Since my latest update, I received a response from Axel Lagercrantz, CEO of Pets4Homes. I have pasted the conversation below to give you the opportunity to comment and let me know what you think before I respond further.
I can also be contacted via the website:
You may have read this tragic story in the press a few days ago. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/beautiful-border-collie-puppy-put-23153163.amp
Just another victim. How many more til this issue is taken seriously?
Isabelle
BaBBA Campaign
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Dear Isabelle,
Thank you for your email.
We have a number of methods to detect and deter rogue breeders and unscrupulous sellers. Some of these are listed below:
Manual review
We have a Trust & Safety team working from 8am to 1am every day of the week who monitors the activity on the platform. Every advert posted on the platform undergoes a review by our team, ensuring it abides to the laws of the UK, the Pet Advertising Advisory Groups (PAAGS's) minimum standards and also enforce our own standards. We decline 40% of listings because they do not abide to our standards.
Technology
We have a number of automatic fraud detection tools in place centered around ensuring that no user on the site can be anonymous. As an example, you cannot post an advert online without having to verify your phone number via a code. If in any doubt about whether a seller is genuine we will ask for a copy of ID and utility bills.
Licensing enforcement
All accounts that have posted 2 or more litters per year are forced to upgrade to a breeder account and send their licensing details to us including license number, local authority name and expiration date which we publicly display along with the advert. We also ask for a scanned copy of the licensing details to be sent to us before any adverts are approved. You can search specifically for only breeders whose license details we have checked (https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/search/?type_id=3&licensed=1&results=10&sort=datenew Each of these adverts will display the License number.
Safe Deposit Scheme
50% of our sellers are now using the Pets4Homes Safety Deposit service where we hold the deposit in escrow until the rehoming has taken place. We check each of the participants passport using bank grade verification and we have so far since launch in August had 0 cases of fraud / issues.
Collaboration with other organisations
Our Trust & Safety team collaborates closely with the RSPCA, DEFRA and various local councils around the country. In addition to sharing data and trends with such stakeholders, we also disclose information of particular cases in order to assist potential investigations into a specific breeder, for example.
It is important to know that 1 in every 3 puppies in the UK are rehomed by Pets4Homes and every year we rehome 1 million pets. We have a zero tolerance policy towards breaches to our safety and animal welfare standards and while we do our utmost to vet buyers and sellers, there will be scenarios where people are not honest. Ultimately, Pets4Homes do not visit the breeders at their premises and we do not have the authority to inspect the premises either. This is the reason we urge sellers to report suspicious sellers to us so we can investigate them. The reasons could be that the buyer did not get the opportunity to see the mum, that the seller is not willing to host a viewing, that the seller would rather use whatsapp or other anonymous communication channels, etc.
I am sorry to hear that you did not feel that our Trust & Safety team took your report seriously. This is not in line with our ambitions. Do you mind sharing the email-address you used in your report so I can check the actual report?
In terms of blocking sellers from posting adverts in December, this is a suggestion which we have given consideration to previously. We have arrived at the conclusion that if we were to make that change then sellers will simply turn to darker corners of the internet to get their puppies sold given the short time window that breeders operate under. As you may be aware, other marketplaces do not enforce the same type of checks as we do and some (e.g. Facebook) do not have any checks at all. As a result, we feel it would be detrimental to the safety of prospective owners to enforce a ban on Pets4Homes.
Do let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
All the best,
Axel Lagercrantz
CEO Pets4Homes
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Dear Axel
Thank you for your comment of 10 December in response to my petition. I have pasted it below for ease of reference.
Your support team appears to be monitoring the adverts more closely and disabling those that include the word Christmas, which is an improvement.
It is also good to hear that you fully support the petition, however it does call for breeders’ ads to be suspended at least two weeks before Christmas and I cannot see any changes being implemented to that effect?
Over 126,000 people have signed this petition. We are urging you to please take action to prevent animals being sold and purchased at Christmas. It is an opportunity for Pets4Homes at this time of year to support rescue centres and promote the adoption of animals in the new year. By not allowing breeders and frequent advertisers to advertise in December, you could make a real difference.
Your educational articles include some very valid points, however, apart from the cat one which was posted recently, the others are well buried and impossible to find.
I have yet to find a ‘breeder/frequent advertiser’ displaying their licence on your website. Surely someone calling themselves a breeder should have one. I reported a dog breeder before and was told by your support team to contact the council if I had concerns. I don’t think it is my job to do this.
Another article has just appeared in the press about a sick puppy having to be put to sleep after the owners got scammed.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/beautiful-border-collie-puppy-put-23153163.amp
It is linked to a breeder using your free platform, as many rogue traders do. What are you doing to prevent this? Asking people to report those dealers is reactive, not proactive so therefore it keeps happening. This issue needs to be taken seriously. Animals are suffering and criminals are getting away with it.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Isabelle Rineau
BaBBA Campaign
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Pets4Homes fully supports this petition and we have a strict enforcement that advertising pets for sale for Christmas (or as gifts during any time of the year) is not allowed on Pets4Homes and it also goes against our terms. Listings that contain suspicious words (e.g. any of the words in the PAAG keywords list), are automatically flagged and are not allowed to go live on the site. If you come across any listings which you believe should be removed, then please report them to us and we will take action.
We also believe that focus on education of the prospective buyers is an equally important method to stop pets being bought as gifts. In practice, a seller cannot reasonably know for certain if the buyer is intending to rehome the pet for themselves or as a gift for someone else. This is why we are focusing a lot of effort in explaining why it is a bad idea to buy a pet as a gift and particularly as a Christmas gift.
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/getting-a-new-cat-or-kitten-at-christmas-time.html
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/is-it-ever-a-good-idea-to-give-your-child-a-pet-for-christmas.html
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/a-dog-is-for-life-not-just-for-christmas.html
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/alternative-christmas-presents-for-a-child-that-wants-a-pet.html
Finally, regarding licensing requirements, Pets4Homes was involved in the animal welfare enquiry and gave written and oral evidence during this enquiry. As a clarification, Pets4Homes is not the regulatory body that has the authority to enforce licensing requirements. We do not decide which breeder should be licensed or not, but we do make sure that if a breeder fails to submit a copy of its license and we have reason to believe that the breeder is subject to licensing requirements (e.g. by posting 3 or more litters for sale in any 12 month period), then we will not allow that breeder to use our platform. If you believe a breeder on Pets4Homes is not displaying its true licensing status, then please report the listing to us using "License" as reason for reporting and we will investigate the licensing status.
Axel Lagercrantz