Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I reserved 4 nights for my dogs starting June 8th, 2022. I was asked and gave a $50 deposit. There was no mention that it was non refundable if you cancel 48 hours in advance much less one week or two weeks, before a reserved date. I reserved on 5/23. I cancelled 5/25. And they refuse to refund my money. This is a bad and deceptive business practice. I want a full deposit refund.

  Business response

  05/26/2022

  The customer made the reservation on May 19th (not 5/23 as she claimed in her complaint) and canceled on May 25th. 5 full days have passed since the time she made the reservation and the time of cancellation. This was her first lie. We have phone records to prove this as well as records of when her file was created in our computer system. Our office rep was on the phone with her for *34 minutes* discussing our packages, business, and policies, where she AGREED, willingly and knowingly, for us to charge her credit card, that she provided, the $50 non-refundable deposit. The client claimed she was not told it was non-refundable, however, we have email proof that she knew: Her second lie.
  
  Copy and pasted from email, however, we are happy to provide the actual emails upon request:
  
  <<**** ******* writes Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 2:59pm
  “You might have mentioned it was non refundable when I called”
  
  We have further email proof that she had been to our website to look at photos and thus had access to our policies page:
  
   <<**** ******* writes Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 4:45pm
  “There was no website visit until after a link was sent beyond looking at pictures”. She contradicts herself multiple times over the course of 12 emails she bombarded us with throughout the day. This proves she, in fact, had looked at pictures on our website and thus had the ability to see, in writing, our policies, prior to calling and booking. 
  
  The client was told on the phone about our policies, had previous access to our website where she could have viewed them in writing at ANY TIME, and yet still demanded we refund her deposit. 
  
  The client wrote in her original email:
  
  <<**** ******* writes Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 11:34am
  “Hello *******, I got lucky and found a Home Pet sitter during my time at the hospital. Thank you for your help and I will be seeing you all some day I’m sure!”
  
  Our policy states that deposits are always non-refundable, however, if a client cancels 7 days prior to their check-in date, we will leave the deposit as a *full $50* credit on their account to be used for a future stay. We told her that we would leave the credit on her account as our policy states.
  
  <<May 25, 2022 a 11:58am, ***********************.com wrote:
  “We will go ahead and cancel your reservation. The deposit, however, is non refundable. We are able to leave it on hand for a future stay since you cancelled 7 days prior to check in. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. We hope to see you in the future.”
  
  Based on her original email, this should have been agreeable as she seems to want to use us in the future. It wasn’t until after we refused to give her the refund that she began ranting over the course of 12 harassing emails that we were money driven and she didn’t trust us. Even though, AGAIN, she contradicts herself in emails stating she liked the rep that made the reservation with her, “******* was very sweet” (written May 25, 2022 5:15pm).
  
  This customer was informed and fully understood our policy when she booked the reservation. 5 Days later when she found a different accommodation that she preferred for her pets, she wanted a refund that was not owed to her. She has every right to choose the care for her pets, however, she does not have a right to a refund. She disputed the charge to her credit card company and cancelled her credit card which is a fraudulent act when you dispute the charge simply because you do not want to pay. We will disclose this information to her credit card company when they contact us. 
  
  Every business has policies. I can name multiple businesses that require non-refundable deposits, including ******, and multiple clothing stores that only allow for store credits, etc. Clients are fully informed of our policies. We are a reputable business that has been serving customers for over 17 years with an A+ BBB rating which proves that we operate in complete transparency. We will not refund her deposit, as it is not owed to her. We are prepared, with evidence, to dispute her false claim and fraudulent behavior of canceling her credit card. It is a shame that entitled people believe they are exempt from the rules. She simply found other accommodations and demanded her money back regardless of our policies. It is outrageous and we will not stand for it. Refunding a deposit, as simple as that may seem, costs money. Our credit card merchants charge fees every time we run a card. We would actually lose money by refunding deposits. Covid was a huge setback for a business that relies on customers traveling, the lack of workforce, and the desire for our company to pay our employees a living wage are just a few of the reasons we stick to this policy. 
  
  With the evidence provided, I’m confident you will see that this was an unwarranted complaint by an individual that has no grounds for a complaint and close this issue with our A+ rating intact. 
  
  Again, we will not refund her deposit, however, we are happy to leave the $50 deposit on her account to be used for a future stay, as our policy states.
  
  Thank you for all you do and your time as you review this complaint. 

*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. ↩