I Guess Nothing Lasts Forever, sigh

[Jenneversage64]

I will never understand people. I have had a client who owns three Wsties and one is still a pup about 6mos old now. This client/friend was friendly from the first meeting. She even invited me to several lunches, gave me gifts and even drove to the pet food shop last Nov when I last groomed her dogs and saw her. She had been unfaithful taking her pup to Pet*** saying she thought I'd be too busy to fit him in, but never called to ask. She went out of state for the Holidays and left her 3 with I think, the breeder. It has been sooo long now since I have heard from her it is obvious something is wrong.....but what? I even bathed the pup for free so he'd be clean too and she gave me $20 extra. No Christmas tip but we did go out to a late lunch. I said goodbye before Christmas and now she does not return my calls or respond to my cute pic of three Westies and a note. I even scrolled thru past posts/threads to see if I said anything to offend her. She isn't a memeber as far as I know, but could have come here to read my posts. I did not see anything to offend her. I am dumbfounded. She did say she has trust issues in our last conversation, and had before. But even though she has NO friends, never married or children and is happy that way.....I don't get why she dumped me. My onlly clue is the breeder who may be grooming for less. But it is a trip for sure and I am mobile. She even wrote a great review a while back mentioning how her dogs love me and how she loved my grooms. WTH? So I left her a message tonight for the one and only time saying I don't understand her silence and just tell me even if it is by email. My friend groomer says let it go, move on. This is so odd though and hurtful. So, Now I feel no matter how much you THINK you have a friend /client, you may not. I just think she is fickle. I used to talk to her about her crazy school staff and superior who went to jail for stealing computers and all kinds of worries she had about the investigation. She was promoted recently and had a good income, owns her home she inherited. It isn't the money. So, I give up. I groomed her dogs regularly for a year and a half. Her pup had Lion Jaw and we talked a lot about that and I asked here too what anyone could offer.

So if she reads this....fine. I'd just like to know what happened. I think I will never know. Has anything like this ever happened to you? Oh, and I was particularly fond of her dogs. I also used Griminator and Blueberry facial and got them blindingly white. ???????????????????????

[Dog Daze]

I would let it go too sometimes people are just strange and sounds like from you description has committment issues.

Could be she was uncomfortable with the "close" friendship you were creating since she had no other friends and needed to back off.

Either way I keep my business and personal lifes seperate in that regard as to not have one overflow into the other.

[winterroo]

People come and go...even your seemingly most loyal types. Don't worry about it. I would definitely let it go though. I had a long time "loyal" client cancel a 4 week standing appointment and never call back to reschedule...for about a year. They finally called back, said someone at the husbands work had taken up grooming and it was MUCH cheaper, but she quit doing it. I just told her that is why I charge for what I do-so I can do a little less and not burn out at it. Oh, and this was someone who only wanted me to do the dogs too.

[puppy love]

I know what you mean, I have had that happen to me in the past too. Usuallly it is not because of anything you said or did, but they find themselves in a bad financial situation, have to cut corners (and we all know what gets cut out) and are embarrassed to tell you that they just dont have the money for your services now. So they are either doing it themselves (YIKES!) or have found someone doing cheap grooming that will at least get them by. Granted it wont be as nice looking as yours, but is serves the purpose and saves them $$.

[Yappiness]

Some people just...have to move on. It's probably nothing you've done. Some people can't handle being close to another and go on to the next new person...for awhile. Some people like to try new things all the time like a busy storefront where she can show off...etc. etc. I know it hurts your feelings and you have to let it go for your own sake. Don't allow it to make you bitter, some relationships are "like ships that pass in the night"

[Jadenlea]

Aww it is always hurtful to lose a client and sometimes it makes no sense to us at all. I once lost a client who thought I hung the moon. Or so she said I had groomed her goldens for god, I dont know how many years, had been through deaths of her older dogs, raising her new puppies. She said she would never trust anyone else with her dogs, refered friends with other goldens, brought cookies, tipped me 100 dollars multiple years at xmas. Heck when one of her dogs died she sent ME flowers just to say how much she knew her dog had loved me.

Then one time when she was due to come in, one of her dogs was due for its vaccines. Working in a vet hosp I am not allowed to take them until the are up to date (Which she knew after 10 + yrs grooming with me) I suggested we put the groom off a week so she could get updated. Well totally unlike her she threw a fit, ranted about our vaccine policy, implied that since she has been a client so long, I should have given her leeway..(would have if I could) and said she was going elsewhere. I was stunned. I'd never heard anything but compliments for her and felt we had more of a friendship going after all the yrs.

I let her cool off and sent her a little card a couple weeks later letting her know that I would miss her and her dogs and how much i had appreciated them. Let her know Id be here if she ever needed me again. She wrote back saying it wasnt me, she loved me but it was the hosp policy and that was the last I ever heard from her. My feelings were hurt like yours are now.

I guess it is just something we have to deal with and maybe take with a grain of salt what our clients are telling us. We can't be in their head or ever know everything that is going on in their lives. Maybe the breeder told her you were not doing an exact breed cut or something or said you ruined the coat by clipping it. Some breeders can be that way!

[Fast Ellie]

It happens to all of us. I recently lost a client that I have had for 20 years.

I was sent this couple by a vet to help them find a toy poodle. Referred them to a reptuable breeder and I groomed the dog for 15 yrs. He was a darling and one of my fav's. The couple were newly married and eventually had two children, which I have watched grow up.

Fast forward the couple went to a puppy mill and purchased two so called toys. Paid big money for these dogs and both have issues. When I closed my home based shop and went entirely mobile they stayed with me. So for the past two yrs have still been grooming the dogs. At Christmas they cancelled the appt and in Jan called and wanted the dogs done. This was when I was still not working because of the rib injury. As usual with her she can't wait...she'll cancel and then want in asap, but when it's her idea she'll go past the 6 wks.

She takes the dogs to another groomer, who charged about $70 less then I do. I received a note in the mail telling me how sorry she was, but they will be using the other groomer. She went on about how they felt as if I was family..etc. I really didn't get upset it was a very nice note.

Three days later she calls and leave a message about how guilty she feels and is rattling on and then the big surprise comes...she wants me to give her a big discount to continue grooming her dogs. BTW, I hand scissor these poodles in a modified puppy show trim.

I have not and will not return her call. I actually felt that she set me up to try and get a discount. All my clients that went mobile with me (20yrs) all get my lowest price and in two years I haven't raised their price. I felt that it was a huge increase on them and I appreciated their loyalty to me.

Sorry I lost them, but on the other hand I've learned over the years not to get my feelings hurt just move on.

[HOTW]

Don't fret over it it happens all the time and it usually has nothing to really do with us personally. Quite often it is someone else's opinion that affects people (who most seem to have no mind of their own anymore)to change. I think the fact that she went to the breeders is a big part of it. She was probably offered a deal for grooming and decided to go for it. Sonetimes people feel we are berating them for things when all we are is truly concerned about their pets. Sometimes we tell clients things they find hard to believe but I always tell them to follow thru with research of their own and usually the naysayers begin to see the light.

A cleint who leaves you might be back one day. It happens all the time. I have had friends tell me about someone who during a conversation will say I groom their dog but the dog has not really been to see me in a year and I know is getting groomed by someone else they sonetimes leave and are too embarrassed to come back.

[Smart-n-Pretty]

You'd figure she could at LEAST have served you with divorce papers, huh?

[suzy6469]

I feel you, it stinks when something like that happens with no reason behind it. I lost a great client the mother of a so called friend, well she calls to cancel an appointment and never calls back. I even asked her daughter how everything was with this dog and she didn't indicate anything was wrong.. Of course I found out later that my "friend" had told her mom to take the dog to a groomer in town because that's where all of the best people in town take their dogs. Turns out this isn't a friend after all oh well wash your hands of her and don't let it get you down.

[Jenneversage64]

Yes! I agree

I still keep thinking about her. I feel like sending her a message saying: " Guess your mother never taught you any manners or how to BE a friend, and that is why you have none. But I will be professional and be silent. If she ever calls for an appt, which I seriously doubt she will, I will be booked. Actually I am ,for several Saturdays, and that is the only day she is available, tho I have broken my rule and groomed her dogs on a Sunday to get them in. She came to me upset when she thought her Lion Jaw pup was going to have to be put down. I don't understand how anyone would be happy alone without a real friend. Go figure.

Yes, divorce papers are in order. Who can watch a movie starring say, Richard Gere or Kevin Costner, of which there are many and NOT want to put yourself in the womans' place? XOXOXOXO To each his own...........

[flyingfur]

It hurts when you get "dumped" - even if you do try to keep it just business. Is it just me, or do the people who gush the most about how wonderful you are, seem the most fickle?

[D'tails]

Yea, I would leave the ball in her court and leave it alone. Some people just live in their own little world and run for the hills when people start calling them and sending them cards and getting all emo over a professional interaction - me included. Everyone deals with people in their own way and some people just don't like to get personally involved with people/clients.

[Jenneversage64]

We have a great group of friends we spend holidays with and see often on a weekly

basis. I never had anything but the love of Westies in common with her. I've been in grooming long enough to see them come and go. This one was the most odd however. I do Not like to groom friends dogs, or even neighbors. I like to keep my business separate. She began as a client and iniated the friendship by offering to take me out to lunch after the groom. Then I got inbetween calls about her pup or her job. It developed, then it died. Oh well. I hate to say, but I always liked her dogs much more than I actually liked her.

[wet noze]

A customer is a customer - that is the bottom line. They don't have to explain to us why they went elsewhere. Either the client got a better price or they weren't happy with the service is why they don't rebook. Sometimes they just want to try somebody else. It's nothing personal. They can go where ever they want. Getting involved with a customer is not a good idea. It will only get you hurt. I crossed that line once and now I know better.