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Business Profile

Genetic Testing

Embark Vet

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Genetic Testing.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 37 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 11 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • 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,

    ********

     

     

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/06/2023

    Type:Service or Repair 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 ordered a Dog DNA kit from Embark. I ordered this in November 2023. When the kit arrived it had an expiration date of 10/2023.No extremely expired, but it WAS expired. If I'm paying a company money, expect to receive items that are not expired. And, I was already upset when I placed the order, because on the website when I inserted my coupon codes it gave me a price of $77, but whenever I would go to check out, it kept automatically changing the price to $127. I was corresponding with somebody at embark via email, and they would not ***** my coupons to give me the kit for $77 so I was already rather frustrated with Embark prior to receiving an expired kit.I then contacted Embark again and they they stated, "Our manufacturer is required to include this expiration date upon production due to the components of the swab. Over time, after the date specified on the tube, the fluid begins to lose its potency. Similar to the items in the grocery stores that include a "sell by" date, it doesnt necessarily mean that the food spoils immediately after the date, but instead the freshness can slowly wear off. We urge you to still use the kit to collect and submit your sample. If your swab is in fact expired, our lab would catch this during quality control, as the sample would fail. In these cases, we would issue a free replacement swab for a new sample"I work in a medical lab and there's a reason that EXPIRATION DATES are on items. There's a difference between 'use by' and 'expired'. Embark DID send me a new test, which I received today. And it was even FURTHER expired, on 10/3/23. This is unacceptable!I have never seen a company send something that was printed with an expiration date, clearly showing it's expired and just expect people to be okay with it! I am not looking to get my money back, I simply want a non expired kit to insure I am receiving a good product that cost a lot of money, to me.. And now I won't have results for my Christmas gift I was giving.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:11/30/2023

    Type:Sales and Advertising 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 in response to my complaint.ation of the ************************ Act (FTC) section 5. The help desk was not able to assist with adjusting or honoring the price, so I havent made the purchase. The proper resolution Im seeking for this issue would be for the original price to be honored.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/13/2023

    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. 

    See below.  Again!  I was told if the swab was not scanned by 13th to contact them for another kit.  You dont do this unless it is lost.  They kept telling me to wait, then set the 13th as a lost/new swab contact.  Their website on that day also showed they never received it so I purchased a kit from a reputable company who answers their phones and doesnt loose samples.

    You cant jerk people around about if they have the sample, where it is, confusing posting on your website the sample is there, then it isnt, then told to start all over again on 13th of June.  Buying a $4k dog, breeders dont sit around and wait for this.  They set a contract deadline for determining illness for returning dog.  I couldnt wait for company to decide if they had my sample or not or would answer their **** phone!

     

    [Myles (embarkvet) 
    Jun 13, 2023, 1:43 PM EDT 
    Hi ****,
     
    Thanks for reaching out. I understand how you feel and apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused you. 
     
    Upon checking your MyEmbark Vet account, it appears that we have not scanned ******* sample in our lab yet, and you were advised to reach back to us by June 13th if you have not been notified that ******* sample has been scanned. 
     
    We're happy to issue a free replacement swab for your dog. Rest assured that If the original swab is scanned in the interim, we will continue to process it at the lab, and you can hold onto the replacement swab for backup purposes. 
     
    At your earliest convenience, please log in to your Embark account and confirm your shipping address here: ***********************************************.
     
    Once that's done, we'll ship your new swab to you within 1-2 business days. Once you receive it, follow these steps:
    Activate this new swab on your dog's profile using the 14-digit swab code on the physical tube of the new swab. Please click "Activate a Kit". Next, click on "Don't have an Activation Code". Lastly, please enter the 14-digit swab code.
    Swab your dog
    Return the swab back to us in the provided envelope (postage is included for US customers). 
    Again, I'd like to extend my apologies if you are experiencing any dissatisfaction. I appreciate your bringing this to our attention and allowing us to address it.
     
    If you have additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
    Best,
    *****
    Customer Support
    ******************** Vet



    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: 06/21/2023

    Hi ****

    I apologize for the disappointing experience so far. I reviewed your communication with our Customer Support team as well as investigated what happened with your sample. Unfortunately, it appears that there was a delay at our lab with scanning in your sample (which confirms receipt). When you initially reached out to Customer Support, they wanted to give the lab a little time to complete this step since it can typically take a couple of business days to scan any samples that have been delivered via **** or other carriers. When it wasn't completed by June 13th, I see that you reached out (as was discussed and agreed upon) and the swab was then marked as "lost" in our system. After doing so, you were also prompted to order a replacement swab. Concurrently with this all happening, our lab did eventually scan your dog's swab as received and processing began. I can see that the processing almost completed, so you should receive your results soon. Again, my apologies for the initial delay in getting your swab scanned at our lab. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support team directly.

    Thank you.

    Business Response

    Date: 07/13/2023

    Hi ****

    Again, my apologies for the delay you experienced initially when returning your dog's swab to us. I see that since this last message, the results have been made available to you.

    Thank you.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/27/2023

    Type:Order 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.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/08/2023

    Hi *******

    I'm sorry to hear that you remain dissatisfied. As it was previously explained, your kit was not expired.  The 9/2022 date was printed on our boxes in error. Our kits expire 24 months after you purchase them. I apologize for any confusion. You can find more information about your kit's expiration policy here: **********************************************************************************************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/08/2023

    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. 

    Embark keeps telling me it was a printing error to have an expired date on the kit that I received. I have no way of knowing this was indeed a printing error and you did not just offload an expired kit to me and expect me not to notice. I have never seen a company send something with a 6 month expired date on it and just expect someone to believe that it just happened to be a printing error. I have used embark before and loved the kit I received and it did not have the expired date on it upon arrival. When I decided to purchase from them again I expected nothing but the best service as I had received in the previous orders. Otherwise, I would not have spent $100 of my hard earned money to support this business again. This response is unacceptable. I would like to receive a new kit without a printing error, or an expired date to insure I am receiving a good product that cost a lot of money, to me. 

    thank you. 

    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,

    Chelbie

     

     

    Business Response

    Date: 06/21/2023

    Hi Chelbie

    I can assure you that it was indeed a printing error, as this has impacted many customers and we have since taken measure to address this error with our packaging. Again, I'm sorry that you received a kit that had this erroneous information printed on it.

    Thank you.

     

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/24/2023

    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 paid $1548.00 for test kits from the company. The test kits were sent back within a couple of days with DNA samples for puppies and a couple of adult dogs. Becasue I am a breeder, I needed the results before the pups were to go home. I received an email for each ample that it was received by the lab. One week later, I received an email the two tests were processed and the results were available. Over a week and one half later I received three emails telling me three samples did not have enough DNA. Those three happened to be in the same envelope. They said it was a coincidence that it was those three that were bad. I did the same process for all tests so if one was bad they all were, which was not the case. I tried to call them and a recording says they no longer have a phone system. You can only send an email or use the chat. I was told multiple times it was my fault but then one person on the chat finally admitted it was something they did. They sent 3 replacement kits which arrived over one week later. Since the pups have moved to their new homes, I have to send those out and hope it is done properly. There are still 5 total missing tests. They continue to tell me the samples all get opened and mixed together, however they were received within one day of each other and it have is for a pup that died been three weeks since the first two had results. One of the missing samples is for a pup who died. If that is lost I won't know what happened. I have all the emails and copies of the chats. I have asked them repeatedly to have someone contact me by phone and they refuse. I have a total of 17 dogs that were tested at $140 each. This is no small investment. They continue to ignore my emails telling me it takes four weeks for results and we are beyond that. Still no answers, no call, no customer service. Previous issues were settled by phone when they had one.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/08/2023

    Hi ******

    I'm sorry to hear about your experience with your latest tests. I've reviewed your communication with the Customer Support team and see that your matter has been fully addressed and you received a refund for the tests that we were not able to process. If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Support team.

    Thank you.

     

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/10/2023

    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. 

    I still have not received the item that I paid for back in 2019. I was told I would still receive my dog's health report. I was told it would be available in ***** hours. It has been a month and it is still not available and the company has no responded as to how to resolve this. I did receive the refund for the double payment.

    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,

    Autumn

     

     

    Business Response

    Date: 05/16/2023

    Hi Autumn - We apologize for the delay in resolving the problem with your upgrade. I checked in to your account and spoke to the team members who assisted you, and I understand that it has been resolved. We have also issued a refund for the upgrade that you recently paid for. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Customer Support team. Thank you.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/30/2023

    Hi Autumn

    I checked in with our team and they have confirmed that the issue with your dog's health results has been resolved and you can access those results now. If you are still having difficultly accessing the results, please reach out to our Customer Support team directly.

    Thank you.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/24/2023

    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.

    This is why I don't accept the reply:  I do not believe results are scientifically sound, and do not accept that I must take your word for it.  The testing is based on algorithms, there is a lack of consistency between results from different companies, there is a lack of peer reviewed research regarding the processes used by the test kits, and there is a lack of external validation.  ******* Marketplace episode provided ample evidence to suggest that results should be taken more as entertainment than as fact.  Indeed, 2 of the 4 dogs they tested using Embark technology came back as village dogs which is highly suspicious.  As a consumer I am dependent on the advertising from the company, but I do not trust the results. 

    I feel that Embark and other DNA testing companies should provide validity statistics and not just the 'in house' statement of accuracy.  

    I would like a refund as a disillusioned consumer.

    Thanks

     



    FAQ

     

    Regards,

    ****

     

     

    Business Response

    Date: 04/27/2023

    Hi ****

    I'm sorry to hear that you remain disappointed with your dog's results and your experience with Embark. As our Results team explained, a  village dog result does not mean that we were not able to identify the breeds in him, but rather because the majority of your dog's DNA doesn't come from any purebred dog breeds. Village dogs were around long before modern purebred breeds (which, remember, really only started having closed populations in the past century or so), and there are still a lot of dogs in the world today who have little to no ancestry from breeds.

    We are very confident in the accuracy of our results. The science can be complicated, but we've summarized our process for analyzing your dog's DNA on our research page: *****************************************************. We also have a video with our Chief Science Officer explaining the process: ***************************************************.

    Per our public refund policy, we cannot offer refunds for scientifically sound results.

    Thank you.

     

    Business Response

    Date: 05/15/2023

    Thank you for the feedback. I'm sorry to hear that you remain disappointed. Unfortunatelyy, you are not eligible for a refund, as described by the terms on our website.

     

    Customer Answer

    Date: 05/16/2023

    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. 

    My reasons for no accepting the response from Embark are the same as the last time I did not accept the response.  I want a refund for my original payment as I believe the results are not scientifically sound.  I would ask the company to escalate my refund request to the highest level.  I encourage the company to watch the Marketplace episode demonstrating the very dubious results of DNA dog testing.

    Please refund my money.

    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:03/26/2023

    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 initially purchased 2 age DNA tests back in January. They have since announced that the test is faulty, and if we wanted, we could request a refund. I received an initial email stating more information would be sent out. I never received anything, so I reached out. I was told my refund was processed, and I should be refunded in **** business days, which led out to 3/4/23. I reached out again 3/7/23 asking why I had not received this refund. I was then told I needed to click a link and fill out a form and request a refund, even though I was already told it was being processed and all set. I never received any confirmation that it was all set and my form was processed, so I reached back out 3/14. On 3/17 I finally heard back was told that in **** business days from the initial form fill out (3/11/23) I should receive a refund. It has yet again, been past the 10 business days and no refund. My initial contact with the company was 2/9/23 and I am still today fighting to get my money back after jumping through multiple hoops. The chat is no help, they escalate it and cannot offer help. And there is no phone number to call, so it is all via delayed email to get any help, which takes days to hear back from. I just want my 298$ back.

    Business Response

    Date: 04/04/2023

    Hi ****

    We apologize for the delay in processing your refund for the Age Test. Our team has been working through a very high volume of customer inquiries as well as refund requests. I reviewed your order and can confirm that you were been refunded in full as of March 28th. The credit typically takes about **** business days to appear on your statement. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to us and we can investigate further.

     

    Thank you.

     

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