“I’ve been a loyal customer of PetSmart for four years, but my recent experience at the grooming salon was incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
I arrived 8 minutes late for my dog’s 9:45 AM grooming appointment. Upon entering, I found a line out the door and patiently waited my turn. Unfortunately, no one greeted me, and I felt completely ignored. A groomer, Hannah, glanced outside but didn’t acknowledge the growing line.
After waiting, I was told I was too late, even though I had been outside for 10 minutes. The groomer seemed stressed and said, “I can’t do it. You’re late,” without offering any alternatives. Another associate mentioned I should’ve called, but calling while waiting in line wouldn’t have changed anything.
Instead of offering solutions, I was told to cancel and reschedule. However, there were several options they could have taken to resolve the situation:
Rather than turning me away immediately, they could have asked if I was willing to modify my dog’s grooming experience to fit the time I arrived. A shorter grooming session, or adjusting the focus of the session, could have worked for both of us.
If my assigned groomer wasn’t available, they could have quickly reassigned me to another available groomer, which would have minimized the delay and ensured my dog was still taken care of.
Alternatively, since PetSmart offers walk-in services, they could have added me to a later slot that day, even if it meant a slightly longer wait for my dog. This would have shown flexibility and a willingness to accommodate.
I left the salon discouraged, only to realize I had another appointment in 15 minutes, making me 45 minutes late. I returned, explaining how inconvenient this was, but was met with no resolution—just a dismissive “Have a nice day.”
The lack of empathy, communication, and professionalism was appalling. A simple acknowledgment of my situation and a few alternative solutions could have turned this into a positive experience. Instead, I was left feeling completely dismissed. As a loyal customer, I expected much better treatment. This experience has left me questioning whether I’ll continue using PetSmart for grooming moving forward.”
