Post 1523: something’s wrong with these pictures…

Something’s wrong with the photos of Dougy and Andy taken this morning. Yes, they haven’t had their haircuts!

Seems there was a screw up with scheduling and a misunderstanding at the groomers.

I had two appointments – one for the morning, and one for the afternoon Friday. Only the appointment card read 1 AM and 1 PM. I was certain they wouldn’t be at work a 1 AM, so I called to get the correct time, only to learn there was no morning appointment scheduled, just the one for afternoon.

I was pissed!! Only I was more pissed when I was told they didn’t think I wanted to have the kitty boys groomed any longer because I hadn’t been in for a time. Of course, the reason for that was the change in my dialysis schedule that came into conflict with the kitty boys’ scheduled haircuts. They knew about the dialysis complication to a schedule made a year in advance. One time, too, Dougy went into hiding when I tried to get him in.

It isn’t clear when they will be able to get in now, and I hand-wrote a three page letter outlining my concerns to the groomers, my dismay over this missed chance to get the kitty boys groomed, and, frankly, my upset with them since I got the appointment in person when I talked with the scheduler about why I was having difficulties getting in.

At that time, we (I thought) resolved the issue of scheduling by going from a back-to-back appointment to one where they were done when possible on one day or over a couple of days, which is supposed to be easier to do.

They would have groomed one kitty boy Friday, but I couldn’t bring myself to have one done, but not the other since they both have serious mats and need to be groomed. They are minor international kitty celebrities after all. Their public expects them to be a matched pair of brothers, not one shaggy and the other neatly groomed. 

 

 

 

 

44 thoughts on “Post 1523: something’s wrong with these pictures…

  1. Darn ’em groomers! That wasn’t very respectful of them to mess up the scheduling! Mom says, if she lived closer she would volunteer to groom them in a heartbeat. She grooms me all the time as she did her two white Persians before me. Mom says she hopes your groomer realizes their error & offers the boys each a free grooming session as conciliation. Mew Mew!

    • And you know how that complicates a Persian kitty’s life! No freeby, but the groomer sent me a nice explanation of what happened and how they valued my business. They even found a way to get the kitty boys in for grooming this afternoon. I can’t wait, and I bet the kitty boys will feel soooo much better with all those mats and all that hair cut off.

  2. I love Andy and Dougy, no matter how they look! 🙂 It is terrible you the groomers are treating you this way. Sounds like it could be a lack of communication problem between scheduler and groomers. I know from my own experience with veterinarians and human doctors that rude and/or incompetent office staff has lost them my business.

    • The mats in their hair are uncomfortable for the kitty boys and they haven’t cooperated on brushing those areas where the mats come on the most. I agree they look beautiful with longer hair, though.

  3. I hope you can get this worked out ASAP ! I am scheduled for a C-T scan and then a follow-up appointment with my doctor and BOTH these appointments have been rescheduled 3 times (each) by the providers ! Although
    maybe the kitty boys are slipping the groomers ahefty tip to NOT schedule appointments !

  4. Regarding your above comment, that is a wonderful thing for someone getting dialysis to say. I wish the kitty boys would let you brush and comb them thoroughly so you wouldn’t have to be concerned about mats. I know the hair can get so matted over time that nothing but a shave down will work, and I also know you definitely don’t want that, especially with the cold weather heading your way soon. I hope you can get everything worked out with your groomer.

    • I’m pretty sure they are at the point where a shave down will be needed. I continue to work on them to the point the kitty boys let me, but there are a lot of mats. The ones on their legs and butts are the worst

        • That’s my sense of it. After I sent a letter outlining my issues with how they handled the hard-arranged visit where one was given away to a dog client, they may not want me to come again.

          They primarily serve dog clients, but Andy and Dougy have been going there since November 2012 with no issues. And I DO always ask if they’ve been good kitties when I pick them up so I’m sure they would tell me if there were issues.

  5. This kind of behaviour from a groomer is not acceptable. I would look into the other groomer or groomers in town. Compare the costs too, Doug. I dislike the attitude of these groomers. The boys need a grooming badly…they remind me of bad boys like Justin Bieber right now. It won’t hurt to try another groomer. It’s YOUR choice when to use their facility. You are the customer. Besides you might like a new groomer better. Yes, I’m feeling persnickety this morning. The boys deserve a darling cut.

    Jean

    • I’ve had good service from these groomers till my dialysis schedule and the kitty boys’ grooming schedule came into conflict. I prefer to keep going there, because it is only two blocks from me. The rare other choices are in other towns 9 (14.5 km) and 39 (62.8 km) miles away, and I know no one who has experience with them. I personally feel I can work out the mess-up here, though it will take some effort and time.

      • In other towns..I wouldn’t like that either. A 39 mile ride with two unhappy kitties…no thanks. They wouldn’t be in a good mood when they got there anyhow. Alliance must be a very small town. We are 80,000 and have a choice of 4 or 5 groomers. They told me not for cats though.

        • Alliance is roughly 8500 people. Many groomers prefer not to do cats, but Andy and Dougy have been good boys when at the groomers, the reason they have been accepted at the one I go to. In a town this size, an unhappy customer can be a disaster for a business. Of course, a happy one can bring in lots of business. Up to this time, I’ve been that happy customer talking up this groomer, leaving 20% tips. Yes, driving them a long distance would make a couple of unhappy cats. Two blocks isn’t long enough to upset them too much.

  6. Oh, no! If they don’t make this right and fit you in after your letter, it sounds like time for a new groomer. Businesses don’t treat loyal customers that way, and they can’t possibly be THAT busy.

    • No. If that had been possible, I would have taken one in.

      Unfortunately, this is a stupid little town stuck in the middle of nowhere. People who live in cities often have a difficult time understanding how difficult it is to get simple services when one’s choices are limited in town or available only after driving an hour or more to get them.

      In this instance, there were no available openings for a second cat any time soon. I will waste time Monday, I think, visiting them in person to make the point I do want to be their customer, to possibly get the kitty boys scheduled regularly for the next year and maybe one more time this year.

      I would have visited them in person the 22nd (the day the kitty boys were supposedly both scheduled) but I was too likely to blow a gasket on them. With this one exception, I’ve been satisfied with their service.

  7. Oh Dear! My sympathies. Little Mini is long gone but I do remember how many hours I spent gently snipping mats loose with surgical scissors so as not to pull her skin. You must certainly be agood customer, I hope they get their act together to take care of the boys. After all, it’s not like you can play hooky from dialysis.

    • The precise point I made with them. I also couldn’t anticipate having my dialysis schedule changed in a way that affected the grooming schedule. I had been taking them in every two months, leaving a bit more than a $100 with the shop for doing two cats + $20 tip. That kind of suggests I wanted the service and appreciated it! Or, from what I was told the 22nd when I tried to verify actual time for the morning sessions, apparently they didn’t appreciate the business. They are only two blocks away from me and are practically the only place in town to get any grooming done.

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