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Info Animal Plastics PVC Cages

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MichaelRobinson

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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.
 
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.

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

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.

MichaelRobinson said:
does anyone recommend a better company who can meet their commitments?
Click to expand...

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.
 
MichaelRobinson said:
Besides the absurd production time, which i knew 10-12 weeks before i ordered
Click to expand...
MichaelRobinson said:
I am displeased and am calling their business dishonest as their production times are misleading i.e. lies.
Click to expand...

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.
 
I understand your pain. I recently switched rack providers because of the wait time. You will get your cages, but expect to wait a bit longer. Good company, especially if you have more time than money, but not the best choice if you need your products at a certain time (exception quick ship).
 
I have 5 cages cages that should be shipped this week or next from AP, can't wait!!!! This is my 3rd or 4th order from them. I always make changes after I place my order and they always take care of whatever my need are. I always talk with Ali and she is great to deal with! They do take a while to ship but are well worth it.

AP cages house my BP's, Uro's, beardies and soon my juvenile frilled's.
 
Liveforthis: If you don't mind me asking, when did you order your cages? I would like to know if they are prioritizing larger orders like yours while neglecting smaller orders like mine. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the heck it takes 3-4 months to produce a cage when in the same time frame, an entire house can be built; it seems absurd. But really though if someone is handy, they could buy 4x8 sheets of pvc and start their own cage business. I'm thinking that if there was an alternative, quality cage maker who had reasonable lead times they could be quite successful.
 
MichaelRobinson said:
I would like to know if they are prioritizing larger orders like yours while neglecting smaller orders like mine.
Click to expand...

I've ordered many cages and racks from Animal Plastics; sometimes one or two, and one time, eight. Turnaround time was almost the same with both small, and large orders.

Over the years, I've just accepted it. They're a family-owned and operated business, and don't run production 24/7. Customer service has been outstanding in every communication I've ever had with Ali, and to me, that means a lot, in our increasingly rude society.

Just try to be patient; the products are superior, and well worth the wait.

Kathy
 
Another big thumbs up for AP. Customer service was great. Order-to-delivery took awhile, but anytime I had a question, they answered it immediately. Unless you already had the saws, routers, jigs, etc, there is no way you could make the same quality of cage for less. Michael, hang in there man... the wait is frustrating, but def worth it.
 
AP Cages

Can not say a bad thing about this company. Their product is durable and well constructed. They have made some newer modifications that I wish was available when I bought mine. Lead time was 12 weeks and the cage arrived sometime after that. All the cuts were perfect and easy to assemble. I think your choice to throw them under the bus is not appropriate.
 
MichaelRobinson said:
Liveforthis: If you don't mind me asking, when did you order your cages? I would like to know if they are prioritizing larger orders like yours while neglecting smaller orders like mine. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the heck it takes 3-4 months to produce a cage when in the same time frame, an entire house can be built; it seems absurd. But really though if someone is handy, they could buy 4x8 sheets of pvc and start their own cage business. I'm thinking that if there was an alternative, quality cage maker who had reasonable lead times they could be quite successful.
Click to expand...

Its been about 3 months. My first order from them was only a single 36" cage and it took just as long. I've made my own cages too but I like AP cages, they are light and durable and look good. They aren't a huge company and as you can see from others on this site they get a lot of orders. Its worth the wait, I don't think they are dishonest they just have a huge demand. If you want something fast get an exo terra from amazon and when your new AP cage comes in you can use the exo as a quarantine or back up cage.
 
I've ordered several times from them, and a couple times had the quick ship items take longer than expected. They are always super responsive though, and the product quality is fantastic! I recommend them often, but give people a heads up that it can take a bit.
 
Purchased 4 cages and 2 racks over a couple of years. Always on time and excellent communication.
I get your not happy with the wait time but with each post you complain more and more about anything. Either ask for a refund and buy elsewhere or build your own house err I mean cage or buy from another seller.
 
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