Cheapest shop Around!

[mustluvdogs1]

Although it is Sunday, and I am usually in church at this hour, I am home today instead. My water hose is spurting big streams of water out the back door. It was leaking and Soaking my extra towels.. Never have a mechanic try to fix a plumbimg problem. I had the gen oil changed Friday and the guy said he would tighten the clamps. He may have broken the seal and added grease! Grease doesn't seal hose fittings. Luckily I have a great neighbor five houses down who is a second generatiion good plumber. So today Will is going to replace the part with copper. It will be a fraction of what an RV place would charge. Now to my real story...A woman called wanting her 3 dogs groomed. Funny, they say the doxie doesn't need grooming, just a bath. To me, anything done to a dog is called grooming. She bathes inbetween and keeps them up at a shop with the word paradise in it's name. It is paradise, cuz she pays 20 each for the cockapoo and shih tzu and gives 50 for all three! Why is she calling me? She is having back surgery in 6 weeks and can't drive now or later. Her husband is unable to get the dogs back and forth. They also have a 4yr old little girl who answered the phone, someone will have to watch. Little money.....you know the story. She said she is afraid of mobile groomers because her neighbor had one a few years ago and ever since the dog goes nuts and trys to bite. The dog was abused by the groomer, they claim.I hate that! To try to defend we, the mobile guys.She needs us,is afraid, and can't pay our fee. I feel sorry for her but I have done cheapies for such people in the past out of pity. I just can't do it. It would cost me money.I told her about one groomer who oddly is still in business, I think. He has an SUV and a tub in the back door. A piece of wood on hinges covers the tub for the clipping. The door is open to the street. Poopsey could theoretically jump out of the tub all soapy, an into the street!It is nice weather now, but soon will be very HOT to groom in the sun. The point is.... It would be a one or two time cheap groom, and not even become a regular client at a normal rate. Also, the bad press mobile groomers seem to have, deserved or not. They automatically think All mobile groomers are less than a shop and usually rip-off poor mean unexperienced groomers! Hey, Pat Jiohnson, in Calif ,has won numerous Best All around Groomer in Burbank and even Italy at G roomTeam USA and is mobile. So You Know It isn't true. We also have four here in PHX, and two have been grooming over 30 years. One has owned a shop and a kennel,and good groomer VP of APPGA for goodnes ssakes!I wonder how we can get good thoughts into their heads instead of bad from only a few experiences from one or two bad apples...if it were even true.The shop that charges 20 a dog no matyter the differnce in coat and grooming difficulty. That I don't get, and can barely believe. I thiunk I will call and ask what they charge tomorrow or Tues. Closed Mondays. You would have to groom 15 dogs or more a day. She said boyfriend/girlfriend or husband & wife and relative is bather.What do you all think about moibile bad reputations and cheap shops that are always booked?the 4 good mobiles I mention, me as one, are members on this board and are conscientious successful , experienced groomers.

[MissKitty]

Why do they think that mobile is cheaper? I did have a call from someone who did think that, she thought mobile grooming was an inconvenience to her! Meanwhile she cried down the phone to me about leaving her dog in a kennel all [email protected]#$$!

One woman told me that the local petsomthing charges twenty dollars to do a full groom on a Gordon Setter. Hmmm. Right. Yup. Then the groomer gets half of that. Hmmm. Right. Sure. You keep going there lady because that groomer is a fool with a capital F. Meanwhile I know it wasn't true because they told me they charge 27.00 or something to bathe a lab. So going from a twenty seven dollar bath dog to a twenty dollar full groom dog....hmmm. yup. right. sure. whatever you say lady.

[furrybestjob]

I remember the first call I received, when I opened my business that really irked me. The woman called and asked me what I charged for a mini poodle. I gave her my price and she went off on me, practically screaming, wanting to know where I get off charging more than a shop, because I don't have a store front to pay for, and that she was very happy with the person who groomed her dog for much less. I was very professional but told her that mobile grooming wasn't for everyone, that it is an exclusive service and that I was very glad she was happy with her groomer, because good groomers are hard to find. She continued on and I had to cut her off.

As far as reputations of mobile groomers, I've heard mostly positive things about all of the ones in the state. Of course, you're going to have people tell "stories" of other groomers...who's to know if they're true or not. I don't play into anyone's stories of the bad groomers they've supposedly been to.