ComplaintsforUtah School of Pet Grooming SLC, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid $5,000 in tuition costs for my employee ******** (*****) ****** on April 27th 2023. I’d like a refund in the amount of $3,505. I’m happy to pay for the equipment package she received valued at $1495, but feel a refund for the tuition is absolutely necessary based on the experience she had at the Utah School of Pet Grooming. Please see details in the attached file to review my concerns. In addition, when I signed ***** up to attend the school, I was under the impression that she’d be training at their school location on North Temple in SLC, but learned later that it had actually been closed down and the school had moved to the owners basement of her current grooming salon in Midvale, which wildly impacted the learning atmosphere and professionalism. I’d be extremely grateful for some help resolving this. I sent the attached email to the owner of this establishment on October 20th, 2023 and have yet to receive a response from anyone. I’d love to use this refund to get my employee the proper grooming training that I promised to her. ***** has been an amazing employee bathing dogs at my grooming shop for the last 3 years. I see a light of passion in her eyes and she’s beyond eager to learn and grow in this industry. She’s devastated that this experience turned out so poorly, especially since she went down to part time employment with me to focus on her training to become a full time groomer at my salon. Since school began in May of this year she has been trying to live on a part time paycheck for her and two small children and has made multiple sacrifices to attend this school to better her future. I’m extremely disappointed in this facility. Nobody deserves to go through what she had to and I hope we can get this resolved for not just her, but the students that attend in the future.

  Business response

  11/22/2023

  This was my first response to the complaint sent 11/1/23
  Hello *****
  I’m sorry I haven’t responded to you sooner.
  I’m in full agreement about ***** not getting the training you’ve paid for.  I’ve read the variety of excuses she has given you.
  My suggestion is that the three of us meet in person.
   My staff has bent over backwards to accommodate *****. 
  I’m dedicated to the success of every single student in our program!  I don’t own the school to enroll people and just take their money!  I like ***** and I definitely think she is very capable.  I’m here to help individuals achieve their goals and dreams.  To continue their education as their career goals change so they have an enjoyable career, clear steps while building their business to avoid burnout and retain job satisfaction, efficient time saving techniques, their safety along with avoiding hyperextension-nicks and cuts, capable of high quality work. To understand the psychology of the animal so they have the timing and the skill set to gain the trust of high anxiety, potentially dangerous animals, the safe use and maintenance of tools, customer care skills, customer retention.  The ability to earn a top income in a dream career that is fulfilling.
  Our biggest limitation is that we cannot work harder, want or create this experience if the student does not have the drive, goals or passion.
  My staff hit a wall, they were very frustrated with *****’s lack of progress.  Her desire was to just watch the other students work, insisting that she was too tired to be actively involved with the training and the best way for her to learn was to just watch.  She said she was overworked and when she requested her schedule be adjusted to accommodate her training it was rejected. I don’t believe there was a single time she arrived on time, the majority of the time she was an hour or more late. We’re accustomed to working around peoples schedules, it usually isn’t a problem. If someone really wants to make a change in their lives they put in the extra effort!
  As a business owner I imagine you understand we cannot have dogs sitting in a kennel waiting for ***** to possibly show up tired and frustrated, or not show up at all. Numerous times there were dogs specifically scheduled for ***** to work on when she had committed to being there and she did not show up, some with an excuse and others a no-show.
  As a team our staff meet weekly to discuss ways to improve disciplinary issues, how we can improve student experience, training technique, address complaints or challenges students are having. I have an open door policy and meet with students beginning, multiple times during their training and after to make sure we’re meeting their individual needs and goals. I ask every one of them if they have any complaints (so we can continue improving the experience).
  My staff asked me to step in and meet with *****, it was difficult because of her attendance issues. When she finally showed up I pulled her into the office to strategize on a game plan to get her through the program with as high a skill set as possible.  We sat down and I asked her why she had such an issue with being tardy and her attendance. She said work was her biggest problem. She was overbooked and regardless of requesting fewer dogs her boss refused to make accommodations (she was not able to make training a priority). She also said she was tired of working on dogs and asked if she could just learn by watching. She said her home life was difficult, she was overwhelmed and exhausted. I asked her if she wanted to better her life?  What are her future goals?  We came up with a game plan where I would adjust my schedule and personally work with her to fast track her training.  At the time my traumatic brain injury was still a major issue, however I really wanted to see her succeed so I came in to work with her, she did not show up.
  She has had many excuses and I’m not able to tell you every absence because she did not sign the daily attendance role.
  I’m pretty sure she did not attend a single guest speaker workshop. She has not attended a single training with DMV Dr J**** (over the period of time she has been allowed to stay in the program he has done 3 in-person trainings).
  She has had a negative attitude, has been disrespectful and disruptive with my instructors, and came in late with a defeated, negative attitude. She was late for every single class, if she showed up at all. Many excuses as to why she could not attend.
  For whatever reason, ***** has not taken your investment, my time or this career opportunity  seriously. I believe it is something she will regret in the future. If you’d like, we can meet and discuss options.
  I’m teaching a K-9 Psychology workshop Thursday, Friday the 9th & 10th from 5-8pm. You are welcome to attend. At that point you can judge the value of my program for yourself.
  Feel free to get in touch with me. 
  Thanks Lynne  ###-###-####      (text is the best way to get in touch)

  Second response 11/22/23

  To whom it may concern,
  I am writing to express my concerns regarding the attendance and behavior of ***** ******, a student in our professional pet grooming program.
  From the outset, ***** has demonstrated a pattern of tardiness and absenteeism. Upon our initial meeting, she informed me that her work schedule made it difficult for her to arrive on time for class. However, she was not forthright about the fact that her employer was paying for her tuition. She told us her employer was not paying for her tuition although we knew otherwise.This raised concerns about her commitment to the program.
  Despite our discussions about the importance of punctuality and attendance, ***** has continued to arrive late for class and miss scheduled sessions. On several occasions, she has shown up with a negative attitude and questioned our teaching methods. Her behavior has been disruptive to the learning environment and has created a burden for our instructors.
  In August, we met with ***** to discuss her attendance issues. She agreed to attend classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only. This was to help her balance out her personal and work life. However, the very next day, she called to say that she would not be coming to class. Since then, she has continued to arrive late or not at all, often without providing prior notice.
  The following are examples of *****'s communication with the school regarding her absences:
  May 14, 2023: "Hi Dani, This is ***** ***** with ****** ****. I don't think I'll be making it into the school today. I just got off work. My truck has been overheating and my son was sent home from school sick. Looks like the odds are stacked against me today. See you next week!"
  May 30, 2023: "Hi Dani, this is *****. I was in an accident this weekend and am too hurt to come to school tonight. I apologize for my absence. Thank you for understanding."
  June 5, 2023: "Hi Dani, I hope you got my voicemail. This is ***** ******. I'm wondering if I could come in today at 3 if there would be a dog for me to groom, or tomorrow. I was hit by a car last week and was absent all week."
  June 7, 2023: "Hi Dani! Just thought I'd text you and let you know I'm not going to make it tonight. I'm stuck here at work until 5. See you next week."
  July 16, 2023: "Hi Dani, I was coming tonight, but I realized I left all my tools at work, so I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully, I don't miss out on that much."
  July 17, 2023: "Hi Dani, just letting you know I won't make it today until at least 3:30, so I won't be in."
  July 25, 2023: "Hi Dani, had an emergency and can't make it. Tomorrow I have a full schedule of dogs, and it's my birthday, so I won't be in tomorrow."
  Our attendance policy is as follows:
  ATTENDANCE POLICY 
  In order for students to be making satisfactory academic progress towards our certificate program, absenteeism must be kept to a minimum to maintain specific grade averages and proceed through the program at a pace leading to completion in a specific time frame (one and one-half times the length of the program). Satisfactory progress is measured in clock hours.
  Utah School of Pet Grooming students are expected to be on time and attend all scheduled classes. Professional program dogs are scheduled per student and the responsibility is the students.  Dogs cannot go home ungroomed. 
   It’s crucial that Students be on time. Professional program dogs are scheduled per student and have a specific time out and need to be ready on time. This shows professionalism. 
  For professional programs the Utah School of Pet Grooming policy is to place a student on probation, if the student is tardy more than 3 times during the program. The student may face termination if tardiness occurs after counseling and 5 write-ups by USPG staff..
  For professional program student Requests for time off requires a 48 hour advance notice. Students also agree to notify the school at least 24 hours prior to an absence. Students who are absent over three (3) consecutive days agree to supply the school with a valid reason or a doctor’s note upon returning to class. Any absence over three (3) days will have to be discussed on an individual basis. The absence time will depend on the length of absence and the student’s progress at that time. The student may face disciplinary action if absence occurs after counseling and 3 write-ups by USPG staff. The program is designed for fast track learning and it’s difficult for a student to be absent and receive the full benefit of the course. It’s the student’s responsibility to be on time for class. (see make-up work below)
  For professional programs any Students who are absent for 14 consecutive days without an official written notice will be withdrawn/terminated from the program. Students terminated for this reason may not re-enter before the start of the next class.  The student will be re-admitted if the Director feels that the student is committed to attending class on a regular basis. A student who has been terminated may be readmitted at the discretion of the School Director. Students agree to additional finance to compensate school for extra support of USPG staff ($18 per hour tutor charge for additional one on one focused training by USPG staff).
  Graduation requires the completion of 300 clock hours and any missed time will extend the length of (months) of your program. Students must make up all hours missed to satisfy the 300 clock hour requirements. If you have reached 300 hours and are not ready for your Internship , or your test dogs have not been completed, you must attend scheduled make-up days or classes as scheduled depending on space available
  A clock hour is based on an actual hour of attendance, a 60 minute period with one half hour of non-instructional time for lunch. The students will attend from 8:30am – 2:00pm, or 2:00pm-8:00pm, depending upon the student’s contracted schedule.
  We have made numerous attempts to work with ***** to address her attendance issues. However, she has not made any significant improvements. Her behavior is disruptive to the learning environment and is unfair to other students who are committed to their studies.
  I will advise the owner not to reimburse tuition because I feel we have gone over the top to provide for ***** and provided her with many opportunities. As for the other complaints I don't see how she can form an opinion when she was never committed to our program.
  Sincerely, Brandon E***** Manager, Utah School of Pet Grooming
  
  

  
  

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