Saturday, February 14, 2009



URBAN OUT SITTERS PET CARE,
CHICAGO CONDUCTS SHADY BUSINESS.










For those of you who bring your dogs for daycare or boarding to Urban Out Sitters KNOW THIS:
THERE IS NO FIRE ESCAPE EXIT ON THE 2ND LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. THERE COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM TEN TO FORTY DOGS ON THE 2ND LEVEL DURING A GIVEN DAY(ESPECIALLY DURING WINTER TIME) AND THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY UP AND ONE WAY DOWN as of Dec 19, 2008.
I QUESTIONED THIS MATTER WITH THE APPOINTED SUPERVISOR ...her name is Maria.
ALSO THEY DO LIE ...IT IS NOT A CAGE/CRATE-FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE DOGS AS THEY ADVERTISE ON THEIR BILLBOARD as of Dec 19, 2008.





I was briefly employed at their branch at 727 W. Randolph St.,Today is Feb 13, 2009. My last day of employment there was Dec 19, 2008. Until this day I have not been paid for services rendered.

They mailed me a check dated Jan 5, 2009. The check was mailed on Jan 14, 2009.
I received the check on Wed Jan 21, 2009. The catch was that the check was to be voided after 14 days from the check issuance date. I received the check past the 14 day stipulation.

Now Mr. Joseph Giannini the company president DEMANDS from me to mail the EXPIRED paycheck back in order to issue a valid check. Certainly, I will do NO SUCH THING! The expired check is my leverage.
(As if the invalid one is legal tender anymore...)

During several phone conversations my wife and I held today Jan 13, 2009; Joseph Giannini even STATED that he could ERASE the hours I WORKED on HIS computers and not pay me,

Does he think I will surrender the expired paycheck
after making that statement?

Joseph Giannini the owner and president of Urban Out Sitters, Chicago blatantly said over a telephone conversation,




"If You want to "F^(k" with me.
I'm gonna "F^(k" with you."


How am I "F^(king" with him? Because I call about getting paid?

He went beserk even called me 'stupid' and threatened to report me to the the Department of Employment Security under claims that I was collecting unemployment while working for him.
THAT IS FALSE!
He added that he intends to make waves against me with the IDES(Illinois Department of Employment Security).

In addition to his other colorful metaphors, he called my wife a
'C^n+'.

Furthermore, he threatened to send someone by my place to "F^(k" me over.



"I can have someone in no time
to "f^ck" u over at .."


(f
ollowed by my PHYSICAL address..)

I quote almost verbatim since I did not see that one coming,

Subsequently, I filed a police report. I intend to request those phone records officially.

At Urban Out Sitters, the management forces the employees
to pay for vet bills.
On one occasion, one of the workers was subject to pay $500.00...
(according to a statement made on Dec 16, 2008 by a supervisor already mentioned above.)

After the employee made a mistake by feeding one of the dogs the wrong food, the dog became sick and incurred a vet bill.

The same supervisor told me on Dec18, 2008 that all employees were subject to the same policy....



WATCH,READ AND LISTEN.. TO THE VIDEO ON HIS WEBSITE:



http://www.urbanoutsitters.com/resources/video_gallery/



YES THEY CAGE YOUR DOGS!!!
312-258-1807
Ask Mr. Giannini..

WHY HIS EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
RATE IS SO HIGH?


PLEASE USE CAUTION!"
DON'T SEND THEM HERE,"



MORAL OF THIS "TAIL" OF WOE..
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS.
MANY EMPLOYERS ARE ABUSING THEIR EMPLOYEES..
SIMPLY BY:
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THESE HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.






THE LAW

STANDARDS ACT


TITLE 29 USC, SECTION

651 AND FOLLOWING


OSHA - OCCUPATIONAL

SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970

TITLE 29 USC, SECTION 651 AND FOLLOWING

Urban Out Sitters 1 star ratings based on 22 reviews

Urban Out Sitters

1 star ratings
based on 22 reviews

Category:

Neighborhoods: West Loop, Near West Side
729 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 651-7387
Urban Out Sitters, Chicago, IL
Urban Out Sitters, Chicago, IL
Urban Out Sitters, Chicago, IL

22 Reviews for Urban Out Sitter

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2

51

Johan Z.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
5/26/2007

I wouldn't let this place watch my turtle.

The owner's response on this site is telling- to me it proves what the critics are saying.

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0

Stephanie J.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
6/4/2007

We used Urban Out Sitters for in-home cat care for two years. I had no reason to question the quality of service until two months ago, when we arrived home and found our cat with no food. A check of our condo building's log books indicated that nobody had visited her for two of the four days that we had booked and paid for.

The owner, Joe, sounded surprised when we called. He was unable to offer an explanation for failing to show up - and he himself was supposed to be the one to drop by our home! He promised a refund.

Getting the refund was an ordeal, obtaining an explanation for why nobody came was impossible. Joe himself just said, "I don't know why I didn't visit those two days." Period. End of story. The refund required five phone calls, two e-mails, and one live visit. Joe was unresponsive - I needed to appeal to the manager to ask on my behalf for the refund. Twice. What does it say when you have to move DOWN the chain of command to get help?

Service over the past two years has been generally okay, but uneven and dependent upon who does the visit. Sometimes you can tell that someone actually spent time with our cat, other times it was as if the absolute minimum of service was performed.

This company, essentially, is unreliable. The issue is not one of money, but of a failure to provide any kind of peace of mind. Since this happened, I question how many other times our cat was left uncared for. I need a pet-sitting service that I know will show up.

I would also be a little suspicious of the fact that of the five positive reviews here, one is from the owner himself and two are from people who don't actually use the service.

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32

Amy L.

IL

1 star rating
7/24/2007

I agree with the review that the place reeked when you come in to the main location to sign the paperwork and the employees are very sloppily dressed. I know you are dealing with dogs, but a ripped stained t-shirt does not scream professional to me.

The location around the corner which is where the little dogs stays is pictured on the website, but looks nothing like the picture. The couches are stained and beat up and the floors are a mess along with the rest of the chewed up furniture. I found the employee there sitting at a table not even paying attention to the dogs.

They do not integrate the dogs slowly and instead just throw them in with 30 other dogs who all at unison come bounding toward him trying to sniff, paw and lick at him. My dog jumped over the gate they set up (which was not high enough to safely prevent a dog from running out the door- thank god I was still there to catch him before he did) since he was so freaked out. I thought he would get over it, but $120 dollars and 2 days later when I picked him up he was still scared and shaking.

They are supposed to according to the website give you a report card regarding your dogs walks, behavior and what he did while you were gone. I received none of this. Overall I was not at all impressed and felt like the website mispresented what in reality you get from this place. I will try out a new dog sitting place next time.

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zamboni z.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
8/26/2007

this service sux. do not use it. Cat sitters do not show up as paid for. luckily, I was able to reschedule my return and provide my poor cat with water and food. I would not use them again. ever. If there is a way to post negative stars, that's what should be posted. I repeat... DO NOT TRUST THEM TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR ANIMAL

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15

sue g.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
8/29/2007

I give this place ZERO stars, in fact, I joined this site just to prevent other dog owners from ever making the mistake of sending their pets here.

We boarded our dog here last winter for a week. When he came home, he was exhausted, and stunk like a sewer. A few days later, he was still lethargic and started peeing all over the house, which he never does. We took him to the vet, and turns out he had a terrible bacterial bladder infection, brought on by UNSANITARY CONDITIONS at the kennel. After giant mega doses of an antibiotic, he finally recovered, but I will NEVER EVER send my dog here again.

A coworker used them for pet sitting and nobody ever showed up to walk their puggles! And one day, the pet sitter showed up as they were getting home from work, though they were supposed to come at noon!

This place charges an arm and a leg, and is basically like a concentration camp for dogs. DO NOT BOARD YOUR PET HERE.

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Jason G.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
11/29/2007

Avoid this place like the plague! We used them for the first and last time about 1.5 years ago. Our calm, quiet, and clean greyhound was returned to us 24 hrs later stressed out and wreaking of sh*t. This is a dog that avoids mud, puddles, and any other form of dirt.

The employees showed little concern regarding his condition and suggested we take it up with the management on Monday. We received a half-hearted apology and a quick dismissal. Don't trust this business.

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Lisa W.

IL

1 star rating
12/13/2007

They have no phone etiquette at all! I called them and tried to get more info from them on day care and boarding, but the lady was really impatient and she said "I'm not going to waste 15 minutes on you" then hung up on me! WTF?

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Matt F.

Denver, CO

1 star rating
12/14/2007

We took our dog here about a year ago to board her for a week.

When we came to pick her up, the woman who was working there was extremely passive aggressive with us. I can't recall the entirety of the conversation, but we felt like she hated dealing with customers. This woman wanted to be left alone and our presence was entirely unwelcome.

Hi there. Notice this money I'm about to give you for taking care of my dog? You should be happy to collect it. You should present me with an attitude that will promote happiness regardless of how you feel that day if you ever wish to have customers again.

Our dog came out of this place reeking of urine. She is a very clean dog normally and does **NOT** urinate on herself, ever. I can only speculate as to why this happened.

Maybe another dog peed on her?
Maybe a dog peed, no one cleaned it up and then my dog sat in it?
Maybe our dog wasn't taken to a place where she could pee so she peed on herself?

Whatever the cause, the drive back to our home was nearly unbearable because she smelled so bad.

Way to not care about the dogs you are boarding, guys.

On the day we brought our dog to be boarded we also brought a blanket and squeaker toy. The woman who brought us our dog on the way out told us she never saw either of these things. She had no idea where they were. She said she'd call us if they turned up.

Guess who never called back.

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Darkling S.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
1/20/2008

The most revealing posts on this site for Urban Outsitters are Joe's August 2005 post - as the first to review???? - and the selected review with four stars. And did he have to hire lawyers to get negative posts removed? If so, what about all those that are here as of today?

I know from experience that sitters weren't visiting daily, that Joe or his managers were rescheduling sitters even when the client had requested or expected a certain sitter, and that the cat-sitting operation was generally disorganized.

As a client, I vowed never to use them again after they were hired to shampoo, condition and groom my elderly very friendly and loving Siamese. I found him in a cage with large fans blowing on him to dry while other animals roamed around the room! He was obviously upset by the experience. When i got him home I found he wasn't dry, and he hadn't been groomed very well. Needless to say I never paid and they never billed me.

Is Joe admitting that a significant number of his former employees had a bad experience? I would agree that several did by personal knowledge - both as a former employee and former client.

Is Joe defending his business by suggesting that those who post negative reviews are unhappy ignorant Chicago residents? From my experience with him and his office staff, I can confirm that they do have a rather isolationist and skewed view of their clients, employees and their competition.

Finally, I think that a business is certainly a representation of the Owner or manager. That is why this particular operation has so many bad reviews ... and does not have a generally great reputation among the pet owners I know.

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Gerald D.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
3/11/2008

I have used them for cat sitting for a couple of years. I don't know why. I have suspected a few times that they are not actually showing up for all their paid appointments. There is some evidence that they have come by, but even more evidence that they didn't show up for all the scheduled appointments - e.g., litter box is completely full and has not been changed, the garbage has only a couple of empty cans of food, when if they had actually shown up for every appointment, there would have been more empty cans, the cats look really hungry when I return from my trip, the dry food bowl is empty (my cats don't eat all the way down to the bottom of the bowl usually) and more little bits of evidence. Anyway, I was horrified just now to see all the bad reviews they got from Yelp. Maybe they're okay, but I'm not taking a chance anymore. I'm looking for someone else.

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Whitney R.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
3/16/2008

Do not use this service.

We used Urban Outsitters probably 12 times in the last 9 months, and always had great luck with one employee who was fantastic. She came for a meet and greet before our trip, then made the effort to call from our home upon her visits to let us know she had come, and to let us know how our kitty was doing

The last time we used UOS, we learned that our favorite employee had left the company, but since we had had such a great experience with her, we decided it would be okay to let someone else from the company take care of our kitty this time.

HUGE mistake. Turns out the employee we had been working with was the only responsible person at the company and without her there, our kitty didn't get the care we had requested and paid for.

I had emailed with and spoken with an employee prior to my trip, and was assured that our cat would be visited once a day in the morning, at which time they would feed her breakfast and dinner. This was especially important, I told them, because I was going to feed her at 6am the day of my departure and unless she was fed the next morning, she would be going very long without food. I also asked that the person visiting her call me upon the visit so I knew when she was being fed.

After not hearing anything by 1pm on the first day of service I called and spoke to Joesph (the owner) who informed me that there was no way to know if anyone had already been to our house and if not, when they would go there. He also told me that even though I had been told on the phone and via email that she would get morning visits, they aren't able to make such promises. When I expressed concern because I knew my cat was sitting at home staring at her empty bowl as she does every morning before she's fed, Joseph proceeded to become defensive, interrupting me and eventually actually yelling at me. He even suggested that we end the service right then and there, which would mean that my poor cat would go the next 3 days without food or clean litter. He also told me he (angrily) that he would give me a full refund for the service, of which I received only 1/3, and even then only after calling him because the refund hadn't come through 2 weeks after the service dates. If this is the person running the place, it explains a few things about how horrible the service is.

Bottom line is that this is a company that is literally just a company. They do not care about the pets for which they provide service and I have heard from people even outside of this site that they do not even always provide the service you've paid for.

THERE'S A REASON THE ONLY POSITIVE REVIEW IS BY JOSEPH...YES, THAT WOULD BE THE AGGRESSIVE AND UNPROFESSIONAL OWNER HIMSELF.

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Double R L.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
9/10/2008

Let me start this review by saying that it is my impression that Asia, our dog, always received adequate care from Urban Outsitters and that if you ever feel like your pet is not receiving adequate care shame on you for not removing that animal immediately.

So let us get to why I removed Asia and will probably not send her back. It is clear that Urban's only advantage is price because their customer service for the most part is terrible. They do seem to have the most competitive prices in town. If you drop your dog off and pick them up, most of this doesn't apply. Joe, the owner, is very nice and generally accommodating, however, the majority of his employees are "Space Cadets" and it seems that the whole operation there is total Overwhelmed.

I have had the Driver come to my house to pick up my dog without a leash, which made me wonder how this person would have gotten my 100+ lb dog to the van had I not been home to let them borrow one. P.S. I had to call and ask for them to return it too, they forgot it when they dropped her off. My neighbor let me know he saw the driver chasing Asia around the van one day on our street when she got away from him while he was dropping her off. No big deal, it is possible for that to happen I guess, but given the body of other evidence it probably happens often. The last straw was the driver wandering around the hallway of our building in the afternoon, without our dog, looking for our front door key that she lost. No call to explain, no apology. Just wandering around but we did get a phone call 10 mins. before the next pick up asking how they would get here. Don't get excited Shady People, they found the key some place else. (See Asia's Picture for who would greet you when you arrive anyway, should have named the b*tch ADT)

She did come home stinking from time to time. Sometimes like pee but she is a dog, around other dogs all day. Who knows what happens? They seem to have people constantly monitoring the animals, which is good and better then I can say for other places.

If they could get their act together service wise things would definitely be different there. As I said, if you drop off and pick up your pet most of these issues don't matter.

Care is as expected, Service is for the dogs.

RrL

P.S. Central Bark up north is Asia's new/old location. Bonnie and the gang is the best.

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Tristan A.

Chicago, IL

1 star rating
1/6/2009

If I could give this place no stars I would, that should be an option for this place-DON'T BRING YOUR DOG HERE!

Needed to board my dog in Jan 2006, found this place on line and it looked nice-Everyone was nice to me when I dropped him off, yet when I tried calling NO ONE EVER called me back! I was in California, had cell access and no one called me back when I wanted to see how my dog was doing- And when I picked him up came the issues-

As I was waiting for my dog to come out I saw dogs in crates being yelled at and a guy kicked a crate-I was shocked-I just wanted my dog and to get out of there-

In the cab ride home I noticed he had bite marks on his ears, the bites went through his ear! Get home I find bite marks all around his neck, the bottom of his paws were cut up too-At this time I was so upset and felt like a horrible pet owner!
Then the fun began, he couldn't eat, if he tried he would puke or sh*t it out once we got outside, the poo was bad, very bad-
We thought maybe he was upset from being boarded so we didn't instantly take him to the vet-We've had him since he was 7 weeks old and he was 6 at the time, I know my dog-

Finally we decided to take him to the vet when it had been a couple of days-Get him to the vet and he had a yeast infection on his paws, bacteria something in his stomach and was diagnosed with IBS-This all happened at Urban Outsitters-

Now he was perfectly fine when we left him, had been on the same food for years-Shots up to date, a super gentle and mild dog-

I put in a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but since I waited so long they wouldn't help me out and the owner of the place was an ass-

He admitted his place was new and he didn't even seperate the dogs, so there were little dogs that were attacking my dog and no one noticed! And I was never told or shown my dog would be kept in a crate-

This place sucks so bad it should be shut down-And if you the owner are reading this I tell everyone I know about how horrible my dog was treated while there for 3 days-Because of you my dog experienced trauma, I had lots of vet bills that your sorry ass should have paid for-

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, United States

Drawing the Line with Unlawful Employment Practices

OSHA OF 1970 SARBANES-OXLEY OF 2002 FLSA 29 UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION