Boaphile enclosure arrived damaged

I ordered a 6322D Combo Cage from Boaphile Plastics for Christmas. I opened up the boxes yesterday only to find a hand size hole smashed in the back panel of the left unit. Thanks Fedex. Of course it had to be the unit that had the heat panel and fluorescent light installed in it.

I emailed the owner of Boaphile plastics with pictures attached explaining the situation to see if I could possibly get a replacement unit, but I haven't gotten a response yet. I'm also going to file a damage claim with Fedex but I have little hope of getting reimbursement from them.

I guess my main question to everyone is, have you had a similar experience with Boaphile Plastics and did they replace your damaged goods? I know the owner prefers to talk on the phone, but I think they've been closed for the holidays. I'm planning to try again on Monday.

If I don't have any hope of getting a reimbursement or replacement unit, does anyone have any ideas on how to patch the hole to possibly make the unit useable? It's an amazing enclosure other than the hole.

Thanks so much!

Oh, that's just awful! I'm sure they're just closed for the holiday though, wait & see what they say- they should have sent this with insurance (& I would assume they did). :( I would NOT try to repair it*, you'll never be happy with it, & the heat panel (etc) might also be damaged, if Fedex plowed into this box hard enough to put a hole in the unit. *Unless they replace it without having you send it back? We'll cross that bridge once you come to it. ;)

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Originally Posted by kath_

I'm also going to file a damage claim with Fedex but I have little hope of getting reimbursement from them.

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Was the packaging damaged? Did you order the shipping label, or did you just pay Boaphile for shipping and they bought the label? If Boaphile paid for the label then they have the contract with FedEx, so they have to have to start the claim process. Hopefully they insured it.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Oh, that's just awful! I'm sure they're just closed for the holiday though, wait & see what they say- they should have sent this with insurance (& I would assume they did). :( I would NOT try to repair it*, you'll never be happy with it, & the heat panel (etc) might also be damaged, if Fedex plowed into this box hard enough to put a hole in the unit. *Unless they replace it without having you send it back? We'll cross that bridge once you come to it. ;)

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Hi Boger! Always glad to see you around the forums.
I know! :( I was so excited to get it set up for my girl. I'm thinking the same thing. We'll see what happens after I call on Monday. I'd much rather get a replacement than try and repair the broken one. Thanks so much for the helpful advice as always.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Was the packaging damaged? Did you order the shipping label, or did you just pay Boaphile for shipping and they bought the label? If Boaphile paid for the label then they have the contract with FedEx, so they have to have to start the claim process. Hopefully they insured it.

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Oh shoot you're right. Thanks for reminding me, I totally forgot that whoever buys the label has to start the claim.
Shipping price was included in the total cost so Boaphile paid for the label. I've heard great things about them so I'm assuming they'd do the responsible thing and insured it.

I'll bet anything that Fedex accidentally ran into your package with a pallet jack- probably a new, rushed & poorly trained employee that said nothing for fear of getting fired...DO save the packaging to show that's how it happened & wasn't something you did- as if you could or would. :rolleyes: Hope you don't have too long to wait for replacement. I'm still waiting for a very slow package "in the mail" from the U.K.- something small, that's overdue. It's not been a good year for getting mail & packages on time.

I worked at the Fedex Hub in Memphis for 4 years and if there's anything I learned, it's that it's incredible that anything makes it through the sort intact. Training is pretty minimal and most of the learning is done on-the-job, except for around the aircraft. I think that a lot of companies that ship Fedex rely on volume rather than good packaging in order to move their product.
Damaging a package is not likely to get an employee fired, although it might earn them a reprimand.

Sorry to hear about the damage. My AP cages arrived and the boxes looked ok but when I opened them the glass doors were shattered. Ally shipped me out a new set right away.

Jeff has been in business for a long time. He's sometimes not the quickest responder to messages but he's an honest guy.

I spoke to him over the phone years ago and liked his sense of humor and he was very helpful when I discussed cages with him.

I'm pretty confident you'll get the situation squared away.

Sorry to hear the story though. Getting new equipment is supposed to be fun and this sure puts a damper on it.

Hope you get a brand new unit or your money back. I had a horrible experience with them. My Burm pushed the top of the back wall panel out like a junk entertainment center within a week of having it. I called, sent pics and spoke to the owner...he told me to “pvc glue it” as thats what they do... Long story short I bought more AP enclosures and I will never recommend Boaphile to anyone. 1/4” pvc for a enclosure is horrible for heat let alone durability and their pvc is like hard plastic and cracks into sharp pieces.. Vision cages and AP use 1/2” pvc and they are much more flexible. It was a expensive experience I had to learn but I will never try another enclosure manufacturer again... I have no problem waiting 3-5 months for something that lasts a lifetime.


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I am sorry to read this and encourage you to reach out to Jeff. This sounds like a shipping issue, but regardless, imagine Jeff will take care of it.

I have had nothing but good experiences with Jeff Ronne, the Boaphile.

I have 12 Boaphile tanks of different sizes.

Jeff does not respond well to emails, but does pick up his phone or return phone calls quickly.

The number is on his website.

http://www.boaphileplastics.com

Please let us know how this turns out. There are differing opinions on here about Jeff and the quality of his tanks and it would be good to see how this handled.

Hey everyone!
Finally logged back onto the forums after a long time. Sorry about the delay in update. But I figured I should provide an update anyways just in case anyone is thinking about ordering from Boaphile.

Jeff was amazing and got me taken care of 100%. They were closed for the holidays so that’s why I couldn’t get in touch with them initially. Completely understandable. Jeff returned my call right after the break and was nothing but professional and pleasant to communicate with.
He promptly sent me a replacement unit complete with the heat panel and fluorescent light and had FedEx come pick up the damaged one. It was very fast and easy to manage. And it didn’t cost me anything.

I love the enclosure quality so much! It does a fantastic job at holding humidity and my girl has so much more space now! The heat panel quality is also great. I’d absolutely recommend ordering from Boaphile!

I have an AP enclosure for my ball python and a Boaphile enclosure for my boa. It’s hard to compare them because I think they’re both excellent quality so maybe I’ll make a comparison post later. Anyways, sorry for this very late update but I hope everyone has been having a good 2021!

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Originally Posted by kath_

Hey everyone!
Finally logged back onto the forums after a long time. Sorry about the delay in update. But I figured I should provide an update anyways just in case anyone is thinking about ordering from Boaphile.

Jeff was amazing and got me taken care of 100%. They were closed for the holidays so that’s why I couldn’t get in touch with them initially. Completely understandable. Jeff returned my call right after the break and was nothing but professional and pleasant to communicate with.
He promptly sent me a replacement unit complete with the heat panel and fluorescent light and had FedEx come pick up the damaged one. It was very fast and easy to manage. And it didn’t cost me anything.

I love the enclosure quality so much! It does a fantastic job at holding humidity and my girl has so much more space now! The heat panel quality is also great. I’d absolutely recommend ordering from Boaphile!

I have an AP enclosure for my ball python and a Boaphile enclosure for my boa. It’s hard to compare them because I think they’re both excellent quality so maybe I’ll make a comparison post later. Anyways, sorry for this very late update but I hope everyone has been having a good 2021!

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I'm glad to hear he got you taken care of and you didn't have to pay any fees for return shipping or anything. :)

Me too! It was an unfortunate situation that was completely out of Jeff’s control but he handled it perfectly and I couldn’t be happier.

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Originally Posted by kath_

Me too! It was an unfortunate situation that was completely out of Jeff’s control but he handled it perfectly and I couldn’t be happier.

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That's truly just what I expected would happen, but always nice to have your confirmation. "Stuff happens" in shipping, & professionals who value their business take good care of their customers, just as Jeff did.