After years of hearing wonderful things about Delilah's, I took my new baby maltipoo for his first grooming to Delilah's. Leslie is a master of her craft--from what I saw on that first visit. As a new petowner, I was completely clueless as to how specific I should be or what words to use to describe how I wanted my baby to look. He was perfect. Unfortunately, Leslie is no longer grooming and has been training new groomers.
Though hesitant about having a new groomer when it was only his 2nd grooming experience, I gave Delilah's the benefit of the doubt. The second experience wasn't terrible... it also was NOT worth the price. He looked nothing like the picture I showed them and the worst part--he came home COVERED in fleas. Not only did I pay for a haircut that could've been done better at PetCo, but I spent the next 48 hours giving my dog a flea bath, washing all sheets, covers, blankets, dog toys, AND cleaning my carpet.
After one less-than-satisfactory haircut, I decided to give the new groomers ONE more shot with my baby. When dropping him off, I specifically told Leslie (of all people) that my main concerns were his ear hairs. The rest of the body needed a trim, but I couldn't get myself to pull those ear hairs out and it was getting messy so I definitely needed that done. I also specified that I like the puppy cut, especially for the face because I am NOT a fan of the mustache/beard that they always give to maltese/maltipoos. When the groomer brought out my dog, I was... indifferent. I just watched as she brought out a white maltese that seemed to resemble my baby. 3 seconds later... It hit me. She was carrying MY baby. He looked NOTHING like what I had asked--he was barely recognizable. My 6mo. old pup looked like he was actually 6 years old, with an awful part down the top of his head, a beard, SHARP nails that left scratch marks on my chest/shoulders (which has NEVER happened when I've clipped his nails at home) and with all this, I was in a rush to leave for Indy so I was willing to pay the full price and deal with it.
When I took a closer look at my pup in the car, I realized one last thing. They didn't pluck his ears. AT ALL. I was livid. I took him back in to the store and waited patiently for one of the staff to become available. I will give them props for their service--they were very nice and offered to fix him up at no extra charge. Leslie apologized--though the real apology should have come from the groomer herself. On top of this, I had to wait around an extra HOUR--causing me to miss most of my big family dinner AND left myself and my car completely covered in freshly trimmed dog hair.
The main reason for choosing a maltipoo was for its NON-shedding qualities.
My other gripe about Delilah's comes from the two times I've called to ask for tips on home grooming. You can understand that after such terrible grooming experiences, I'd like to give it a go myself and possibly save a lot of cash in the long run. The first time I called, I asked if they would allow me to watch them clip my dog--not ask questions or interrupt in any way--just watch. They gave me a speech about how "it's how they make their living" so they prefer not to show owners how to clip their pets but if I insisted, it would be O-K. I was put-off by their tone so I didn't bother watching that third (and final) grooming.
My second call was made today. After spending over $200 on professional grade clippers and blades, I merely asked to speak with someone for basic tips--since they are always so helpful when giving tips on everything else. The lady that always works the register answered, talked to someone else the WHOLE time I was speaking to her, and simply said that she didn't know much about grooming and only works up front and nobody was available to talk to me.
"I do hear them mention that they use blade size 4 a lot but I don't know if that's appropriate for your dog."
...gee. Thanks.
I used to be impressed by their customer service and extensive knowledge on pets and all of the different products available for petowners. Today, I realized that it's all an act and all they want is your money and loyalty. I can't blame them for wanting the money, as I'm a businesswoman myself. I'm all about staying loyal, especially to small local businesses, but they have officially lost my business, as well as my close friends', after their complete lack of helpfulness regarding grooming.
I'm extremely disappointed in Delilah's and upset to see such a well-reputed business not living up to their previous reputation. read more