— unacceptable communication, poor guidance, and no accountability.
They installed a through-wall dog door on December 17. I moved in on January 2, and within a day it was clear the issue wasn’t “training my dog” — in the through-wall tunnel/box configuration, she simply doesn’t fit comfortably due to clearance. This is a sizing/clearance problem.
Timeline (because the pattern matters):
• I texted Heidi on Saturday about the issue and did not receive a reply until Tuesday.
• Because this was time-sensitive (my dogs rely on this), I called on Monday and spoke with Anthony. He was very short, said he wasn’t aware of the issue, and said he would talk to Heidi.
• When Heidi finally engaged, she implied I “wanted the exact same size” as what I had before. That’s not accurate. The previous door was provided as a reference, but what I cared about was maintaining appropriate clearance/height off the ground. It is their job — as the professionals — to look at the prior setup and educate the customer on the difference between a door-mounted flap and a through-wall tunnel. A simple question would have prevented this entire situation: “Did you know a through-wall install requires more clearance and can fit differently?” No one took measurements or walked me through clearance implications before installing. She also claimed that it is not her fault because she’s been doing this for 15 years and it hasn’t been a problem. First time for everything…
• Heidi asked me to send a video of my dog trying to use the door. I declined because forcing attempts would scare my dog and the issue is physical fit/clearance.
• Because the communication was so poor, I ended up having to propose solutions myself. Most recently, I asked if they could simply invoice me and order the replacement door. They still wanted me to pay around $350 in labor because they refused to own the mistake. While I negotiating labor down, I offered to pay by credit card or PayPal to protect myself in case things went south or they didn’t refund me the difference. They replied that they do not accept credit cards or PayPal and offered check, Zelle, or Venmo. Given how poor the communication and follow-through had been, I was not comfortable using unprotected payment methods, told them not to order anything, and that I would handle it myself. And I did.. $1000 later.. I’ll fix the problem myself.
Bottom line: This wasn’t a “busy day” issue. This was days of delayed responses, missed follow-through, and shifting responsibility onto the customer instead of providing basic professional guidance and measurements for a through-wall installation. I cannot recommend North Texas Dog Doors.
Update: Pet Door Pros spent an hour on the phone with me troubleshooting and walking through my installation. Their conclusion was that the door may actually be the correct size — the real issue was that I was never educated by the original installer on the need to bring the exterior height up to match the interior for a through-the-wall setup. The original installer never even set foot in my home, and when problems came up, no training or support was offered. Pet Door Pros, on the other hand, will help you troubleshoot and even train your dog to use the door. I highly recommend Bruce at Pet Door Pros — he will truly help you through any issues, asks a lot of questions to make sure everything is right, and won’t just make a sale and disappear.