Richmond Dog Obedience Club, Inc.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.RDOC does not have all of their facts regarding the case, as the primary part of the incident (the slapping of my dog, as well as the condescending tone towards me) did not take place within the facility but in the entry alcoveMy husband and daughter were present as witnesses, and my story has remained the same in all correspondence to RDOC (which I would be happy to provide)I feel that regardless of what the facilities policy is, I was told in writing that I was receiving a refundRDOC should not be able to backpedal and deny the request as *** had to speak to someone to approve the refund, she did not do it on her ownI have documentation stating thatAdditionally, I feel that in order to cover themselves, they are lying and trying to discredit meI feel this is an extremely poor business practiceRegards,*** ***

Dear Ms. [redacted]: We received your recent letter regarding the
complaint filed by Ms. [redacted] I regret the slight delay in sending
this response. Richmond Dog Obedience Club, Inc. (RDOC) has been conducting dog
training classes for more than 50 years. All of our instructors are...

volunteers
who share their years of experience and their enthusiasm for dog training with
our students. We give generously to many causes, including Meals on Wheels and
local 4-H dog training groups. We also support the work of dog rescue groups by
giving class registration discounts to our students who adopt rescue dogs. I
share this information with you so that you can understand the type of club we
are-warm, generous and caring. The class instructor, [redacted], and
one of the club training directors, [redacted], attempted to resolve the
complaint when it was brought to their attention. While Ms. [redacted] did offer
Ms. [redacted] a refund, she did not have the authority to do so. Refunds can only
be approved by the Board of Directors. [redacted] is a copy of the registration
form that Ms. [redacted] completed which clearly shows that we do not offer refunds.
This has been our policy for many years and it is also stated on our website.
None of the other quality dog training organizations in the Richmond area offer
refunds either, once a class has begun. The RDOC Board does occasionally approve
refunds--when a class is cancelled by us or in the case of the unexpected
illness of the owner or the dog. However, the RDOC Board did consider Ms.
[redacted] request for a refund. Her request was reviewed as well as the comments
by the Training Director, instructor and two assistant instructors who were
present at the time. Her request for a refund was denied; however, we did
approve a class transfer for her and her dog. She has up to one year to take
advantage of this offer. We have more than 35 different members who teach
classes on a regular basis. If Ms. [redacted] wishes to take advantage of the
transfer offer, it will be easy to find an instructor who was not present at
the Friday night class she attended. Once the RDOC Board made its decision, Ms.
[redacted] contacted Ms. [redacted] and relayed the decision to her. When Ms. Hogan
refused to accept this decision, I contacted her by email. [redacted] are the
emails which I sent to Ms. [redacted] and her responses to me. Ms. [redacted] stories
get wilder with each reiteration. At all times, Ms. [redacted] and her dog were on
the training room floor in the presence of 10 other students, their dogs, their
family members, one instructor, two assistant instructors and one of our
training directors. It is simply impossible that any one of these people hit
her dog even once, let alone repeatedly. I have known the club members involved
for many years and I know that their actions were helpful, competent and
caring. None of them would hit a dog. If you have additional questions, do not
hesitate to let me know. You may reach me at the letterhead address or at my
home email, [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Witness responses from my husband and daughter, who were present during the incident:
[redacted] * [redacted] * [redacted] Today, Tuesday, Jul 2804:32 AM | Show Details | View source   reply-to   [redacted] to   ICE1-[redacted] cc   bcc   [redacted]  Images arenot displayedDisplay Images   To whom it mayconcern, I hereby conform that I witnessed a designated representative for the RichmondDog Obedience Club strike our dog Riley in the alcove of the club's trainingfacility, before an actual 2nd lesson could commence. I was the primary handler for the dog (Riley) at the time of the incident. [redacted] * [redacted] | Add to Contacts EditContact Monday, Jul 27 09:35PM | Show Details | View source reply-to   [redacted] to   [redacted] cc   bcc   Riley letter Images arenot displayedDisplay Images  I was a witness to the Richmond Dog ObedienceClub case involving Riley. When we were standing in the alcove waiting to enterclass, the dog trainers put a spike collar on Riley even after everyone in myfamily said no. The trainer blatantly ignored the three people that owned thedog and put a spike collar on her. In my opinion, the spike collar was tootight to begin with because it left a ring of marks in Riley's fur. While inthe alcove and trying to keep them from putting the spike collar on our dog,the trainer open hand smacked Riley cross the face saying "you will bequiet". It was uncalled for with a four month old puppy who had never beenout of the house before this experience. During the course of the class,another volunteer kneed Riley in the ribs. All because a four month old puppywas scared and barking. The abuse to the dog was enough to pull Riley out of theclass. [redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com spoke with the business. The customer is welcome to transferred into another class with a different volunteer trainer there are over 30 trainers with different levels of experience training dogs. There are two training directors and then there is a board of director. The volunteer trainer did not have the authority to offer the refund as it is against their policy. The business said the complaint at first was that someone hit her dog but they had no other complaints of that taking place that night; her believe is that if someone else saw that they would have complained because who would want someone like that teaching their class. This individual was not the one in the class with the dog, she was sitting apart from the group. Her husband was in the class with the dog and at no time made mention of concerns with the treatment of the dog. [redacted] said that the dog was a little out of control, which is normal in this setting as it was a new thing for the dog to take part in, but felt confident that the dog would have improved over time with training. She said they have no physical contact with the dog. The center is training the owners how to train their dog not training the dogs for them.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Although the policy was stated on the application, the email sent to me clearly states that although there is a policy of no refund, RDOC was waiving that policy and issuing a refund. Regardless of whether [redacted] had they authority to offer the refund, she did, and she did after speaking to her supervisor. RDOC is now trying to deny that claim because they do not like being called out on mistreating an animal at their facility. I feel that regardless of what their policy is, they offered me a refund and they should stand by that, even if [redacted] has to pay out of pocket for offering a refund that she was allegedly not authorized to offer.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com spoke with the business. [redacted] did not have the authority to offer a refund at anytime and the customer signed documents before stating no refund would be allowed unless provided by the board. The customer had to acknowledge that policy before entering the agreement and the business will stand behind that decision.

Review: We enrolled our dog in a puppy class at RDOC. She was extremely anxious and barked throughout the whole first class. We brought her back for the next class, and she continued to bark. The instructor [redacted] said that she would get a coworker to help and the co-worker came out with a pinch collar. We explained that we were not comfortable with that type of collar, and they became extremely condescending when I started to get visibly upset. At that point, we had 2 instructors/employees trying to get the collar on the dog knowing I was not comfortable with it, and one of the instructors open palm smacked my dog in the face 2-3 times to "get her attention". We tried to proceed with class, and I witnessed a third instructor knee my dog in the ribcage out of frustration. We left the class early as they were harming my dog more than helping, and I later contacted [redacted] who via email agreed to grant me a refund "even though we don't normally do that" and to expect it within 7-10 days. When 7-10 days passed with no refund, I contacted RDOC again and got no response. A few days later, I contacted RDOC through [redacted], and received a response that they had decided instead of sending my check , they took my case before the board who had then denied my refund and would rather I enroll my dog in another class with employees that hit her and belittled me. I have repeatedly tried to get the refund that was promised me, but they are now claiming "our employees would never do that" and "we have a policy". My refund was approved via email in writing, and now they are denying that it ever happened.Desired Settlement: $110.00 refund. Full amount that was supposed to be refunded to me via email notification.

Business

Response:

Dear Ms. [redacted]: We received your recent letter regarding the

complaint filed by Ms. [redacted] I regret the slight delay in sending

this response. Richmond Dog Obedience Club, Inc. (RDOC) has been conducting dog

training classes for more than 50 years. All of our instructors are volunteers

who share their years of experience and their enthusiasm for dog training with

our students. We give generously to many causes, including Meals on Wheels and

local 4-H dog training groups. We also support the work of dog rescue groups by

giving class registration discounts to our students who adopt rescue dogs. I

share this information with you so that you can understand the type of club we

are-warm, generous and caring. The class instructor, [redacted], and

one of the club training directors, [redacted], attempted to resolve the

complaint when it was brought to their attention. While Ms. [redacted] did offer

Ms. [redacted] a refund, she did not have the authority to do so. Refunds can only

be approved by the Board of Directors. [redacted] is a copy of the registration

form that Ms. [redacted] completed which clearly shows that we do not offer refunds.

This has been our policy for many years and it is also stated on our website.

None of the other quality dog training organizations in the Richmond area offer

refunds either, once a class has begun. The RDOC Board does occasionally approve

refunds--when a class is cancelled by us or in the case of the unexpected

illness of the owner or the dog. However, the RDOC Board did consider Ms.

[redacted] request for a refund. Her request was reviewed as well as the comments

by the Training Director, instructor and two assistant instructors who were

present at the time. Her request for a refund was denied; however, we did

approve a class transfer for her and her dog. She has up to one year to take

advantage of this offer. We have more than 35 different members who teach

classes on a regular basis. If Ms. [redacted] wishes to take advantage of the

transfer offer, it will be easy to find an instructor who was not present at

the Friday night class she attended. Once the RDOC Board made its decision, Ms.

[redacted] contacted Ms. [redacted] and relayed the decision to her. When Ms. Hogan

refused to accept this decision, I contacted her by email. [redacted] are the

emails which I sent to Ms. [redacted] and her responses to me. Ms. [redacted] stories

get wilder with each reiteration. At all times, Ms. [redacted] and her dog were on

the training room floor in the presence of 10 other students, their dogs, their

family members, one instructor, two assistant instructors and one of our

training directors. It is simply impossible that any one of these people hit

her dog even once, let alone repeatedly. I have known the club members involved

for many years and I know that their actions were helpful, competent and

caring. None of them would hit a dog. If you have additional questions, do not

hesitate to let me know. You may reach me at the letterhead address or at my

home email, [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.RDOC does not have all of their facts regarding the case, as the primary part of the incident (the slapping of my dog, as well as the condescending tone towards me) did not take place within the facility but in the entry alcove. My husband and daughter were present as witnesses, and my story has remained the same in all correspondence to RDOC (which I would be happy to provide). I feel that regardless of what the facilities policy is, I was told in writing that I was receiving a refund. RDOC should not be able to backpedal and deny the request as [redacted] had to speak to someone to approve the refund, she did not do it on her own. I have documentation stating that. Additionally, I feel that in order to cover themselves, they are lying and trying to discredit me. I feel this is an extremely poor business practice. Regards,[redacted]

Business

Response:

Revdex.com spoke with the business. [redacted] did not have the authority to offer a refund at anytime and the customer signed documents before stating no refund would be allowed unless provided by the board. The customer had to acknowledge that policy before entering the agreement and the business will stand behind that decision.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Although the policy was stated on the application, the email sent to me clearly states that although there is a policy of no refund, RDOC was waiving that policy and issuing a refund. Regardless of whether [redacted] had they authority to offer the refund, she did, and she did after speaking to her supervisor. RDOC is now trying to deny that claim because they do not like being called out on mistreating an animal at their facility. I feel that regardless of what their policy is, they offered me a refund and they should stand by that, even if [redacted] has to pay out of pocket for offering a refund that she was allegedly not authorized to offer.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Revdex.com spoke with the business. The customer is welcome to transferred into another class with a different volunteer trainer there are over 30 trainers with different levels of experience training dogs. There are two training directors and then there is a board of director. The volunteer trainer did not have the authority to offer the refund as it is against their policy. The business said the complaint at first was that someone hit her dog but they had no other complaints of that taking place that night; her believe is that if someone else saw that they would have complained because who would want someone like that teaching their class. This individual was not the one in the class with the dog, she was sitting apart from the group. Her husband was in the class with the dog and at no time made mention of concerns with the treatment of the dog. [redacted] said that the dog was a little out of control, which is normal in this setting as it was a new thing for the dog to take part in, but felt confident that the dog would have improved over time with training. She said they have no physical contact with the dog. The center is training the owners how to train their dog not training the dogs for them.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Witness responses from my husband and daughter, who were present during the incident:

[redacted] Today, Tuesday, Jul 2804:32 AM | Show Details | View source reply-to [redacted] to ICE1-[redacted] cc bcc [redacted] Images arenot displayedDisplay Images To whom it mayconcern, I hereby conform that I witnessed a designated representative for the RichmondDog Obedience Club strike our dog Riley in the alcove of the club's trainingfacility, before an actual 2nd lesson could commence. I was the primary handler for the dog (Riley) at the time of the incident. [redacted] | Add to Contacts EditContact Monday, Jul 27 09:35PM | Show Details | View source reply-to [redacted] to [redacted] cc bcc Riley letter Images arenot displayedDisplay Images I was a witness to the Richmond Dog ObedienceClub case involving Riley. When we were standing in the alcove waiting to enterclass, the dog trainers put a spike collar on Riley even after everyone in myfamily said no. The trainer blatantly ignored the three people that owned thedog and put a spike collar on her. In my opinion, the spike collar was tootight to begin with because it left a ring of marks in Riley's fur. While inthe alcove and trying to keep them from putting the spike collar on our dog,the trainer open hand smacked Riley cross the face saying "you will bequiet". It was uncalled for with a four month old puppy who had never beenout of the house before this experience. During the course of the class,another volunteer kneed Riley in the ribs. All because a four month old puppywas scared and barking. The abuse to the dog was enough to pull Riley out of theclass. [redacted]

Regards,