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boaphile plastics is starting to piss me off....

just for the record

i tried contacting boaphile by phone and by email several times. no answer ever. i was looking to buy a 5 cage stack of the 4 footers, probably about 1100.00 worth of cages, they would not answer questions or return messages or anything. i gave it a week and ended up spending my money at cheapcages.com. i havent read anything in this thread about alan but i will tell you he had my cages in about 3 weeks. he answered all of my calls, in fact he insisted through emails that we spoke over the phone, and i ended up paying around 950.00 for all five 4'x2'x12" with a six foot pedestal shipped. no heat or lights mind you but i wanted to do that my self. i will only be buying cages from alan, thats just my opinion. i am a manager for walmart and i truley believe in 100% customer satisfaction, and thats what i got when i bought my cages. boaphile may be good, but i wont be made to wait 6 or 7 weeks to spend a grand.
 
I called Boaphile and requested a quote for 10 units back in July. To this day, I am still waiting for the quote. I even gave my quote request to a live person! At the Chicago show, Boaphile had a booth there with a lot of cages. Even though I still needed a few and I could have walked out of there with what I needed, I still passed. If you don't have the common decency to return a simple phone call then you will not earn my business.

Griz
 
I called Boaphile and requested a quote for 10 units back in July. To this day, I am still waiting for the quote. I even gave my quote request to a live person! At the Chicago show, Boaphile had a booth there with a lot of cages.
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Bob,

Was it a quote for “custom made” cages or any of their standard cages? It seems to me they are trying to stay away from building cages to specifications. From a business efficiency perspective this would seem reasonable considering that everything that departs from the “cookie cutter” norm will take more time and probably money to design and assemble. One way or the other I’m in agreement with you, the least any company can do is reply either for yes or for no.

Regards
 
Man.....with all the new cage companies popping up that will produce cages just as nice I would think it would be in a companies best interest to have some good customer service.

You can have the best product in the world but if you don't have sales or service to go with it.......your business will eventually fizzle out.
 
Was it a quote for “custom made” cages or any of their standard cages? It seems to me they are trying to stay away from building cages to specifications.
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It shouldn't matter whether it was a custom or standard cage.
He should have had the common courtesy to respond.

I have tried several times to get reponses from them in the past. They DO NOT respond.

They have the WORST customer service out of ALL the cage makers.

If you want a rack, talk to Casey Hulse. Excellent racks and customer service. I know firsthand.

If you want a cage, talk to Alan Hall. Excellent cages and customer service. I also know this firsthand.

AP also has great customer service and responded right away to my questions and from what I have seen and read, their products are excellent.

Boaphile needs to start communicating with customers or he will be put out of business by the other great cage/rack builders.
 
Steve,

This was the other part of my post:

One way or the other I’m in agreement with you, the least any company can do is reply either for yes or for no.
Click to expand...

When you say:

It shouldn't matter whether it was a custom or standard cage.
He should have had the common courtesy to respond.
Click to expand...

Yes, as I said before they should reply for yes or no, and as you say it's common courtesy. Why does it matter if the cage was "custom made" or not? Because in their web page they have a very detailed description of every cage available, and their prices shipping included. Does that justifies not replying? Absolutely not! As I stated before, the least they can do is answer with a yes or no to your request. :)

Best regards.
 
Casey's racks are excellent. I have several of them. His customer service is awesome and I have always received them within a week or two.
Can't ask for more.

Well, Maybe he should make cages too.
Hint..Hint.
 
The BoidSmith said:
Bob,

Was it a quote for “custom made” cages or any of their standard cages? It seems to me they are trying to stay away from building cages to specifications. From a business efficiency perspective this would seem reasonable considering that everything that departs from the “cookie cutter” norm will take more time and probably money to design and assemble. One way or the other I’m in agreement with you, the least any company can do is reply either for yes or for no.

Regards
Click to expand...

Nope, it was for standard enclosures. I had questions as to which heating route I wanted to go and that was the only "unknown" in this transaction. Had they simply gotten back with me on a price and answered my heating question then they would have had the business. I guess when all is said and done it was a good thing as it forced me to build my own which I am actually quite proud of.

Griz
 
I get ticked at the lack of customer service that's out there. If you have a website set up to accept online orders, you must be prepared to answer questions about pricing, shipping, timelines etc received through your website's contact form or email in a timely matter! Several frozen rodent companies won't get my business because they never responded to a couple requests for pricing for an order.

Also - I like the way BARRS represents their products. For those sizes of cages they have ON HAND, they're clearly marked "ready to ship". So customers know ahead of time which products can be purchased immediately if they have the need to. Of course cage manufacturers can't always have every size or configuration of cage ready-made. That would make a warehousing/storage nightmare if they are smaller scale. But come on, customer service? A manufacturer cannot presume WHO is emailing them or calling them for a quote. Like Chris at TSE did, some people try one or two cage/rack orders at each place to gauge response time, customer service, and quality for possible large orders down the line.

It's one thing if a manufacturer just has an "information only" website with a phone number to call for normal orders, and they miss emails. But if you choose to set up a web store, communication is everything.... Even if you cannot afford more space or more people for production, at least recruit someone who can take care of emails and phone calls in a timely matter. Because of the backups that most manufacturers have, aside from the low quality some shipping companies now find acceptable, when I need a larger cage, I will be making it myself. (it helps to have a husband who's a machinist with a mill in the garage so we can try our hand at PVCX cages when that day comes). Until then, I've been really happy with both BARRs and Vision cages (purchased through LLL reptile).
 
But if you choose to set up a web store, communication is everything.... Even if you cannot afford more space or more people for production, at least recruit someone who can take care of emails and phone calls in a timely matter.
Click to expand...

Well said!

Regards.
 
Dennis Hultman said:
Casey's racks are excellent. I have several of them. His customer service is awesome and I have always received them within a week or two.
Can't ask for more.
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I have a basement full of Casey's racks...I won't buy from anyone else...
His racks are well put together...efficient...sturdy. His customer service is impeccable...and he and his wife Darla (the better half of Nature's Spirit...LOL)...are just plain wonderful people.
When I go to pick up my racks...I have to be sure I clear my schedule...because I have this bad habit of being able to talk to Casey for HOURS...LOL


Dennis Hultman said:
Well, Maybe he should make cages too.
Hint..Hint.
Click to expand...

LOL...I have had THIS conversation with him as well...and I have to say...it didn't seem like it would happen anytime in the immediate future...BUT...if enough people keep bugging him...???...I suppose I will keep my hopes up...
 
I just don't understand...

It seemed to me no matter how many times I tried to contact Boaphile Plastics or how much money I was willing to spend, I couldn't get an acceptable level of customer service (a reply or a straight answer in person). I guess I took it personally since I have half a room full of 4 foot Boaphile caging and I just gave up. For the record, the other two rooms are filling up with AP cages and soon to be more racks from Casey Hulse. It's a pity since Jeff makes excellent cages and racks. I really wonder why he doesn't invest in additional staff which would result in more sales growth?
 
My Experience With Boaphiles

I bought four of the 400 model cages and a thirty drawer rack system from them. One of the larger cages came in damaged at which point I called and was sent a replacement. I had animals in them that knocked over or spilled their water dishes and found there was insufficient ventilation for the cages to ever dry out. I constantly had to change the substrate which got old after awhile. Within a few months spider like cracks begain appearing on the front panel of plexiglas where the hinges attached. One hinge was bent so bad it made opening and locking the panel very difficult. I called and wrote them about getting a replacement and never heard back. It was a few dollar item to replace but the cost of it wasn't the problem. I simply never got a reply one way or another. The cages were supposed to have a full year warranty but if nobody ever gets back to you on a problem it isn't worth very much.
My initial purchase of Boaphile cages and racks was for trial/test purposes. Had I been more pleased with them I would have been back for many more. I've long since replaced my Boaphiles with Animal Plastics rack systems and Vision cages. In the future I'll be buying many more enclosures. As much as I like and respect Jeff for what he's done for our hobby, unfortunately I won't be buying any more products from him. There are many that swear by Boaphile's products but I feel there are much more durable products out there. In addition to a good long lasting reliable product I agree customer service is just as important. When both are lacking, well, need I say more? I hope Jeff can improve things because I'm confident his heart is into what he's doing. I think he's just to busy to take a moment, sit back, and see the big picture.
 
I just purchased a 421D from Boaphile as well as some racks from Animal Plastics. I only own Animal Plastics racks and cages and the last time I ordered from them they were about 4 to 6 weeks out.

I decided to try the 421D just to check out the quality of the cage. It looks nice and is a decent value for the money but doesn't hold humidity very well and the plastic is much thinner than I expected. I sent a Payment for the cage on September 17th via Paypal. I emailed Boaphile on the 24th of October for status since I had heard nothing in the five weeks that had passed. I was told my cage should go out that week. It took a few more days and then I got a tracking number. It was scheduled to arrive on the 1st of November but he had a wrong address on the package so I had to drive to FedEx to pick it up myself.

6 and a half weeks to get a cage is a little long in my opinion. If it's going to be that long, you should at least inform the customer. The auto-email I was sent after payment said 3-5 weeks. I don't know that I'll be ordering from Boaphile again.

I called Animals Plastics on October 26th to get a quote for four 10 high racks. I was emailed a quote within hours and I replied that they should start my order. I got a call on the 1st (5 days later) that the order was done and ready to be shipped. I then decided to add a 4 high rack to my order on the 1st. They added that rack and shipped everything on the 3rd of November. It was due to arrive today but I rescheduled the delivery so I could be here when they deliver it.

I've been buying from Animal Plastics for a long time so I know they do favors for me that they might not with everyone. Regardless, the long wait periods due to lack of materials is a non-issue at this point.

I'd recommend Animal Plastics to anyone as their cages and racks are the best I've dealt with and their customer service is beyond reproach.
 
SWAG said:
What I really, really wish though, no offense to any cagemakers, was that Bush Herp Neodeshas were still around. Still all around my favorite enclosures.
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Your wish might be commanded... Won't be for a few months though.
 
I purchased a few racks from Jeff in the past and the wait was usually long, but I got the products. UNTIL, the last time I ordered, after over 8 weeks of waiting, I contacted Jeff.... I get an email from Jeff stating that the clear boxes for that unit had been discontinued by the manufacturer months earlier and he could refund my money or I could choose another product. First, why wasn't he more diligent when I placed the order and informed me THEN that the order would not be able to be completed? I waited over 8 weeks in good faith, when I could have gotten me needs fulfilled somewhere else. That was inexcusable. That is why I will NEVER order from Boaphile again. Ends up I found a better unit that ships within 48 hours!
 
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