The place is beautiful, spacious and very clean. My cat is a 14 month old calico female that has never been boarded before. This was a first for the cat and for myself. The two ladies working there are very nice and friendly and I was pleased with the place and the people. My only complaint is that they seem to struggle with the billing part.
I visited the place (loved it) and I paid in full for a 12 day reservation (regular size kennel) on May 12. My reservation was for June 22 -July 03. I paid $244.00 (20/day + $4.00 litter fee). Three weeks after I paid I received a call from them telling me that they can not hold my reservation for June unless I pay half of it upfront. I told them that I paid in full with a check and that the check has cleared the bank the next day. She was very nice on the phone and told me she will look for that payment. A day before I had to drop off the cat I called to find the best time for bringing the cat in and I was asked to bring the check # for my payment because they still could not find my check. That scared me because I had no time to make other arrangements for boarding the cat with a such short notice if they canceled my reservation. Fortunately, that was not necessary and I was assured that my reservation was still good. Next day I brought in the cat and a copy after my bank statement showing the cashed check (front and back), but I made the mistake and did not bring any food. I didn't noticed that on their website, so I thought food was included. I brought the bedding and the toys but not the food. I asked if she wanted me to go and get some food, but she told me not to worry that they had two other cats with Science Hill brand food and that she will find her some food for a small charge. I said "great!" and everything was set.
On July 03 I picked up the cat. I knew there will be an extra charge for the food, but when she told me I own $15.00 I thought that can't be right. She showed me the receipt with calculations of my bill and the extra charges, starting up with: "12 days× $20/day= $152.00" then she took $144.00 (paid amount) out of the $152.00 "152.00-144.00=8.00" then added $4.00 for litter fee and $3.60 for food but told me she give me a $4.00 credit for "transfer fee". I asked what's a transfer fee, and was told they charge when they have to move a cat from the kennel to overflow, but since they didn't had to move my cat into the overflow they give me a "credit". So she added and subtracted and came up with $15.00 balance.
No matter how many times you add a 20 will never end with a 2. I could tell she was confused about those charges, so I told her (very civilized) that $20.00/day for 12 days = $240.00. I paid $244.00 so the extra $4.00 was for the litter fee (initially I thought that was a tax), so my only remained balance should be the cat food. She was not happy with me correcting her on the charges and seem irritated. She sent me to get the cat from the kennel and when I came back she give me a receipt with a $3.60 balance and told me "this will make you happy", it almost sounded like she did me a favour and she was giving me something for free that I should be thankful for it. I did not like that at all ! Instead of apologizing for making a mistake on simple math she make it sound like she would be the bigger person and just not charge me for something. Everyone makes mistakes, but they don't admit their mistakes. If I would paid cash and throw away the receipt what would I do if I couldn't prove that I paid? They are running a business and they need to get better organize with the money, because it puts the customer in a very uncomfortable situation. I like the place, and I like the 2 ladies working there but I was uncomfortable with the money keep being brought up when it should be an easy go. I believe my cat was kept well and clean. Everybody said she was very sweet. It's hard to say how happy she was because I think she was depress. She lost weight in the 12 days she was there. I don't believe it was the place, I think it was because she has never been boarded before and she was scared in a new place without her family. She weighted 12 pounds 4 days before she was boarded (my vet weighted her), while the day I pick her up she weighted 11.3 pounds ( that's 8% of her body weight lost in two weeks, and since the cat can't talk that says something). I was worry that she will be depress for her first time but I'm sure she will get better in the future. Again, I don't think it's the place, I think it was the cat. I would like to use this place again because they are good with cats, but I don't want to be put in embarrassing situations about the money again. I hope they can take my review with a professional approach and not hold it against me. I'll try them again next time because it is a nice place for the cat, and I'm hoping they will not be "forever booked" for me because of my review. Time will tell...... read more