Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

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mayble
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by mayble » Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:29 am

Lisa wrote: My other friend who ordered a week or more before me still has not yet received her birds so I don't know that they are totally out of the water service-wise yet. Perhaps I just picked species that were easier for them to fulfill (2 shaft tails, 1 lavender waxbill, 1 african silverbill).
Or maybe you were the latest to make a fuss and therefore were at the top of the pile.
It's bad enough when business partners have a falling out and inconvenience their customers, but when living creatures are involved it is even more distressing. One hopes the birds are being well cared for.

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by nixity » Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:02 pm

Hmm.. sounds pretty similar to the Victoria drama that happened years ago when someone got in over their head back-filling orders they then couldn't fulfill.

Are we sure there was even a feud, has this "Jeff" person corroborated this story? Maybe they were just running like chickens with their heads cut off trying to find breeders with birds who could fulfill the orders?

Sad - I contacted them about possibly wholesaling to them - I'm sort of glad they haven't gotten back to me since almost seeming to ask for references for ME.

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by debbie276 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:51 pm

Sure does!! No one, whether a big or small business, should be taking money for birds not in their hands, period.
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Pukasand » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:32 pm

I was going to order some BC Cordons and a Shaftail hen, but now I am very hesitant. I contacted them some time back about Strawberries and I am supposedly on a 'waiting list'. :? :|
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Lisa » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:23 pm

Birds arrived today and were in good condition. The african silverbill is quite perky, she's been doing that "tail wag" repeatedly, like a little flirt.

The lavender waxbill seemed slightly dizzy/off balance when I first received him but seems to be ok now - maybe a bit of vertigo from the trip? Will have to keep an eye on him, though I've been checking on him and he seems alright as time goes on.

The two shaft tails are lovely, one has a seriously DEEEEEEP voice, like Barry White, bird style! LOL

All in all, I was pleased with my purchase though I would have preferred just cut & dried business without all the drama. I guess the timing of my order was poor. Jeff does exist and does corroborate the story, though each had their own version of events & who's right, etc. The one thing that did make me a little nervous when I received the birds was that I could only find one skinny strip of millet in there that was shared among 4 birds. It was pretty well picked clean and it scares me to think what if the birds had been delayed for a period of time. I would rather err on the side of caution and ship with TOO much food. I did relate this The Finch Farm to take into consideration on future orders they may be sending out. Water was adequate, box was dry & warm, perches installed.

I'll try to get some pics of these (and my new parrot finches) later tonight to post.

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by debbie276 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:33 pm

So glad it seems to have worked out, what a relief. Yes, less drama would have been better :wink:
Debbie
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SF Pastel (SF Yellow)
Pastel (Yellow)
Blue
SF Pastel Blue (SF Yellow Blue)
Pastel Blue (Yellow Blue)

GREAT articles on avian lighting:
https://mickaboo.org/confluence/downloa ... ummary.pdf
http://www.naturallighting.com/cart/sto ... sc_page=56

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Ginene » Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:53 pm

Wow!!! When Jeff shipped me my birds in January, they arrived all sitting on an affixed perch, with millet spray, plenty of seed and a water cup all in the container. There was a natural sponge in the water cup that contained the water, which was attached to the bottom of the carrier. All 9 of the birds sang the whole car ride home and have been healthy/happy ever since. He emailed me @ 10pm letting me know that my birds arrived and were waiting for me @ my post office. He asked me to message him as soon as the birds were home to let him know how everything went. He is such a nice guy. Don't think i'll order from the farm again, now that Jeff is gone. He was definitely the bird lover in the business. The site has changed enormously since then. Filled with lots of products and other retail items. The site use to have finches and a choice of 2 starter cage sets. That's it!!! Looks like someone is out to do more than sell great birds...such a shame when it becomes about money and not about the animals [-X ...

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Lisa » Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:57 pm

Wow!!! When Jeff shipped me my birds in January, they arrived all sitting on an affixed perch, with millet spray, plenty of seed and a water cup all in the container. There was a natural sponge in the water cup that contained the water, which was attached to the bottom of the carrier. All 9 of the birds sang the whole car ride home and have been healthy/happy ever since. He emailed me @ 10pm letting me know that my birds arrived and were waiting for me @ my post office. He asked me to message him as soon as the birds were home to let him know how everything went. He is such a nice guy. Don't think i'll order from the farm again, now that Jeff is gone. He was definitely the bird lover in the business. The site has changed enormously since then. Filled with lots of products and other retail items. The site use to have finches and a choice of 2 starter cage sets. That's it!!! Looks like someone is out to do more than sell great birds...such a shame when it becomes about money and not about the animals ...
Actually, for all my troubles, I would purchase from them again - but not anytime soon. I would wait a while to be sure everything is running smoothly once again. Although I got my birds, I'm not sure if they are back to 100% operations yet.

I am very pleased with the birds I received and I do think Shirley was put in a bad position. I do think some things could have been done differently (putting the sales on hold until things were better resolved mainly) but I did get my birds only 1 week later than expected in the end. Bugaboo mentions dealings with Jeff earlier in this thread where she states he's not got much experience with birds, but is a business man. I don't know if that came directly from his mouth or what. With the exception of the food offered, I thought everything else in the packing was done fine - they had plenty of water, box was comfortable, soft shavings added to keep the poop at bay & provide comfort, and they had a perch installed. The birds did chirp away once we got in my car.

All in all, I really think I just had the bad luck of ordering during the one week where all went haywire temporarily. I'm sure if someone was to place an order a month from now, it would go smoothly, as were orders that were placed prior to mine.

If you'd like to see my new birds, here's a thread with pics I posted just tonight:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=24264

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by bugaboo5 » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:41 am

I just want to clarify that it was wilkifam who stated that Jeff was new to birds. I may have reiterated what she said, but she's the customer who has been communicating with Jeff.

@Lisa -- I'm relieved to hear that the birds made the trip well. I'm happy you got your birds, period. Were they shipped USPS? And did they include a heat pack? I'm amazed that the birds shipped so well at this time of the year. It's cold in the east coast.
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Sally » Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:10 am

Lisa wrote: Just wanted to post the latest... my birds finally shipped yesterday and are due to arrive tomorrow :-SS

I woke up this morning and suddenly had tracking info in my email to greet me. The birds are being flown from Seattle and are guaranteed arrival by 3pm tomorrow.
I assume they were shipped USPS, since they left on Tuesday and didn't arrive till Thursday. Airline shipping is normally same day, unless the birds are shipped on a red-eye, in which case they arrive early the next morning. I would also assume they had a heat pack, as cold as it has been in NY.

So glad this finally worked out for you, and I hope everyone else gets the birds they have ordered. It's always worrisome when there is a delay, either in shipping or in filling orders.

There was a vendor several years ago that was taking orders for birds they did not have in stock.. They had birds listed on their website, and after people ordered and paid for the birds, they then informed their customers that the birds were backordered. That is always a poor practice, to take payment for birds that aren't currently available. The vendors that do this often do not have the capital to buy the birds themselves, so they need customers to pay in advance. They then go on a search for birds to fill their orders. If a vendor is out of stock, they can put customers on a wait list, but they should never ask for payment for birds on a wait list.
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by bugaboo5 » Fri Mar 08, 2013 3:14 am

How does the heat pack work? Where is it placed in the box? And are there no concerns about overheating the birds? I was told that multiple birds in a box would generate enough heat without a heat pack, which is why I asked. :oops:
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by wilkifam » Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:08 am

He ships in a big box, heat packs are glued down on floor of box. Box is ventilated so I'm sure they can't overheat.
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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by mayble » Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:44 am

I recently received some finches (not from Finchfarm) that were shipped USPS, and later learned in this forum that it is against USPS regulations. Apparently my local postal workers aren't aware of the rules either, because we had a nice chat about my birds and other birds that come through that station.
I wonder how the shippers get around this on their end? Do they claim the birds are one of the allowed species? Or does nobody ask any questions?
I was impressed with the shipping set-up. The box they came in was nearly as big as the quarantine cage I released them into, there were two affixed perches and the water container, and the floor was COVERED in seed. They weren't in the slightest hurry to leave their temporary home and had to be shooed into their cage. I think the whole experience was harder for me than for them.

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Lisa » Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:30 pm

Yes, they came USPS though with overnight shipping they end up on a plane anyway from WA to NY. Although others that had received finches from the Finch Farm mentioned theirs shipped with a heat pack, mine did not. They seemed no worse for the wear but had I known that, I probably would not have placed the order until it was at least in the 60's. It's currently in the 40's. Although I'm sure the birds spend the majority of their time in postal facilities and on the plane, there's still times when they could have been outside. The boxes are printed stating they are approved for shipping of live birds so that's probably why the post office doesn't give problems. It lists the regulation #'s etc and is VERY clearly marked live birds, along with directions for their care (no fumes, heat/cold precaution, etc).

The only two times I've had birds shipped in, the post office people were quite interested and chatty about it.

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Re: Finches from the Finchfarm...Update

Post by Ginene » Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:48 pm

I had the same experience with my post office. They allowed us to pick up our finches @ 10:30 pm, as they arrived that evening. We were pleasantly surprised that they welcomed us even though the post office was closed to the public. The workers were very curious about our birds also. They took good care of the travel box, putting it in an office on a desk in a safe place. No heat packs in my travel container either, but my birds were happy and healthy. Truth is, I had a great experience with the Finch Farm. And I didn't mind paying the $50 shipping fee (which has recently jumped to $60) because my order was for 8 birds. But now that I am in touch with breeders (all of you) on the forum, I am more comfortable purchasing birds from you all and meeting you in the middle to pick up my new babies. I still check out the farm website often, as they have more new species than ever. Lil Joe is always on it :D making his "dream list." I am still itching for cordon bleus...but better wait a while or I will wind up divorced [-X . They don't have BCCB's anyway...think they're my favorite CB's...Maybe when a bird event comes to the NY area in the fall, I can grab a pair...or two... [-o<

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