Our dog Lucy has been a client of The Dog Wash since April 2022, with 9 pre-booked appointments…read morescheduled a year in advance. We have always been reliable and punctual with drop-off and pick-up times, paid the agreed-upon rate provided by the owner and we were offered the option to pay in cash to save on the taxes. The price increased from $77 to $85 in July 2024, a 10% increase for all customers, making my total cost of $100 per appointment which included a $15 tip for the staff. This payment arrangement remained in place until Lucy's last appointment on July 5, 2025.
On Lucy's last grooming appointment, my daughter went to pick her up and was told that the grooming fee had increased to $97 from the usual $85. When my daughter questioned the significant increase, 14%, the owner defensively explained that the price for dogs weighing 17-25 pounds is $97, not $85, and since Lucy exceeds 17 pounds, that would be the new rate. However, my dog has not weighed 17 pounds since August 2022, so it took them 3 years to weigh her and realize she weighs 25 pounds? When I contacted The Dog Wash to ask why I wasn't given any prior notice when they discovered their mistake, Angela avoided addressing my question. She proceeded to tell me that the increase had already been applied during my last visit on May 31st, so why was I complaining now? I told her that I was not informed about the price increase during the last visit in May and only became aware of it during this appointment in (July). She became defensive, and started accusing me of yelling at her during our brief 1-minute conversation, which I was not, and abruptly ended the call. I attempted to call her back 2 more times to try to communicate with her, but despite my efforts to discuss the situation, she informed me she was cancelling all the remaining bookings and hung up on both calls. The total duration of the 3 calls I made to her was 2 minutes and 8 seconds.
The owner of this establishment failed to acknowledge her mistake and showed disrespect, rudeness, and a lack of accountability. Despite paying $100 for each appointment, she accused me of being privileged and ungrateful for allegedly underpaying her. The error was on her end, not mine, and she was not losing any money; it was her staff missing out on their tip. In one year, we were increased 24%, $8 last year and $12 now, $20 and the owner didn't feel the need to call me to let me know the discrepancy. The negative reviews highlight the owner's lack of empathy and disregard for customers. Her mediocre customer service skills reflect poorly on her professionalism and emphasize the importance of basic customer service skills.
I wish The Dog Wash all the best and hope Amgela work on improving customer service and communication with both existing and new clients going forward.