Susan Parker Gonsoulin learned the hard way that Internet shopping can turn into a nightmare.
After her three children saved up $2,500 over three years, Gonsoulin used the Internet to buy an English bulldog for the family from Fort Worth-based ePuppypro.com.
"I talked to the owner several times over the phone," said Gonsoulin, who lives in Woodville in East Texas. "She seemed very straightforward, and the offer had a one-year health guarantee for genetic defects."
But within three months, the dog, named Piper, couldn't stand up, Gonsoulin said. The puppy, which was imported from Russia, had no joint sockets to hold the back legs in place.
Gonsoulin said she paid $3,000 for a surgery to enable Piper to walk. But a few months later, the family discovered that another genetic defect left Piper unable to fight mites.
That treatment, she said, would cost the family $100 a week. Unable to continue to pay vet bills, the family had Piper put down.
During the medical ordeals, Gonsoulin said she repeatedly went back to ePuppyPro to be reimbursed or get a new dog under the company's health guarantee. She said she received neither a new dog nor a refund.
EPuppyPro owner Danielle O'Neal has another version of this story.
She says the Gonsoulins never signed the company's guarantee agreement, did not notify her before the surgery and asked for another puppy without wanting to give up the one they had.
O'Neal also said that she was not told about the skin condition, which is common among English bulldogs, or that the puppy had been put down.
"These dogs are very high maintenance," O'Neal said. "People need to research them before they buy because there are many problems that could go wrong."
Gonsoulin admits now that she should have handled the purchase differently.
"I'll never buy a dog off the Internet again," she said. "I'll buy locally and look at the dog's parents myself."
O'Neal said the company does not pay for medical bills according to the guarantee but will replace a dog that died because of genetic defects. She said she has sold hundreds of puppies since September 2005 from 25 breeders worldwide. She said she has replaced three puppies and settled one court case for $1,500.
According to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas' Web site, the Animal Welfare Act, overseen by the Agriculture Department, regulates commercial retail pet dealers who sell through brokers to pet stores but not breeders who sell directly to the public.
"This places hundreds of thousands of dogs in jeopardy every year," the SPCA said.
John Riggins, president of the Fort Worth Better Business Bureau, said that buying dogs online is a high-risk purchase.
"It's like buying a used car over the Internet," he said. "It can be done successfully, but until you kick the tires and have a mechanic look at it, you don't know."
Riggins also criticized ePuppyPro's guarantee language.
"The big print giveth, and the small print taketh away," he said. "This is a contract that protects the company and does nothing for the customer."
The bureau shows six unresolved complaints against ePuppyPro, including two for selling practices, two for guarantee or warranty issues and one for contract disputes. No other local breeder has a record of complaints against it, Riggins said.
O'Neal said she ignored the initial letters from the bureau because she had spoken to the customers. She said she will now respond to the inquiries and called the bureau to get the proper forms.Teresa McUsic's column appears Fridays. She can be reached at Tmcusic@savvyconsumer.net. tmcusic@savvyconsumer.net
