The handshake deal that cost me $2,300

I run a small dog grooming shop in Columbus, and about a year ago I took on this new client, a guy named Dave who had this big fluffy Samoyed. He seemed friendly enough, and we shook hands on a weekly grooming schedule, no written contract. After maybe 6 weeks he stopped showing up and I figured he just found another place. Then out of the blue, he sent me a formal letter saying I had damaged his dog's coat by using the wrong brushes, and he was demanding $2,300 for vet bills and lost show entries. I had no paperwork to prove what tools I used or that he'd agreed to the basic care plan. The whole thing went to small claims court and honestly it was a nightmare trying to remember every detail from months back. The judge eventually ruled in my favor because the other groomers I talked to all said my methods were standard, but I still lost about 2 weeks of income dealing with it. Has anyone else had a simple handshake deal blow up like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

taylor.brooke16d ago

Wait, he actually TOOK you to court over that?

robin89616d ago

Exactly. Get everything in writing, no matter how much you trust them. Learned that one the hard way.

viola_garcia5616d ago

I get what you're saying but honestly if you're running a business and you don't write anything down for $2,300 worth of potential work, that's kind of on you. A handshake is nice and all but it means nothing when someone decides to change their story later.

corap6116d ago

That approach overlooks something important though - people tend to trust a handshake more when there's a long history between them. Maybe the real issue here isn't about being naive but about the business owner relying on a relationship they thought was solid, which is actually pretty common in tight-knit communities. A written agreement wouldn't just protect them from the one bad customer, it would also give them backup if that person starts spreading rumors about their reliability.

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