We have two small dogs who have been groomed a few times at the Brevard Rd. PetCo with no issues, and no complaints or concerns from the groomers. Quite to the contrary, the groomers have remarked that our pups are so very sweet. This review in no way reflects the service we have received at that location, with which we have been very pleased. We have both had many lovely and helpful conversations with employees in every capacity at the Brevard store.
Today my wife went online to schedule appointments for our two dogs to get a simple bath and nail trim, no other grooming necessary. Gracie is about 22 lbs, 15 years old, nervous but sweet and cooperative; Gabe is about 16 lbs, 8 years old, also engaging and cooperative. She made the appointments at the Merrimon store because the Brevard store did not have earlier availability. Shortly after making the online appointments a confirmation email arrived. About 10 minutes later, she received a cancellation of one appointment with no explanation. We did get a voice mail from an employee, perhaps a manager, saying that they, because of Gracie's age, "will not and cannot do her here". My wife, Ronna, called the Merrimon store first, and the person who answered said they didn't know anything about it and would not allow Ronna to speak to a groomer. He said someone would call back. Ronna called the Brevard store an agroomer told her that a manager from Merrimon had essentially blackballed Gracie, our older dog, saying that she could no longer get grooming services at any Petco. We are now prevented from taking her to the Brevard store for grooming.
Ronna called the Merrimon store back, and the first person she talked to again knew nothing about the situation. My wife was transferred to a second employee, who was in some supervisory position and who, after hearing Ronna's complaint, said that she would make note in the chart that we didn't care about Gracie's well-being as much as the store did, and wanted them to break the rules about age. Ronna was understandably upset, and called her on a condescending and nasty (passive aggressive, really) response. The employee talked about our dog being "nervous" and having arthritis, said that she was quoting Ronna, and repeated that they were unwilling to care for her, and that they were only concerned for Gracie's well-being, suggesting again that we were not. When Ronna told her that the groomers at Brevard Rd, after speaking with us before the first grooming, had never expressed a concern, the employee said that it was because they were "ignorant and inexperienced" (direct quote), and that they didn't care about Gracie's well-being either. Keep in mind that no one from the Merrimon store had ever made an effort to speak to us about our dog, or meet our dog.
Our complaint is not that they have rules preventing their groomers from working on elderly or compromised dogs. Such rules are understandable, but should be based on the individual dog, not a blanket age limitation. A 15 year old Great Dane can't be compared to a 15 year old Pomeranian mix. Should they have chosen to speak with us respectfully and discuss their corporation's policies before cancelling the appointment and putting that note into Gracie's chart, we might very well have understood their position and been able to make other arrangements. The real problem was the lack of meaningful communication, and that Ronna was spoken to in such a rude, insulting and condescending manner. The employee's repeated comments about how we must not care about Gracie's well-being were particularly and intentionally hurtful and hostile. Talking about it has brought Ronna to tears. We know that the employee was likely choosing to be manipulative and doesn't know us, and that her nasty comments shouldn't matter. The comments were still remarkably hurtful as they would have been to anyone who cares deeply for their pets, and who has always made the effort to seek out the highest quality of care.
We were offended, as well, by the insults that the employee threw at the Brevard store groomers, who in our experience have always been nothing but professional, gracious, helpful and skilled.
The second employee ended the call saying that there was nothing she could do to remedy the situation. Other than cancelling the appointment for Gabe, finding a new groomer, and writing this review, we are out of options. We are never going to the Merrimon PetCo again. It isn't enough for a business to be local and convenient - we expect professional behavior and good communication as a baseline.
We have one grace note. Ronna bathed both Gracie and Gabe this morning after taking them both for a walk. Gracie may be 15 years old, but she loves to run in the open, loves the water, and loves walking through our neighborhood. read more
