- Mar 2, 2010
- 5
- 0
- 7
I just wanted to update my experience with Chickendoors.com. I bought a door last June (2010). It worked wonderfully for that summer and fall. I had it connected to a battery with an AC powered trickle charger to charge the battery as needed. In December I disconnected the door from the power supply when the snow came in December. We get so much snow up here in the U.P. of Michigan that the chickens stay in the coop all winter. I reconnected the door in May. It worked fine as before until about late July or August (can't remember the exact date). At that time we noticed the door wasn't working any more.
Being busy at the time and the fact that the door opens into a secure pen, I didn't feel rushed to send in the door until early October. I didn't fear for the safety of my chickens during this time as the pen has treated 3/4' plywood down 18" into the ground (with 6" sticking above the ground), 2' of hardware cloth over that, 6' of woven wire fencing above that, and finally two strands of electric fencing along the perimeter. Actually, after seeing the housing accommodations friends and others have, my automatic coop door is really overkill considering the security of the pen into to which the coop opens. However, I am picky about security!
Regardless, when I sent the door in Chickendoors.com said it was out of warranty (1 year) and I would have to pay $120 to get it fixed. I declined. I told them they can keep the door. Although they were technically within their rights to decline warranty work, I think the right thing to do would have been to fix or replace my door for free. Firstly it is an expensive door ($200 with shipping) that you would expect to work more than one year. Secondly, since my door was disconnected from mid-December until early May, it was only operational for 9 months (June-December 2010, May - July 2011). I am not out for vengeance here. As I said, my pen and coop are pretty secure. I can get by without the automatic door. I just want people to be aware of this company's customer service.
Some of you may feel fine about their response, others maybe not. I value service after the sale a lot, even if it means I pay more for the product. If I had read a similar experience when I was researching this door, I wouldn't have bought it. Others may have had good experiences with the door, or had any problems taken care of in a more positive manner. Regardless, I think people know of my experience and let them be the judge.
Being busy at the time and the fact that the door opens into a secure pen, I didn't feel rushed to send in the door until early October. I didn't fear for the safety of my chickens during this time as the pen has treated 3/4' plywood down 18" into the ground (with 6" sticking above the ground), 2' of hardware cloth over that, 6' of woven wire fencing above that, and finally two strands of electric fencing along the perimeter. Actually, after seeing the housing accommodations friends and others have, my automatic coop door is really overkill considering the security of the pen into to which the coop opens. However, I am picky about security!
Regardless, when I sent the door in Chickendoors.com said it was out of warranty (1 year) and I would have to pay $120 to get it fixed. I declined. I told them they can keep the door. Although they were technically within their rights to decline warranty work, I think the right thing to do would have been to fix or replace my door for free. Firstly it is an expensive door ($200 with shipping) that you would expect to work more than one year. Secondly, since my door was disconnected from mid-December until early May, it was only operational for 9 months (June-December 2010, May - July 2011). I am not out for vengeance here. As I said, my pen and coop are pretty secure. I can get by without the automatic door. I just want people to be aware of this company's customer service.
Some of you may feel fine about their response, others maybe not. I value service after the sale a lot, even if it means I pay more for the product. If I had read a similar experience when I was researching this door, I wouldn't have bought it. Others may have had good experiences with the door, or had any problems taken care of in a more positive manner. Regardless, I think people know of my experience and let them be the judge.
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