(The pet salon where I work has a different monthly spa special you can add to your dog’s groom for an additional fee. This month we are partnering with a rescue to raise money for vet bills for a dog who broke his leg. We have a jar in the lobby guests can put change into if they don’t want to buy a spa, but still want to donate.)

Teenager: *comes in to pick up a dog*

Me: “Okay, your total is $59.”

(The teenager paid with $63, but when I handed him back the $3 and a $1 from the drawer, he didn’t say anything and took it, which was unusual because people tend to overpay like that to tip the groomer. I went back to get the dog, and when I came out, the guy had his entire hand in the donation jar! He pulled it out as soon as I approached, but I couldn’t see any money in his hand, so I couldn’t outright accuse him of stealing. Pretty sure he did, because he grabbed his dog and left as fast as possible.)

(It is Saturday, our busiest day at the pet-grooming salon, and we are super busy. One customer comes in without an appointment, but we are willing to squeeze their two dogs in, letting them know it will take a while. They are okay with it.)

Customer: *calling in a few hours later* “Hi. Are my dogs ready?”

Me: “Well, one is done and the other is bathed, but the groomer does have to go to lunch soon, and it will probably take another few hours due to the complicated haircuts on the other dogs who came in before you.”

Customer: “This is unacceptable! I went to a baseball game, and they should be ready now! I’m coming to get them!” *hangs up*

(I let my coworkers know what happened and that I’m going to just charge for the bath, not the haircut. A few minutes later, a physically angry man with a red face storms in saying he’s here for the dogs.)

Customer: “I’M HERE FOR MY DOGS! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!”

Me: “Okay, so, we’re going to charge for just the bath on this dog. The total is [amount].”

Customer: *fuming* “What?! This is horses***! Why is it so much? F*** you!”

Me: “Well, this is the price of a bath; it’s actually less than the price you signed for. I’m sorry you are upset, but unfortunately, I cannot change the price.”

Customer: “I want to speak to a manager! It is f****** bulls*** that you charge this much! We dropped them off in the morning and they should be done!”

Me: “Well, our manager isn’t here, but if you have any complaints, you can call during the weekday, and—“

Customer: *cuts me off* “OH, I’M GONNA DO THAT!”

(He actually lets me process the transaction and charge his card, probably because at this point I’ve stopped looking at him and focused on the invoice. He continues cursing and ranting as I slide his card and just act as calm as possible going through the typical dialogue at this point. That seems to set him off more, because when he signs the receipt, he just writes “HORSES***” in place of his name.)

Customer: “I wrote ‘HORSES****’ ON THE RECEIPT, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT YOU ARE! I’M TELLING MY MOTHER-IN-LAW TO NEVER COME HERE! F**** YOU!” *inserts string of profanity* “YOU’VE JUST LOST MY BUSINESS!”

Me: “Have a nice day!”

(One of the groomers was outside and he started ranting at her. I peeked out the door holding a phone as if I was about to call the police, and he got in his car and sped off. I called my manager, and now he is banned at the store, and if he tries to come in again, we will call the police for real.)

(When I get to work, my manager is checking in a German Shepherd Dog. It is newly spring, and all of the double-coated dogs are shedding. Because of this, we are trying to talk all the dog owners into getting the de-shed package, which is a product we all use on our own double-coated dogs. We highly recommend it, as it is a great product and well worth the money. My manager is attempting to explain this to the owner of the GSD, who is very belligerent and just starts saying over and over that she was quoted a certain dollar amount and will not pay more than that. Her hands are tied, so my manager proceeds to sign the dog up for a basic bath and nail trim. My coworker is assigned the dog, and this takes place after the owner has returned for the dog, paid for it, and walked out with it.)

Owner: “I have a complaint to make!”

Me: “Oh? What’s going on?”

Owner: “My dog was just in here, and she’s scratched me up all over my leg!”

(She lifts her leg up to show scratches down it.)

Me: “Did you get the nail grinding?”

Owner: “No, and that’s the other thing: I don’t know what all this stuff is, but she never got any of it! I was told that she’d have a de-shedding treatment, and that her nails would be ground down, and that she would look so good, and no one has delivered on any of these promises!”

(I now recognize her as the “I’m only going to pay X amount!” lady, and the light dawns.)

Me: “Oh… right. Yeah. Well, you didn’t ask for the de-shedding package. You said you weren’t going to pay more than [price].”

(My coworker who worked on the dog has now migrated to the check-in area of the salon.)

Coworker: “Yeah, we offer those things, but you have—“

Owner: “I know it’s extra! I said I wouldn’t pay extra, but that lady told me that she’s not supposed to shed now!”

Coworker: “I’m sorry you’re not happy, but—“

Owner: “No, I’m not happy! I was promised the moon and I got nothing!”

Me: “Ma’am, you were offered [de-shedding package] at check-in, and declined to pay for it. We aren’t—“

Owner: “I’ve never heard that word until just now! I wasn’t offered anything!”

Me: “You declined to pay extra.”

Owner: “Well! I’m not going to pay more than I was quoted.”

Me: “Okay. There’s nothing we can do for you, then.”

Coworker: “I hope you have better luck elsewhere.”

Owner: “I already have! Yes! I have! I just came here because I thought you might have more experience!”

Coworker: “I have six years of experience, but I’m not doing a service that I’m not getting paid for. Good night.”

(We’ve always been really careful about letting people know on the phone that a quote is just a ballpark figure and that we will assess the dog’s coat and overall health and behavior and that the price could go up or down, but now we’re even more cautious and repeat it over and over!)

(I work at a huge pet retail store that also includes grooming services. As such with a big chain company, there are a lot of policies we have to follow in order to have a safe environment for us and the pets. Some customers don’t like being turned away from grooming due to policies even though it’s in the best interest of the pet. Here is an account of a lady who has had a history of fighting with us on taking her dog. Her dog is older, maybe 10 or older, and constantly has open sores on its legs and paw pads. Per policy, we can’t take a dog with an open wound, as it could become infected in the bath, become irritated during the groom, etc. The last time she was turned away was in December and she threw a huge fit, openly bawling and stating that “we don’t care about her dog.” Since then, she has come in twice, and both times the dog’s sores were healed enough that we could perform the service. She then comes in yesterday for a groom. One of our senior groomers looks over the dog and notices no open sores, so we take him in. About an hour later, the groomer is shaving the dog down and notices a sore that was hidden under all of the fur, and it is open. We call the lady, who screams at us over the phone, and we all prepare for the s*** storm we are about to endure. When she comes in, we all go quiet, waiting for her to blow up on us. She doesn’t say anything until she gets her dog back and it begins.)

Customer: “You know, this just isn’t fair. You have groomed him before!”

Manager: “Ma’am, he has an open wound, and I deeply apologize for not seeing it at check-in, but we can’t continue the groom today for his best safety.”

(As a courtesy, the groomer doing the dog went ahead and did the cut before the owner got there. The only things that weren’t done were the bath, the feet — where the open wound was — and the final touch-up.)

Customer: “The feet aren’t even done! I’M NOT PAYING FOR THIS!”

Manager: “No, ma’am, we aren’t making you pay for this, as we apologize—“

Customer: “THIS JUST ISN’T FAIR! HE HAS LICKING SYNDROME!”

(That’s not a thing.)

Customer: “I’M GOING TO WRITE THIS ALL OVER YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA!”

Manager: “Please, then, don’t leave out the entire story.”

Customer: *yelling inaudibly as she walks out of the store carrying her dog by the head*

(A woman brings in her dog to get groomed. The dog is a Goldendoodle, a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle.)

Me: “So, what would you like to do for her haircut today?”

Customer: “I don’t want her to look too much like a poodle.”

Me: “Well, your dog is half poodle, but I’ll see what we can do.”

This story is part of our Golden Retriever roundup!

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