We had been using Clay Hill Cattery for a while for our two cats and had, we thought, a good relationship with the owner. Sadly, one of our cats passed and we continued to take our remaining elderly girl to Clay Hill. She was though, very car sick each time on the 25-minet drive to and from our home and eventually, we decided to find a nearer cattery, to spare her the discomfort. We had booked her in for another stay, so a nice email was sent, three weeks before the booking, cancelling the booking, explaining the circumstances and thanking the owner for looking after our cats in the past.
We heard no more from Clay Hill and moved on. Some time later, we mistakenly paid Clay Hill for stay booked at the new cattery and emailed Clay Hill, apologising for the mistake and asking that the money be refunded. Weeks pass and we heard nothing back, so we rang Clay Hill. What followed was a very unpleasant conversation, with the owner accusing us of wating for a refund on pre-paid days (we received no refund, though we were allowed credit on unused days for a future booking) before deciding to go elsewhere.
As for recovering the money sent in error, the owner informed us that our email address had been blocked, and if we wanted our money back, we'd have to write a letter with our bank details. A letter was duly sent and signed for at the cattery, but no money was ever refunded.
To be clear, we were happy with the care our cats received at Clay Hill, though we were never allowed to see the living space, however the welfare of our elderly cat is our priority and moving her to a nearer cattery the right thing to do for her and indeed, our prerogative.
We've run our own businesses, know how hard it can be and have never left a negative review before, however unpleasant behaviour to clients and the keeping of money to which we are not entitled is not something we'd even contemplate. A great shame, but there it is. read more
