Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was sent my dog to a board and train school I paid $500 deposit to hold his place and was told I would be able to be apart of his training as much as I wanted .He arrived August 21 , 23 and we paid an additional $1000 and then $1000 when training was completed. On 8/24/23 at 7:43pm I was notified that my dog was missing and that he must have climbed their fence and was gone. We did not hear until anything more until 8:00am the following morning that they had found him. When we were able visit 8/27/23 we were told that we could walk him daily which worked until Thursday August 31, 23 I was then told that it was too late to go walk him and that they would be gone until Tuesday September 5th and they were leaving him in the care of a minor girl until then with no training being done. I was both verbally told and texted that they would refund me $1000 if I wanted to take him home at that time which I did. I just reach out to her 9/12/23 to see when I would be receiving the refund and was now told that I do not get a refund that the $500 was non refundable and did cover any training and that they spent 2 weeks training him so the rest was also not going to be refunded. I was not verbally told that the $500 was non refundable and I have sent a screen shot of their web site that does not state this as fact either it says $2500 for 4 weeks and only 50% prior not $1500. I am not sure how to calculate how much I should owe for the 11 days with him missing for 10 hrs of that and leaving before the end of the day on 8/31/23 but I also feel that I should not owe the whole $1500 either.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2023

  Wyoming K-9 does have a non-refundable deposit to hold the kennel for the dog. When the dog is dropped off the owner pay's an additional $1000 which is non-refundable once training starts. At the completion of the training there is a final payment of $1000. During the board and train program it is not a normal practice to train with the owner until the completion of the training. We do allow individuals to come and visit their dog, however we may or may not have that time to work with the dog and the owner at that time. We offer free continued training if necessary free of charge after the completion of the board and train. Wyoming K-9 has a 7 foot fenced acres which we exercise the dogs in. We work with dogs that have a variety of issues to include dogs that need social skills. In our board and train program they learn obedience, manners, and are socialized with other dogs and people.

  **** came to use needing more social skills. He did have most of his obedience already, but we still work on the skills as well. We spent the first week working on his socializing in the facility and doing some obedience. At this time we had not let him in the pasture because we were afraid we would have a hard time getting him back in which happens from time to time. The second week we decided to try letting him in the pasture for more exercise. As we were afraid of we where having a hard time getting him in. When this happens we leave the facility door open and try to herd them back in. This day **** was running and hiding from us and at that point we had lost a visual of him through the trees and could not find him. We spent about 1 hr looking in the pasture as well as in our facility because we had his kennel door and the facility door open hoping he would go inside. After searching everywhere we could only assume he jumped the fence. At that time myself and my partner started driving around the area for another 3 hr with no luck. We decided that since we couldn't locate him we needed to contact the owner. At dark we quite looking for him. The next morning we came into the facility at 8 am and noticed that some things were pulled off the table and onto the floor, and their was pee on the floor. At this time we knew that he had to be hiding in the facility. So we check a back area that we would never have thought he could be and there he was. So we contacted the owner and let them know we had him.

  The owners where out of town and it was the their daughter that dropped him. So the next day the daughter came to visit him and contacted her parents. We spent time with her talking about what happened and the fact that he was here to help with his anxiety so thing like this would not happen and the daughter agreed that it was very important and that she was not sure if her mom was going to pick him up when she got home nor not but she felt it was in ***** best interest to stay.

  The next day mom and dad came to visit. When got here **** was very anxious and happy to see them. When I sat down with them mom was crying and very anxious her self. I explained every thing that had happened and where **** was in his training. After spending about an hour with them they agreed that it was important for him to stay but mom wanted to come and take him for walks. At no time did I agree with her coming every day, but it turned out that was her expectation. So they came for the next 3 days and walked him and I spent an hour with them the last day to do a one on one session and as I expected  **** was not interested in working for us he just wanted to go home. We discussed that training sessions would be better after training during some in home training and she would just continue taking him for walks. The next day she was scheduled to come and take him for a walk at 2:30 and did not show. She then texted my partner ******* and asked if she could come and visit later that day. We explained that we were getting ready to leave town for a 4 day weekend and that she would not be able to to come until Tuesday.  She then started crying and asked why she couldn't come during the weekend and we told her that the individual that was caring for the dogs while we were gone did not deal with clients so she would not be able to come. She proceeded to say that she thought that **** would be trained every day and that she wanted him trained and walked every day. When she called we were in the process of packing and getting ready to go, so after she continued to argue and cry I said that she could come get him Tuesday and I would refund $1000. At this time I was busy and multi tasking and I miss spoke, I was thinking that they would need to pay the last $1000 not that I would refund $1000 because we had already put a lot of hours into training him over the last 2 weeks.

  Then while I was in grocery store. I received a text asking to come walk him again. I told her that she could come walk him again (trying to help) that night that we would leave the door unlocked for her to come and walk him. I should have guessed that she was playing me but it was after hours, and I was trying to leave town and was just trying to accommodate her the best I could. About an hour later she texted that they came and took him home and asked me to call her. I then sent her several more texts explaining how important the training was and that he really needed it and that I felt she was doing what was best for her and not for **** and that felt she took advantage of my kindness by just taking him home. The reason I didn't call her was because she had shown that she was going to continue to argue with me and cry as she she did when she was on the phone with *******. That I have boundaries and that I had made a lot of accommodations for her and that the fact that she felt that I shouldn't take time off because her dog, and because she didn't know the person caring for the dogs while I was gone was truly non of her business if I take days off and who is caring for my facility during that time. Told her that if I trusted this individual to stay in my home and care for my dogs as well as the facility, and the fact was that she was minor and while she was great with the dogs she did not feel comfortable meeting with clients while she was there alone, and I would respect that boundary.

  Then a week later we hear from wanting to come and get his food, a blanket they left and the $1000. I told her that I was incorrect by telling she would get the $1000 back that covered the training that was completed in the first 2 weeks and that she just didn't owe me the final $1000 since they took him out at 2 weeks. She then wanted her $500 deposit returned and I explained that the deposit was to hold his kennel which we did so she would not the non-refundable deposit back. She stated that I didn't tell the deposit was non-refundable. I did tell her as well as it was stated in the contracts the her daughter signed that the deposit was not refundable and once training the training started neither was the first $1000. She then asked for the paperwork and I emailed her a copy.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2023

  Complaint: 20593626
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was not informed verbally that the $500 was non refundable when I paid it weeks prior over the phone with the owner prior to having my daughter take **** in. My daughter was not given a copy of the paper work that she signed and I had no idea what it said since I was not a party to the paper work being completed. I was how ever told verbally that I could be involved in the training as much as I wanted to be and when I communicated to the owner in person about wanting to walk him every day there was no response of rejection from her. 
  I do believe I have a right to know and care about who would be responsible for by dog while the owner and her usual staff are away for four days that I was paying for training not just being boarded and he had already been misplaced for at least 10 hrs by the normal staff.
  On the day I took I had texted ***** to see if I could walk **** at 4 instead of 2:30 but got no response from her or her worker when she said I did not show. I finally received a text from ******* that said it was too late to come because the were leaving for four days. I then called ******* upset after receiving this new information even though I had been there the day before for a brief training session not an hour and was not told directly from the owner that this was happening. I was then told verbally that ***** would give me back $1000.00 if I want to take **** home but that she currently did not have it so I would have to wait. I told her I would have to think about it. I then got a response from ***** stating I could go walk go walk **** at 4:30 her just now responding to the earlier text I had sent. I was still trying to figure out what I should do about taking him or not but they never even asked what I had decided to do.  While walking ****** made the decision that communicating with them was so complicated and the services that I thought I would be getting I was not I had already lost confidence in their services after I was told he climbed their fence( it is 5ft not 7ft my 6 4 husband stood next to it and it is shorter then him) and he was missing/hiding for 10 hours because he was left alone in a strange place  with no content supervision. They even have cameras that showed he did not climb the fence but failed to watch those first before calling me while I was thousands of miles away worrying about where he could be . Since they did not have the training staff available over the 4 day weekend end I made the decision to take **** home.

  I have sent copies of the text that showed ***** said she would refund $1000 and I also was verbally told by ******* that I would get $1000 refund not just not having to pay the remaining amount - because ***** the owner would not personally talk to me because I was upset.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2023

  ********************* had been coming everyday & was art of the training process. We had just lost an employee due to a move to another state.  However, we have been very accommodating to *********************. This wasn't the first time she showed up late almost every day she would change her times. There were at least three instances were she showed up late and interrupted training sessions with other clients. When we set boundaries the day she was told too come it was 4:45 on a Friday. Now if she came at the scheduled time of 2:30 she wouldn't have been interrupting other clients. In addition it was a three day weekend. We even left the facility unlocked so she could still come walk **** that evening after we left and she ended taking him home. Keep in mind we are open to clients by appointment only. This is to assure other clients do not get interrupted they paid for there time just as you did. In addition we also train service dogs for people with PTSD and these interruptions to one of these clients can set them back depending on the client. ************************* dog is trained 3 times a day and socialized at least an hour a day during the week. Since we lost our employee who worked the weekend ********************* expected us not to take a break even after we worked her dog 5 days a week. Yes we still clean, feed, and have out door play on the weekends but she wanted us to never take time off just for her.

  Further more if ********************* would have showed up on time and not during times we were busy with other client communication would have been better. The person that stays is a trusted friend that doesn't feel comfortable dealing with clients. Weather we left town or not ********************* was not respectful of our time and energy. Lose of time and energy equals loss of time off work which means lose of money, and the inability to server our other paying clients and there dogs so we had to set boundaries.

  As to the contract we do not give copies unless requested. Her daughter did not ask for copies as most people don't but we would have been happy to give her one. We did however send ********************* a copy when she asked. As to the money, you were told over the phone the phone that the deposit was non refundable in addition to our contract clearly stating it was non refundable along with the first half of the payment after training was started. We spent a lot of extra time **** do to the fact that he was here to learn better social skills and not to be so fear reactive outside of the home and we should be paid for that time. **** ended up hiding in our training facility in an area that we didn't feel he would have been and didn't show him self even though we had other clients and staff in the area while we were actively looking for him. It is our responsibility to contact the owner if for some reason we can not find their dog. We had did everything we could to find him and that included checking our security cameras to see if we could see him jumping the fence, which we din't see. So it was not a circumstance in which your dog actually expected but a situation in which he hide and we were unable to find him. You would think that it would make you feel better knowing that not only did we contact you once we couldn't find him but the fact that our facility is secure enough that he was unable to escape. The fact that he did hide. should also be an indicator that he did need the in depth training or he would not have stayed hidden with other in the area and that it all started because we tried to exercise him in the pasture and could not get him back in to the point we had to leave the doors open and wit for him to come in while we walked the pasture with 4 people to find and herd him into the building in the first place. If it was a perfect world we would never have these situations but we work with living breathing animals that at times can be very unpredictable that is just part of the job all we can do is make sure they are safe and secure which he was. We had even been out looking at 6 A.M before even going into the facility, we spent hour looking for him and did everything in our power to try to find him. It wasn't until we opened the training facility that we found things a miss and realized that he was hiding in the facility.

  What ********************* doesn't understand is that when someone leaves their dog with us they are part of our family too! After this incident we talked with whole family it was agreed on that we would continue training and we did tell her she could come but if we had other clients or if it was not possible that day and if it hindered his training in anyway that she would not be allowed to come. Her being part of the training was ****'s reactivity to others being around his mother. He was very protective and could end up biting someone. In conclusion, No matter what we did or said to ********************* she was never pleased if the situation didn't happen she was looking for any excuse to take her home because of separation anxiety from the dog.

  The bottom line is ********************* had a hard time being separated  from her dog and we had to set boundaries with her. We spent 2 out of the 4 weeks working hard on her dog ****. The deposit was a non refundable deposit and we put the time in and earned the $1000 initial payment she paid and her dog never excepted from our care. She we gave her special access to our facility to walk her dog and she took advantage of that opportunity and took hiom home. She expected special treatment and when she didn't get it she wanted her money back and decided to send this negative review.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  I dont believe we will ever come to the an understanding since apparently I was a horrible customer interrupting all the lessons when no one else was at the facility.
  If ***** had been better at communicating this whole situation would have not happened - I probably would not have taken him home if she would have told me upfront that she was going to be gone and that she really didnt mean that she would give me $1000 refund for sure would have made a difference in my decision to take **** home. If I was that much of a problem I wish they would have talked to me about it at the time because I had no idea I was such a problem for them.

    I just hope that when people call and that one of the most expensive options is suggested by ***** even though she does not meet with  you and the dog to know if that would really be the best option situation but takes payment over the phone with no non refundable clause mentioned. I hope that future customers are as not as emotional about their pets and will go look first at where their dog would be kept and be treated and ask for a contract that says how and what training your dog will receive since non of that is in the contract. My negative review is justified because at every corner there was miscommunication and I would not have chosen this type of training if ***** had been truthful with how and when the training would be taking place and how I really was not welcome to be apart of his training. I have already met first and then hired a new trainer and he sees that **** has the basic commands already and did not need a board and train for the issues he was having and includes me in every training session which is what I feel I needed.

  I was very emotional when I set up the board and train and during the whole process for reason but I which I could change go back and change would have not have made the ***** decision to take **** to the the Wyoming K-9 Academy knowing that both of us would not be good with the separation which might have been seen by ***** if she had taken time met with us first instead of going for what paid more- with no refunds of course the money is really more important to you then giving the right kind of training.

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************