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Wormmans customer service is horrible!

Thanks everyone for there input here,, and i really do think i may have to look elsewhere as i am glad to see i am not the only one who is having these kind of problems,,,
As asuncion7 said great prices but if you have to jump through hoops and be treated like a second rate citizen when you have a problem from them it is just to much crap to mess with....
You know Sybella said that ken said his business has grown faster than he could keep up with,,, well if he keeps treating people like he has been treating me and i see quite a few others,,, he will have lots of time on his hands,,, I sell thousands of dragons every year,, and the first question i am always asked is where can i get crixs and mealies from.. and up til now my answer has been "use wormman.com" i have sent them countless customers because my past experiences with them have been ok,,, but i think i am gonna find someone new and start directing all my customers to someone else,,, I even told the local petstore here that wormman.com was ok to use,,

I am sure everyone here know the feeling in your stomach when you are running low on feeders,, and you have lots of hungry eyes looking at you for food,,, and you know you have done the best you can to get the feeders in, only to be treated like a second rate citizen by the company that you chose to spend your hard earned money with,,,, That is what really bothers me is i did not send them part of the money,,, i did not send them part now and part later,, i paid in full up front for my order,, and all i want is what i should expect as a consumer,,, to get my order in a timely manner, in good condition,, and everything i ordered,,, and if there is a problem,,, that it is handled like they do appreciate my business,,, i have looked back at receipts from last year,, and i spent over 5500.00 last year on feeders with me even raising some,,, problem is the guy i was getting most of them from went over seas so he is no longer producing any,, so i thought i would give wormman a try again,,, what a joke this has turned out to be! How long would any of us that captive raise reptiles be in business if we treated people like i ( and others i see) have been treated here...?
This is how it would go,,,:
"ok Mr Johnson,, i am sending you 3 of the 7 snakes you paid for, i will send you the other portion when i get ready,,, and if there is a problem i will guarantee live delivery,, but talk to my answering machine ,,,and leave lots of emails for me,,, but i will get back to you if i feel like it,,,,, and then they finally do get a person on the phone and they say,,, "no i cannot help you with your problems,,, but i can take a new order for you,,,,,"
Now how long would that work in the reptile business,,,,?
I am betting not to long,,, so why is it acceptable for wormman.com and Ken..?
 
Well here is what came 10 minutes ago,,

Here is what i found when i opened the box,,,,,
these are suppose to be the replacements for 2000 3/4 crixs,,,
100% DOA! I wrote them and also enclosed these 2 pics,,,
 

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and here are the 2000 Adults,.,,,

Also i was due 4 more bags of cricket crystals,, ( ordered 5 originally and only recieved 1 bag,,) and those 4 bags of cricket crystals were not in the box either,,,!
Here i am with hungry herps,, and all the replacement crickets are 100% DOA! what a great feeling in my stomach now,,,,
 

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Wow.
Ditto to what Steph said... I switched to reptilefood.com in 2001 (from Southern--who was fine--I just never knew when I was going to get my order). William at reptilefood.com is the best! If there is ever a problem, it gets fixed the very same day--again, even if it is the shippers fault. I recommend them to everyone.
Dana
 
HERE IS WHAT I SENT TO KEN AT WORMMAN.COM

From: JOE @ SUNSET DRAGON RANCH
Date: Friday, January 09, 2004 11:10:17 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: ATTN: KEN, MAKE SURE KEN GETS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat or Donna or Ken,,,,
I am requesting a refund back to my paypal account for the following that have been 100%DOA on 2 occasions,,,, I received the package that was shipped earlier this week for the reship of the DOAs in the december 13th order i placed with you,,,,,i am enclosing pictures of the DOAs this time around,, and i have been very very unhappy with your customer service,,,i have left a total of 8 messages with you and only got call back yesterday,, and they did not even leave a message on my answering machine,,( i saw the call on my caller id) and basically my whole experience with you and your company has been aweful!,,, i started a thread on the Board of Inquiry about your company,,( i also told you this in a previous email!) and I will deal with you no more!
I want my refund for the following back to my paypal account : [email protected]
2000 adult crickets
2000 3/4 crickets
1/3 of 1000 superworms,, as 1/3 were Doa in the order i originally received,,,
also i ordered 5 bags of your cricket crystals and only recieved 1 bag,, i was assured they would be in this order and they were not and i have not received them either,, i am requesting the refund for 4 bags of cricket crystals!
I sell thousand of bearded dragons a year,, and i always tell them to order from you,, i will do that no longer,, i ordered from you in the past a few times and had few problems,, but this time takes the cake,,,, totally aweful customer service!

I am expecting this refund by the 12th or i will be forced to file this claim with paypal before the 13th,,,,
thanks,
Joe Regan
If you would like to discuss this further i can be reached at: 662-746-xxxx ( i have left that number on your answering machine 8 times i don't know why you would use it now,,, ) But i am leaving it anyway,,!
____________________________________________________


I also enclosed the exact pictures i left above,,,,
___________________________________________________

Thanks all for your input and support, and i just ordered 6000 more crickets a few minutes ago from another source that has been offered here,,, I just hate to spend my money with someone and be treated like crap! I hope others can learn from what has happened to me, DO NOT Waste your time or money with Wormman.com
I have got to make another 100 mile roundtrip drive in a few minutes to get enough feeders for the next three days,,, ( until the order from the new source comes in,,,,
Again thanks all for your input and support,,, I think quite a few of us have had problems getting quality feeders,,, and it is quite frustrating to see hungry eyes,, in animals, that depend on you for there very existance,,,,,, I give my animals the best care possible,,, and to see them hungry is not gonna happen!
 
Probs with feeders...

I agree with Ken... there is that horrible sinking feeling that comes over you when you are expecting your feeders and they don't arrive or are dead when they do, and there are over one hundred little gecko faces with their noses up to the glass. I go through 3,000-6,000 feeders a week, and when they don't come it's not like I can afford to go and buy them in that quantity for retail prices! Heck, that would cost $100.00 per thousand!

It seems like I just keep having problems with cricket suppliers... some with quality and some with service. I have used Wormman, Groom's, Cricket Factory, Bassett's, American Cricket Ranch, and Reptile Food. I have had the BEST service with Dan at the Cricket Factory, with Steve at Reptile Food a close runner up. The absolute WORST service was with Wormman!

As far as quality goes, I have had serious issues with Groom's and Cricket Factory... some of you on this very forum may remember that a few years ago I lost 17 out of 23 sick Leopard Gecko breeders over a period of 8 months, and Dr. Frederic L. Frye himself performed the last of 5 necropsies to get to the root of the problem. It turned out my Leos were dying slow, agonizing deaths from mycotoxic poisoning (Aflatoxins) as a result of chronically ingesting crickets that were being cultured on moldy corn-based food. The owner of the cricket farm handled the problem by threatening to sue me for inquiring about them on the BOI! (I know Rich remembers this very well..)

The other problem I have had more recently was with crickets that were loaded with bacteria which again made about 20% of my geckos sick, this time with GI system infections. I actually had some crickets tested straight out of the box at IDEX Labs, and they gave me a full report listing the strains of pathogens that the crickets were loaded with. The owner of that cricket facility was more concerned with losing me as a customer than looking in to the problem, which was most likely a result from the crix being raised in filth.

So, the problem with cricket suppliers is two-fold; the quality of the feeders when they do arrive, and the customer service that comes along with any business. It does absolutely no good to have great service when your feeders are tainted, or the best quality feeders if they don't arrive or are dead when they do get there.

For me, buying crickets is worth paying a few bucks more per thousand than a thousand dollars in veterinary expenses!
 
I am Sorry,, i must have missed something Marcia you said " you agree with Ken..?" Has Ken chimed in here and i missed it somehow,,?

So my Question to you then Marcia is who are you using right now,,, and is there a reason,,? ( ie customer service is good, quality of feeders,, price,,, etc)
You said you had problems with the quality of the crickets who did you get the bad feeders from..?

Does anyone have any good recipes for 4000 dead crickets..? i was thinking Stew,,, but maybe a nice casserole..?
( don't know what else to do with them..)
 
LOL! Marcia is such a doll...I'm sure she meant you, Joe...She probably had "Ken" on the brain after all the talk of Wormman.com. LOL!!

I'm really interested in hearing who you buy from now too, Marcia. (PS. That leo of mine never did deliver any eggs last fall!)
 
Has Anyone Tried Lucky Lure Cricket Farm?

They only service Florida. or how about Armstrongs? they ship world-wide.
 
Sorry, Joe!

I'm sorry, Joe... I did mean you!!! I've been calling everyone a different name lately... old age? Mush for brains? (My husband is getting suspicious, lol!)

Right now, I am using Reptile Food and have been happy with their feeders and service. The only thing that concerns me is that they get their crix from various growers, and Steve would not tell me who.. other than that they do NOT get them from Cricket Factory or Groom's. My crickets from Reptile Food arrive on time, and the only problem I ever had was taken care of immediately via email, with no questions asked.

Groom's was the supplier that *allegedly* (gulp..) was feeding their crickets on moldy chicken mash. They are located in Georgia where it is hot and humid, which fosters the growth of mold. Cricket Factory (California based) had the bacteria-laden feeders that played havoc on my geckos. One of my customers lives near there, and has been to their facility and remarked, "It was scary..."
 
SOMETHING INTRESTING,,,

I just got off the phone with someone in the cricket industry,, and they told me that wormman also buys crickets, mealworms, and super worms from other growers,, he is acting as a jobber,, and that is why they ship from different places, and different times,,,
Well suffice to say my days with wormman are over,, if he wants to treat other like Crap and they will put up with lousy service then more power to them,,, it is so funny,, the guy i just decided to buy from,,, answered the phone on the 3rd ring,,, gave me a guarantee i would like his crickets or i did not have to pay for them,,, he is sending them before i even have to pay,,, Now That is customer service,, and he has not even got my business yet,, and he was happy to tell me about his facilities,, and how he raises his crixs,,, and how if there is ever a problem drop him and line and he will be happy to make it right,,,,
and pricing is great also,,,
1000-5000 14.00 shipped,,,
5000-up 12.00 shipped..
I am not gonna release the name until i try him,, but suffice to say if his crickets are anything like his customer service,, then this guy will be a winner for sure!
:D
 
I agree thumbs down for worm man

I ordered mealworms and it was just a hassle trying to figure out when then would be here. The sent out an email saying that they were shipped. They were not shipped until a couple days later. It was really hot outside so I had my wife stay at home to get them inside as soon as possible. Of course, she appreciated being at home over a week waiting for worms. It may cost you $2 more elsewhere, but it is definately worth it to get acceptable service. If you want to waste your time with a worthless company, then go with wormman! He has no business being in business. Very poor at what's important - customers!
 
I have been using the Cricket Factory out of Visalia CA for a few years now. I have about 95,000 crickets delivered to me every week, in two shipments. Apart from some fried crickets when it's over 110 degrees here, I have never had a problem with Dans service, quality, or prices. His number is 1-800-717-6627. He sells crickets for $10 per thousand. He does supply places like me, that buy in large quantities, but he preferes selling to hobbiests in smaller lots, 1000 here, 2000 there. I also get my kingworms from him, a bit higher in price then some for those, but it all comes at once to me, and is just easier that way. I really don't understand why anyone would give this worm place a chance after reading what I have been reading on this thread. Crickets literally pay my overhead. I would be hard pressed to stay in business if I had to count on a place like that. Give Dan a try, tell him I sent you. Mentioning me won't get you a price break, but hopefully he won't raise the price on you either!
 
Heres a neat little story for you.

I used to use Dan the Cricket Man too, but I found this guy here in town that has amazing customer service. If your cricket guy can top this I would send hem a box of chocolates if I were you. I get my crickets from a guy here in Bakersfield Ca, that happens to live on the next street over from me. He is in his 80's and was the first person in the state of California to get liscensed to grow crickets commercially. He has been in this busines for so long that he sold old man Basset his first breeder crickets! Not the younger Basset, but his dad!!! I have visited his facility many times and it is super clean. He and his wife run the business together and they are the a great team. Now, heres where the customer service comes in. I dont have to call to place an order. He brings the crickets to my house and dumps them right in my cricket containers. In fact, he calls me at the end of the week or just shows up at my house to see if I need more! If Im not home, he lets himself in with the key I gave him to my front door. He puts the crickets away for me, admires my animals, and locks the door behind him when he leaves!!! I know this sounds crazy, but I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a food source like this. He is currently trying to sell his business so there is no telling how long this will last, but just knock on wood for me that the next guy will be half as cool as this one!

Regards,

Mike Durbin
 
i personally use grubco for all my feeder insects...
i swear if a bug could win a beauty prize grubco's would LOL... i have never seen such nice supers, mealies and waxies ever!!!!... they have very healthy bugs that are quality and last a long time if taken care of... i do buy crickets from them and as i understand it they buy theres from someone else however every single cricket i have gotten from them have been in perfect shape..... i have found no extra "bugs" or spiders in any of my shipments..... (if i did i would freak out)
i do though feed and gutload all my bugs, shoot i think they eat better than me lots of times LOL i say give the grub a try!!!
www.grubco.com
quality feeder insects
 
I used to buy my crickets from...

one of the same people Marcia was speaking of. However, I dont think I will be buying from them anytime soon. Since this person is sue happy I will not post his name in this post.

My brother purchased 100 baby bearded dragons last year to raise up for a breeding project. They came from 4 different sources in nearly equal ammounts and the groups were NEVER mixed. Shortly after aquiring them he moved in with me and I personally witnessed them die, one after another, after another. Many of them grew up to maturity and died. Of the 100 he started with, he ended up with less than 20 animals. I couldnt believe it. It was like every couple of days another one was dead.

Now, before you jump to any conclussions regarding husbandry, I have maintained hundreds of adult breeders at a time and cared for literally thousands of babys a season while working for Tribal Reptile Company many years ago. Bearded dragons, when cared for properly, do not just die! Well, his did. My brother threw in the towel and gave me the custom cages he purchased for the project and vows that he will never breed reptiles again. It is so sad. Those animals were his babys and he took care of them so well.

So, what does this have to do with the cricket supplier? When I met Marcia while helping a mutual friend of ours with his reptile store in the bay area I was stunned at her story! It was so simmilar to ours that I was just shaking my head in disbelief. My brother sent sent the next beardies that died to have necropsies and even sent 5 that were not dead to be euthenized and have tests ran in hopes of saving the others. Well, in the end we found a magical cure for our dying animals. We found a new cricket supplier!

After changing cricket suppliers, we only lost one animal!!! So, it pays to ask for references when shopping for food for your herps. If you would like specifics, I would be more than happy to speak with you privately. But like I said, this guy has deeper pockets than I do so I will not be posting any names here.

Talk about extremes, If you want to hear about my new supplier, go to my post on the next page.

Regards,

Mike Durbin.
 
Well it sure seems like there are some companies out there that will do teh right thing by the customer,,, and it is refreshing to know,,,and Mike you have a sweet deal for sure,,,,
I have never really had any other bugs in the box,, but
I had a shipmemt of crixs come in one time with a small mouse the the box,,, The poor thing had to have its nerves shot bieng covered in 2000 crixs for a day or two,,,
The new company i talked to i mentioned in a previous post up a few before this was recommended to me by Eric Lago,, and he has been very happy with the quality of feeders from this source,, so i may have just found a new soursce myself,, i am trying him this coming week,,


Some one did instant message me and say,, that they put up with the Bad service from Wormman,( yes he has had bad service also) because they take paypal,,, and it was easier for him to use paypal for his purchases,, so do any of these other companies take paypal..?
 
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