BarkSuds Westchase — Local services in Citrus Park

My family and I have been loyal customers of BarkSuds Westchase since their grand opening two years ago. We have supported them and recommended their services to many friends and family members. Unfortunately, after a terrible experience yesterday, we can no longer support this establishment. The quality of service at BarkSuds Westchase has significantly declined, and there seems to be a high turnover rate among the staff. It has become increasingly difficult to get in touch with them, and I had to call the other Tampa location just to book an appointment at Westchase. We took our 15 lb mini Goldendoodle for grooming yesterday, which usually takes around 2 hours, but this time it took 4 hours. When I picked her up, her haircut was uneven and poorly done. I initially attributed this to having a new groomer and did not mention anything. However, once we got home, I noticed my dog was limping and licking her leg. Upon closer inspection, I found a very deep gash on her leg that I was not informed about which google will not allow me to post. This morning, I went to BarkSuds to speak with the owner. The manager was kind and said the owner would call me later and review the pictures of her injury. When the owner called, he referred to this gash as a “small scratch” and refused to refund me for the monthly fee, even though we had just paid for the month and will not be returning. He insisted that his employees would never cause or hide such an injury and trusted his staff implicitly. When I suggested reviewing the camera footage, he refused and insinuated that I was not telling the truth and that he would only refund the haircut and then hung up on me. Not once did I receive an apology or any acknowledgment of accountability. I completely understand that accidents happen and would have been satisfied with a complete refund and apology. However, this was a missed opportunity for the owner to kindly correct the situation. There are plenty of other reputable, honest and caring grooming salons in the area and I urge you not to make the same mistake I did in trusting this establishment...

Please read other 1 star reviews mentioning the owner Zach! They are all consistent!

I was a loyal client at Bark N Suds for about a year+, paying $45 a month, even though my schedule only allowed me to bring my dog in a handful of times. I even referred multiple new clients to their business during that time in which they are still members there because of my recommendation (they weren’t even searching for a groomer)

When I recently tried to cancel my membership before the billing date, I called several times with no response. When I finally got through to the owner, Zach, I was met with immediate hostility, rudeness, and a complete lack of professionalism. Instead of handling the situation with basic courtesy, he interrogated me about my reasons for canceling — even after I had already kindly explained that their hours simply didn’t align with my work schedule.

Despite my loyalty and overly polite approach, Zach was extremely disrespectful, defensive, and dismissive. I asked for a simple refund for the month I had been trying to cancel, and he flatly refused without any consideration for my long-standing support of his business.

Additionally, during my time as a client, my dog was injured on more than one occasion — once with bleeding nails from a rough trim, and another time developing a severe ear infection after a grooming session that affected him for weeks.

It was a deeply disappointing experience to be treated so poorly by someone I had trusted and supported. I would not recommend this business to anyone based on how the owner treats loyal clients and the lack of proper care for the animals...

Took my large breed here for several months. Each time I had an issue with the service and I told them about it. I got excuses like we are new, so we are still trying to iron out the kinks, etc. so I gave them a couple more shots. Every time I picked up my dog he was very damp, they told me it was the dog cologne but his undercoat was wet and did end up with hot spots because of it. He never smelled good, always like wet dog. They had clipped one of his dew claws so short it was bleeding. I know mistakes happen and maybe he moved, but they should have told me and I should not have found out at home after further inspection. After taking him there the second time he was refusing to go back, he was shaking, pulling me in the opposite direction, etc. The last time I went I asked them to please actually dry him because if you do not dry the undercoat of a double coated dog, they will get hot spots, which he had last time. They said they understood and they would dry him better. When picking him up for this final time he was VERY wet, hands were wet just from touching him. I canceled that day and staff never even asked me why I was canceling....they knew! I gave this place many shots to make it right and they never addressed my concerns, never tried to make it right....even when bringing things to light right in...