Dog groomer who isn’t very good but is a good friend

[Frannyal]

I’m not sure how to navigate this.. I’m friends with a person who owns a dog grooming business. She is the nicest person who has helped me out many times and I value her friendship a lot. I got my dog groomed by her for the first time a couple of months ago- the groom was not great at all. I’d like to try another groomer but how do I handle this delicately with my groomer friend? Hers is a fledgling business so she appreciates the custom..

If she’s just starting out she will probably get better?
Tricky one though. I think I’d probably try again and give a bit more direction of what you want.
I’m a bit of a pushover though!

How good a friend?
How bad a cut on what kind of coat?
How much did you pay?

I would base my action on a combo of the above. If it wasn't a GREAT cut but she was good with the dog and it's of a breed/coat type that a week after they're trimmed it's all grown back a bit and not obvious, I might give let her have another go or two to see if things improved.

My dog that I have professionally groomed, within a week a less than marvellous clip wouldn't really matter, so I'm basing my response on that.

Funnily enough I'm in similar situation - friend starting up a grooming business, doing a very average shit job on my pup & debating whether to continue. Main difference for me is cost & convenience - my pal is up the road plus takes bloody ages so I effectively get 4 hours free doggy day care plus is only charging me £25 which is half usual price and for a dog that need doing every 6 weeks, I've decided I can live with it and just hopes she gets better quickly. If she were charging full price or wasn't local, no way would I continue but as a friend, I think I'd gentle tell her she needs to up her game before she starts taking on new customers or asks for a reference!

Long way of saying, speak to her first - tell her to take more time & when you collect go be specific and point out anything you're not happy with. If that doesn't work, then I'd be quietly moving on.

How do you define a bad groom? What didn't happen that you thought should happen?

Ultimately, if she is really your friend, I would sit her down with a glass of something and tell her. You can do this in a very nice way, and I am sure she would rather have the feedback.

Is it your dog?
My groomer is fab. One dog looks wonderful- the other one comes with bit hanging off/missed because he won't let them groom him (rehomed and has a dodgy leg)

Oh dear. Mixing business with friendship not always a good idea. But obviously you weren’t to know. You could have / could say you have a long established relationship with previous dog groomer.

Try and keep the friendship. But don’t take your dog back either. Just go back to your old groomer.

If she’s running a business she has to deal with this kinda stuff all the time and somehow we have to learn to take it on the chin.

If the subject comes up again and she questions you, you could say something innocuous, like it was a bit too short for your dog. Or even that your dog is used to going to the other place. So that’s not saying that you hated it! And hopefully she will accept that as a kind of vague reason/compromise.