I'm bummed to leave a less than stellar review on multiple levels, but I feel compelled to share my…read moreexperience.
I called Cassandra to make an appointment for my doodle. While on the phone, I asked for rates, since they are not listed on the site. She informed me that she really couldn't give me an estimate even, and that only after seeing my dog's coat would she be able to offer a price. She informed that she mainly does smaller dogs, and I verified if she was wanting/willing to do my larger doodle (70lbs). She said she would. Here's my mistake -- I should have pressed further for a price, even a ballpark estimate, but I didn't. More on that in a second...
We drove quite a ways out of our way to Cassandra's home near Olney, MD. She greeted us outside of her house where we talked for a few minutes before I handed off my dog in the driveway. Since we're in COVID times, I did not expect to go into her house or see where she grooms or have extensive conversation, and that was fine.
I killed some time in the area and after two-ish hours, Cassandra called me to come pick up my doggo. She said she would be emailing me an invoice that I could pay prior to pickup. I open up my email and I see a bill for $220. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY dollars. Wow! I was floored. We have never paid that much for a grooming ever, and we typically get our pup groomed in DC proper or downtown Silver Spring. Here, we drove out to rural MD, where she grooms from her home, so no overhead even, and the price is double that than what we typically pay. Also to mention, there was a $10 COVID cleaning fee included. I never stepped foot into her house, we wore masks in the driveway where I handed off my dog -- what's to clean? My dog? I assume she was getting a bath either way. Anywho, I didn't pay the bill right away, as I wanted to ask her about why the rate was so high in person.
When I arrived, my dog was sheared from head to toe. She's a doodle but she looked like a weird greyhound. Ears, snout, everything, clipped to the skin with no styling to be seen. She explained that our dog's fur was matted and that this was the only answer.
So, yes, our dog definitely had some matting in various spots but we brush her regularly and she was groomed 12 weeks prior, so we're not talking months and months of overgrown fur. Even if she had to take her fur down really close, she still could have styled her head/ears/face to have at least some semblance of the doodle cut... those areas were not matted at all. So not only was this the highest rate we have ever been asked to pay, it was also the worst groom my dog had ever received.
When I picked up my dog, I nicely asked why the rate was so high, and explained that we typically pay about half that in DC. Cassandra told me that was standard rate. I disagreed and told her that we really have never paid close to that amount in 3 years. She shrugged. It was a quick and friendly exchange, and I was hoping that by giving her the opportunity to lower the rate, that she might. She didn't. I paid it and we left. We won't be going back. I don't know why I'm leaving two starts as opposed to one. One just seems so harsh. But tbh it was a one start experience.
My strong advice: get a rate upfront.
