MY PET CHiCKEN has made me very angry !

[Chicken Woman]

I sent a order request to my pet chicken and they sent me this :
Hi!

My Pet Chicken has been working through its list of preorders for baby
chicks, and we've come to your reservation! You must have
extraordinarily good taste, because a couple of the breeds you
requested on your reservation has been "hot" this year: everyone wants
a Salmon Favorelle or a Speckled Sussex. (or two, or three or
fourteen... ). In fact, they are so popular, they are temporarily back
ordered until late May and June. (Having good taste and being on the
cutting edge of chicken fashion is usually awesome, but it must be
disappointing this time!) Only relatively few of these hatch each week
in comparison to, say, Rhode Island Reds or Barred Rocks, so if we
have a run on them, it can mean a disappointing wait. We're are sorry
these babies are not immediately available; our dear hens rightly
refuse to listen to us when we demand they lay a dozen a day!

You have the choice to wait for all your breeds just as you requested
them or to substitute another breed which will be available earlier
(in April). Since your order must ship when ALL your breeds are
available for the safety of the baby chicks (as well as to be easier
on your wallet when it comes to shipping), a backorder will
temporarily delay shipment of your entire order. Please let us know
right away what you would prefer to do!
2 months ago i sent it to them and they say they are already back ordered ! I think they did this because it is a small order of 6 ! GRRRRRRR

 

[Henrietta23]

I haven't done business with Mypetchicken so I can't say whether they treat small orders differently than large. I can say that sometimes things happen and a hatchery doesn't get the numbers of chicks that they expect or need to fulfill all orders. It happens to all hatcheries. I had an order delayed last spring with another hatchery because of one breed not being available when they'd hoped. Personally, although I'd be really disappointed also, I'd have to believe them. I'm sorry you won't get the chicks you wanted when you thought you would!

 

[PamsPride]

That email seems really nice to me. I have had to hold up an entire order before to get the chicks I wanted when I ordered from my local hatchery.
Sorry that you are so upset.

 

[CityClucks]

I understand that you are disappointed, but I would rather someone tell me up front that they don't have what I want than take my order and then continually put it off because they can't fill it. It seems to me that MyPetChicken's response to you is honest and forthright. Plus, since they buy from another hatchery, they don't have their own stock to choose from. I wanted Speckled Susses, too - but all the hatcheries I looked at are sold out until May - so I can put an order in now and wait 3 months or order something else and get it sooner - at least I know my options. Like you, I just have a small order, but I won't be getting any of those beautiful Speckled Sussex this time.

Maybe there is someone here on BYC who breeds these clucks who can sell you some eggs, thus adding a whole new dimension to your chicken obsession!

 

[kees]

Quote:
After waiting so long for MyPetChicken to "open for the chick" season, it would surely be a disappointment to have to wait even longer to get some chicks.

Are there any BYC'ers who can help chicken woman with some Salmon Faverolle and Speckled Sussex babies?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I wish I did have my Salley Favers in breeding right now but I don't.
I, too, have an order with My Pet Chicken, it is only for 8 Silkies and 2 Frizzles but I really don't expect them to come through until April or May. I want them now but I know hatcheries just can't make that happen. Once I started hatching eggs here I realized how hard it can be to fill orders!
It is hard to be patient but what can we do?
They will be here before we know it and the stress will be over. Gives us lots of time to build more pens and coops and get the brooder just right. Ugh.....

 

[texas_chick]

Hm. That actually sounds pretty nice and honest.
My guess would be that MPC specializes in small orders. Afterall if people wanted to order lots of chickens then they wouldn't have to pay the extra for MPCs service.
I can understand your disappointment though!
Mine were to arrive yesterday from Meyers (the only other small order place) Express Overnight. My husband even took off work so he could wrangle our human babies while I took care of the chicks and then nothing.

I called Meyers and they said they shipped Monday so I made a huge fuss at the post office and turns out they didn't even leave Ohio until yesterday evening. I wish Meyers would have told me that they boxed them way too late to still leave Monday.
Better them be honest and not waste your time.

You could always look at different breeds. I wanted Marans or Welsummers but I didn't want to wait till May so now I will just be happy to have EEs and a Barred Rock.

 

[Anny]

To be honest I think they worded it as nicely as they could. Those are very popular breeds and maybe they were even more popular then the hatcheries though they would be.

I'm sorry they ran out. That does suck. Maybe you can find some one locally who is breeding them?

 

[luvmychicknkids]

How can that message possibly sound "nice"? To me it sounds snippy and hateful.....kinda like "because you thought you were too good to order basic breeds, you have to wait" in the rudest way they could manage. Maybe it is just me???

A nice message would have read "We apologize, but due to an over abundance of orders on (blah blah breed) of chicken, we are going to have to place your order on hold until...... They are a COMPANY....one I would have trouble taking serious after that message!!! I'd cancel and order somewhere else.

 

[texas_chick]

Quote:
That doesn't sound snippy and hateful at all to me. But I've talked to them on the phone before so maybe that's why I am reading this differently. You know the tone of voice makes a huge difference in how this message would be perceived.
When I talked to them they have been so super nice and forthcoming and friendly that I took that message to be an inventive and 'trying to be humorous' way of telling her her options.