works or about your dog's results, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support team directly.

  M. R.

  Date: 11/30/2022

  I am aware mixed breeds may be surprising but my dog has very long Back. She has personality of beagle and dachshund in that she ********* under bedding and anything she can. There are so many things about get that are not represented in dogs you say she is. I will continue to make sure the public is aware of your scam. You have a disproportionate amount of cocker spaniels, poodles and chihuahuas in your data and you gave exact breakdown to my other dog who does not look or behave anything like *****. Are all breeds equally represented? Do not want lecture on your methods but want specifics about how many breeds in database and if each breed is equally represented.

• Review fromIrene D

  Date: 08/16/2022

  Embark does not deliver what they advertise. I was told by Embark I have an Asian Village Dog. When in fact My pup's grandfather is a pure Tibetan Mastiff and her Grandmother a golden Lab. Her Father ** the mastiff/lab mix obviously. Her birthmother is Caucasian **************** Pyranees. I wanted the BREED DNA profile for her just to see what genes are the most dominant. In short, the "Asian Village Dog" means Mutt. I know she is a mixed breed I shouldn't have to pay to be told that. Embark failed to provide the colour chart with the percentages of breeds in her DNA. A complete waste of money and false claims by this company. They told me in an email that the "colour chart" was older technology that's why my dog's littermate got a chart and I didn't. Right on the ******** page Embark is still showing colour charts. They wanted me to "upgrade" to get more information for a "special price" ie Up Selling. They lied to me and also failed to provide me with what I paid for. I don't think they are even doing the tests. I wonder how many people out there have been told they have an Asian Village Dog. pfff.

  Embark Vet

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Hi *****: Thank you for your feedback about your experience. I reviewed your exchange with our Customer Support team and it sounds like there may be a misunderstanding that I hope to clear up: If you would, please log back in your Embark account as the breed breakdown is appearing for your dog. After completing a manual review of your dog's results, the ancestry results were updated, thus the breed percentages were also updated. Separately, in regards to your comment about "older technology," this was in reference to a relative listed in Relative Finder. The associate you spoke to explained that some of the differences in ancestry may be due to this relative being run on older technology, in other words, an older microchip. Your dog was run on the most recent version of our microchip and reference panel.Lastly, the offer to upgrade applies to adding on Health and Trait results for your dog. Since you purchase the Breed ID kit, it does not automatically include Health and Traits. This is entirely optional and you are not required to make this purchase if you do not wish to upgrade.If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact our team directly at ***************************************** you.