Is this fixable?

[Heather]

Hi, my cage arrived with a broken corner - the website have offered me three options:

1) keep it in its current state and have a half price discount,
2) return it for a replacement,
3) return it for a full refund.

I'm not sure what to do - is there any way I can fix the corner if I keep it? My gut feeling is to just ask for a new cage, but I love a bargain so much I can't help being tempted by the discount!

[CPalmer]

I'd say it's too big to repair, unless you were planning to mesh the entire bottom. If you were to glue it, your hammy would still know its there and chew at it to re open it.

Much as I love a bargain... get a replacement in my opinion x

[Heather]

Thank you, I think I know I'm best with a replacement, it's 100x54x45cm and with the discount it would cost me £25. It came with wooden accesories too! But then what use is a broken cage *sigh* :(

[Heather]

I know the size and accessories are useless information, I just know I couldn't get a cage of that size with accessories for £25 anywhere else, which is making me struggle to turn it down!

[Pebbles82]

I know it's tough, things like this, but try looking at it from a different angle. Better to spend the full amount and not have a dead, lost or injured hammy! Also it's rather convenient for the company to get shut of a broken cage that isn't worth £25, for half price! It's a hassle but get them to pick it up and replace it and don't think about the bargain. Once the decision is made you'll be much happier to have a cage that isn't damaged. Sometimes I look at them and think - it's just a big piece of plastic and a wire top - maybe someone could produce them a lot cheaper. I'm sure a lot of people on here could design the perfect cage, present it to a manufacturer and say - sell that for £25 and you'd be laughing all the way to the bank.

Anyway, personally I think the cage will always have a weak spot, even if repaired - I should send it back. Assume you have a current cage to manage with meanwhile?

[velma]

I agree with the others. A tiny imperfection is one thing but structural damage is a whole other. It's only a bargain if it's worth it. And personally, I think £25 for something broken that you would soon have to replace is not a bargain. So get it swapped & your cage will have cost £50. Keep it & you'll soon have to get a new one so the whole thing will cost you £75. That's the way I see it anyway :)

[gifinim]

Is there any way you could set the cage up so the hamster isn't able to get at the broken corner - like putting their house in front of it or fitting a shelf to the bottom of the bars?

[RubyDG]

I agree with the others. A tiny imperfection is one thing but structural damage is a whole other. It's only a bargain if it's worth it. And personally, I think £25 for something broken that you would soon have to replace is not a bargain. So get it swapped & your cage will have cost £50. Keep it & you'll soon have to get a new one so the whole thing will cost you £75. That's the way I see it anyway :)

I think Velma hit it on the head. You could superglue it or even use something like steel putty but that's always going to be a weak spot. For a £25 difference you'll get an undamaged cage that will last you far longer and you won't just be spending more money down the line. However, that being said, we don't know your financial circumstances. You could have really stretched yourself budget wise by going for a £50 cage and that £25 savings would make a real difference to you right now. If that's the case you could decide to repair the cage but accept the fact that the cage will likely need to be replaced sooner rather than later but hopefully when you have more funds available. I think you just have to decide how much you need that £25 right now versus spending more money later on.

[Heather]

Thanks everyone :).

I'm not sure how to quote each of you without sending different messages I'm sorry..

Serendipity - Thanks, I hadn't thought about it from that angle. They're actually quite smart selling me a broken cage and having me think it's a bargain haha..or I'm a little stupid :D. Yes I have a cage, Mary will just have to wait a little longer for her upgrade!

Velma - You're completely right! The 'bargain' could end up costing me more if i keep it!

Gifinim - Thanks :). The cage comes with a shelf which I tried using to cover it, but I think there is a chance the whole corner will snap off in time.

Ruby - Thanks, I don't have lots of money but I would probably end up spending the £25 refund on hamster toys anyway :D so I guess it's better to use that money on a good secure cage!

I've just replied to the company requesting a replacement, thank you all for helping me make the decision!

[Gatsby]

Just to throw a spanner in the works you can do plastic welding. If our kayaks take a kit and cracknwe weld it like this.

Drill a small hole at the very end of the crack, this stops the crack from continuing. Find someone who will weld it for you, local search, they may even do it for free since its so small, that's if you want the bargain.

If it were my cage I would want a new base

[souffle]

I'd get it replaced. It's a big chunk and will always be weak especially when you go to clean it. You may end up knocking it off everytime you wash it. Sometimes they don't take them back and just tell you to dispose of it - then you get the best of both worlds!

[Pebbles82]

Yes that's a good point! If it's from zooplus they do that sometimes. Say - keep it and send a new one, because the cost of returning it isn't worth their while. Then you have a spare cage top and could repair the base and use it as the base for a run or something.

[Angie B]

I'd ask for a replacement cage at the same price i.e. free replacement like for like.

If they say that's why it was a bargain i.e. it was broken, but hadn't specified that in the advert or made it clear in the picture, then that's their problem and not yours and therefore my first line is relevant.

[Heather]

Thank you for your replies :)

Gatsby - it's good to know there is an option for fixing for future reference!

It is from zooplus, the new cage should be here tomorrow - fingers crossed there are no problems with it!

[Wexland]

Could you keep it as a spare as £25 is very cheap for a large cage. I know over all you spend £75 but you get 2 lots of accessories and you never know when a spare cage (even a patched up one) may be useful. Just a thought?

[Heather]

ooo I hadn't even considered that! I do really like the accessories it comes with. I wonder if I could make them a lower offer for it - since they're having to arrange and pay for collection of it, it would still benefit them. Hmm!

[Wexland]

ooo I hadn't even considered that! I do really like the accessories it comes with. I wonder if I could make them a lower offer for it - since they're having to arrange and pay for collection of it, it would still benefit them. Hmm!

Offer them £10 to keep it, I bet they take it! Then you have all the usable bits as spares. Plus if you do repair it and ever needed a cage quickly for whatever reason it would tide you over until you sorted things.

[Heather]

I'm going to send them an email now and see what they say, I won't build my hopes up but it's definitely worth asking them!

[Flamestriker]

Any news from Zooplus on your email?

[Heather]

Not yet :( I'll update when I hear back from them. I have a feeling they will say no, but it's worth a try!

[Flamestriker]

You will not know unless you try:)

Please keep us posted

[Heather]

I will do :) fingers crossed!

[Heather]

Good news!!! Zooplus just replied! They said that as a goodwill gesture I can keep the cage :D.

[RubyDG]

Oooooh NICE! Congrats :D !

[Heather]

Thanks :D I'm really surprised! It's cheered my morning up anyway! Really glad I didn't take their original offer to pay £25 now!

[Willow Wisp]

Result :) Zooplus customer service are great with things like this :)
NO excuse not to get another hammie now LOL

[Heather]

Haha!! Before they said I could keep it I was thinking 'it would just be for the accessories and as a spare' but now I'm thinking 'if I can fix it, it would be such a shame to have a nice big empty cage..' I'm going to have a stab at fixing it eitherway!

[RubyDG]

Maybe start a new thread on the best way to fix it? I'm sure there are plenty forum members with hands on experience with fixing cage bases who can give advice :D. SO great getting a spare cage for nothing though!!

[CPalmer]

:D Zooplus are good. I tend to order lots when i'm buying from them. I bought 3 massive bags of digging sand and one had split all over the order. I had lost less than a quarter of the bag, but it had made a mess all over the place.

Zooplus refunded me the cost of the bag, plus put a £5 credit on account because of the mess. I got to keep the sand too.

[Heather]

Ruby- Good idea! I like a DIY project, especially one with no risks since I'm not losing anything if it goes wrong :D.

CPalmer - that is really good service! I already liked them for being quite cheap but now I really like them!!

[Mucky]

You could ask zooplus if they have a replacement base for this cage-http://t.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/100_cm_cages/213718 or perhaps buy the cage? It still works out cheaper and you get a totally intact cage!

[Heather]

Thanks that's a good idea! I'll have a go at fixing this one, but if I fail then that's a good option! :)

[Diego Rodriguez]

heather you could welder the plastic together with a welding iron?

[Heather]

Thanks :) I've had a go at fixing it just with a glue gun and some tape and it seems ok, but I think welding it is probably a better long term option!