CANCELLATIONS
A minimum of 48 hrs notice for cancellations is required. Cancellations made between 48-24 hrs are liable for 50% of the fee and any cancellation with less than 24 hours notice is liable for the full price of the groom. Cancellations are sometimes unavoidable, we understand life happens. Please be aware that if you do need to cancel you may not be able to get your dog in for a number of weeks as a waiting list system is used.
MISSED APPOINTMENTS
If you miss an appointment with no prior warning the full cost of the groom is payable and a non-refundable deposit will be required before future grooms will be made.
LATE ARRIVAL FEES
If you are more than 15 minutes late arriving for your dog’s appointment we may not have time to complete the groom and it will count as a missed appointment. Please contact me if you are running late. At Alvechurch dog grooming we don’t use crates to keep dogs in so have a manageable number of dogs at anytime and the agreed collection time must be adhered to. If you do not collect your dog at the agreed time a late fee will apply. This is charged at £5 per 15 minutes (from 15 mins late) for the first hour then at standard dog sitting rate (£11 per hour) PLUS the cost of any grooms we have had to cancel as a result. Your dog will be keen to see you again and crossovers with unfamiliar dogs and owners may be stressful for them – we like to reunite you as soon as we can.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Alvechurch Dog Grooming may take before and/or after photographs of your dog(s) for training and development purposes or marketing and promotional activities.
Please note that we also take photos of matted dogs, fleas, ticks, evidence of any injuries on arrival or any unfortunate injuries during the groom. Please be assured that these photos are for my personal record only and will not be shared on social media.
MATTING
Where a dog is heavily matted, if the mats cannot be brushed out without causing pain or stress within 15 minutes then we will clip off the coat. Where possible we will text or call to discuss with you. If your Dog needs shaving down the owner should be aware that sometimes irritation may occur from the shaving process. The owner agrees that Alvechurch Dog Grooming and/or its staff will not be held liable for any after-grooming effects of matt clipping procedures or problems “uncovered” by clipping off a badly matted, neglected coat. This could include the following: itchiness, skin redness, irritations or abrasions.
No dog will be subjected to stress or discomfort all Dogs will be groomed I accordance with the Animal Welfare Act.
– A shave down will always result in additional charges from £20 on top your groom price.
– Pets found with Fleas will be flea bathed and owners will be charged additionally
FLEAS
If your dog has fleas we need to know prior to the appointment. This is to prevent cross contamination with other dogs, and rescheduling the appointment may be necessary. We reserve the right to refuse to groom a dog with fleas until they have been successfully treated.
If fleas are found during the groom, we will treat your dog with a flea shampoo which will kill any fleas on the body. However, you will need to treat your home, bedding, car, etc., and use a good quality flea product. You will incur an additional fee of £15 to cover the cost of the flea shampoo, and products needed to protect/clean the salon salon.
All charges are at groomer’s discretion.
ACCIDENTS
Although we will take the upmost care of your dog whilst in my charge, accidents can happen. Dogs are liable to sudden movements and we cannot be held responsible should this happen. You will be given a full explanation of any injuries when you collect your dog, including advice further action if needed.
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
We will do as much as possible during the groom to keep your dog calm and relaxed. However, if your dog becomes aggressive during the groom, we will stop the groom and the full amount will be payable. However, on collection of your dog we will discuss options to help your dog overcome fear based aggression during grooms. Muzzles will only be used where there is a benefit, for example if your dogs are nails are overgrown and causing discomfort.
COMPLAINTS
Prior to the groom, an initial consultation will take place to discuss how you want your dog to be groomed. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the groom, please communicate this to us as soon after the groom as possible so that where appropriate it can be rectified (this may incur additional cost if you have changed your mind from the consultation agreement).
SOCIAL MEDIA
If you are happy with the way we have groomed your dog, both in terms of how he or she looks, or the caring way in which we treat all dogs, please feel free to post photos on social media, including my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/a;vechurchdoggrooming/ or tag/hashtag Alvechurch Dog Grooming if the photo is on your timeline.
If you are dissatisfied with the groom please discuss any issues you may have before posting negative comments on social media. In this way, we have the ability to respond directly to you.
RESTRAINTS
Whilst your dog is being groomed, restraints will only be used to prevent injuries (such as falling off the table). Restraints are not used on all dogs, especially those that are happy to sit or stand quietly on the table with minimum movement. Your dog will NOT be left unsupervised on the table with or without restraints. If you would prefer restraints to be used please let me know.
DATA PROTECTION
As part of the Data Protection Act, it is now necessary for me to inform you of the information we keep about you and your dog, how it is used and stored, and to receive permission for specific information to be stored and used.
The client information form completion on registration with Alvechurch Dog Grooming is kept in hard copy format only and stored safely. No one other than Alvechurch Dog Grooming staff have access to these forms.
The following information is transferred to the Dog Grooming Record Card: details given about the dog, your name and mobile number and veterinary practice. These cards are also help in hard copy format only, and you can ask to view at any time. we keep a record of what blades and comb attachments have been used along with details of areas the dog dislikes and any methods we have found useful.
Your name, dogs name and mobile telephone number is entered onto my Mobile Telephone to enable me to communicate with you about appointments, and to advise you when your dog is ready for collection. No other details are held on my mobile phone other than your appointments. My mobile phone is protected by fingerprint recognition.
The only other information held electronically is your email address. This is used to send you details of workshops and offers. Our PC has a firewall and is only accessed by members of staff.