I've waited to leave this review, hoping that a conclusion could be reached to this situation, but it never did. We wanted our German Shepherd groomed for the holidays since a family member is allergic to dogs. Our regular grooming location was closed on Christmas Eve so I opted to take my dog to PetCo near my work. If you know German Shepherds, you know there are two main times a year in which their coats go through a change which results in higher hair output (they shed year-round.) This was one of the seasons: ridding of the lighter coat for the thicker coat for Winter.
I was very clear in what I wanted to have done to my dog: a bath, dry, light brushing, sanitary trim, and nail trim. When the (rude) woman looked up at me (she was "assessing my dog") she asked, "sanitary trim?" Sanitary trim is a very common term used in grooming as any professional groomer should know this. It merely means the hair is trimmed around the pads of the paw and around the dog's private areas. With an attitude, she sighed, and I handed my dog over to them with his collar and leash.
When I picked up my dog, I was shocked. They put his leash on him (and a choke chain I had brought) and handed me his other collar. It was broken. It was in perfectly normal condition when I brought it into them, but now the built in handle was broken as a heavy duty stainless steel fastener was now gone. I also noticed that my dog had been SHAVED (as in a body shave.) All of his hair was "broken" and chopped. The worst part was he didn't even have a sanitary trim! He still had hair around his pads and privates. It seemed all they did was bathe him and shave him. I did not ask for a shave. His coat was not tangled or matted needing to be shaved for health purposes. I couldn't wait to get out of there and was incredibly annoyed at what my dog now looked like as well as a broken collar. I begrudgingly paid the price as I had to get back to work, and I sent an email to PetCo.
PetCo then contacted the store and had the store manager call me two weeks later. I did not answer my phone as I was at work and cannot have a personal phone in my workplace. She left a message. I called her back that evening, but I was told she "had just left for the day." I tried calling a week later, and I was told she hadn't come in yet. Another week went by, and she called again during my work hours. I called back ten minutes later on my lunchbreak, and she had stepped out.
After playing phone tag for nearly a month, I received an email from Petco stating the "We are writing about your concern in our Cobb County - Smyrna Store. The upper management in charge of the store has tried to contact you at ....However, they are unable to speak with you. If possible, kindly provide us your preferred contact number and time. Alternatively, please contact the store at 770-952-9701 and look for General Manager. They are looking forward to hear from you." I was incredibly frustrated as I HAD called them back...and whenever I did, there was always a reason why they couldn't be reached. I tried one more time, and I even tried calling to speak to the General Manager, but, guess what? They weren't there yet. I left my name and number, and I never heard back.
I gave up. I paid $60 (exact was something like $62 or $64 - I donated to the charity there) and decided I would NEVER go back to that store again. If you don't mind a groomer who doesn't bother listening to you, does the opposite of what you ask, and management that would rather give you the run-around than fix a problem, then feel free to use this groomer. read more