Fetch! Pet Care of Herndon
Complaint
Peter
Country: United States
Fetch! Pet Care
589 Legacy Pride Dr.
Herndon, VA 20170
USA
(703) 962-1612
This was the worst experience of my life. I should have been more cautious. I suspected trouble when I was treated rudely by the owner, Kristen. But I was in a hurry and in need to find a few days stay for my dog and favorite companion, Skipper as I had to quickly go out of town when my mom became sick. I left Skipper with Fetch for only a few days, but when I returned, she shook incessantly. This company must have done something to her. She shook for days, even though my vet gave me tranquilizers for her. To this day she is not the same. Beware!! You’re best friend may be in danger! Don’t let the dog happy dog photos on the site fool you.
589 Legacy Pride Dr.
Herndon, VA 20170
USA
(703) 962-1612
This was the worst experience of my life. I should have been more cautious. I suspected trouble when I was treated rudely by the owner, Kristen. But I was in a hurry and in need to find a few days stay for my dog and favorite companion, Skipper as I had to quickly go out of town when my mom became sick. I left Skipper with Fetch for only a few days, but when I returned, she shook incessantly. This company must have done something to her. She shook for days, even though my vet gave me tranquilizers for her. To this day she is not the same. Beware!! You’re best friend may be in danger! Don’t let the dog happy dog photos on the site fool you.
Comments
Paul Mann is like the Bernie Madoff of the pet industry
I would strongly encourage all of you to stick with someone local. There are many great professional pet sitters in nearly every area. Interview several and always check references, make sure they are insured and bonded and (most importantly) go with your gut. If you have a bad feeling about the person you meet, do not hire them. Plan well in advance so that you have plenty of time to find someone that you, your family and your pet(s) are comfortable with.
Remember, a big recognizable, national name does not necessarily mean quality. I started my pet sitting business in 2007 and have many happy clients. My company is now very successful and highly rated. However, I made a choice not to grow too big. I only have one other sitter and we have a very limited service area. I think that my decision to keep my operation small is to the benefit of me, my other sitter and our clients. We can focus more attention on our clients while still having some time to ourselves occasionally.
My actual dog walker was great but the general manager that I was in contact with for my area was less than a pleasurable person to deal with.
I left my dog with her for a weekend and after picking her up I spent the night in an emergency vet clinic.
I'm beginning to think that this pet care service franchise is a sham.
What's worse is they are overpriced and clearly take lightly the importance of keeping our furry loved ones the focus!
You can be a "dog lover" as I was told by my general manager but that doesn't mean that you are qualified to be taking on 4-5 dogs at once in your home. How is that providing personal, careful attention? It simply isn't possible to be in more than one place with multiple dogs at one time. You can't provided truly focused care in that situation. Emergency or not.. if you have too many dogs in your house and one more may compromise your ability to care properly for him or her - than say that you can't take them and provide alternatives.
This is not a puppy mill... these are our loved pets!
Be very cautious before you get engaged with the purchase of a Fetch! Pet Care franchise. They are experiencing a lot of problems due to compliance issues with each individual state labor law. In my experience the current Fetch! franchise owners tend to be extremely responsible, caring and animal-dedicated individuals. It's the corporate office you need to be cautious of.
The sales numbers they "projected" tended to be grossly inflated from the actual numbers of franchise owners we spoke with. Working with pets seems like such a wonderful way to make a living; however, please, help yourself by going through a thorough due diligence process. Learning your state labor laws, the cost of insurance (liability, damage, workers comp., unemployment, etc., etc., etc.) the increasing franchise fees each year you're in business, the difficulty of finding/retaining quality Pet Sitters, the number of fixed monthly expenses, and understanding the massive responsibility/stress of caring for people's homes and dearly beloved pets.
As any small business owner will tell you, all of the "small" monthly expenditures/taxes that you don't always figure, really eat into your margin and make it difficult to be profitable.
If you don't think the economy is having a significant effect on the number of people wanting to pay a premium price for pet care, you're wrong. Not to mention the significantly reduced number of people actually needing pet care because they can afford to go away! Understandably, when people do travel, they are going out of their way to find less expensive alternative arrangements (family, friends or even the dreaded kennel).
Working with animals can be very enjoyable, it's the experience working with this franchise that is so disappointing.
This is not a complaint but wanted to keep this board balanced. I've been involved with Fetch! approaching 5 years. Joining Fetch! Pet Care was the best decision I've ever made. A few unhappy franchisees doesn't make the franchise system bad. I can vouch that there are many happy owners doing great things and providing great service. Every franchise system will have it's up and downs. The key to success is how you respond to those moments. Are you going roll up your sleeves and roll with the punches or be a little whiner and post on these type of boards because you more mad at yourself for not following through and not seeking out alternative solutions that affect your business. I love Fetch! Pet Care.