Ordered an incubator with next day delivery as mine wasn't suitable for the impending heatwave. Due to issues with the delivery company, it didn't arrive until a week later and was damaged. Initially contacted Internet Reptile about the issues with the delivery company and they were super responsive.
When it arrived damaged I contacted Internet Reptile immediately, and by this point I was furious as I was desperate for this item. The replied immediately asking to let them know when it could be collected the following week and said they'd send a replacement. I replied with the only day available the following week, but heard nothing back. The day before the day of collection I'd given them, I sent several emails chasing and still heard nothing. The incubator was not collected. I sent a further email and finally got a response claiming my email got lost, despite having sent multiple chasers. By this point I just wanted a refund as I desperately needed an incubator and had to order elsewhere.
Collection of the damaged incubator was booked and I was told to let them know as soon as it was collected and they would expedite the refund process. I contacted them as soon as it was collected and heard nothing back. I sent further emails chasing and finally got a response two days later to say that once they'd received the incubator they would refund me. I checked the tracking and the incubator had already been delivered to them before they'd sent that email. I still hadn't received the refund and had to send more emails chasing it, with no response.
I checked my PayPal the other day and discovered that they had sent the refund, but it was pending. I contacted PayPal, who confirmed that Internet Reptile had sent the refund via echeque instead of instant transfer, so I would have to wait up to 7 working days for the cheque to clear. I'm still waiting for the refund they said they would 'expedite' a week later.
The whole process ordering from them has been absolute shambles. Initially it was the delivery company rather than Internet Reptile themselves; however, the way in which Internet Reptile have dealt with the damaged item has been shocking. Given the current heatwaves the country is experiencing, and the order being for an incubator, one would assume the importance of receiving the item quickly would be fairly obvious. Add to that my constant emails expressing how urgent I need the item, you'd think they'd be on the ball trying to organise the replacement.
I'm now out of pocket and have lost reptile eggs due to this company and their delivery partner DX Delivery's incompetence.
My complaints have simply been ignored. I have not received answers about why they sent the refund via echeque that would take a week to clear, and when asked multiple times for their complaints procedure, the response I finally got was that I was already speaking to their support team so there was nothing more they could do. They have made no effort to acknowledge or rectify the issues, nor have they made any attempt to try and salvage their relationship with a customer they have wronged.
