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Annoyed at response from the range.

Pebblesetc

Mama Doe
I emailed the range re. rabbit hutches and they sent me back this:

Ref: 39940

Dear

Thank you for your email dated 7th August 2011, regarding the Rabbit Hutches.

I would like to assure you the quality of all the products we sell is central to our business, and we go to great lengths to make sure that all of the products supplied to us conform to strict specifications.

We make every effort to ensure that our products are of the best possible quality by only using Suppliers that can meet our high standards and strict codes of practice.

I can confirm that I have been in contact with our Pets Buyer who has assured me that we are within all government guidelines for these products, and it is at our customer's discretion if they wish to purchase any Hutch, and to ensure the Hutch is the correct size for their animal.

I trust that this has answered your query, and I hope you will continue to be a valued customer of The Range.

Yours Sincerely

Amy Discombe
Customer Service Team

I found that a bit patronising. And also, unsatisfactory. I'm so annoyed that they're that unwilling to even consider the welfare of the animals being housed in their :censored::censored: prison cells.

Absolute tosh do they make every effort to ensure their products of the highest standard.

I wish the government would come up with some decent guidelines so that they can't churn out pathetic responses like this.
 
Same response a few people have had.

It's a basic template saying "We dont care, they make us money".
 
I wrote an e-mail last year about a disgusting 2ft x 1ft hutch and had the same reply. I replied again but never heard anything back :?
 
I would write back to them saying unfortunately no, it hasn't answered your query - and ask them exactly which "government guidelines" their buyer assures them the hutches conform to, because your understanding of the Animal Welfare Act (and consequential implications of selling products which are fit for purpose) is clearly different to their buyer's understanding.

If you can actually quote them the Animal Welfare Act and any guidelines (I think the bunny guidelines only apply in Wales at the moment but it's a good proxy in the absence of anything else) then that would quite possibly encourage them to "rethink", especially if you make noises about going to trading standards about products not being fit for their advertised purpose.

Standard of the product has nothing to do with it...if I have a top of the range beef lasagne and advertise it as vegetarian, it might well be made to a very high standard, but it's not fit for its advertised purpose!

We don't have any 'range' stores round here, are they regional?
 
I just got my reply from them:


Dear *****



Thank you for your email dated 04th August 2011, regarding the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Hutches.



I would like to assure you the quality of all the products we sell is central to our business, and we go to great lengths to make sure that all of the products supplied to us conform to strict specifications.



We make every effort to ensure that our products are of the best possible quality by only using Suppliers that can meet our high standards and strict codes of practice.



I can confirm that I have been in contact with our Pets Buyer who has assured me that we are within all government guidelines for these products, and it is at our customer's discretion if they wish to purchase any Hutch, and to ensure the Hutch is the correct size for their animal.



I trust that this has answered your query, and I hope you will continue to be a valued customer of The Range.



Yours Sincerely



Amy Discombe

Customer Service Team


They obviously have a standard reply - no thought in it at all.

We need lots more people to complain to them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Santa, there is onee in Ipswich and one in Colchester. Think one in Romford too if any of that is of interest?

http://www.therange.co.uk/scat/storelocator

Really?? How odd, I'd never heard of them, but the Colchester one isn't far :lol::lol: I must just never really go anywhere in that direction!

What's the smallest size hutch they do? On their website the smallest is 4ft x18" and obviously while this is woefully inadequate, if they do a smaller one in store I'd rather complain about those!
 
I would write back to them saying unfortunately no, it hasn't answered your query - and ask them exactly which "government guidelines" their buyer assures them the hutches conform to, because your understanding of the Animal Welfare Act (and consequential implications of selling products which are fit for purpose) is clearly different to their buyer's understanding.

If you can actually quote them the Animal Welfare Act and any guidelines (I think the bunny guidelines only apply in Wales at the moment but it's a good proxy in the absence of anything else) then that would quite possibly encourage them to "rethink", especially if you make noises about going to trading standards about products not being fit for their advertised purpose.

Standard of the product has nothing to do with it...if I have a top of the range beef lasagne and advertise it as vegetarian, it might well be made to a very high standard, but it's not fit for its advertised purpose!

We don't have any 'range' stores round here, are they regional?


Brilliant advice!

I agree, definately write back and ask about what guidelines they are using. Also point out that conforming to minimum standards is different to providing the best possible quality.

The point about the welsh code of practice is a good one. At the moment in England the only standards that state size are those for lab animals. In wales they have published a code of practice which states the number of hops. Whilst that's not the most useful size rules you can then argue about the number of hops a rabbit can take and point out it would be illegal to sell the small hutches to customers in wales as they wouldn't meet the trade descriptions act of fit for purpose.
 
Really?? How odd, I'd never heard of them, but the Colchester one isn't far :lol::lol: I must just never really go anywhere in that direction!

What's the smallest size hutch they do? On their website the smallest is 4ft x18" and obviously while this is woefully inadequate, if they do a smaller one in store I'd rather complain about those!

There's something like a 42inch one, I think. That is a guess, but the one I saw the other day was definitely less than 4ft.
 
Anyone know what the legal size of a laboratory hutch actually is? Surely it could be argued that a pet should expect at least the same size accommodation as animals used in labs?
 
Anyone know what the legal size of a laboratory hutch actually is? Surely it could be argued that a pet should expect at least the same size accommodation as animals used in labs?

It's a nice idea but sadly it won't help here - guidelines for laboratory rabbits under 2kg is 2000 square cm - less than 3ft *1ft. I guess the theory for laboratory animals is that they don't live long...housed for the research and then killed, so they don't "need" the same amount of space as an animal which is going to live in it for 7+years!

Page 35, section 5.6 if you're interested... http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc8889/hc01/0107/0107.pdf
 
Yes thats a standard reply. Also, when I asked them to clarify the "government guidelines" they keep mentioning, they sent me a link to the DEFRA guidelines for keeping MEAT rabbits; that is to say rabbits that are only intended to be in accommodation for a short :)cry::cry::cry:) amount of time. So has no relevance to housing intended to be for long-term purposes.

They stopped replying to my emails in the end. Needless to say I don't shop there. I think maybe it needs more of a "group" effort to keep emailing, though saying that I know a lot of people have contacted them already :?
 
It's a nice idea but sadly it won't help here - guidelines for laboratory rabbits under 2kg is 2000 square cm - less than 3ft *1ft. I guess the theory for laboratory animals is that they don't live long...housed for the research and then killed, so they don't "need" the same amount of space as an animal which is going to live in it for 7+years!

Page 35, section 5.6 if you're interested... http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc8889/hc01/0107/0107.pdf

That's a shame both for because that avenue can't be used and for the poor lab bunnies :(
 
Yes thats a standard reply. Also, when I asked them to clarify the "government guidelines" they keep mentioning, they sent me a link to the DEFRA guidelines for keeping MEAT rabbits; that is to say rabbits that are only intended to be in accommodation for a short :)cry::cry::cry:) amount of time. So has no relevance to housing intended to be for long-term purposes.

They stopped replying to my emails in the end. Needless to say I don't shop there. I think maybe it needs more of a "group" effort to keep emailing, though saying that I know a lot of people have contacted them already :?

Interesting, thanks for that. I might write to them myself now it seems that's what they're basing it on ;)
 
I would be wondering about going in and talking specifically to the Managers of the stores and if loads of people do that, that will filter back. If all the Managers want something then that has more weight than us writing e-mails. We have to make the Managers want to sell bigger stuff.

I think Boudicca found the Manager of the Colchester Branch was exceptionally receptive to what she said (at least, to her face).
 
Does anyone know if they recommend a run to go with the hutches? Surely that could be implemented straight away while we wait to see if they will increase their hutch sizes.
 
Does anyone know if they recommend a run to go with the hutches? Surely that could be implemented straight away while we wait to see if they will increase their hutch sizes.

I don't believe they sell runs, BUT, I wonder if we could encourage them to change the wording of the hutches to 'base' so making it clear it is not the sole accommodation that rabbits should have. Also, removing the 'rabbit' (and 'guinea pig') from it might be preferably.
 
I don't believe they sell runs, BUT, I wonder if we could encourage them to change the wording of the hutches to 'base' so making it clear it is not the sole accommodation that rabbits should have. Also, removing the 'rabbit' (and 'guinea pig') from it might be preferably.

They do sell runs, and in our local store they advise buying them with the hutches, but they still aren't really the big enough sizes. I guess a lot depends on the space available at the stores, and the store managers.....
 
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