Petnet: Petnet asks customers for more money - but still can't get its feeder to work

Petnet, the smart pet feeding company whose bowls and smart feeders stopped working, finally reached out to customers late Friday - to ask for more money. The company did not offer to fix broken devices, did not explain when customers might find the feeders working again - nor even mention potential refunds for broken products. Instead, Petnet sent out a survey that asked customers if they'd be willing to pay a monthly fee to support their connected pet bowl - even though they don't work today."We are collecting feedback about how our users would feel about the option of implementing a subscription model," reads the email. "This model would fund the monthly operating cost to run the Petnet infrastructure and customer support."The email, titled, "The Petnet community needs your help," describes the financial concerns that the company has faced since the coronavirus pandemic arose. Namely, that their venture capital financial have either shrunk or been pulled.Petnet's feeders and bowls have been offline since mid-AprilGearBrainPetnet had emailed customers on April 14, telling them that everything that makes their feeders and bowls - from Gen 1 devices, including the Petnet SmartFeeder, to the most recent - is gone. The app cannot connect to the Petnet products, which means they can't be scheduled to drop food at times that owners want. Even worse, the light may appear to be on the device - and therefore working - when it's not, the company told people.That email followed news two months prior, in February, that customers were already reporting malfunctioning pet devices, that bowls bowls were not working properly, and pets were not getting fed.In the latest note, the company further detailed the steps they've taken since the economic shutdown, which includes laying off 100 percent of their staff, ending their office lease and working from remote locations, applying for CARES stimulus funding, and stopping all work on product development - including any bug fixes.The company noted that while it was "confident" that the issue preventing its smart bowls and feeders from getting online will eventually be fixed, they acknowledge that the problem has not been stabilized yet.Petnet's SmartFeeder is still available online, through a link on the company's web site for $130. The device, which works via an app, did not require a monthly fee to operate, like many other smart products from robotic vacuums to smart lights.Petnet alerted customers in April that the light may remain on their device - but it still may not be dispensing foodGearBrainBut companies that build products that link over the internet, and then through an app, have in some cases, asked customers to pay additional fees for premium services. That includes smart video doorbell and camera makers, which may allow customers to store videos for a day, but then charge then a fee if they want to hold on to those videos for longer. Those extra fees do more than pay for storage, they also provide a continuous income stream for companies, something Petnet is looking to add.Petnet's survey on whether customers would pay that fee is embedded in the email through a link, which takes you to a Typeform page, where you're prompted to enter your email - and then answer just one question: whether you'd choose the $4 a month or $37.50 annual charge. You can't leave a comment on the survey, nor can you reply to the email that was initially sent.Without additional funding - whether from investors or customers paying monthly charges - Petnet implies its future is likely not very strong."As a result of the pandemic and financial crisis, our investments have receded and in some cases have completely dissipated in a manner that impacts our ability to serve our customers and unfortunately leaves us on the brink of ceasing operations," the company wrote.