ComplaintsforBoss K9 Cleveland

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/19/2023, I emailed Boss K9 about George, our yellow lab rescue. On 6/20/2023, I spoke to Anna, the owner of Boss K9. On 6/22/2023, I paid $4400 for a 4-week board & train to begin on 6/17/2023. Our first visit with Anna at Boss K9 was on 7/8/2023 at 9:30 am. There was broken glass throughout the parking lot where I had to walk George. Anna introduced us to the muzzle. She asked what George’s issues were & why we were doing the board & train. We had spoken twice on the phone (6/20&7/3), I had sent multiple emails and texts. I was shocked that she was not familiar with a client’s history. We asked what George’s day would be & how many dogs she trained. George would be kept in a crate during the day, she trained 10-12 dogs at a time, he would not be let out at night to go the bathroom. She did not provide any specific information on how long George’s training sessions would be or his breaks. We asked to see where the dogs were kept & trained. Anna refused, she was “busy” & had another client. I asked about boarding since that was a very important part of our decision to choose Boss K9. Anna stated she has 1-2 openings at a time & it wasn’t guaranteed that George could board there. The info Anna provided is not in her welcome packet. I sent Anna an email on 7/8/2023 wanting to withdraw George from Boss K9. I was not comfortable with the muzzle training, the overall set-up of 10-12 dogs being trained at once, the training facility, & limited boarding space. I asked for a refund. I had not signed the contract & was never asked at any time to return it by the deadline in any text, email, or phone conversation I had with Boss K9. On 7/9/2023, I received a phone call from Anna asking why I wanted to withdraw George. I repeated the above. I stated that I wanted a refund since George was not going to be trained there. She refused. She then offered me a chance to tour her facilities and I refused. Please note that no services were provided by Boss K9.

  Business response

  09/02/2023

  We clean the premises of the facility every single day. In the unlikely event that there was broken glass in our parking lot, the client in question failed to make us aware of that fact. Every single client who pays over the phone is made aware, in advance of every transaction, that we do not provide refunds; the exact verbiage of this disclaimer is "Because we are processing this payment over the phone, I do want to inform you that all payments made to Boss K9 are non-refundable." We do this because we are a small business and we hold the selected dates for these training programs -- we also book out far in advance and for this reason, we rely greatly on the accuracy of our calendars and client assurances. The client accepted these terms upon providing payment to us. The client was primarily communicating with our Office Manager -- a fact which was immediately disclosed via text (see attached). Anna had one phone consultation with the client on June 20th at 3PM, in which she explained the program in detail and answered all of the client's questions. After this call, Anna and the client did not interact until the in-person muzzle conditioning appointment. Our lines of communication were open and the client spoke several ***** to our Office Manager. Anna was aware of the client and client history; it is Anna's practice to request up-to-date and current information as to what is going on with the dog when these in-person appointments take place. This is not a lack of regard or retention but a safety practice. Not once in any interaction prior to booking did the client request an assessment or a tour, either of which Boss K9 would have gladly provided to them prior to booking them as a client. The client requested a tour at the end of the muzzle conditioning appointment, which Anna was unable to provide due to her scheduling constraints of that day (her next client was waiting at the door). We cannot guarantee any client that we will always have availability for their dog to board; however, we certainly have more than 1 to 2 spots available at any given time for our client boarding spots, and we're unsure how this information was misinterpreted by this client. Regularly throughout the day and before bedtime, the dogs have restroom breaks and a training schedule which also includes resting calmly in the crate (in and of itself a training exercise), but this information also seems to have been misunderstood. The client was made fully aware prior to booking that we are a dog training facility space, not a trainer who works out of a private residence. The client was also made aware prior to booking that we were going to do muzzle conditioning with their dog. We talked more about the muzzle in our text messages with them, making sure at every phase to maintain our standards of transparency. In the email provided, please note that there was a deadline for contract return 7 days from receipt, which the client did not abide by. All of our processes are very transparent, and Anna and the rest of the staff at Boss K9 goes into great depth with every client in each of their interactions to make sure that they feel comfortable and that all their questions are answered. Our payment policy and our muzzle policy are clearly explained on our website as well, for turther transparency (see attached). We wish that the client had been more transparent with us regarding their questions so that this scenario could have been avoided. In the phone conversation on July 9th, after the client had requested a refund, the client chose to not share the above information with Anna. Anna tried to understand where any potential discomfort could be coming from, offering to meet in person again and schedule a tour with the client. We let the client know that this last-minute cancellation would not be refundable and the client responded saying that they understood that we are a small business and acknowledged that this was our policy. Anna made it clear multiple ***** in this call that while a refund would not be possible, Boss K9 would be more than happy to assuage any concerns on the client's part with further appointments, tours, or other needed conversations. Anna left the phone call with the client's dates still held in the calendar because the client informed Anna that they would think about the information provided and reach back out with their decision or any further thoughts, questions, and/or concerns. We rely on the revenue from the appointments who book in advance in order to be able to pay our staff. As to the claim that no services were provided, please note that the muzzle conditioning appointment is a training appointment. The cost of it is worked into the Board and Train program price. As stated above, we do not typically offer refunds, but we do understand that this is a unique circumstance and would be willing to provide a 50% refund to the client in hopes that both parties can depart this situation feeling that the issue has been resolved. 

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20526117, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  

  I have not received a refund for $2200 to my credit card. I also have not been contacted by Boss K9 to obtain the credit card number.

  
  

  *******

  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****
  
  
  
  
   

  Business response

  09/21/2023

  Refund of $2,200 was processed to the customer's initial method of payment was processed on 9/14/2023. Please see attached receipt.

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