Dear Petco,
Regarding: Complaint about Falkor, who was groomed on 07/09/09 at your Pasadena, CA location.
I stopped by your Pasadena store today, which is also where I adopted my rescued puppy, Falkor. Earlier I had telephoned twice and spoken with a groomer named Paula. She described a promotion for a puppy's very first grooming at Petco and said I should bring along a vaccination certificate, a rabies certificate and my Petco P.A.L.S. Card. The groom would cost just $22, and a haircut would add $11.
Falkor had been abandoned, and we took her in two and a half weeks back. The spay surgery took place eleven days earlier. According to our vet, a bath and grooming were fine from 7 to 10 days following the spay, so we picked today. We were eager to take her in for a first fresh haircut and bath.
At about 1 P.M., a friend and I left Falkor with Paula. Paula said many dogs were ahead of Falkor and the wait would be long. I asked whether she would be finished by 3:00, the time her workday was supposed to end. Paula answered that her shift ended at 3:30, but with her workload she would not be done by then, and she would phone me when Falkor was ready. That seemed reasonable. I left. When nobody had called by 4 P.M., I returned to the store, intending to sit in the grooming salon and read a magazine.
On entering, I spotted fur on the floor that resembled Falkor's. I thought she might be done. Paula said she was, and she printed a slip for me to carry to the register. I stood waiting for my puppy, but Paula went on cleaning, so I asked whether payment came before getting my dog back. She seemed exhausted from working beyond her shift, and said yes, that was how it worked. (How could I have known? Obviously I got "Puppy's first groom," so you would think the staff would realize it was my first time.)
I paid at the register and then waited for the store manager, Jessica, because I wanted change to tip Paula. Jessica told me she could not break a $20 bill just then, and suggested the groomer might. So I returned to the salon.
In the salon Paula was cradling my puppy. I did not notice at first, until Paula showed me that she had nicked my puppy's nipple. Falkor was bleeding, and I was stunned and had no idea what to think or do. Paula said that she had not realized Falkor's nipples were positioned so high. She added that my puppy had been afraid of the clippers and had squirmed. She said Falkor had not seemed to react as if she had been cut, and that she would carry her over to Vetco, next door, to be sure she was fine. All of this came at me too quickly to absorb. I simply nodded and went after her.
My puppy was taken into Vetco. Jessica and Paula explained that the vet would tend to her. I felt powerless, and even though I rarely show emotion in public, tears came. I had come for a first grooming, and instead I was sitting in a waiting area while my puppy was being treated. Some minutes later Jessica gave me my money back for the groom. (I am grateful for that, and also grateful that Petco is paying the vet charges - thank you - but those things seem obvious to me.) Jessica remarked that Paula held the head groomer title and was very skilled. I stared at her in disbelief, gestured toward "Vetco" and replied, "apparently not." A little later I was told she would not need stitches. After a few more minutes, they had me sign paperwork for the vet and asked me to bring Falkor back on Sunday to confirm she was healing.
About thirty minutes later my puppy was brought out in a bandage, and I was handed antibiotics and painkillers. The vet said she had lost a third of the nipple that had been cut. My instructions were half a painkiller tablet every 12 hours for 5 days, and one antibiotic tablet every 12 hours for 5 days, but nobody told me when to give the first dose. Tonight? Tomorrow? Had they already given her one of each at the clinic? I was too shaken to ask then, and once I was home and called the vet, it had closed. I phoned your store, which shares a building with the vet, and was told there was no after-hours number and that nobody in the store had a phone number for any Vetco worker. Shouldn't the store have that information?
I know this was an accident, that minor nicks can occur, and that people with pets often behave like overprotective parents. I will not argue with that, although it is not how I acted today. My complaint is that no one said sorry to me. A major pet retailer should have employees who show compassion to every pet owner, most of all when a first-time puppy owner like me is the one affected. Even if you see this kind of incident all the time, it is not something I go through regularly - in fact, I never had before.
Since you offer "first time grooms" for puppies, I also expect your "head groomer" is experienced with puppies who are frightened by the sound of clippers. She was on overtime, so maybe fatigue made her less careful by the time she reached my puppy. Had I known the day was full, I would have accepted that and booked another time. Also, if your staff believed I was overreacting, they should have been trained to reassure customers rather than stifle their slight giggles while I stood there. A little understanding and sympathy would have meant a lot to me today.
Falkor is a rescue who had surgery only eleven days ago. I have no idea what she lived through before we took her in, and the one thing I do not want, as I suspect any owner would agree, is for her to suffer more. I believe that because everything happened as the workday was ending, nobody had the energy left to care what my puppy or I were going through. At minimum I expect better service from a company I have shopped at for years. (I had a cat for a few years before adopting my puppy.)
One more thing: after everything, her haircut is badly uneven.
I am deeply disappointed, and I will do what I can to avoid giving business to your company, especially this store.
Sincerely,
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