Animal Plastics T8 Arrived Damaged - Does This Need To Go Back?

I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. My eagerly awaited T8 turned up today broken. AP did a great job of getting this here before the Long Island Reptile show so I could get it setup, I don't think that's going to happen now.It looks like the carrier damaged it by the look of the box (see pictures below) - Having never put one of these together I guess my question is, is that damage going to affect the functionality of the cage in anyway? To I am not happy at this particular moment is an understatement :( Any advice would be appreciated.

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/1.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/2.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/3.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/4.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/5.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/6.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/7.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/8.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/9.jpg

http://www.shaggysworld.com/snake/ap/10.jpg

I would contact animal plastics and send them the pics and see what they say. Maybe they could expedite a new piece to you? I am currently waiting on mine as well. Hopefully everything works out for you.

or maybe you could build it as is so you can get your snake at the reptile show and wait for them to send a replacement panel. Regardless, I would contact them asap.

If it was shipped with insurance ask that they put in a claim for the damaged piece. Keep all of the packing materials and take lots more pictures of the damage.

If they could get me a partial refund I would build the enclosure and call it good, as long as it's still usable even with the corner cracked.

AP may also have some PVC welding compound you could use to repair it.

Ali @ AP is great to work with. I would contact them and show them the pictures. I believe they could ship a new piece.

As bcr said, keep ALL packing.

If it was shipped by UPS they are going to ask VERY detailed ?s about all of the packing when a claim is filed.
They will want measurements and info off of the box, so don't think that only pictures are needed.

Sorry for your disappointment and hassle.

Bummer

Thanks so far. But can anyone with a T8 tell me if they think that damage is going to be a problem? ITs on the back right corner of the roof.

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Originally Posted by ShaggyRS6

Thanks so far. But can anyone with a T8 tell me if they think that damage is going to be a problem? ITs on the back right corner of the roof.

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Actually I think it would be fine but cosmitic damage pretty ugly on a sweet new cage. You don't seal the top so I would think you could assemble it and replace top piece when you can get shipped a new one.
Kinda surprised they had to have dropped that box in shipping pretty bad. When I got mine I was amazed how well the were packed.

They're too expensive to put up with that kind of damage. I had some very minor damage to a rear corner of one the the T8's I got a few weeks ago. But it is hidden when assembled and not structural so I didn't really care. But what you've got would bother me. APC is a bit on the slow side as well so that'll be frustrating. Ali will probably just send you another piece though so you could assemble it anyway and change it out when the new one comes.


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In your case, I doubt that will affect the functionality of the cage in any way, but I don't actually own one of these either, just going by what I see in the pics. And yes, contact AP, I'm sure they will hook you up.
Now as someone who works in the shipping industry, here's how this should be handled. First, always inspect the package while the driver is still there whenever possible. If you see damage, tell the driver you want to inspect the contents, and that they need to wait in case you need to file a damage claim. Be quick about it, these guys really are busy. Using this case as an example, you'd want a pic of the whole box showing the damaged area, one close up of the damage, and as many as you can get of the unboxing, focusing on the damaged area. And since I know a lot of these get dropped off blind when no one is home, you instead need to call the shipper, either same day or early the next, and get the ball rolling with them. In this case I doubt the shipper will even bother with a claim, more likely they will just send you a new panel and take the loss. Looks like the package was slid into something pretty hard in this case.

It was dropped of blind I have emailed AP but heard nothing back yet - Will probably call this afternoon. The corner of the box (pic 3) lost all its rigidity. Its like sponge so as you say. It must have been given a good old whack.

Ali from AP got back to me yesterday. She very kindly has sent me a brand new top piece. No questions asked. Very good service indeed.

Ali is great to work with. I'm glad you got it all worked out.

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Originally Posted by ShaggyRS6

Ali from AP got back to me yesterday. She very kindly has sent me a brand new top piece. No questions asked. Very good service indeed.

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Great product and great people!!!!

I was a little nervous reading this post as I plan on ordering an animal plastics cage for my snake. But after reading the outcome I know I will be ordering it from the right company. It was an inconvenience for you, but it's one heck of a commercial for animal plastics and it really shows how much they care about their customers.