ComplaintsforThe Doghouse School

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  At the beginner of July of this year I needed to have my puppy boarded (her birth-date is 1/27/24) so she was a little bit over 5 mos old at the time. I sought the services of The Doghouse School knowing little to nothing about the business since Im a 1st time dog-owner. I expressed this to them more than once. It was very difficult for me to understand how to use their website so I told ************* immediately acknowledged that its not easy to use & they need to have it fixed & have it better designed for booking, etc! Then she proceeded to make the booking for me on *their* computer. B/c it was Fourth of July weekend apparently they have a no refund policy that I was completely unaware of & as soon as I learned more info about their policy of leaving the canines over night for ***** hours at a time I realized it wouldnt be a good fit for my puppy. I want to emphasize that I was a brand new customer & 1st time dog owner. It would have been very easy for ******* to tell me about their policy when SHE booked the boarding on their computer. All of this happened in less than 24 hours that I cancelled the booking. Also Id like to add that when I took ***** (my puppy) for the day to their required temperament test they didnt feed her anything ALL DAY until I inquired at 3pm whether she was eating their food. It was obvious I didnt understand their policies from the **************** could have easily communicated more clearly with me (a 1st time customer)!

  

  Business response

  09/09/2024

  We appreciate you taking the time to look into this complaint. We understand not everyone will have an A+ experience, but we will not tolerate defamation of our company and situation.
  

  One staff member talked to this client (**************/************) over the phone to explain our Freshman Orientation process prior to any bookings. Our website is a self-booking website, and it requires all clients to sign off on any appointment in multiple areas that they have read and understood the policies, terms, and conditions of our Student Handbook.
  

  This handbook is available to view online (under the "Services" tab) and is required to book an appointment online. This woman never scheduled nor asked to pay for food for the first day of school, but once she called, we took immediate action to satisfy her needs and concerns by recording the feeding and providing exact measurements of how much her dog actually ate.

  Her behavior toward staff was passive-aggressive, inappropriate, and unacceptable. We understand that some people may not have a good experience, but this experience directly lied about our staff, service, website, and company values.

  She booked boarding online for her first day and two additional boarding appointments. Before she booked her boarding appointments, we confirmed her questions about our overnight hours, feeding schedules, and bathroom breaks. We also reminded her to read the policies because it was our peak season. The booking was scheduled last minute during our busy period over the 4th of July weekend. She could not figure out how to book the remaining nights, which added to the problem since clients must pay in full at the time of booking for any boarding stay. This is when our staff member helped the client book the remaining nights. We then reminded her to read over the policies once again due to us scheduling the remaining nights.

  Each appointment requires 3 "sign-offs" to agree that they read the terms and conditions. Due to our website being a self-booking website and requiring these signatures in order to book, we are not required to provide verbatim all the terms and conditions in person at drop off or pick up. We also were already accommodating her XXS-size dog to a reserved XXL-sized kennel during our busy holiday to ease her worries about any overnight accidents, along with the fact that a staff member lives on site in case of emergencies.
  

  We have had 3-month-old puppies stay the night with no issues due to the outdoor play-to-bedtime ratio. The dogs play in our facility's climate-controlled indoor/outdoor areas, where they can walk around in different environments. Each day includes 10+ hours of play (unless a dog shows signs that it needs an extra rest, water, or cool-off break). We've noticed that this amount of play to overnight sleep time is the best ratio and fit compared to other overnight sleeping schedules.

  There is more to the story, but the key points relate to her central claims.
  

  Below, you will find screenshots of just some of the reviews she has left on different platforms, her claim statements compared to website policy/website facts/signed policy from client, screenshots of our policies in direct question to her claims, proof of 3 sign-offs per one appointment, and a copy of her appointment and proof highlighted in yellow, the signed policies/the dates she booked and the dates that staff booked.

  Due to her behavior, we made sure to provide exact information and price quotes for her. Then she tried to deny the purpose of a payment and request it be used towards a personal service of forcing her dog to finish food and extra care, which we do not agree with and offer ample opportunities to eat and finish any leftover food.

  It seemed that after we informed her of this one-time $10 holiday fee, she decided to cancel and use the overnight hours as an excuse. After this whole situation and her behavior, we banned the client from being able to book at our facility.

  Finally, we have also attached all of the email exchanges with her (emails and responses through our receipt payment system). We tried our best to put these in order.

  Again, we appreciate the help in figuring out the best way to reply to this former client and hopefully get this review removed. Please reach out with any questions! We appreciate your time and attention.

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 22197262
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  It has nothing to do with the $10 I communicated immediately & effectively to cancel once I realized that you have a policy to leave all dogs overnight for ***** hours, so I immediately contacted the breeder who has the mother & brother of ***** b/c she is willing to keep her in much better conditions that The Doghouse School. And yes it is crazy that you wouldnt at least refund part of the $310 after it was clear that I was a new dog owner & obviously a first time client & obviously did not understand your site. And yes ******* did book the boarding on the Doghouse computer herself after I explained that I did not understand the website and she admitted that the website was difficult to use. I was assertive & direct with everything that I told you all & I am not sure whether you know that I can see your response to BBB. Everything I stated is true about our interactions. The reason I have left  reviews on different channels (Yelp & ******* is b/c those services exist for situations like these where a merchant is being dishonest & not using good business practices & thinks they can get away with it with no recourse. It is a shame that I had to do that when this could have easily been resolved speaking to yall in person and on the phone to try to come to an agreement.

  *****************************

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

  Dear *******,
  
  
  Ive just read the response on the BBB server from The Doghouse School. I explained to them profusely (& assertively) how Im a 1st dog (puppy) owner & how I didnt understand how any of the boarding worked (& it was my 1st time). Im 41 years old & recently lost both of my parents w/in the last 3 years (mom to cancer & dad to covid) & I explained to them that ***** (my dog) is sort of like a therapy dog to me (& my ******* I was very disappointed during the day-long temperament test b/c they didnt feed her anything until I asked whether she had eaten. They just flippantly acted like I shouldve known their policies. ****** birthday is 1/27/24 & at the time of this interaction w/ Doghouse School she was just over 5 mos old. Once I realized their policy of leaving dogs overnight for ***** hours alone it occurred to me that this wasnt appropriate for a 5 mo old puppy. From what *** learned so far a dog can only hold it for one hour for every month old they are. That means ***** wouldnt have been ok w/out going potty for more than 5-6 hours at a time. I feel that I was very assertive about my needs & ******* expressed that their website needs a lot of work which is why she booked the bulk of the $310 charge on THEIR front desk computer for me b/c I told her very directly that I couldnt figure out how to select anything on their website.
  I spoke to ******* on the phone for probably an hour trying to explain that this wasnt fair that they werent refunding & also in person w/ I believe one of the owners when I went to pick up Lillys food items the next day. The reason I wrote a review on Yelp & on ****** & contacted the BBB is b/c I think the way they dealt w/ the cancellation was badly handled. *** never made a complaint to the BBB & if you want to look at my Yelp & ****** reviews every other one are 5 star reviews. Im a big supporter of small businesses & I have a lot of friends. 

  

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  Thank you for your continued feedback and for allowing us to address your concerns again. We take all feedback seriously and are saddened that your experience with us did not meet your expectations. Below is our response to your claims and a proposed resolution benefiting both parties. We understand your frustrations with general last-minute holiday planning. However, after reviewing your bookings and in-depth team discussions, we have found that some parts of your claims do not align. We want to take this opportunity to explain each claim further to ensure a better understanding and resolution for all.

  (Reviewing Agreements) While reviewing detailed agreements can be challenging, both parties must be familiar with these terms to ensure clarity and transparency. For these reasons, we require all clients to sign our agreements to schedule an appointment service. By signing the contract, you acknowledged that you had read and understood its contents.
  

  (Booking Assistance) Our staff helped you complete your booking reservations for only the nights of July 5th-7th. However, you made prior online booking reservations using your email. When we assisted you in booking the remaining nights, we reminded you to review the policies from your previous bookings. Our system requires all users to agree to our Terms and Conditions before confirming the service date or providing payment. You can find the intake forms you filled out attached. We've removed all sensitive information for your protection and privacy. Please check your appointment confirmation emails for your self-scheduled reservations on July 3rd-4th and your Freshman Orientation on July 2nd.
  

  (Client Form Fields) Our online portal prompts clients to answer questions, leave notes, express concerns, and request additional services. Unfortunately, these sections were left unanswered for each reservation you made.
  

  (Response Time) Our team members have responded to you appropriately based on the information and policies provided on our website and within our Terms and Conditions signed by you.
  

  (Playtime Hours) At our facility, we ensure that dogs have a good balance of playtime and rest, and we recognize that each dog has different activity levels outside our services. The dogs have 10+ hours of group playtime dailya rarity in the industry standard. Although this information was provided in person at your Freshman Orientation before any boarding reservations, we understand that a full day of play may differ from what you had in mind for your dog, considering the activity levels at home versus when in our care.
  

  (Bedtime Hours) As previously discussed in person, a team manager lives on-site and is available for emergencies. We also discussed upgrading your dog from a small crate to one of our L/XL crates to provide peace of mind in case of any potential overnight accidents. We trust that our team has explored all possible options to accommodate your request.
  

  (Providing Lunch) You needed to request the appointment service add-on when you booked the orientation so we could provide your pup with lunch. When you called later that afternoon to ask if she could eat our food, our team responded quickly and ensured your dog got a nutritious meal. The owner is responsible for providing food before arrival by bringing in the portioned serving, verbally requesting your dog to eat our food, or selecting feeding services at the time of booking. This information is in our Terms and Conditions. It is not our place to provide unscheduled feedings to dogs in our care, as they do not personally belong to us, nor are they showing signs of dietary neglect. If we need to change how we feed dogs in our care, we will always talk to you about it first. 

  In hopes of finding a fair middle ground, we propose to enter a 50% refund of your total payment upon removal of your claims across platforms. If this is of interest to you, please send an email to ***********************************. Thank you for taking the time to address your situation. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced with us; we greatly value your feedback. Your puppy is truly adorable and has one of the sweetest souls. Even though she's small now, she's mighty in all the best ways. We enjoyed the time we spent with her. We hope she's doing well.

  Sincerely, The Doghouse School 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩