WARNING: this may be long, but it will be worth the reading when you see the professional management I have dealt with.
I went to The Pawza for the first time with my two dogs. I do not mind spending a 3 night minimum if the dogs love the location and the customer service is good. I dont expect a company to be perfect, but I do expect to get normal customer service. My first experience was great, before we arrived. The lady on the phone was very nice. She knew it was my first time. She explained everything I needed. When I got to the Pawza, the lady asked why the food was not pre-portioned per meal feeding. I let her know I was not aware of this. She responded "its on our website". Okay, I will make sure of this next time.
Well, I was willing to give it another try. I called to make a reservation for the two dogs. Then a couple of days later I found out I was not going to be able to go out of town anymore. I called today (Friday), to cancel the reservation for next Thursday. The lady explained hat the deposit was non-refundable. Funny, I had checked on the website to see what the policy was "Deposits are non refundable unless reservation canceled ninety six hours (four days) prior to scheduled check-in date." since I was told before to check the website for the policies and documents.
Here was our email conversation to see how professional she was:
Mine -
Greetings, I just spoke to someone on the phone about cancelling (my dogs name here) for next Thursday- Sunday. Instead of getting a credit, I would actually like to receive a refund on my debit card. You may want to look into updating the website, so all owners are aware of your "policies". Last time I was there, it was our first time. The lady on the phone did not mention that we needed to pre-bag each feeding for the dogs. I was told when I got there that the policy was listed on the website. So, when I went to the website this time to check the refunded deposit requirements, I was told the website was "really old". I love the idea of my doggies staying at the Pawza, but my only two encounters have not been positive. At this point, I do not believe I should take my dogs to a place I have not had positive outcomes with the "policies". I work in the customer service industry and find this is to be very unreliable. Please confirm my card will be refunded. Thank you.
The Pawza -
I understand what is stated on the website. The website has not been updated in five years and we inform everyone of our cancellation policy when a deposit is taken. We can only issue a credit for your deposit. For this we apologize.
Mine-
I do not approve of this! Please show me a document, in which I have signed, that stated this policy. What is told over the phone would never constitute in a court room. What would, is anything in writing. If your business only refers to correct policies stated over the phone, not a very smart business decision. Please know that we really enjoyed the experience when we were actually there. Y'all asked if you could help to take my dogs to back to my car, and I believe my dogs enjoyed their time. I would hate to not come back. I am only asking for a refund as it states, in writing, on your website. I really feel you are trying to make a point out of a situation, in which, is not correct in writing(website).
The Pawza-
We tell everyone that our policies are listed and carefully expounded on our page. We have left no stone unturned regarding our regulations for stays and check ins. That is why we reference our pages since it would be impossible to tell you every policy in a single phone conversation. Since you are only one day late cancelling your reservation we would be happy to refund your deposit. Please call with your information. You may either pick up a cheque or have it mailed to you. Since you used a debit card for the deposit, we cannot refund back to the card unless it is a credit card. I am sorry you were not happy with our services and unfortunately I do not believe your dogs will find better treatment than they did with us but it is your decision to make, not mine.
My only hope, moving forward, is that The Pawza "update" their website to include accurate information, if they wish to send people there to follow their policies. I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I also never leave reviews. Well, just like this experience, there is a first for everything! read more