Groomers! Are You Sick Of Clueless Clients

[qashmir]

After grooming for 25 years, i am sick to death of clients blaming me for conditions on their dog. Examples: 1. dog matted solid, it's MY fault it has to be clipped short. 2. White dog with obvious skin issues is licking it's feet, it's MY fault coz i must have cut it. 3. Dog with recurring ear problems, it's MY fault for giving it another ear infection. The list is endless!! Clients always want someone to blame, be it the vet or the groomer. It's NEVER their ineptitude or laziness or the dog's existing condition or behavior. Thanks for letting me rant! After so long, i'm getting so intolerant of defending myself to idiots! And i think they're getting worse!!

[saintlysusan]

I think you need to go grab a cuppa and try to relax!

I completely understand though, I recently told someone I wont be able to do their dog anymore, It was hard as

I was quiet attached to the dog but it was just getting too much, every visit was getting worse and worse..

Hope the rest of your day picks up!

Edited May 14, 2008 by saintlysusan

[frufru]

Yes it is getting worse - our society encourages us to blame everyone but ourselves and not to take responsibility for our own actions (or inaction). Focus on the nice customers.

[Dogsfevr]

Yes its true & we simply no longer groom those clients

[poodlefan]

Yes its true & we simply no longer groom those clients

Or their dogs. :rolleyes:

[Andisa]

:rolleyes: I hear ya. ;)

I have lost the odd client or so simply because I will not be blamed for the state their dog(s) come to me in. I will tell them that I have no option than to clip it really short because of heavy matting. When told that I am supposed to be a groomer so groom it - hmm think boiling kettle and your close.

I will not take that from anyone. I have told them to go to someone else and they will be told the exact same thing. If they complain about my price then I tell them to ring**** mobile knowing that they are $10 - $20 dearer than me especially when the dog is matted. Then they can see just how reasonable my prices are -they come back.

I have seen some dogs in the most horrid condition that I have to hold back from vomiting while trying to get the shit off the dog, so far I have been lucky and not found maggots, I am sure that day will come.

I have been told that these "little fluffy dogs always get matted - that's just what happens" Oh yes, I do agree that is true, they do get matted, but there is no excuse for it. It cost you nothing to brush the dog yourself to avoid matting the coat, or bring it in before it gets to this point. So there is no need for it to happen.

If they do not like the truth that is not my fault.

How some people can look me in the eye and tell me that they love their dog so much, the dog is everything to them, etc, etc, and who are obviously not short of the $$ then I have no time for their bull s**t. I will say what I think, I don't care.

When people are genuine, I will tell them that it is ok, your here now, lets just sort this out, once he /she is all clipped off you will never know.

I will treat people the way they treat me.

I had a golden x poodle (you know the one - long story here) that was heavily matted, had to go right back. The "breeder" told her that they NEVER need to be groomed, so they didn't. She would get in the shower with it and give it a jolly good scrub. um well you just can't do that with a poodle coat. I had told her to stop this twice before and the next time she brings in her OH. You guessed it, he hated what I did to the dog and I said to him that I am glad that he came to me this time, hopefully we can get this sorted out. So instead of him going on at me, he got stuck into her about what she was doing to the coat after she was told not to. That dog had also the worst untreated ear problems that he had been scratching them so badly that he had formed blood clotting on both ear flaps. As soon as I touched them they bled like stink. Well I almost hit the floor, it took forever to stop the bleeding. When they picked him up he was very short all over, ears too. I had no choice than to clip his ears back as I could not put pressure of pulling the mats out of the ears. That B***h tried to blame me. I told her to go to the vet and the vet will tell her the same thing that i did. Reminding her that had she gone to the vet when the dog was in obvious pain this would never have happened in the first place. I was as nice as I could be but will not be blamed for their lack of care.

Thankfully most clients are fantastic, but when you get the wrong one it will stuff up the whole day.

Some days I need more than just a cuppa, for this reason I don't drink any more, otherwise I think I would be pissed almost every day. ;)

[Poodle wrangler]

Good groomers down my way have no shortage of clients.

I'd be telling the twits to go elsewhere.

From a business perspective, they're already bad-mouthing your business so you will lose nothing.

DIY clipping my own dogs has made me appreciate what hard work grooming is.

Truly, people have no idea.

Friends of ours have a labXpoodle, are quite well-off and clearly think $75 for full grooming (bath, clip, dry, ears, nails) of their 15-20kg dog is a bit expensive :rolleyes:.

They're just ignorant of what's involved and didn't realise this would be an ongoing expense (don't you love those DD breeders ).

I pay much more for a hair cut and colour. I don't have "fancy" hair!, my nails aren't done and I don't bite and misbehave .

[MTD]

Couldn't agree more that people are wanting to blame others more and more and take no responsibilty for whatever they own or do.

This isn't just in the grooming business but in all businesses.

I have owned 4 businesses and in all, have had clients that just like to blame you. I have found most of the time if you are calm ( I know it is hard ) and point out a few home truths politely you will often get a black flip.

I am all for telling people to go elsewhere, Not worth the angst , but unfortunately they often come back , and then they have the nerve to start all over again :rolleyes:

[qashmir]

Lisa M you are hilarious!! Thanks everyone for making me feel a little better. I run my own business so i am comfortable with telling people to go elsewhere. I have several i have "fired" as clients but i get those passive, annoying ones who just chip away at me, ever so gently, contributing to my insanity!!

[persephone]

:rolleyes:

having never taken a dog to a groomer...this is horrifying! You have to put up with being snapped at, covered in dog anal gland muck, get scratched and shaken on...and THEN have to be polite to some uneducated owners

Can you call the RSPCA on some of the cases? Sounds as if they should be involved ... poor dogs.

Well done, all of you!

[Andisa]

Good groomers down my way have no shortage of clients.

I'd be telling the twits to go elsewhere.

From a business perspective, they're already bad-mouthing your business so you will lose nothing.

DIY clipping my own dogs has made me appreciate what hard work grooming is.

Truly, people have no idea.

Friends of ours have a labXpoodle, are quite well-off and clearly think $75 for full grooming (bath, clip, dry, ears, nails) of their 15-20kg dog is a bit expensive :rolleyes:.

They're just ignorant of what's involved and didn't realise this would be an ongoing expense (don't you love those DD breeders ).

I pay much more for a hair cut and colour. I don't have "fancy" hair!, my nails aren't done and I don't bite and misbehave ;) .

I have thought of that too, but anyone who knows the state that those people allow their dogs to get in would already know the truth, especially if they are dog owners themselves.

I have had several people bad mouth many groomers, once they go on about that I tell them that I am not interested, knowing that they have gone though so many groomers is a wake up call what they are really like anyway and I would just be another one on their hit list. You can't please them all.

I have knocked back some, you get a feel early on that they are more high maintenance than their dogs. I have told a lady that I would not be able to do what she wanted, she was asking for something that I could not possibly do with her dog, so I was very nice and said so. She was shocked, walked away stunned. She had a Bichon Frise hair do herself, I was not going to have a hope in hell getting that look for the dog with the coat that it had. Try keeping a straight face when trying to be nice about that

[poodlefan]

:rolleyes:

having never taken a dog to a groomer...this is horrifying! You have to put up with being snapped at, covered in dog anal gland muck, get scratched and shaken on...and THEN have to be polite to some uneducated owners

Can you call the RSPCA on some of the cases? Sounds as if they should be involved ... poor dogs.

Well done, all of you!

My old groomer has taken photos of some dogs she's had brought in and sent them to the RSPCA. The matted jobs usually.

[Andisa]

:rolleyes:

having never taken a dog to a groomer...this is horrifying! You have to put up with being snapped at, covered in dog anal gland muck, get scratched and shaken on...and THEN have to be polite to some uneducated owners

Can you call the RSPCA on some of the cases? Sounds as if they should be involved ... poor dogs.

Well done, all of you!

My old groomer has taken photos of some dogs she's had brought in and sent them to the RSPCA. The matted jobs usually.

So have I but I don't bother sending them into the RSPCA.

Last year I rang twice about a dog locked in a car on a hot day in the city. But when I rang them back the next day I was told that they did not check it. My OH rang me so I knew that the dog was in the car from 8.30am until after 6.30pm. because he saw it. The window was down a bit but we all know it would have been an oven. I do not if the dog was walked within that time but I do know that the RSPCA did not check it out - they told me that.

[Dogsfevr]

Yep very bad dogs we always take photos as those owners are the first to whinge.

We also keep the hair & show them.

We have never reported anyone because nothing will happen but we never allow the owners to think they can simply "fluff over it".

[qashmir]

Many years ago, like over 10, i groomed a very sweet cocker whose coat, it seemed, was cemented on and set hard from rain, urine and not being touched for about 2 years. As i clipped the bottoms of his ear leathers, maggots came oozing out! I asked the client if she wanted the dog at all as it could come and live with me. But she insisted they loved him so i gave him back. I did report her to the RSPCA but they told me that coz she got him groomed, that constitutes as being treated and caring for the dog. What crap!

[cashew]

The worst thing we had done was to drive a heavily matted Afhgan Hound back to the owner---untouched. We refused to groom simply because the poor dog had absolutely no way to keep her coat in that state it was brought in! I think there were dried poop all over as well...it was in such a sorry state! The owner refused to listen and just happily drove off and shouted" you do what you have to and make sure her coat comes back silky". The owner then badmouthed us to everyone I bet. ANyway the last we heard, she had to clip her dog--DIY. No groomers could offer any help and one even successfully sold her a set of clippers! I guess she figured if she had to spend "extra" money to clip, she could DIY.

Many owners often forget that groomers are the ones who first discover any problems---infected ears, skin, etc etc. I often wonder why people want to get long coated dogs if they cannot commit even 10mins a day to brushing. Lame excuses to blame it on not having the time to. I get rather annoyed when some owners ask for the "cheapest" dog food available and comment that they can't afford to spend $$$ on dog food. Then i see them smoking away outside the shop---i mean if one can afford "luxuries" I am sure he can afford normal dog food.

[Andisa]

Then there are the ones who live in fantasy land. You don't have to be a Vet to know when a dog is in serious bad health. I have had a few who I have harped - pleaded and begged to take the dog to the vet knowing it was sick. Each time they brought it back to be groomed it would look worse. Still no vet care. I had 2 that come to mind last year, yeah, yeah, will go to the vet. Ok, ok, I understand he/she needs a vet. I said my own good bye's more than once to both of these poor old dogs each time they went home.

Then I get the phone calls letting me know that the dear old soles had passed away peacefully in his/her sleep. That is was shits me too. I know that no way the poor old soles died in peace, they suffered terribly and the owners were too tight or stupid to do the right thing and PAY the vet to put the dogs to sleep. It was obvious that both people were not short of a quid, only had to look at the way they dressed and the cars that they drove, it was they were too tight to spend the money. I understand that some simply can not stand the thought of losing the pet so live in their own world thinking all is well> I understand their thinking more for the inside companion who is loved and cared for, but the ones that are only around to eat the scraps and give it a pat once in a while, I don't get.

I have no idea why many people have pets at all when it seems they don't really want them anyway.

No wonder why I prefer animals to people, not hard to see why. :rolleyes:

Sorry to run off track

Edited May 14, 2008 by Lisa M

[Dogsfevr]

But lets remember no owner is clueless.They brush there own hair every day because it will knot.They already have the excuses before they hand it over.They are fully aware of the dogs condition but the owners always start with "But".

I do wish many breeders would show people the right tools to buy as many who start off have no clue & are brushing the dogs regularly but what there using would never do the job.We show people or we buy the gear for them & they pay for it when pup is picked up.

The reality is these owners arent stupid they just choice to ignore the obvious

[qashmir]

But lets remember no owner is clueless.They brush there own hair every day because it will knot.They already have the excuses before they hand it over.They are fully aware of the dogs condition but the owners always start with "But".

I do wish many breeders would show people the right tools to buy as many who start off have no clue & are brushing the dogs regularly but what there using would never do the job.We show people or we buy the gear for them & they pay for it when pup is picked up.

The reality is these owners arent stupid they just choice to ignore the obvious

I think that might be the definition of "ignorant"!!

[qashmir]

The owners i mean, not you, settrluvr!