DJ Feathers Aviary

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: after months, there was still no eligible babyThe business never contacted me about one having the mutation I was looking for, so it never involved abandoning a baby - therefore there was nor cost ad no risk to the breederI still maintain that the practice of charging a non-refundable deposit when no baby is reserved, nor foreseably availableI was looking to adopt a baby within months - not years Of course, I am exaggerating but I think you see the point The website indicated that the deposit was non-refundable for a baby reserved - I did not have one picked Regards, [redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: after 3 months, there was still no eligible baby. The business never contacted me about one having the mutation I was looking for, so it never involved abandoning a baby - therefore there was nor cost ad no risk to the breeder. I still maintain that the practice of charging a non-refundable deposit when no baby is reserved, nor foreseably available. I was looking to adopt a baby within 3 months - not 10 years...   Of course, I am exaggerating but I think you see the point.  The website indicated that the deposit was non-refundable for a baby reserved - I did not have one picked...
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted]:
[redacted] did place a deposit for a cockatiel through our
website. A deposit is used to either hold an existing baby during the weaning
process (while we are raising and hand feeding the baby) and also to reserve a
place in ‘line’ while waiting for a particular baby to be hatched and become
available. 
We do maintain a flock of cockatiels and have pairs set up
for breeding generally every time of the year. There is usually a supply of
babies at any point, but not always every mutation, or particular coloring. In
those cases, people place a deposit to be able to select from babies when they
are available based upon the order of the deposit. It can become even more
complicated and the timeline drawn out even further if they seek a specific
gender or have other specific marking requirements. The more constraints,
usually the longer it takes to accommodate, solely based on statistics. The likelihood or timing of a specific mutation or color of any baby is up to nature and not something we can control. It's quite a bit different than asking for a specific color or size of shoe, dress, or shirt as an example. While our knowledge of cockatiel genetics does allow some probability of a given pair producing a certain mutation, it is only a probability an not a certainty.
The reason for the deposit policy is to insure people who
request a parrot are in fact serious and engaged in following through with the
process, and to discourage abandoning a baby when ready to go to their new
home. A baby under deposit is not presented to visitors as available for sale. A
deposit to hold a future baby affects other buyers purchase decisions when they
are looking for the same mutation. For these reasons we make it clear the
deposit amount is not refundable.
On our website under the cockatiel deposit page (the page
visitors must visit to initiate placing a deposit), [redacted],
the third sentence makes it very clear the deposit is not refundable: 
This
is a non-refundable deposit toward the purchase of a bird from DJ Feathers
Aviary ("Seller").
In order for [redacted] to have placed her deposit through
our online store, she had to press the “add this to my cart” button beneath
this deposit agreement text. 
I have included a copy of the page in PDF format along with
a copy of the sales record for [redacted] that she placed after selecting the
Cockatiel Deposit item from the online store. Also included is a screen shot of
the same page taken from the Internet Archive website, [redacted].
This dated version of the same deposit page was archived by their webcrawler on
February 22, 2013. You will see by comparing the current version to this
archived version the terms of the deposit have been consistent since well before
[redacted] placed her deposit 11 months later on January 12, 2014. The deposit amounts have
always been non-refundable, and clearly stated during the order process. 
We have had several lutino babies since January, as well as
several other mutations, and [redacted] has been to visit and see them. During the visits she decided against every baby she was shown. She
called later and said she was no longer interested in any cockatiel, and we
reiterated the deposits are not refundable. As she had requested in her order,
we would gladly have moved the deposit from a lutino to any other cockatiel she
then preferred, which is a courtesy we do make if a particular unhatched
mutation is taking a lengthy time to become available.

They are selling parrots with open-banded ID bracelets. This is dangerous to the parrot because the bracelet could get caught on the cage and either break the parrots leg or kill the bird. removing the bracelet involves a visit to the avian vet and a vet bill to fix a broken leg. DJ Feathers knows these bracelets are dangerous because one of their own hand-raised parrots broke a leg with the same open ID bracelet. When I asked for compensation for having to remove the bracelet from my pet parrot they refused and hung up the phone on me. They continue to sell baby parrots with open ID bracelets to this day and I am hoping this complaint will warn future buyers.

Review: On 12/22/13 I purchased a tree stand for a bird, and upon arriving home found that it was too large for the table it was intended for. I returned the stand the next day and was told there was a "no refund or exchange" policy due to contamination issues. There are no posted signs, nor is the information relayed to you on the receipt. More specifically for this incident they had helped me disassemble the item so that it would fit in my car, and I attempted to return it with tags intact and still disassembled. The manager still said it was a policy due to contamination. This also seems strange since they have live birds all over the store, and if contamination is an issue they would have put my pet in harm.

Again, this policy is not agreed upon by the consumer, but is enforced by the merchant.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of my cost for the tree stand. $ 149 USD

Business

Response:

January 22, 2014

Dear [redacted]:

We received your letter dated December 31, 2013, but after delay as it was sent to our old address. Our new address is presented above.

The policy since we formed our business in 1998 prohibits returns for any product that has left the store. There are signs in our store by the register and also on some of the merchandise shelves stating the policy and the reason. Also, the policy is presented on the bottom of both the sales receipt and the credit card receipt presented for signature.

We do not want items that leave our store and then out of our control that could be exposed to anything that could be harmful being brought back into the store. The risk is the transfer of an outside contaminant either into our store flock or (if the item were to be resold) on to another home. It is safer and more cost effective for everyone if the buyer be certain of their selection before making a commitment to purchase.

While the signs presenting the policy may not be noticed by everyone visiting and purchasing, they are within plain sight. There is no missing the policy as it is presented on every register receipt and credit card receipt. I have attached several photos including one of the signed credit card receipt for this sale. We're sorry for the inconvenience in this situation, but the health and safety of our flock and those of our customers takes precedence, and we have to honor our policy not to take items back once they leave our control.

If you need any further information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

The signs conveintly did not exist until now, and yes when you are given the receipt after the sale is final you see the policy. Also, as mentioned in my complaint the reasoning is poor. The store also board outside birds in an open air environment to the "flock". Futhermore, the bird in question came from their store and was part of their "flock". You can also bring your ird into their store and they will service your bird. This is clearly a policy to favor the merchant.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Here is a link to a photo placed on Facebook by us on July 25, 2013, the day we moved into our new location. If you look in the lower right corner the same sign is displayed there as in the recent photo taken in January. These signs were also in our old store prior to moving (we are using the originals we made 5-6 years ago).

Review: January 14, 2014, I placed a $40 deposit to reserve a bird that is was not yet born - specifically I wanted a Lutino cockatiel, female. The web site states: "Place a deposit on a baby that's available or get your name on the waiting list for the next one coming along!" No bird has been eligible since (I was never contacted). This week, I wanted my deposit back so I called DJ Feathers and was told that the $40 deposit I paid was non-refundable because I was told that it was used to "hold" my place in line for whenever a bird would be available.... I politely explained to the lady on the phone my views about learning the store's unclear/hidden and not customer-oriented practice. The policy was hidden and the cost is clearly not justified from a business expense standpoint. I was offered no recourse on the phone. Also nothing would preclude the business never to contact me and to keep the $40, regardless of bird availability...

Per the website the words states that the deposit is for a baby that is available - mine never was available.... Had I known the policy, I would have waited for a baby to be born and reserved only if I liked it. Below is the copy of the receipt and transaction. Again, in my conversation in January, I was never told that the deposit was non-refundable.

Order Number: [redacted]

Detailed Invoice:

Date Ordered: Sunday 12 January, 2014

Your order has been updated to the following status:

New status: Deposit Accepted

Please reply to this email if you have any questions.

This email address was given to us by you or by one of our customers. If you

feel that you have received this email in error, please send an email to

[email protected] Settlement: Refunded deposit and change of policy, or

Refunded deposit and clearly stating in written form on the receipt and on the website the terms of the policy for all to see

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]: