Rust on a stainless steel cage?

[iamwhoiam]

no response from A&E. Too late to do anything with the credit card. Their return policy states to the effect if returned in original packaging and in a re-saleable condition... The reviews were good, now to see how I can add my review...

Keep bugging A&E and do check your credit card's extended warranty policy. What was the original manufacturer's warranty on the cage?

 

[Sweet Louise]

CLAIMS

All orders are carefully packed. All orders are shipped from A&E's distribution site, and when a receipt for shipment of merchandise has been signed with the carrier, the merchandise becomes entrusted to, and the responsibility of the Buyer. The receiving party must clearly note all damage on the Bill of Lading and must notify A&E of any damage within 48 hours. Original boxes and packing material must be kept until the claim is fully resolved.
A&E reserves the right in its sole discretion not to accept for return any merchandise returned for reasons other than a failure to comply wth an A&E warranty. All return merchandise must be in its original packaging, in saleable condition and listed in A&E then current inventory. For non-warranty returns, a 15% re-stocking charge as well as any shipping charges to and from will be deducted from the net price of the return item.
WARRANTIES – ALL PRODUCTS

In addition to any warranties from a manufacturer of thie product, A&E warrants that all products it sells meet A&E's standard specifications for the product and shall be free from defects in material or workmanship. Seller makes no other warranties, express or implied, and the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are hereby excluded. Buyer must notify A&E within 30 days of discovery that a product fails to meet the standards and warranty provided herein and follow the procedures set forth below for merchandise returns in order to obtain repair, replacement, or refund of the purchase price.
Apparently, I am not drying the cage after cleaning enough.
They gave me a phone number. After cleaning, the cage is dry--because to leave it wet only invites dirt to stick right away again. My home is not humid, if anything, it is too dry. who keeps original packing? It was a pain to unpack, I don't think it is possible to keep original packing in good enough condition to send it back even if I had kept it. Structurally, the set up of the cage had virtually every thing on my list (postion of feeder doors, door size, shelf, not having to use the grate, size...). I will call again but for something of this size...I would have to prove that they did not use 304SS. Not sure how to do that. I just sent them pictures which I will post here in just a second. The other problem is that the small bars appear to have tarnish. It takes a lot of work to keep the cage safe, shiny, and clean.

 

[Sweet Louise]

I will call the cc company. I just can’t beieve A&E would want their cages rusting. The first pic is of tarnish or a black residue that forms weekly- that is from wiping 2 or3 six inch segments. No way Louise’s feet are that dirty. Second is the feeder door and the last is a main cross bar.

 

[rockybird]

That looks awful! You have every right to demand a refund. You will not see that on a EH cage. I wipe them down weekly with poop off and wet Lysol wipes. I have NEVER had any rust on the EH cages. And I dont even dry them! I let them air dry.

 

[Begone]

I just can’t beieve A&E would want their cages rusting.

Do you know your iron levels in your tap water?

 

[Sweet Louise]

Do you know your iron levels in your tap water?

Good question. I do not know my iron levels, they send an annual water report....but it does not list iron level. I just looked up my kitchen sink, Kraus T-304SS. SS appliances. toaster. bathroom sinks parts and faucets. Cabinet hardware. Exposed cabinet backing. Louise's collection of bells and chimes. Toy hanging hardware. No rust or pitting on any of them. Never have used a wire brush or steel wool on any of them to clean them. Tuesday night, I deep cleaned the cage, it was sparkling clean, paper towels and f-10. That is when I noticed the tarnish on the small bars. I took those pictures tonight. AC has been running past several days. In winter, my house is dry and I should have a humidifier but I do not. Hours away from the ocean. And it is not everywhere on the cage. The flat surface of the play top is rust free. The ladders on play top, rust free. The actual feeding bowls, rust free. It looks like all the main bars have some amount of rust, some areas it is much more and it is heaviest near the welds-- but it is not continuous rust--it is speckled, so if it were just the welds, the rush should't be inches and feet away from the welds. I did not buy a cheap cage from Ebay or Amazon, I bought directly from respected cage company.

 

[Grady]

Hello Louise, this is your brother. I would tell the company that if they don't make this right after all you have been through, that you will be their biggest advertiser. You should not be having this problem.

 

[HolliDaze]

I will call the cc company. I just can’t beieve A&E would want their cages rusting. The first pic is of tarnish or a black residue that forms weekly- that is from wiping 2 or3 six inch segments. No way Louise’s feet are that dirty. Second is the feeder door and the last is a main cross bar. View attachment 279526 View attachment 279527 View attachment 279528

A&E doesn't have great quality from my experience. I'm trying to replace Dexter's cage, which is pretty much covered in rust. The powder coat peels, and it's only 4 years old. Apparently the the cage I go t frequently comes with bubbles under the coat, which easily break and let water in. I'm saving for the same cage but by kings.

 

[Sweet Louise]

I got good news, they wrote back to me after seeing the pictures and said they will work with me until it is resolved to my satisfaction. @HolliDaze, you may wish to pursue further too.
Hi brother @Grady . I had been looking at where the cage reviews are on the internet. I would much rather write about how they resolved the issue.... either way I will advertise for them. Tell you mom you want scrambled eggs. pancakes, and toast for breakfast Sunday.

 

[HolliDaze]

I got good news, they wrote back to me after seeing the pictures and said they will work with me until it is resolved to my satisfaction. @HolliDaze, you may wish to pursue further too.
Hi brother @Grady . I had been looking at where the cage reviews are on the internet. I would much rather write about how they resolved the issue.... either way I will advertise for them. Tell you mom you want scrambled eggs. pancakes, and toast for breakfast Sunday.

I got it used =( so I don't have any physical proof, other than what I was told when I purchased it and another member having the same experience with the exact same brand and kind of cage.

 

[iamwhoiam]

A&E doesn't have great quality from my experience. I'm trying to replace Dexter's cage, which is pretty much covered in rust. The powder coat peels, and it's only 4 years old. Apparently the the cage I go t frequently comes with bubbles under the coat, which easily break and let water in. I'm saving for the same cage but by kings.

King's has quality issues, too, and I've read a lot of negative reviews about their customer service. If you want to purchase one of their cages then buy it from bonkabirdtoys. The owner stands behind the merchandise he sells and has an excellent reputation.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I got good news, they wrote back to me after seeing the pictures and said they will work with me until it is resolved to my satisfaction. @HolliDaze, you may wish to pursue further too.
Hi brother @Grady . I had been looking at where the cage reviews are on the internet. I would much rather write about how they resolved the issue.... either way I will advertise for them. Tell you mom you want scrambled eggs. pancakes, and toast for breakfast Sunday.

It's good that they are willing to work with you. It's important never to give up or give in if there is an issue with a product. If the vendor won't be helpful and can't get resolution via your credit card company then you can always try to have the Better Business Bureau mediate. I had them do that twice, although not with bird cages, and both times the issues were resolved in my favor.

 

[Sweet Louise]

A&E replaced the whole cage. I had hoped to put it together this weekend but it has been too cold to bring the parts in. They did everything they said they would, it took a long time as the new cage is freshly made/not from in stock. If the new one doesn't rust, I will be very happy. I am still looking at an Expandable Habitat as they have some good features...pull through paper....
How easy is a SS cage supposed to be to clean? Easier than powder coat? I had been using a blue scotch brite pad, is that the correct level? Can a green scotch brite pad be used on SS cage? (I have to use that currently on the rust spots, use the blue on the rest)

 

[BertAllen]

I will call the cc company. I just can’t beieve A&E would want their cages rusting. The first pic is of tarnish or a black residue that forms weekly- that is from wiping 2 or3 six inch segments. No way Louise’s feet are that dirty. Second is the feeder door and the last is a main cross bar. View attachment 279526 View attachment 279527 View attachment 279528

I can tell you right now that the manufacturer used the wrong type of grinding disk and polishing pad on the welded joints and the food dish door.
This embedded microscopic bits of steel grinding compound into the SS, hence the bleeding of the rust.

Glad they replaced it for you as they should have done long before now.

Green scotch bright pad will be fine but it will dull the finish slightly.

 

[BertAllen]

OH don't use the same cleaning pads on the new one just in case.

 

[Sweet Louise]

ok, will go with the blue. Green just where stuff won't come off. Right from the beginning, the bars were harder to clean than the powder coat and that surprised me.
thank you for the help and advice.