Showcase Cages

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coconuttaco
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Showcase Cages

Postby coconuttaco » Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:16 pm

Hello

Yesterday I received a Showcase Cage (48x18x24).

Was super excited for it!
Now, one day later, mixed feelings about this and I have to admit I'm very disappointed.

I opened it up. Very easy to unpack, lightweight, excellent design. The cage is sitting on a flat table bigger than itself. Began to set up my bearded dragon (Coconut) enclosure. After everything was decorated and set up, I proceed to install the glass doors. When I slid them in place it was beautiful. However, sliding the door open, once it slid to the middle of the tank, it fell out forward towards me. Luckily my hand was there to hold it in place. It literally, slowly fell out. The insert on the top was taller that the glass itself, but only in the middle. The entire door frame and outside frame is uneven, most notably at the top. It's rounded at the top. So much that the door comes out. I measured it, and also used my leveler. Clearly uneven. I pushed down on the top of the cage above the doors (with them out) and it helped. I'm able to open and close them without it falling out. I shouldn't have to do this to compensate for the fact it was built uneven.

Then, I noticed the top of the cage was also uneven. In the middle it's concave. I placed my 4' leveler on top and sadly enough it's almost 3/4" uneven near the left middle of the cage.

This may be a small thing at not that big of a deal, but it is certainly noticeable. Surrounding the dome light and above the door/by the uvb strip on the inside of the cage there are several holes. These are screws sticking out from the metal screens for the lights. They don't stick out much and they are all sticking out at the exact same length. Roughly, 1/8" sticking out. It's the plastic being pushed out from the screw drilling though it. I think the is very sloppy work.

Lastly...the square dome light area inside the cage was also uneven. Standing in front of the cage the area is noticeably uneven on the right side. I also placed the leveler and sure enough it was very uneven.

I wish these were just small nuances that I can look past but they are so noticeable. The top being concave I can live with because I can stack another cage on top. But the other flaws are very difficult to overlook. Especially the fact that this cage was on the expensive side. It was on "sale" for $491, plus shipping ($139) and tax, totaling $669.28. For that price this cage should be perfect or very, very close to it. I do understand it's a molded plastic and perhaps not as sturdy as glass/wood/metal, regardless, at that price point I was expecting a lot more.
I was so excited to get this cage as I've wanted one for a while now. It's beautiful, lightweight, amazing simple design, hides the dome lights/uvb hoods. It's a simple clean design. It's great. I love it. It's extremely unfortunate that it came with these flaws.

Now I have to call the company to see what they have to say about this.

Has anyone else had this experience? Could this just be a defective cage? That's why it was on sale? This had to of passed some sort of quality control?

Thank you!
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby splashy07 » Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:24 am

Wow. I was planning an upgrade to these, having second thoughts now. I would think because of the expense there would be no worries. What ever happened to quality work??
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby coconuttaco » Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:18 pm

Believe me, super bummed about this. I've wanted one for a while and they are really an awesome design. But these flaws are unacceptable for what I paid for this thing.
I just wanted to know if I'm the only one who has experienced this. I've seen others with these cages posting on here.
I wanted to get a few and stack them...now not so sure. I have to see what the company says about this.
The middle of the door measures almost 10 1/2" while the left and right end measures 10". 1/2" taller in the middle. I applied pressure and pushed it down in the middle and it's almost even now but not 100%. The fact that I can push it down shows how pliable the material is. That's kind of ridiculous.

I admit I was a little skeptical of the hard plastic to begin with, it's hard and firm but by no means sturdy and as durable as they market it to be. It is almost bendable and flexible type of material.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking??? But again, for what you pay, the quality of work is very surprising ...
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby splashy07 » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:45 pm

I agree, there is no excuse for shoddy workmanship at those prices. I wonder if it's just a bad lot..when you contact the company let us know what they say. I was going to buy four that size for my northerns. I would have been seriously upset.
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby NickBrahz » Sun Sep 11, 2016 7:52 pm

Not nitpicking if you ask me, if i was to drop that much on a enclosure i would dam well expect and demand it to be perfect.
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby Susann » Mon Sep 12, 2016 1:12 pm

Out of 7 tanks that I've ordered from them, I've had the same issue with the doors not being cut tall enough; I called the company and they were extremely apologetic and they cut and sent new doors to me via next day delivery. I've never had any of the other issues you're describing, but as easy as they were to work with, I wouldn't hesitate at all to call them up about it.
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby coconuttaco » Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:35 pm

Ok folks, I called Showcase Cages today.

Spoke to Mark, who was very nice. I explained everything that I had issues with. He told me the tank was not sitting on a flat surface and that was why it's 1/2" taller in the middle frame of the tank. That's why it was rounded at the top and not a perfectly straight frame. He was very adamant about this. He stated this would be the only way that it would not be level and have a straight frame. The cage is sitting on a oak table that's very sturdy which is larger than the tank itself, and much much heavier. I have my leveler on the table and it's clearly flat. He told me that flat and level are two different things. How so? The table is on a hardwood floor, and that is also flat/level. I do not understand his reasoning. As I'm sitting here looking at the tank, table and floor with my own eyes, and all are 100% flat, sturdy and secure. And yet the rectangular frame surrounding the glass is not perfectly even. It's rounded at the top. I understand if the tank is hanging over the edge of a table this might cause it to slope down and not be straight. But that's definitely not the case. And I suppose even if it was, that would cause the tank and entire frame surrounding the glass to be uneven?? This proves the fact how fragile and bendable the plastic material is after all. It's very lightweight. Which is good, and bad...
I mentioned that someone else who owns several of these tanks has had issues with the glass doors not being tall enough and new doors were sent to them. He hesitated, but agreed to send me glass replacement doors at no charge. I don't have to worry about the glass doors falling out now. But the fact of the matter, it's still uneven.

Next, when I mentioned it was concave on the top in the left center. He argued with me somewhat. He was silent and couldn't really believe what I was saying. I said to him I'm not trying to offend your company, but I paid a lot of money for this and it has some major flaws to it. I'm just being honest about this. My leveler goes across the entire length of the tank and there is a very visible 1/2-3/4" gap between the top of the tank to the leveler for about a 10" or so round area. Clearly making it concave. He didn't have a whole lot to say other than how this couldn't be true. Basically, he was saying that what I was telling not him couldn't be possible. He didn't offer anything for this.

Let's be honest, the bottom line is these tanks are "plastic". They are not a super rough tough thick/hard plastic to the point it does not move. They are somewhat "pliable" and bend slightly when moving it around or even applying pressure anywhere. I was able to push it down making the center of the frame go down. It took a little muscle, but yes, it was the only thing that made the sliding doors stay in place. It lowered the frame and insert.

He had nothing to say about the uneven dome light on the inside. He was very polite but at the same time made me feel like he thought I was making it up and lying about everything. Believe me, after paying $491 (plus shipping/tax) for the tank, making this phone call is the LAST thing I want to be doing. I shouldn't even have to be. And a company in their position should be far more accommodating after charging their customers those prices for mediocre work and cheap plastic.

My patience was running thin as I could tell this was going nowhere. I did not even mention the holes protruding from the screws being drilled through. I have seen other people's tanks and if you zoom in very very closely, you can see what I'm talking about (I posted a picture of this below). So this is true with all of their tanks, not just mine. There was no need to bring that up to Mark. But again, very poor quality of work for the price you pay.

He told me they only do refunds. They would not cover the cost to ship it back to them and have another tank sent to me. I would have to pay out of my pocket to return it. Then re-order another. Again, this is kind of ridiculous. I'm disappointed with how the company handled this. For that price their number one concern should be producing a product that the customer is satisfied and happy with. When it arrives at my door with clear indistinguishable flaws, the customer is obviously not happy.

I am wondering if the fact that it was on "sale" is why it has these defects. He claimed it was assembled and went through quality control before it was sent out. I find this hard to believe. I have had 8 educated adults (1 engineer) come over to look at this tank and we are all in 100% agreement they are obvious, manufacturing flaws. Could not have happened during shipping or otherwise.

For the price of Showcase Cages this is unacceptable. Their refund policy makes you wonder.
I wanted to buy multiple of these tanks to stack and have them the same, however, with this type of experience I will look elsewhere next time. If they wanted to pay for the cost of shipping this back to them and re-send me a properly built tank that I paid for, then I would be more than happy with purchasing another tank from them in the future.

Perhaps customcages.com ? ...something with built with a lot more quality.
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Susann
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby Susann » Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:09 pm

I am sorry you are so unhappy with your tank. I can't imagine how frustrating that must be.

The only suggestion I have would be to take pictures of each of the issues you're having, and send them to Mark, whom you talked to, so he clearly can see what you are describing --and I would make sure to take a picture showing the tank on the table it sits on, so he can't claim an uneven (or not level) surface as the reason. Put the leveler across the tank and take a picture; put a measuring tape up in the center of the door frame, as well as the sides, so it shows the discrepancy in height. Like I said, I had one set of doors, out of my 7 Showcase tanks, that fell out when open, and they promptly sent me new ones as they obviously shouldn't fall out at any point.
The tracks for the doors are designed to slightly slope upward towards the sides --in effect making them "tighter" when closed, but obviously if the door falls out when opened, the doors are not cut tall enough.

I don't quite understand what you mean about the well for the lights being uneven --but whatever the issue is, send Mark a picture.

As far as "the holes protruding from the screws being drilled through" --I'm assuming you are talking about the rivets securing the metal screen to the plastic...? There probably are other ways of doing it that leaves less material sticking through the plastic; it's just the way they've chosen to permanently secure the metal to the molded frame of the tank.

Yeah, these tanks are made of a thin, lightweight plastic; when you take a "sheet" of this material that is 4 feet long and 2 feet wide and lay it like a lid without a support in the middle, it is not going to be stiff and perfectly level in the middle of it. That's, in my opinion, the price you pay --or the exchange you make-- for it being lightweight. If you want something that is perfectly stiff and level without any bowing in the middle of a 4' x 2' expanse, then you should maybe go with customcages.com, and get something heavier made of glass, Plexiglas, or plywood?

There are few companies, however, who would offer to pay to have a tank of that size shipped back to them; I just wanted to point that out before you spend a lot more money on another tank from a different company unless you're able to to see those tanks in person first maybe... I do hope you get it all resolved to your satisfaction though.
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby splashy07 » Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:24 pm

Aaaalll righty then.... I'm done. A friend just offered me this and I accepted.
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby coconuttaco » Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:49 pm

Hi Susann

Thank you for your thoughts.
I respect what you are saying and I totally understand the whole scenario. I get it. I own quite a few high quality tanks (a lot more expensive than this one) and have never had to be put in this position. Having never seen one of these in person before I had envisioned something different. I knew it was going to be plastic, I knew what to expect. What it boils down to, is I just expected a lot more for for the price I paid for it. $300-350 for a 4x2 is much more reasonable and I wouldn't be complaining. Now all in all, I love it. Perfect all around design in my opinion, with exception of the basking dome being set a tad low. But for the flaws it has, at that price, it should not be acceptable. It's not that I'm disappointed with the tank itself, it's some of the details of the tank. They are not up to standard. I'm also more disappointed how the company handled this. I did all that I could with them. No give. I would have to pay $139 to ship it back to return and reorder another tank. Making this cost over $800, on sale. I like the tank enough to live with it. :)

The screws are actually inside the tank itself. You can see how when they drilled them in, they went too far and it breaks the surface of the inside. Bordering the Uvb area as well as basking area. In the pictures you can see this. While maybe not a big deal and it doesn't affect anything. It's just a visual aspect that can be unattractive and more importantly a sign of pretty bad craftsmanship. Again, this is a $669 tank, on sale. I have a firm belief you get what you pay for. In this case I don't find that to be true.

To be honest, if it wasn't for how they handled this. I wanted to buy multiple of these, as you did, even despite the flaws. I like it that much. But to me, an uneven showcase frame, uneven dome light structure and concave top center of tank (in addition to a few other detail flaws) are unarguably not acceptable for a $669 price tag. Company had no solution to how to fix this or resolve the customers problem. They wouldn't work with me. Other than sending taller glass doors, which does not fix the uneven frame.

In conclusion, if the company handled this differently I would buy another one, for sure! As long as it doesn't have the flaws mine had. And as long as it was at the sale price because the fact of the matter is, Showcase Cages are overpriced for the material you get.

PS-I really like all of your set ups and blue tongues. It looks super clean and nice having all your tanks stacked up. All very beautiful bubs :)

If you don't mind me asking, what is the brand of light dimer you use?
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Re: Showcase Cages

Postby Susann » Fri Sep 16, 2016 11:51 am

Yeah, I totally understand you, I don't think a crooked frame is acceptable either.

These are what I use to dim my ceramic heat bulbs.
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