Animal Plastics PVC Cages

Just posting to make people aware of Animal Plastics (AP) dishonest business practices. I ordered a cage from AP on 1/30/18 and was told it would be shipped by 4/10 to 4/24. Around 4/24 I called asking where my cage was and was told it would be shipped out by this week and I may receive it by today 5/4. Well today 5/4 is here and it still has not even shipped. I have no idea what the issue is, making a cage and not sending it out in the time quoted (10-12 weeks or even the next time quoted 14 weeks), but they cannot even manage to do that. I am displeased and am calling their business dishonest as their production times are misleading i.e. lies.

This post was created to warn you that if you purchase from AP, their production time is false and customer service will placate you with more false lead times. In my research I have discovered that "delays" (imo bad business management) are very common with AP. I would like to mention that customer service has been kind to me however, I am a paying customer who expects when I pay $497.00 for a cage it arrives as quoted and when I call and am given a new shipping date it arrives then.
I'm curious if anyone has input on why in the world it takes AP 4 months to make a simple cage? Also, does anyone recommend a better company who can meet their commitments?

Sincerely,

Michael Robinson, a disappointed customer of Animal Plastics.

How did you pay?

TBH AP are probably one of the better suppliers for lead times, trust me there are a number of other big names that are far worse!
I agree their customer service is always prompt and courteous, much as it should be when they already have your money!
Myself I have never had an issue with AP, and have at least 16 of their cages and on one occasion 6 weeks into an order I changed my mind on what I wanted and they accommodated my wishes with no further delay or aggravation.

I advise contacting them again and being polite but very firm on requesting a drop dead not to be missed delivery date, reasons why they have failed to uphold their side so far and if you do not like what you are hearing request a full refund right away.

Good luck and sorry you had this trouble, hopefully you will get your order and then I know you will be satisfied with the actual quality of the unit.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble. I assume you called them today to find out status and that's when they said it hadn't shipped yet? Were they able to give you another time frame?

I had kind of an opposite experience, placed my order and didn't receive any ETA or tracking info, then my cages arrived. Usually I do get tracking information (this was my third order). One of the panels for a cage was damaged in shipping and they already sent out the replacement part. I find them really easy to deal with but I do expect really long lead times as that's the main complaint I've always heard about them. Long lead times tend to be an issue with most cage manufacturers. However AP has provided an eta, so far, my orders have arrived when expected.

Originally Posted by MichaelRobinson

I'm curious if anyone has input on why in the world it takes AP 4 months to make a simple cage?

It's a small family owned business so it's not as if there's a huge team fabricating cages and they are quite popular so based on that I would assume that is the reason for long lead times. Probably a better question to ask Ali or Mark directly.

Originally Posted by MichaelRobinson

does anyone recommend a better company who can meet their commitments?

Please ask in the discussion forums as the BOI isn't the place for people to make recommendations for other businesses.

I hope you get your order issues resolved!

They said they would ship out this week when I spoke with them the first time and the cage shipped today so their second estimate was on but it was delayed a couple of weeks from the original estimate. no wrong doing on their part really, their lead times just seem ridiculous.

Also want to mention how good AP has been to deal with; responsive, kind. Besides the absurd production time, which i knew 10-12 weeks before i ordered, i have no complaints and would recommend them to more patient customers, there likely could be a delay with your cage.

I have ordered from AP for years and years. I can say they have good customer service and never had a communication issue. Yes their none quick ship items take over 12 weeks to ship but they ship with no problems. I disagree that they are dishonest , they give you a window and if they missed trust me wait couple of days more. I understand your frustration. Again i never had any issue with AP.

The fact that they were mistaken in their lead times is a small issue, but an issue nonetheless. In the last decade or so, it seems that people have gotten used to immediate gratification when purchasing items. Most caging builders build to order due to the possibility of customizing cages. If a quality product is desired, it's not an overnight purchase. I've long been of the opinion that reptile caging should never be an emergency purchase, either. I always tried to have a cage or two open for those unforeseen circumstances and overestimated how many baby racks I'd need to be on the safe side.

Originally Posted by MichaelRobinson

Besides the absurd production time, which i knew 10-12 weeks before i ordered

Originally Posted by MichaelRobinson

I am displeased and am calling their business dishonest as their production times are misleading i.e. lies.

I don't understand how you were misled if you knew they had long production times?

I think if they give you a date they should try to make that deadline. But you can hardly say you were blindsided.

Michael, be patient the claims you are making such as a dishonest business does not fit here.

It's not like your cage is the only one they have to fabricate,they produce many high quality cages.there is a wait but I think it's well worth the wait.

Of course if you really believe everything you have posted you can always request a refund.