Hoffers Tropic Life Pets

06/24/09

Big, Nice, and good selection!

by SweetieGlide at Citysearch

I enjoy going to Hoffers! They have friendly workers, a great selection of animals, and most of the time the workers can give you pretty good care tips!! The cages are clean, the animals are happy, and the customers like me are pleased!

• Pros: So many lovely animals to choose from!!
• Cons: The place is so big you can get lost in there!

11/23/09

Very bad advice and bad customer service

by Whitelionness at Citysearch

A few years ago I went to Hoffer's to purchase a baby bearded dragon. First of all, it took me about 15 minutes just to find someone willing to help. I said I wanted a female, so the employee told me the specific dragon I got was a female. Well, it turned out to be a male.. he lied and said that just to make a sale. Anyway, he gave me all sorts of bad advice.. REALLY bad, actually.. so bad it could have cost my bearded dragon his life. They told me to buy their expensive reptile sand and feed him about 20 crickets a week. I later found out that if a baby ingests that sand, it can cause impaction and kill them.. also to feed about 20 crickets a DAY, NOT a week. I confronted them about both issues, they denied it giving them problems, and refused to take the sand back.

Anyway, going back to the day I bought my bearded dragon.. after spending about $300 on him and his supplies, I never even got a word of "thanks" from anyone. I've also gone back several times needing important supplies that they're always sold out of.. and they'd always lie, saying the item would be back in stock a few days later, which was never the case. It ended up being for the better though, as I found the supplies for half the price at other stores such as Petco.

Their animals don't seem to be in the best health, either. One time I went and saw that a baby bearded dragon was lying dead in its tank.. I told the employee, and she looked pissed, saying stuff like "ugh those are expensive, too", never showing any signs of actual sadness that one of their animals died, or even stopping to think that maybe the dragon died because of THEIR care.

Long story short: BAD and unfriendly customer service, BAD advice, BAD prices. I suggest going there only if you absolutely have to buy something that no other store sells.

• Pros: Big selection
• Cons: Rude employees that gives poor advice, bad prices