Independent profile. Not owned, sponsored or endorsed by BarkBox.
BarkBox Reviews, Complaints & Contacts
BarkBox is a monthly dog toy and treat subscription operated by BARK, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange company based in Brooklyn. Subscriptions renew automatically, multi-month plans are billed every month for the whole term, BARK does not take returns and says it has no obligation to refund amounts already paid, and its Terms of Service require individual arbitration unless a customer opts out within 30 days. BarkBox is BBB accredited, and its BBB listing collects customer complaints and the company's responses. BARK's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026 lists two pending putative class actions over marketing texts and promotional emails. No published complaint reports are currently linked to this profile.
Contacts
- Official website; barkbox.com redirects herebark.co ↗
Customer service & general contact
- Happy Team customer support email[email protected]
Corporate & press
- BARK, Inc. corporate phone, listed in the annual report and the Terms of Service(855) 501-2275
Privacy requests
- Legal email for dispute notices and the arbitration opt-out[email protected]
Other contacts
- Happy Team text line(202) 846-2275
Locations
- Headquarters20 Jay Street, Suite 940 Brooklyn NY 11201
Is BarkBox Legitimate?
- Legal name
- BARK, Inc.
- Founded
- 2011
- Business type
- Monthly dog toy and treat subscription service run by a NYSE-listed pet products company
- Website
- bark.coSource: BARK website, checked 2026-10-29
- Headquarters
- Brooklyn, NYSource: BARK, Inc. annual report on Form 10-K, checked 2026-10-29
Parent company: BARK, Inc., a Delaware corporation, 20 Jay Street, Suite 940, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Company named in the consumer lawsuits: BarkBox, Inc. Stock: NYSE: BARK. Founded: 2011. Website: bark.co (barkbox.com redirects there). Corporate phone: (855) 501-2275. Customer support: [email protected], text (202) 846-2275, or chat on the website. Fiscal year end: March 31. BBB: accredited, A+ rating.
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Customer Reviews and This Site
BBB. BarkBox has been BBB accredited since January 2025 and holds an A+ BBB rating, which reflects how the business handles complaints rather than customer satisfaction. Its New York BBB listing shows 330 complaints in the last three years, 45 of them in the last 12 months, and 96 customer reviews averaging 1.32 out of 5. A second BBB listing in Hebron, Kentucky shows the same combined counts. If the Happy Team has not resolved a problem, you can file a complaint through the New York BBB listing.
Trustpilot. The claimed Trustpilot page, listed under the name BARK at barkbox.com, shows a TrustScore of 4.7 from 10,529 reviews in total, including 2,269 in the last 12 months, and says the company replied to all of its negative reviews. As on every Trustpilot page, the reviews are not fact-checked by Trustpilot. The BBB and Trustpilot figures come from different groups of customers and are not combined.
No published complaint reports are currently linked to this profile.
Had an experience with BarkBox? Tell other people what happened.
Submit a ComplaintHow to Cancel BarkBox, Ask for a Refund or Dispute a Charge
Contact the Happy Team first. BARK's customer support, the Happy Team, answers by email at [email protected], by text at (202) 846-2275 and through the chat on bark.co. BARK's corporate number is (855) 501-2275. Give your account email, the order or charge date and amount, and what you want done (cancel, refund, replacement). Keep the written reply.
How billing works. BARK's FAQ says the first box is charged at sign-up and later boxes are billed on the 1st of each month (sign-ups on or after the 21st get a later second billing date).
More detailShow less
Under Section 7 of the Terms of Service the subscription renews automatically, and a 6- or 12-month plan is charged every month for the whole commitment, "even if you have cancelled your subscription prior to the end of that subscription period". If you do not cancel before the first day of the month after the term ends, the plan renews for another term of the same length.
How to cancel. Sections 7 and 11 of the Terms say you can cancel in your account on the website or by contacting the Happy Team, and must do so by the first day of the month following the end of your current subscription period; requests received after that date apply to the next period.
More detailShow less
BARK's FAQ describes the monthly plan as cancel-anytime and says boxes are billed on the 1st, so a monthly subscriber who wants to avoid the next box should cancel before the 1st and keep the confirmation (this timing follows from the billing date; BARK does not state a separate cut-off). The FAQ also says auto-renewal on a multi-month plan can be switched off in the account dashboard at any time, and that ending a commitment early requires contacting the Happy Team, with the cancellation taking effect at the end of the current term. To skip a month, BARK's FAQ also says to contact the Happy Team. Save the cancellation confirmation or take a screenshot.
Refunds, returns and missing boxes. BARK's FAQ says it does not process returns or exchanges and asks customers to contact the Happy Team if something does not work for their dog. Under Section 8 BARK gives no price protection or refund when a price later drops, and Section 23 says that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, BARK has no obligation to refund amounts already paid. Section 9 requires you to tell BARK within 30 days of the purchase date if all or part of an order is missing or damaged.
If a charge is wrong. For a credit card charge, the FTC says a billing-error dispute letter must reach the card issuer "within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you", sent to the address the issuer gives for billing inquiries, not the payment address.
More detailShow less
If you paid with PayPal, open a dispute in PayPal's Resolution Center; for a debit card or bank charge, call your bank as soon as you see the charge. A card or bank problem that the issuer does not resolve can be reported to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Arbitration. Section 24 of the Terms requires individual arbitration through the American Arbitration Association and waives class actions. Before filing in arbitration or small claims court, you must email a signed notice of the dispute to [email protected] and negotiate for 60 days; either side may then choose small claims court in the county where you live. BARK reimburses your share of arbitration fees for disputes under $5,000 that are not part of a mass arbitration, unless the arbitrator finds the claim frivolous. You can opt out of arbitration by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out" within 30 days of first using BARK's services, giving your name, address, email, phone and the BARK services you subscribe to.
More detailShow less
For customers who were already using BARK when the current Terms took effect on May 20, 2026, the 30 days ran from that date, so that window has closed. Without an opt-out, small claims court in your county remains available for an individual billing dispute after the 60-day notice period.
More detailShow less
Escalate. If the company does not fix the problem, file a complaint with the BBB, with your state attorney general's consumer-protection office (BARK is based in New York, so the New York Attorney General also takes complaints), and with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. A toy or accessory that injured or endangered a person can be reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission at SaferProducts.gov; an illness or other problem linked to treats or food goes to the FDA through its Safety Reporting Portal or an FDA consumer complaint coordinator.
Lawsuits Involving BarkBox
Pending consumer class actions. BARK's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026 describes two putative consumer class actions against BarkBox, Inc. Both contain allegations only: no class has been certified and no court has found BarkBox liable.
- Steuer v. BarkBox, Inc. (U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., 1:26-cv-02038, filed March 12, 2026): alleges that BarkBox sent marketing text messages to numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The quarterly report says fact discovery is under way with no trial date set. On September 18, 2026 the court denied BarkBox's request to put discovery on hold; BarkBox's motion for judgment on the pleadings is pending.
- Davidson v. BarkBox, Inc. (U.S. District Court, W.D. Wash., 2:26-cv-02073; filed May 13, 2026 in King County Superior Court and removed to federal court): alleges that promotional emails, including one with the subject line "Internal Use Only: Last Day for Employee Discount", presented public sales as employee-only or about to end, in violation of Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act and Consumer Protection Act. As reported in BARK's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026, BarkBox has moved to compel arbitration under its Terms of Service or, alternatively, to dismiss; that motion was pending, as was a court order to show cause on whether the case should be sent back to state court. Trial is set for May 17, 2027.
BARK states that, except for the matters it describes, it has no pending lawsuits or claims that it expects to have a material effect on its business.
More on the lawsuitsShow less
Earlier auto-renewal class action. In Farmer v. BarkBox, Inc. (U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., filed September 1, 2022 as 2:22-cv-06242 and later docketed as 5:22-cv-01574), a California customer alleged that BarkBox's subscription sign-up did not give the disclosures and obtain the consent required by California's Automatic Renewal Law, and also brought claims under the state's Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act. The parties jointly asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice, and the court granted that request on February 21, 2024. No finding of liability was made.
Cases between companies. Waggity, LLC v. BarkBox, Inc. (S.D.N.Y., 1:25-cv-09627, filed November 18, 2025) is a trademark dispute brought by another company against BarkBox and is not a consumer case. In Barkbox, Inc. v. United States (U.S. Court of International Trade, 1:26-cv-03422, filed July 29, 2026) BarkBox is the plaintiff.
Stockholder case. Kenville v. Northern Star Sponsor LLC (Delaware Court of Chancery, C.A. No. 2024-276) was filed on March 20, 2024 by stockholders of Northern Star, the special purpose acquisition company that merged with BARK in 2021 to take it public. Claims against BARK, Inc., the original BARK company and two of its founders were dismissed without prejudice by stipulation on July 1, 2025. The case continues against former Northern Star officers and directors: the court certified a class on October 31, 2025, and trial is set for September 8, 2027. It is not a consumer case.
Court & Public Records
Steuer v. BarkBox, Inc.
FiledDavidson v. BarkBox, Inc.
FiledWhat BarkBox Is
BarkBox is a monthly subscription box of themed dog toys and treats sold by BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK). Subscribers pick a plan, tell BARK their dog's size and age, and receive a new box each month; the contents are a surprise, but toy and treat types can be adjusted and extra items added in the account. BARK's FAQ lists monthly, 6-month and 12-month plans starting at $24 a month, and its annual report also mentions a three-month option. Boxes ship only to the 48 contiguous U.S. states, not to Alaska, Hawaii or Canada.
BARK also sells Super Chewer boxes for heavy chewers, dental products, BARK in the Belly dog food and one-time items, in retail stores such as Target, Costco and Walmart and online through Amazon and Chewy, and runs BARK Air, an air-travel service for dogs. The company was founded in 2011. Its annual report for the year ended March 31, 2026 lists about 501 full-time and part-time employees, 196 of them in the U.S. and 301 in the Philippines.
Who Owns BarkBox and the 2026 Take-Private Proposals
BarkBox is owned by BARK, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered at 20 Jay Street, Suite 940, Brooklyn, NY 11201, whose stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BARK. The consumer lawsuits name BarkBox, Inc., the BARK company behind the subscription. BARK was co-founded in 2011 by Carly Strife and Matt Meeker, who was Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chair in 2026. A 1-for-20 reverse stock split took effect on April 1, 2026.
In January 2026 BARK disclosed two non-binding proposals to take the company private: one from Great Dane Ventures, LLC, a group of existing stockholders that included Mr. Meeker, at $0.90 per share, and one from GNK Holdings LLC and Marcus Lemonis at $1.10 per share (both prices are from before the reverse split). On March 3, 2026 Mr. Meeker withdrew from Great Dane Ventures, and its proposal was later withdrawn. On March 20, 2026 BARK announced that a special committee of its board had decided not to pursue the GNK/Lemonis proposal, saying the offer undervalued the company and that the standalone strategy was the best path to long-term stockholder value. BARK says it remains open to other strategic opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I contact BarkBox?
BARK's customer support, the Happy Team, takes email at [email protected], texts at (202) 846-2275 and chat on bark.co. The corporate phone listed in BARK's annual report and Terms of Service is (855) 501-2275, and the headquarters is at 20 Jay Street, Suite 940, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Formal dispute notices go to [email protected].
What subscription lengths does BarkBox offer?
BARK's FAQ lists monthly, 6-month and 12-month BarkBox plans, starting at $24 a month; its annual report also mentions a three-month option. Every plan is billed monthly. On a 6- or 12-month plan the Terms of Service say you keep paying each month until the commitment ends, even if you cancel earlier, and the plan renews for the same length unless you cancel before the first day of the month after the term ends.
Is BarkBox being sold or taken private?
No sale is under way. BARK disclosed two non-binding take-private proposals in January 2026. CEO Matt Meeker withdrew from one bidder, Great Dane Ventures, on March 3, 2026, and that proposal was withdrawn. On March 20, 2026 BARK announced that a special committee of its board would not pursue the other proposal, from GNK Holdings and Marcus Lemonis, and would continue with the company's standalone strategy. BARK says it remains open to other strategic opportunities.
Is there a class action against BarkBox?
BARK's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026 lists two pending putative class actions against BarkBox, Inc.: Steuer v. BarkBox (S.D.N.Y.), over marketing texts to numbers on the Do-Not-Call Registry, and Davidson v. BarkBox (W.D. Wash.), over promotional emails that allegedly presented public sales as employee-only or last-day offers. They are allegations; no class has been certified. In Davidson, according to that report, BarkBox has asked the court to send the claims to individual arbitration under its Terms of Service. An earlier class action over BarkBox's automatic renewals in California, Farmer v. BarkBox, was dismissed with prejudice at the joint request of the parties in February 2024.
What does Trustpilot show for BarkBox?
The claimed Trustpilot profile for barkbox.com, listed under the name BARK, shows a TrustScore of 4.7 from 10,529 reviews in total, 2,269 of them in the last 12 months, and says the company replied to all of its negative reviews. Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews on any of its pages. The BBB listing gives a different picture: 330 complaints in the last three years and 96 customer reviews averaging 1.32 out of 5.
What can I do about a wrong BarkBox charge?
Contact the Happy Team at [email protected] or by text at (202) 846-2275 first, with the charge date, amount and the confirmation of any cancellation. Keep in mind that under the Terms of Service a 6- or 12-month plan is billed every month until the commitment ends, even after you cancel. For a credit card error, the FTC says a written billing-error dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you, at the issuer's billing-inquiries address. For a PayPal payment, open a dispute in PayPal's Resolution Center; for a debit card, call your bank right away. If the problem is not fixed, complain to the BBB, your state attorney general and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and for a card or bank that will not correct the charge, to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Who owns BarkBox?
BarkBox is a brand of BARK, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, whose stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol BARK. BARK was co-founded in 2011 by Matt Meeker and Carly Strife. The consumer lawsuits name BarkBox, Inc., the BARK company behind the subscription.
Sources (6)
BarkBox (own site)
- BARK press release on the special committee decision investors.bark.co
- BARK Terms of Service bark.co
- BARK press release, March 3, 2026 investors.bark.co
Public records
Review sites
- BBB business profile for BarkBox bbb.org