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| David Salinas, a gold-digging, puppy-peddling predator. |
There is always a stupidity tax on folks who buy pet store puppies.
At the very least, they pay too much for the dog.
More often than not the dog they acquire is also sick, or a product of inbreeding, or comes with breed-specific congenital defects.
That said, it's a special kind of stupid when you walk away from a pet store with a dog you do not even own, at over five times the purchase price!
And, of course, it is a special kind of dirt bag that sells puppies under such conditions.
After Anthony and Françoise Claessens picked out a purebred bichon frise puppy and got it home, they were more than a little surprised to look closely at the financing paperwork.
They had leased a dog.
The contract required regular service and maintenance and allowed the finance company to “inspect the pet at any reasonable time.” At the end of 27 months of $95.99 payments, they would still not own the dog, which they named Tresor.
“I have never heard of leasing a dog in my life,” Anthony Claessens said. “We were under the understanding we were purchasing a dog… I feel that we were swindled.”
The store, Oceanside Puppy, and finance company WAGS Financing of Reno, Nev., say that’s not the case.
“We call it puppy payments, and you can make payments via lease or via traditional loan program,” said David Salinas, who owns the shop on Oceanside Boulevard. “Just like any other transaction, whether you buy a car or a puppy, or jewelry, the transaction is the same when you make a payment.”
....Salinas said 90 percent of his customers choose to finance the cost of their new pet, allowing them to take home a dog they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. “I think that’s very unfair that they are saying we are being fraudulent,” he said. The Claessens were in the market for a dog because their previous bichon frise, which they had for seven years, had died. They could not afford to pay the $495 asking price for the dog at Oceanside Puppy, so they chose the financing option. After 27 months of payments, they could pay a $93.52 fee to end the lease or $187.04 to purchase the pet — “plus official fees and taxes.” Those that want to terminate the lease early incur penalties and fees. In the event of a default, the company can “take back the Pet wherever we find it and peacefully enter any property where the pet may be to do so,” it said.
So, to put a point on it, this couple agreed to pay $2,712 for a dog, while David Salinas agreed to be known as a gold-digging, puppy-peddling, predatory dirt-bag for the rest of his life. Fantastic!
Anyone doing business with Oceanside Puppy and San Diego Puppy should think twice and run the other way.
On the upside, David Salinas really IS the poster child for why pet store puppy sales need to be banned.
If anyone is looking for a case example to highlight the very worst of American business ethics, your search is over!
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