Disappointing Lack of Professional Etiquette, Communication, and Integrity…read more
I am a retired telephone company employee with 27 years of service, including 15 years in the Office of the President handling customer complaints from the BBB, social media, and various state public utilities commissions, including California and so much more. Because of my extensive career managing high-level escalations, I am naturally calm, avoid confrontation, and deeply understand business challenges. Annually, we were trained on a strict code of conduct. Empathy, integrity, and compassion are vital. Unfortunately, South Bark failed to meet these fundamental standards.
On August 2, 2026, I brought my toy poodle, Heba, in for grooming. I spoke directly with the technician, explicitly requested that her mohawk be completely removed, and sent a reference photo to their phone per her request. When I picked Heba up, the mohawk was still there. At no point did the technician communicate a change in plan. To avoid a confrontation at the counter, I chose not to say anything then.
I waited to address my concerns until, August 19, when I called asking to speak with someone familiar (Hannah) with the situation. About 10 minutes later, I received a callback from the owner, Lisa. When I expressed my concerns, Lisa was not apologetic. Instead, I was met with a combative response. She stated, "We've never received any complaints about our technician until now." Lisa pulled up the service notes, which mentioned the ears but completely omitted the decision to keep the mohawk.
I informed Lisa that this was actually the second occasion where I didn't care for this technician's work, which had previously caused me to stop coming for a while. Lisa checked my history and agreed. I explicitly told her the technician was nice and that this was strictly about the service, not a personal dislike. I shared that I deliberately chose to call verbally instead of immediately writing a bad review. While Lisa stated she appreciated the gesture, she immediately turned around to defend her employee (That is a contradiction).
I explained that a reference picture had been texted to their shop phone. Lisa pulled it up and confirmed she saw it. I also offered to send a picture of Heba currently, because she does not look like she even received a haircut. Normally, her grooming lasts nearly three weeks. Lisa stated, "Yes, please, I'd love to see it!" The call ended there, and I sent the photos with no reply from the owner.
Instead of the owner calling me back to resolve the issue professionally, I received a text message the next day, August 20th, from the technician explaining why she chose to ignore my instructions. I replied with grace, stating, "That makes sense. Thank you," but I received no further response.
You do not handle business resolutions through a text message from an employee after the owner has already called to address it. Lisa should have called me back herself to resolve the situation. I will absolutely be sharing this experience with the friend who referred me, as well as on every public outlet that I can find.
In these hard times, treating a customer like their dollar has no value speaks volumes about an owner's character. It saddens me to leave San Diego being so completely dissatisfied by a business I once held in high regard. I wish them the best, but I expect far better customer care.
