We are banned from bringing our sweet Bichon Frise to Petco in Clark, NJ. You be the judge if this is fair. We have been bringing our dog, now age 5, to Petco in Clark for grooming since the store opened in 2015. When we first brought him here, we told the staff that he sometimes has itchy skin due to allergies, and that we prefer they not use perfumed soaps. In June of 2017, after almost two years of great service and predictably good haircuts (and A LOT of money spent on products and services), our dog came home with razor burn on his butt (below his tail). It looked sensitive, and our dog kept trying to lick it. We did not call to complain because we thought that, in a day or two, it would heal naturally as his hair grew back.
As the week went on, it became apparent that we needed to take him to the vet (Westfield Animal Hospital on South Avenue in Garwood). Guess what? Our veterinarian absolutely agreed that our dog had razor burn. We were charged for this visit and had to put our dog on anti-itch meds and antibiotics. LOTS more money spent.
Well, we've been paying Petco for multiple grooming sessions over the years and giving 10-15% tips, so we figured we would call Petco to let them know that the groomer assigned to our dog that day had shaved him too close and gave him an expensive case of razor burn. You know what they said? They said, "Your dog has allergies and itchy skin. That's what you told us - it's in our records." Maybe we're naïve, but we were hoping for an apology and maybe 10% off of our next grooming appointment. It would have been REALLY nice and even more appropriate if they had picked up the vet bill and gave us our next grooming session for free. But you know what we got? That's right: BANNED from stinking Petco in Clark. Okay, to be fair, when my husband was accused of having an itchy dog, he was not too pleased with the manager who refused to take any ownership or responsibility for either the razor burn or the snip-happy groomer, so he raised his voice (he NEVER curses or condescends). He merely stated, "Don't tell me that it was just itchy skin and allergies. This was razor burn and we have the vet bill to prove it)! My, my, that is certainly a terrible threat and grounds for being BANNED. Oh, yes, I forgot: we would like you to be the judge. So, do you think Petco was right to ban us, or is Petco in Clark to blame for being too quick to cover up when they make a costly and painful mistake on someone's pet? read more