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Originally Posted by Baily341o  ...new groomer...only $25...rave reviews on yelp  ....scary little part of town a little...old building...birds in cages and cats...3 people working there, one older lady, her grandson, and her friend. We tell them what we want... blah blah blah. I look around and I see a sign that says, "Please check your dog before you leave. If you find fleas on your dog after you leave, we are on longer responsible."  I got a little worried. But, I kept reminding myself that everyone loved this place, nobody gave it a bad review. So long story short, would you stay with this place. Her hair looked great, everything we asked for. But the part of town, and the sign, PLUS all the other animals kinda scare me. What should I do?  |
Ok, so no offense is intended to anyone...ever...but...
This place was possibly not always in imperfect condition in a 'bad' or 'scary' part of town. That part of town may have morphed from being a 'good' part of town over any number of years. It is interesting that grandson is following in gramma's footsteps in the same business, and that her friend works there also. A gramma in a bit of a run down neighborhood would still be in business because...? This is the question you want answered, perhaps.
The other animals may or may not be an issue, if your dog doesn't mind...no biggie perhaps. If all is calm, it might be an indicator of 'normal' for that groomer...and one who may just be well loved by the animals.
The sign about not being responsible for fleas
after you leave the groomer sounds like it could be little more than a disclaimer that was put up after a past bad experiencei...even if no fault was ever established. A good groomer would be concerned about cross-infestation regardless of the source, and would treat the interior of the salon to prevent and/or eliminate fleas from setting up a permanent encampment. The sign may indicate nothing more than notice that she cannot accept responsibility for fleas
discovered on a dog
after a romp in the park
after its grooming appointment...protection from capitalistic opportunists...while indicating that they are
still retaining responsibility for dogs who get fleas
while in their care...which the sign also seems to indicate.
All this may sound like I am defending the groomer. I am neither defending nor accusing...just rationalizing, and pointing out other explanations that may be possible reasons. Most things that have been around a while have been through several metamorphoses, evolving over time, and there may be perfectly logical reasons if only the history becomes known.
If you like the work and want to understand, maybe a return visit without the dog just to observe and ask questions. If they sell products, you have a perfect reason to return and chat while you shop...a little friendly 'getting to know you' session to help you decide.
My children's barber was a youngish lady herself when my grammar school age boys started getting their hair cut by her and the initial reason we stopped by her shop to begin with was because she was so close to us, so we gave her a try. We never looked back and never judged her performance by the shop she could afford when she was first starting out.
I tell you about her
only because
she had a sign that I swear was older than her by many years that read "Unattended children will be sold as slaves," and I never saw any unattended children nor did she appear to be hot on retail sales of humans.
She was actually great with children, which was good 'cuz my youngest was a scruncher-downer-tickle-ish kiddo, and the two of them would get to laughing so hard when she was shaving his neck.
She was in a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop...my bedroom was bigger and it wasn't a big room, charged next to nothing...$5, I think, even working on Saturdays. But, it didn't take long before, if you weren't there by sun up, you might not get your hair cut that day. People would wait in their cars up to an a hour before she opened. People lined the walls, standing for several hours for Chris. She knew all her customers by name, and remembered what was going on in their lives every time they were in her shop, and she was so good, and such a good person my boys both invited her to their graduations!
Just saying...things are not always as they seem at first glance...
Oh, and my groomer works alone with her childen...she did 22 dogs just before Christmas in her small little shop! She is a great groomer!!!
Your assessment is, of course, the only one that truly matters. Reviews can certainly be manipulated in both directions and by people who have never even stepped foot in the shop at all.
In the end, you should only take your fur baby there if you and your baby are comfortable with it, but if you like the work, a fair assessment may be in order.
Take care!