Second update: message from the owner to me, exact quote:
"Do what you must and hide behind your review....You know where I am located if you want to talk like a man and not hide behind a review. The fact of the matter is you were the baby who cried on Yelp about my business. I did nothing wrong but follow Howard County Health Department rules and by the way the customer is NEVER always right. I have been in business with multiple businesses for 20 years......FRIEND!"
So now the business owner, not delivering on their original advertising, is challenging me to come in person to resolve this? I used Yelp as designed to offer a review, happy to change it if the experience changed. Instead I'm literally getting messaged multiple times challenging my manhood because I won't waste time to discuss in person? How emotionally unbalanced is this person???
First Update: So instead of addressing my concern, the owner chastises me on social media for giving a bad review. Said I should be ashamed of myself for leaving a bad review. Excuse me? I've been running small businesses in central Maryland for 15 years. Owner chastised me for not even trying the coffee, when I would have had to leave my dog in the car to try the coffee.
More detail: I had planned on bringing my pup in simply to order, then to sit outside. I was aware that the play area wasn't open - i didn't come to use that. But I figured a "dog friendly, dog themed" coffee shop would surely let my dog come in with me and sit quietly while I ordered.
When I pulled in, someone met me in the parking lot to tell me the play area was closed. I said thank you, I knew that, I just wanted to get coffee and some breakfast and sit outside with my dog. They said I couldn't bring the dog in. I said, okay - can I park closer so my dog can see me while I'm ordering? Again, no. Can I order some breakfast outside? We don't have any breakfast. At that point, as a dog lover, I'm wondering why I drove 20 minutes one way to a "dog friendly" coffee shop that doesn't allow dogs aside from 4 hours a week. I literally was in the process of making coffee dates with my dog-owning friends to meet there...only to tell them A) how they weren't really dog friendly at all except on Saturdays, and B) the owner will throw a temper tantrum at you if you complain.
What's even better is that I had intended on checking out the daycare and boarding situation to potentially use their doggy services...but after his response to the Yelp review? No wonder it was dead on a Friday morning - if they treat all their customers that way, it makes perfect sense I was the only one there.
Final point - I would have been happy to change my negative review if there was any sliver of customer service in the reply. As a small business owner myself, that is my goal in responding to any customer complaint. Instead, I got an angry and childish temper tantrum from the owner because a customer gave a bad review when customer was given bad service??? If you go out of business, it won't be because of COVID - it'll be because of your own bad attitude!
Second update: message from the owner to me, exact quote:
"Do what you must and hide behind your review....You know where I am located if you want to talk like a man and not hide behind a review. The fact of the matter is you were the baby who cried on Yelp about my business. I did nothing wrong but follow Howard County Health Department rules and by the way the customer is NEVER always right. I have been in business with multiple businesses for 20 years......FRIEND!"
So now the business owner, not delivering on their original advertising, is challenging me to come in person to resolve this? I used Yelp as designed to offer a review, happy to change it if the experience changed. Instead I'm literally getting messaged multiple times challenging my manhood because I won't waste time to discuss in person? How emotionally unbalanced is this person??? read more