Ratings via ThreeBestRated
Products/Services Quality
20%
Milo went for his first ever kennel experience for a two night stay! We just want to say a huge thank you for having Milo and for keeping us updated with pictures and other updates! Great experience of booking from start to finish, friendly and knowledgeable staff and Milo has come home a very happy and tired pooch! Thank you!
My 2 dogs went for their one night stay to see how they get on before our holiday, we were greeted in the carpark and made to feel very welcome , we were worried as it was my dogs first visit but we didn't need to worry, the next day when we picked them up the dogs couldn't have been happier , sending pictures of them playing in the field was a lovely touch .
Incredible service - we couldn't ask for better care for our pup. He leaps out to greet the staff and can't wait to go and play on their lovely facilities. Some great doggy tips shared on social media, too
Amazing kennels my dog loves having his own holiday here. They know my dog so well and it’s nice to see that he’s happier to stay with them than me ! - Linda S Reply
A well run business that has genuine care for the dogs they have in. With regular updates whilst you're away and pictures sent over, there is real peace of mind that all is well with our dog when she stays. It is very popular, so it's always worth ringing well ahead of time to book in. Reply
"NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE SADLY"
Used for many years with my previous two dogs and just amazing, communication, updates, photos, all very reassuring.
Two new dogs booked in as requested for a pre main booking visit in the last few months to see if they were suitable.
On dropping them i attended the reception hut, on walking in i tripped and fell over a 10 ton jack hurting my ankle, the office is now a mechanics dumping ground, their words not mine, no interest or apology in the fact i'd walked into a workshop hurting myself, it should have been locked and out of bounds to the general public.
No updates whatsoever during the day to reassure me they were ok to continue into the evening. I questioned this on collection the following morning and was met by an apathetic, " Oh, didn't you get an update, usually you do", this should have been a red flag for me.
Dogs were subsequently dropped with specifics given for food. i ALWAYS give or add an extra four days of food just in case we are delayed in any way, this fact was relayed to staff and written on the food bag with the measuring jug attached, also two large boxes of biscuits all for a 6 day stay. I specifically asked for updates this time and was reassured that i would receive them this time.
I had no updates whatsoever whilst away, zero, i attempted to ring to no avail, no answer to the phone.
On collection on my return i strongly questioned why id had no pictures or updates, i wasn't happy and wished to relay this fact, staff reassured me they had updated me, and had posted lots of pictures, i logged on in the car park and it showed no updates, staff were clearly not happy with being called out, they stated, "well, you could have emailed". They had clearly not updated and had clearly lied to me.
Dogs were returned minus the food and biscuits, i had no issues with the biscuits but questioned the food as i had deliberately measured out for the extra days. Staff were now becoming hostile and told me that they had measured every day out into seperate bags, clearly they hadn't. Staff walked off and returned with a full box of unused biscuits as i had asked about these as i now didn't trust them.
Before leaving i re logged into my account to re check for pictures and updates, i wanted to reassure myself that i hadnt got it wrong, it was clear and obvious that staff had gone inside and locked my account before id even left. Feeling this was the case and once home i questioned this via email, email responses show and made it clear that they were blaming a software company in America of all places for the account issue. Really.
I knew at that point my account would not be reinstated and that they were unhappy being called out.
It saddens me to leave a negative review but these kennels have clearly changed in the negative, staff appeared indifferent and nonchalant towards me as a paying customer, i do not trust a word they say, there are many positive reviews which is great but i just don't trust them at all, this is an honest review and is left for others to make their own minds up.
Trust is everything to me, do as you say you will do. Bellhamwood kennels clearly did not update and then lied to me and have covered this up by locking the account after being called out, shame on them. - Andrew Craighead
BELHAM WOOD KENNELS
Hi Andy,
We are sorry that you feel this way, particularly after having used our kennels for many years.
We do, however, feel it is important to correct a number of points in your review.
Our reception area is not open for customer access, as clearly stated on the sign at reception. We are therefore concerned by your account of entering this area and injuring your ankle. Had we been made aware at the time that you had been injured, we would of course have taken this seriously.
With regard to feeding, your dogs were fed in accordance with the instructions provided to us — 2 cups of dry food per dog, per feed. We did not knowingly overfeed your dogs or misuse the food supplied.
We do have photographs of your dogs taken during their stay. However, we do not guarantee photographs or updates during a boarding stay. Where possible, we are happy to provide them, but this depends on a number of factors including how busy the kennels are, staffing and the weather. Our priority throughout the day is always the care of the dogs staying with us.
We have also checked our telephone records. We received one telephone call from you, on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend, when the kennels were closed to customers.
We strongly reject the suggestion that we deliberately lied to you or intentionally locked your account to conceal anything. We explained to you at the time that there appeared to be an issue with the third-party booking system we use.
Following your subsequent communication with us, we felt that members of our staff had been spoken to in a manner that we were not comfortable accepting. Rather than give you another reason for declining future bookings, we chose to be open and honest with you about why we had made that decision.
We made it clear at the time that this decision had absolutely nothing to do with your dogs, who were lovely to care for.
Following our decision to no longer accept future bookings, you have chosen to leave this review. You are of course entitled to share your experience, but we are equally entitled to correct statements which we do not believe accurately reflect what occurred.
We are a small, family-run business and will always do our best for the dogs entrusted to our care. We also have a responsibility to our staff and will not expect them to accept communication that we consider disrespectful.
We are sorry that a long-standing customer relationship has ended in this way, but having read your review and the allegations made within it, we remain confident that ending the customer relationship was the correct decision for us.
