Petco Grooming Services are a big SCAM!!! RUDE, RIPOFF employees! Sebring Florida

We have a lot of customers come in the grooming salons who don't completely understand what we do or what we can't do for their pet. All we try to do is make sure your loved one stays healthy and comfortable.

Regarding the lovely complaint that was made against the salon, I personally would like to either validate or justify what was being harassed.

I have seen many dogs come into the salon in dire need of skin maintenance. But, sometimes they are just in too bad of health for us to safely care for. If your dog happens to come in for a bath with severely irritated and inflamed skin it honestly would NOT be healthy for him to be groomed. The grooming process is very stressful to a dog and that itself could make it worse. Putting shampoo or even the clippers on this dog's skin could cause an extremely uncomfortable breakout. Granted the groomer should have assumed all of this in the check-in process. But, sometimes you don't really get a good look at the pooch until you start on them, or even (as has happened to me) one of the assistants check the dog in and they didn't know what they were looking for. But overall I do respect that salon for letting the customer know that they couldn't do the dog because if they had and the dog had gotten worse the customer would, I am positive, been even more upset. What they should have done is checked the dog in properly so the customer would have known the issue before they left, and the groomers should have requested that the dog get taken to a vet for further grooming. That would have been the safest form of action.

And as for cleaning the teeth, no, we do not scrape the teeth like the vet does. We don't have the equipment or skills to do it. But we do offer a tooth brushing service that many customers enjoy. If you want a deep cleaning process please take your dog to your vet to do it. Out service in not a rip off. It's just like people teeth. If you brush your teeth on a regular basis, it removes plaque, food debris, and improves the maintenance of the teeth. Most customers don't brush their dog's teeth; we just offer the service for whoever wants to take advantage of it.

Granted PETCO can be a little pricey, but in the area that I first started working at, that salon was the cheapest grooming in the area. Now that I have moved more south it's about average. The shampoos we use are top of the line, and it is a corporation, so there are the set prices, we don't have the luxury of using our personal judgment regarding pricing. In my personal opinion, this person was already in the mindset to hate PETCO after he dog was decline and so everything else was just the icing on the cake.

Spoke to "Billy", a very nice young man when I called the corporate complaint number. He was very interested in my complaint, especially the part about charging for teeth cleaning services and being told that they "only rub the dog's teeth with toothpaste", instead of actually cleaning the teeth. I was sent a PETCO gift card for $10 to reimburse my out of pocket expense for the nail clipping.

I'm sorry that your dog grooming experience wasn't satisfactory. I would like to give my 2 cents as a groomer.

1. Your dog's skin and coat should have been examined by the groomer. If the skin irritation is beyond just shampoo and conditioner it is usually an issue to bring up with your vet.

2. Toothbrushing is a service offered but it is not the same as teeth scaling. That is a procedure done under anesthetics by a vet tech the dog hasn't been introduced to toothbrushing as a puppy and is done at home on a regular basis, then brushing the dog's only during grooming sessions is a waste of time and money. It also is added stress for your dog.

3. Petco's grooming prices is comparable to independent grooming shops. In fact it can be much lower for large and giant breeds. The base price for all dogs is too low when there is no maintenance work done at home.

I would suggest giving them a second chance but please ask specific questions about the services. I would also ask them what you could do between grooms. The more done at home is easier for the dog and you.