freds@legs.UUCP (Fred Sieg) (10/03/90)
Thought I'de pass along this anecdote about a "pet guarantee". We found a companion for our umbrella cockatoo, Chantee, at Petland. I'm not really into buying birds at pet stores, but they had this 2 yr. old umbrella, Zachary, on consignment. He had the same tempermant as Chantee. My wife and I fell in love at first sight. Anyway, Petland offers a guarantee which, in part, reads that if you have the animal examined by a vet within 4 days of purchase and there is any medical problem, you can return the animal. We took Zachary to our avian vet who examined him and took throat and anal cultures. The cultures came back positive for a bacterial infection. He prescribed an antibiotic which must be given to BOTH birds twice a day for two weeks (the process is a story in itself) and then a followup exam. Prognosis: nothing life-threatening, treatable, A-OK. Here's the kicker. This diagnosis has taken slightly over a week. Zachary and Chantee have fallen in love. We have fallen in love. There is NO WAY this adorable bird is going back to Petland. Returning him is the only recourse we have for what will be a fairly expensive treatment. Clever "guarantee", don't you think! Oh, the trials of loving birds. Fred -- Fred Sieg | freds@ast.com -or- ...!uunet!legs!freds AST Research Inc. | Fax: (714) 727-9358 Tel: (714) 727-8465 If any opinions were expressed, they are my own and not those of my employer (who would NEVER express an opinion).