03/11/2022
🚨PLEASE READ VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE🚨
Business closure
dear clients
I had my surgery yesterday so I am now recovering, due to my surgeon cancelling my scheduled date and moving it giving me just 12 hours notice, I had no choice but to move everyone’s appointments to allow me the time needed to heal.
I totally understand that this caused some inconvenience but I am truly taken aback by some peoples lack of understanding.
believe me the last thing I wanted to do, (on my first day of recovery was move everyone around) make phone calls, and change my own personal appointments to make sure you all have a slot, but I am doing it because I care about my business and want to do things properly.
I understand that this would have caused a little bit of faff for some people, but please do remember I am on my own, I AM MY TEAM, I have no one else to fall back on or organise my diary when I really don’t feel up to it, which is why I had this organised and planned months ago.
Which brings me on to my next point, the booking system has been brought in to benefit you all, not just me. It gives you the flexibility to choose your own dates without having the wait time of a response, you can update your pets info, pay balances, sent appointment reminders, contact me, be sent our spa info all in one place.
It was a platform I gave up hours and hours and HOURS of my free time (unpaid) to build, I understand this has been a bit hard to get the hang of and there has been some glitches, it was all new to me too, I was learning how to use the site just as fast as the rest of you.
I no longer take bookings through phone or text, so please don’t ask to be exempt from using the system, I didn’t spend all the time and money building it for only half of my books to use it, the benefits are there everyone.
if you are struggling to use it, just reach out, I have never hesitated to be helpful and this is no exemption! I have no expectations that you are all technology pros, it’s been challenging to navigate for me also.
I spent my first year running the shop without a deposit system in place, which cost me around £3000 a year as I was having up to 5 no shows per week, that’s approximately £225 PER WEEK so I decided that I needed to protect myself.
Even after explaining to my clients why I need to put this into place, I have had a really unfair response from some and lost clients over it.
i just cannot win!
Despite my best efforts, and feeling like I have truly put blood, sweat and tears into this business, the cons are outweighing the pros and that’s simply not why I wanted to be part of the industry, nor what I want for myself.
Dog grooming comes with an endless amount of responsibility and risks and if my hard work lacks acknowledgment and appreciation, it just doesn’t pay off.
Dog grooming has taught me the art of patience, built my confidence and brought me so so much joy, and I genuinely have made friends for life! (those with 2 legs and those with 4 paws) however unfortunately the statistics of those who seem to ruin it for others and disrespect my business keeps on increasing, and with this in mind I just don’t stand a chance in getting anywhere in life but also feel strongly about the fact I haven’t left a stone unturned in exploring ways I can make this work.
Back in may I received death threats/threats to burn down my building/cause damage to the equipment I had saved up and worked so much for, bullied over text and phone calls, simply for asking a lady to be on time to collect her dogs because she decided to take a shopping trip to lakeside for the day… resulting in my last clients needing to be cancelled, costing me money.
This event still brings me heaps of emotion, anxiety and pain every single day for just simply being at my place of work and I will never find the words to explain how hurt, alone and lost i felt over it.
The idea someone can be so cruel still fails me and unfortunately for me, locking up the business alone at night wondering if today is the day those threats become real, weighs very very heavy on someone just trying to do their job!!!!
I’m sorry to be so honest and open but I feel sometimes it’s necessary to give people a higher level of understanding considering I have built such amazing friendships with the majority of you.
I didn’t want anyone to think I didn’t care and was just giving up on a whim, I have tried VERY hard to keep it all aligned and make it work but this year has proved very difficult.
Shear pawfection dog grooming will be closing its doors after Christmas grooms are complete
it has been a wild 8 years, from earning £30 per day as an apprentice, to lugging my equipment round to peoples houses in my KA, to owning a business in a little unit of my own!
When I see happy customers leave after collecting their pets with a smile on their face, it still gives me that “pinch me moment”
A moment I will be proud of achieving forever.
To all my loyal, valued customers who helped me get here and are certainly making this decision A LOT harder.
Thankyou! Some of you have been with me right from the start, from a time my grooms where probably questionable 😂
Your support made today possible!
Thankyou for reading, I will be taking bookings up until Xmas so to avoid disappointment please don’t wait to book.
Please bare with me while I digest this, it has been the hardest decision I have ever faced in my entire life, I will get back to all of your messages and booking requests asap ❤️
All my love forever, jodie ❤️
