PetChatz Greet & Treat Videophone

I am so frustrated. This has been very difficult to get dogs to come to. picture freezes it is unknown whether the sound works and generally the dogs do nothing when it is activated. IT IS TOTALLY USELESS. And now they will not even let me return it (it's been 6 weeks not 4). I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE. This is a rip off!

After weeks of trying the PetChatz, I could not get it to work properly. When I would try to use it, I would log in and see one picture of the dogs, the screen would freeze and nothing else. I was so excited to get it, but disappointed that it didn't work as described. Hope they fix the problem cause I'd still love to have one.

Our pups love it . . . one just stays close to it during the day while we're gone.

Did not work

I pre-ordered this in March 2014 when a friend pointed out an article about it to me, knowing that it would be something I would be interested in. The company spent a lot of time working on its development, pushing delivery estimates from May to June to September, finally delivering the unit late in November. I would agree with some other reviewers that there are a few issues with it (hence the 4 out of 5 stars), which I will talk about below, but overall I'm happy with the product and my dog enjoys using it. It did take a few weeks for my dog to get used to it. Initially she would get scared and run away from it when the incoming call chime played, but after she figured out there were treats involved she was much more willing to go to it. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to check in with their pet while at work or traveling.-Low-resolution camera - Do not buy this thinking you will be getting high quality images of your precious pet. It is a fairly low-res camera that offers somewhat choppy video and audio, but does the job for what it advertises, a way to communicate with your pet while you're away. I have pretty high speed internet and was able to improve the image quality and choppiness a bit by moving the unit closer to my modem and router (I originally had it in a back room in the house pretty far from the modem), but even now it's not what I would call great picture quality. Still, I can see and hear my dog, she can see and hear me, and I can release treats for her from away, which she loves.-No night vision - I have a separate security camera system that I am used to keeping an eye on my dog with. These cameras have night vision, so I got spoiled and assumed that this would as well. It does not, so make sure you keep a light on or you won't be able to see a thing.-Wall mount difficulties - The outlets in my house are all mounted horizontally, which is a problem for this unit. The back panel that you use to mount it to the wall is cut for a vertical outlet only. To mount it to the wall using that panel the unit would have to be laying horizontal, which obviously won't work for treat dispensing, not to mention making the video look goofy. Luckily I saw the crate mount instructions in the user manual and realized I didn't have to use that panel. I currently have the unit zip tied to the door of my entertainment center and it works perfectly fine there.***UPDATED***-30 minutes free chat daily (now unlimited!) - Some people have complained that this is too short a time and you have to subscribe to get more. I have not ever come close to using 30 minutes of chat time a day. I log in once or twice a day for a few minutes each and have had no problems. ***UPDATE*** Connie from PetChatz just wrote to remind me that they now offer free unlimited time for chat, so no worries over this at all anymore!

Below is my first review when I had ordered the Pet CHatz. I was able to track down some of the reasons why ours didn't work properly.Anchorage, Ak's internet situation is at best poor quality. This can cause the poor picture and connection.In addition- our Apple router didn't work- so we had purchased a different one and that helped a little (if our internet server worked better that may have been the fix).I WILL say that the customer service has been 5 STARS!I was in regular communication with the company- and always got a quick reply and a kind human being.If our internet provider changes I would repurchase it.Sadly this does not work as advertised. I had just adopted a high needs rescue beagle who needed reassurance when we were at work.We have a doggy cam in main area- but wanted this for two way talking and visual and treats (he's a beagle so its all abut the food!)Unfortunately, after spending over $500 ( device, refill treats, and postage) my husband spent two moths trying to get it to work.We spend another $100 for a new router (they say it doesn't do well w Apple).We were able to get a grainy picture, and random but little audio-very inconsistent audio. The treats dropped out- thats it.Now...let's see how their customer service os with Paypal.Too bad- very cool idea- ad spend big$ on my many pets..

I had the petchatz unit for about two weeks now and I love it! You need to have high-speed Internet to have the best connection. I have the app for my iPhone and now I can have my dog anywhere I go he's in my pocket :) anytime I hear him cry I call him and give him a treat and he stops! that is the best feeling as a pet parent you can have

I tried this product for 30 days and decided to return it because of the issues described in other reviews. I then bought the Social Pet Camera & Treat Dispenser by Petsafe which is less expensive, has a better quality camera, facebook integration, and you can use your own treats/kibble. Currently you can only by it from the Petsafe website, but this allows you a 30 day return policy.