HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement with PetSmart LLC, over the company’s alleged practice of advertising free pet groomer/stylist training programs for employees, but then requiring employees to enter into agreements to repay the costs of those trainings.
The settlement with PetSmart, in the form of an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, alleges that, for a limited period, PetSmart offered a pet groomer/stylist training program for employees in Pennsylvania that it represented as free. Instead, PetSmart required employees who participated in this training to enter into an agreement that required the employee to pay a sum of up to $5,500 if their employment with the company ended within two years of beginning the training program.
Agreements of this type, in which employers require employees to repay training costs if they leave before a designated period of time, are often referred to as “TRAPs” – training repayment agreement provisions.
“Employees taking advantage of seemingly free training are seeking to better their skills and knowledge for their jobs. PetSmart took advantage of those aspirations and set Pennsylvania employees up to pay thousands of dollars while misrepresenting the terms,” Attorney General Henry said. “Practices like these are unfair and my office will continue to work to stop their use and protect hardworking Pennsylvanians.”
In the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, PetSmart agrees to no longer use training repayment agreement provisions, or otherwise offer free services or goods in Pennsylvania unless all terms, conditions, and obligations are clearly and conspicuously disclosed up front.
PetSmart has already voluntarily ceased using training repayment agreement provisions in Pennsylvania and the company has taken steps to reverse any negative impact these agreements may have had on Pennsylvania employees.
As part of the settlement, PetSmart has also agreed to pay $20,000 to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which will be used for future public protection and educational purposes.
Any Pennsylvanian who believes they or someone they know may have been impacted by a TRAP agreement with a current or former employer should file a complaint online with the Fair Labor Section, call 215-560-2402, or email fairlabor@attorneygeneral.gov.
This Assurance of Voluntary Compliance was filed in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas by Deputy Attorneys General Kevin R. Green and Ryan W. Sypniewski.
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