BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Several customers who purchased sessions at the dog training facility “the Zoom Room” in northwest Bakersfield are now left without services after the business suddenly closed without notice.
Margo Perea like several others said she found out over the weekend, “We never got a letter, we never got a phone call, we never got anything regarding them closing. Not even this last time we went which was maybe like two, three weeks ago her last training, they never mentioned like ‘Hey you know just a head up we’re going to close’. “
It wasn’t until she Googled the phone number to get ahold of staff that she knew no one would pick up the phone.
“It said permanently closed, so I kind of panicked and I called and nobody was answering and I called again and I left a voicemail,” saidPerea.
We too tried calling, but no one answered. So instead, we called the owner, Jared Vaughan, but it too led to voicemail.
Perea told us she started going to the facility back in January. Like many others, she paid for the pricey packages ranging from $20 to $1,500 that would allow her to bring her pup.
Perea said she’s stuck paying $1,500 for three sessions and worried she won’t be getting it back.
We stopped by the business to see if there was a sign that let people know it was closed and there was but next to it was also this bright pink handwritten note.
With no name or phone number, it directed people who wanted to talk about a refund to the address of a home off Calloway Drive.
When we told Perea, this frustrated her even more, “Why are you making your clients drive more or work more for their money? To me that’s super sketchy, I would not go,” she said.
Eyewitness News’ Investigative team went to the location which was a house listed under Vaughn’s name…when we knocked no one answered.
Though the owner has yet to address the sudden closing, the Zoom Room franchise sent a letter to some customers stating:
Dear Zoom Room Bakersfield Clients, We hope this email finds you well. As you know, Zoom Room Bakersfield closed its doors for business over this past weekend. This closure was as unexpected by us here at the brand level, as it was to you. We, as a franchise brand and organization, are investigating ultimately what happened and if re-opening is a possibility. As a brand, we are 100% fully committed to clients and will do everything we can to try and reopen the facility as soon as possible. We will pass along any and all updates relating to Zoom Room Bakersfield as we are able to. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify that Zoom Room Bakersfield is part of a franchise system, so it operates as a small, locally owned and operated business. As such, the responsibility for refunds and related matters lies with the small business owners under Vaughan-Ballou Inc. The franchisor, nor any additional separate franchised locations, do not have any responsibilities in this regard. If you have prepaid services on your account and would like a refund, please reach out to the business owners at [email protected]. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this situation. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the store owners at the email address provided above. Best regards, Zoom Room Franchising, Inc.
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