Canadian pet shop responds to one-star review that complained about white privilege

Jan 4 2023, 10:25 pm

A local pet supply store in Toronto came to the defence of its business after one customer allegedly harassed its staff and accused them of white privilege.

Small Wonders Pets, located at 148 Danforth Avenue, is a one-stop shop for all things pet treats, toys and accessories.

The store received a one-star Google Review this past week and felt the need to respond to it publicly on its Instagram page.

The post alleges that the customer who left the review emailed in an order for three bully sticks in March 2021. Upon arrival to the store, the customer was not satisfied with their purchase and was offered to pick from all the other sticks that were available, according to the post.

“For some reason, this person chose to launch into an intimidating, aggressive, yelling tirade,” the post reads. “The staff team members that were present felt their physical safety was at risk, and the customer was not served. Upon reviewing the security camera footage, it was clear that my staff team had described the interaction with 100% accuracy.”

According to the post, the store’s owner reached out to the customer via email, and they agreed to speak over the phone. However, after leaving the customer three voice messages, they never responded.

One month later, the same customer allegedly placed an order via email for two bully sticks, and this time, the shop replied that they would be unable to fulfil the request.

“The customer started emailing me about our white privilege, class and lack of diversity (even though one of the staff team members they yelled at and intimidated is Indigenous),” the post explains.

The shop ultimately expressed to the customer that no small business is required to accommodate any person that yells, threatens, berates or intimidates staff.

According to the post, the one-star review was posted 20 months after the incidents took place.

Kimia Afshar MehrabiKimia Afshar Mehrabi

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