Avoid Allbirdcare.com and birdsupplies.com

[bcartier89]

Recently my wife and I became bird parents to a cute parrotlet named lucy and after attempting to return a package at ALLBIRDCARE.COM also run by BIRDSUPPLIES.COM. I found out that the owner Diane was totally okay with having a company that provided no customer service what so ever. After speaking with her she rudely a let me know that I could not get a return because of the return policy. This was upsetting to hear but understandable. Next she told me that the products I returned she THREW IN THE GARBAGE and could not be returned to me. When I asked why, she said it was because they were contaminated. I told her I felt cheated and that she was stealing from me. She didn’t seem to think so. After some debate she hung up on myself, and my wife and billed us for reshipping without saying a word and apparently dug our paid for goods out of the Garbage.

If you have purchased here before and had no issues consider yourself blessed. For everyone else please use extreme caution knowing that this woman has no interest in providing customers with good service and is prepared to rip you off so she can make a couple bucks. my wife and I don't make much money and consider our bird our baby and try to spoil her and I just don't want anyone else to feel taken advantage of.


Thanks for for listening

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I've never bought anything from there before, but I'll keep that in mind

 

[VictoriaVague]

Companies really must learn that in the age of social media etc, good customer service is vital.

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I don't understand how people think they can get away with that behavior. I work in customer service, and we are told to never be rude to the customers. Doing so could result in immediate termination.

 

[tozie12]

many parrot businesses have a no return policy. i'm guessing that you sent the product back without a return authorization? kinda foolish to simply send something back without any assurances that your return will be accepted.

i would MUCH RATHER do business with an organization that doesnt take returns on parrot products. if we accept product that was returned how do we know we're not getting something that was exposed to a parrot with PBFD?

as far as throwing product away, its not uncommon in retail to discard product that's been returned if you have ANY doubt about its safety for the next consumer.

 

[Jan]

It's nothing out of the ordinary ... you will find that pretty much all of us vendors on here have the same "bio security" no return policy. It protects your birds and other birds from cross contamination. This is not to say your bird has any disease but it is to help stop the spreading of possible contamination. She carries the same no return policy that we all tend to have especially when it comes to bird toys, ropes and other items. However, if she was rude to you then that is not nice. This particular seller has been online for at least 10 year to so, this I know.

Most new comers to the bird world that purchase online are not aware of this so it does come to a shock when an item(s) can not be returned.

Did you ever go into a large bird store where rows of toys are just hanging on the shelf and are not protected that are not in bags protected ... and yet they have birds in near by area and you can see dust and dander on the toys ... that is not good in my books to be selling like that not to mention the amount of people touching those toys day after day.

 

[sthiele]

Did you read their return policy before sending the product back? BirdSupplies.com Shipping | Returns | Free Shipping $49+

 

[Macaw Lover]

I totally agree with what both Beth and Jan have said. I would do the same as that store owner, not accepting returns needs to be done to protect everyone's birds. There are a lot of bird diseases out there and to help prevent the spread of them, not accepting returns is one way of protecting the birds we love so much.

Welcome to the world of loving your little feathered baby, you will find so much love in your lives since adding him/her to your family.

 

[VictoriaVague]

But these situations are much better solved with politeness. Being brusque and rude with someone can backfire on a business and lose them a lot of custom. If you are polite and explain something properly, then a customer has no reason to kick up a fuss and you can provide evidence that your communication was polite and factual.

You have to be extra careful these days.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Welcome to the forum although sorry it is on these terms. But, at least you made it here as there is tons on here to learn!

While I don't agree with rudeness, from the customer or business, I am glad she is keeping her policy in place! This is something you should be thankful for too. If your parrotlet gets sick, because of their size, things can become complicated. Please keep that in mind.

I have a p'let that I am doing everything to prevent him from becoming sick. Vendors who have that policy help me in that. I also have an eclectus that while young is more susceptible and feel a lot safer getting toys from vendors with these policies in place.

 

[tastybeets]

I have to say I agree with the return policy as well. I'd rather not risk contamination. I worked a lot of retail when I was younger, and there are two parts to every argument. I'm not going to take sides. I will say, though, that I don't think she's trying to "rip you off so she can make a couple bucks".

 

[Milo]

But these situations are much better solved with politeness. Being brusque and rude with someone can backfire on a business and lose them a lot of custom. If you are polite and explain something properly, then a customer has no reason to kick up a fuss and you can provide evidence that your communication was polite and factual.

You have to be extra careful these days.

I am not taking sides, but unless there is a recording we don't know how the conversation took place. We don't know exactly what the OP said and what the site owner said. It's an unfortunate situation for sure

 

[VictoriaVague]

But that's my point. It doesn't matter who said what. It is how things are perceived. If the customer feels badly treated they're a threat to your business, as the web is a powerful tool. Therefore, when dealing with even a difficult customer, sometimes you have to be sickly sweet to leave them feeling like they've had good service, even if you can't fix their issue.

 

[Milo]

But that's my point. It doesn't matter who said what. It is how things are perceived. If the customer feels badly treated they're a threat to your business, as the web is a powerful tool. Therefore, when dealing with even a difficult customer, sometimes you have to be sickly sweet to leave them feeling like they've had good service, even if you can't fix their issue.

I'm not sure there was a way to rectify this situation, did the OP send items back without consulting with the site owner? She could have been patiently explaining for all we know and there's a chance the OP may have falsely perceived rudeness in their frustration (which is understandable and happens to many people). I agree that the internet is a powerful tool, and unfortunately even if the owner handled this situation perfectly the OP may still have been left feeling angry. Businesses are taken down all the time by unnecessary anger of patrons.

 

[Macaw Lover]

Keep in mind the OP only came on to post what he did and has not been back on since.

 

[Chaiah]

The real issue here is not only that there is no clear return policy, though most toys and bird supplies are often non returnable simply due to health issues and legislation to cover that gamut of problems. However, for the business owner to discard the items and then dig them out of the trash, which could have been infected by birds that the business owner may have had is unconscionable and, perhaps, cause for legal action. Sending an item that the owner admits could have been contaminated would, most certainly, be reason to consult with an attorney and I would. If anyone did that to my birds, even if I was mistaken regarding the return policy would seriously tick me off. Any admission of knowledge that items could be contaminated is cause for concern.

When we first got out first fid, we made a similar mistake and, although the store would not credit us for a return, they explained the contamination issue and gave us a nice discount for a future purchase. That was 15 years ago and we are still loyal customers.

It would have show much more professionalism and adult action to simply return the items to the OP with a kind letter stating why the items couldn't be returned along with a sincere apology and a 10% discount for a future purchase - and even include a small toy for the parrotlet. It's not like a item like that would be a high loss.

None of us were privy to the conversation, but the onus was on the part of the business owner as it was her job to diffuse the situation but, instead, fanned the proverbial fire.

Recently my wife and I became bird parents to a cute parrotlet named lucy and after attempting to return a package at ALLBIRDCARE.COM also run by BIRDSUPPLIES.COM. I found out that the owner Diane was totally okay with having a company that provided no customer service what so ever. After speaking with her she rudely a let me know that I could not get a return because of the return policy. This was upsetting to hear but understandable. Next she told me that the products I returned she THREW IN THE GARBAGE and could not be returned to me. When I asked why, she said it was because they were contaminated. I told her I felt cheated and that she was stealing from me. She didn’t seem to think so. After some debate she hung up on myself, and my wife and billed us for reshipping without saying a word and apparently dug our paid for goods out of the Garbage.

If you have purchased here before and had no issues consider yourself blessed. For everyone else please use extreme caution knowing that this woman has no interest in providing customers with good service and is prepared to rip you off so she can make a couple bucks. my wife and I don't make much money and consider our bird our baby and try to spoil her and I just don't want anyone else to feel taken advantage of.


Thanks for for listening

 

[tastybeets]

I think the "digging out of the trash" part is a major assumption on OP's part. OP appears to have made their account to complain and hasn't bothered coming back, so I wouldn't bother putting any stock into the post at all.

 

[Milo]

I think the "digging out of the trash" part is a major assumption on OP's part. OP appears to have made their account to complain and hasn't bothered coming back, so I wouldn't bother putting any stock into the post at all.

Exactly. Who's to say that the vendor didn't send replacement items? To me, there are too many variables. I didn't find the return policy on the site to be vague at all, it even says to contact the vendor prior to returning items to make sure there isn't an issue.

Personally, I think the adage "the customer is always right" is VERY overused. There are times when a customer simply cannot be placated and things like this happen. We don't and can't know how much the site owner tried to fix the issue.

 

[crazyanimal]

I just has a customer call me the other day with a toy they ordered. It was too small for their bird. I politely said that the dimensions of the item were on my website and I do not do returns. I apologized and suggested other ways to use the toy and my customer hung up the phone feeling a bit better then when they called.

As said above, most of us do not do returns so it is important to always read the descriptions of the toys to be sure the parts used are parts you feel are safe and to know the dimensions of said toy so you know exactly what size to expect.

It is a shame with the web the way it is today that people can easily say something about one company whether it be true or not and it can easily damage them. Not all customers are easy to deal with and though you try as hard as you can, some people just cannot be pleased.

 

[tozie12]

if i had a dime for every customer who's lied on me, i could retire. i take great pride in my customer service. i genuinely care about helping them. But many customer complaints are HIGHLY inflated. most business leaders know this. so often, complaints are disregarded. the true tragedy here is when a complaint IS founded and it takes several issues before it becomes apparent that there's a problem. i've even had complaints on me that took place when i was WITH MY SUPERVISOR... OFF SITE... OVER A HUNDRED MILES FROM THE ALLEGED PLACE OF THE INCIDENT. needless to say, that complaint was completely disregarded.

the phrase 'the customer is always right' is from a more innocent time where honor was the standard rather than the exception.

anyone who's ever worked in retail looks at most complaints with a skeptical eye... i think EVERYONE should have to work with the public for a minimum of 6 months.