[catjlin]

We decided to use Ipt, Inc out of So. California to ship our two dogs because the process seemed so overwhelming. They were very helpful and organized right up until 3 days before we were supposed to leave and the lab lost our results! True they helped me to get new blood work done on a Saturday, but all of a sudden it was my problem to get the blood to the lab in Arizona! By the next day! They charged me overtime and weekend fees, I had to rearrange flights for the dogs and myself, I had to find a place to stay in La for a full week more (this delayed their flight by a week). No help from them, apparently it was a "3rd party issue" that "didn't concern" them. Needless to say I am furious, and out another $5000!!!!! Just thought those of you coming from the States would want to know.
Cat

[Going2NZ]

Thanks for the heads-up. We're doing most of the work ourselves but I had considered hiring someone to do the final 4 days' stuff and get them on the plane. Its good to know who NOT to use; who needs a company who doesn't follow through even if it was a "3rd party issue"?

Susan

[jen]

This is very disappointing to hear; we've talked to IPT about moving our two dogs and they've been quite helpful. We haven't given them a deposit since we won't be sure we're moving until November, but their representative (Diana) gave me enough information to answer my vet's questions about the initial rabies titre tests I need to do now. IPT was in fact recommended to me by my vet's office as they had another client use them.

If anyone has a recommendation for a US pet-mover, or if anyone has sucessfully used IPT I would be very greatful if you could post your experience! Just like Susan, we were going to use a company (IPT ) for the before-flight tests & getting them on the flight.

TIA

Jennifer

[catjlin]

They had come very highly recommended, which is why I used them. And I was very happy with them up to that point. But for the amount of money we paid them, you think they would have been more than happy to handle those issues for us. Disappointed to say the least.

Cat

[selchie]

Not a very pretty feather in IPT's hat. They've been mentioned favorably so many times, one would think that at the very least they would have helped pressure the lab to retest for free. Grrrr. I hope you put up a big stink.

Side questions: did you accompany your dogs on the flight over? How did they fare? ...For the costs of shipping pets that I've noticed in other threads, it seems to be cheaper to buy my cats their own seat in the passenger cabin! But not so sure the officials would allow that.

[catjlin]

They seemed to do just fine on the flight over. Neither one 'mussed' their cage; just held it the whole way! I was on a different flight so they got in a bit before me, I went straight out to quarantine ( Canterbury Quarantine, they've been absolutely lovely!) and visited. Didn't seem any worse for the wear.

Know what you mean about cost, we actually left our cat with a friend, didn't know how she'd take to living in the city.
Cat

[sweetpea]

Thanks for the heads up. I think if you search the archives, something similar happened to MelissaLG (I think that's her username -- she moved to Palmerston North early this year).

IPT already has my deposit, so I'll just cross my fingers, I guess.

[selchie]

Just be no-nonsense with them from the start, and especially if you sense trouble. Check the contract and be sure they answer your questions - in writing, if need be.

Although I hate confrontation, my OH has taught me to be assertive, and it works quite well. I just get in touch with my inner Mom - put a mental hand on hip (maybe even a physical one), give them "that look", and tell them what's what. I don't get nasty, but don't allow any weasly behavior. Loads of fun when they squirm.

[jmilo775]

This is my two cents on IPT, who are currently handling my own dog's travel arrangements. Cat's post was brought to my attention by a client of mine, so I joined this forum to respond.

I found IPT on an Internet search. This is not usually a reliable source for locating someone who would be caring for a beloved family member. So, as I am also an attorney and prone to research, I did my research. As advised on IPT's own website, I contacted the quarantine station that I am dealing with. In fact, I contacted all three dog quarantine locations in New Zealand and the largest one in Australia. I also asked that IPT send, along with my quote, a list of reference contacts from past clients. They had offered to do this on their website. I received a list of more than twenty contacts to check with. I must say that the efforts of my research yielded some of the most glowing reports that I have ever seen on any company.

Now, having learned of the post by Cat on this forum, I contacted IPT immediately. These pet relocations are very expensive undertakings, more the fault of New Zealand than of IPT, but very expensive nevertheless. IPT was reluctant at first to discuss the details of another client's circumstances, until they learned that they were already being inaccurately portrayed on the Internet. Still, they omitted any personal information regarding Cat.

I did learn the facts. It seems that the version reported here by Cat was what we call in my business a "gross misrepresentation of the facts." (This is especially true with regard to the amount of unexpected money laid out by Cat related to pet transportation costs, which was exaggerated in her post by as much as 1000%, unless she made a typo and added one zero too many to the amount.)

What actually happened was a mess-up by a vet and/or a vet lab, a part of the process totally beyond the control of IPT. There were two dogs. The blood sample for one dog was either never sent to the vet lab by the vet, or was lost by the vet lab after receipt. IPT then went way beyond the call of duty to attempt to rectify the matter over a weekend. Another blood sample was taken and sent to the vet lab for testing. I will spare you further details, but the matter was resolved as quickly and as cost efficiently as possible. The vet lab did not charge Cat for the testing of the second blood sample. They took responsibility for the error.

I am satisfied with the detailed explanation that I received. I would advise that anyone requiring more information on the incident contact IPT directly. They tell me that they welcome all such inquiries. The vet lab involved is also aware now of Cat's post in this forum. They are also available to interested inquirers to explain these unfortunate events.

IPT sends written instructions to each client's vet advising exactly what must be done and what must not be done. I can easily believe that this sort of error can occur, despite this fact, because my own vet just did a very similar mess-up, ignoring IPT's written instructions (Frankly, IPT came to my rescue on this one). By the way, I initially received quotes from five pet transport companies. IPT was the only one who offered to send written instructions to my vet as part of their routine service package. It seems that vets and vet labs in the USA are often bewildered by the New Zealand pet entry requirements This was a major factor in my decision to go with IPT. Also, they specialize in New Zealand and Australia pet entry exclusively, and it seems that no one else does it more effectively or more economically.

So, that is my part in setting the record straight concerning IPT. I am very happy with them thus far, and would recommend them based on my experience. They are very caring and certainly very competent. It would be a shame if a great reputation was impacted by an unfair and inaccurate report in an Internet forum.

It is also a good idea for people to remember that, although legal interpretations are sometimes fuzzy regarding libelous statements made on the Internet, if Cat's statements had been made in any other form of media, it would certainly be grounds for legal action in civil court. I have advised IPT of my opinion on this issue. (That is the attorney in me talking, sorry! :-)

- Milo

[jmilo775]

:nice1

[T-R3xx]

<GAAAACK>

Now that we got rid of the hairball this thread induced, and after seeing the hassles and costs, we probably find our cats a good home here before the big jump.

[neilw71]

Isn't it fascinating - this happens alot over reports of shipping personal effects as well:

- a well respected member of the forum has problems and reports them as a warning to others.

- a day later a new person joins the forum and defends the company to the hilt.

Troll?? Could be.......who knows

All companies have bad experiences - its part of business. I doubt many would ever report them in their literature or give that customer as a reference. Hence how else do we find out about the bad as well as the good - the Internet and these forums are the best media nowadays.

Cat has every right to report her bad experience and give other potential customers the heads-up that things could go wrong. Good on yer girl - I hope the dogs get through quarantine OK and are back with their family in good health

[sweetpea]

Cat has every right to report her bad experience and give other potential customers the heads-up that things could go wrong. Good on yer girl - I hope the dogs get through quarantine OK and are back with their family in good health

Couldn't agree more -- thanks Cat and hope all is well with you!

[jo-and-jeff]

I always research companies on the Internet before doing business, to check for problems and complaints, if substantial sums or important items are involved. Based on several glowing reports I saw for IPT, I contacted them to arrange transport of our two cats for our move to Auckland, NZ.

I don't know how many employees there are at IPT, but based on my experience, Diana is the only one who appears to be able to provide quotes, answer questions, or respond to e-mails, in addition to numerous other tasks which I was informed that she handles. IPT's system for communications with prospective clients leaves much to be desired.

The short story is that, after nearly 2 weeks of leaving voice mail messages and sending e-mails to get a quote (which did not even address all of the issues discussed in my phone conversation with Diana), and then additional answers, I received a curt e-mail notifying me that IPT's schedule for May and June 2006 is completely booked full and that I needed to take my business elsewhere. Their lukewarm "apology" did nothing to get back all of the time I had wasted trying to do business with them -- time that I could have been using to successfully set up transportation through another firm.

In contrast, a phone message I then left with Jet Pets was immediately responded to the following morning by Donna, and I had a quote from her by that evening (for considerably less than the quote from IPT). Jet Pets appears to offer comparable services as IPT, and I could not find on the Internet significant complaints or reports of problems with them.

If you need to transport your pet in May or June 2006, I recommend that you do not even waste your time trying to work with IPT since their schedule is completely booked. For other calendar periods, if you contact IPT, you may want to contact Jet Pets or other transportation agencies at the same time to maximize your options, especially if you are operating under time constraints.

Jet Pets, Inc.
9014 Pershing Dr
Playa del Rey, CA 90293-8028
Office Phone: 310-823-8901
Fax : 310-305-8297
Toll Free : 800-PET-8901

donna@jetpets.com
david@jetpets.com
http://www.jetpets.com

[jess]

Granted, I am still in the process, but I'm using IPT for our chihuahua who ships out in early April, and so far I've been very pleased. I've talked to several people there, and they always answer or return my calls. Today they helped me out -- I had to take in a sample for a fecal test on March 8 when our dog had her second rabies test. The rabies test went off without a hitch, but my dog didn't do her usual business in the am and I had to run the sample over in the afternoon. I handed it off at the front desk, and they forgot to give it to the vet, I guess.

IPT has been faxing my vet all the info about the tests. They called me today to say the vet hadn't faxed the chart with the fecal exam so they'd phoned the vet only to find they had no record of it. Turn out today was apparently the last day it could be done and still be at the right time so IPT called me, and I got a sample in to my vet and they did the test right then.

So... so far I really like them, because I had assumed the test was done, and they caught that for me. I'll post more after it's all over.

I did have to book well in advance though. I guess sometimes these things are hit or miss. I will say that I had very little contact with them in the beginning unless I initiated it, because there wasn't much going on. But in the last month they've been very hands on now that timing is vital.

[clg]

IPT were fine for us. You have to wonder about a first post that bashes a company used by others and posts an add for another....

[jo-and-jeff]

clg, you can wonder about my post all you want. The fact is, before I contacted IPT, I found this forum via Google and used its generally positive reviews of IPT as a justification for deciding to work with them.

My post yesterday was motivated by a desire to prevent others in my situation from wasting a lot of time trying to work with a company that may not return phone calls or e-mails in a timely fashion. If IPT is completely booked up through the end of June 2006, readers of this forum have a right to know that, and to make their decisions accordingly.

As far as posting an ad for Jet Pets, it's not an ad -- it's a recommendation based on personal experience -- something that appears quite frequently within the threads on this Forum, and something that I quite legitimately have the right to post, based on my personal experience.


PR granted November 2005, arriving in Auckland, March and May, 2006

[clg]

I did not mean to question your right to post only the motiviation and if I am wrong I appologise. Over the years in various forums I have visited I have always learned to be wary of first time posts that could be posted with a very specific goal in mind (eg advertising a business) If that had not been your first post I would not have questioned you. As it was, your first post contained no info about yourself or asked no questions it only related a negative experience with a company I have a personal positive experience with and suggested that people use another company.

[Howie]

We used IPT and thought they were great. We had great communication and they were very responsive by both phone and email. Our dog arrived in Auckland on March 18th and is now in quarantine. They made a stressful process much easier. I would definitely use them again.
Susan

[khhill]

We used IPT to ship our two cats in late January, and they were wonderful!! :nice1 They were in constant communication with us and our vet in the months, weeks, and days before the departure. We even got to meet several employees in Los Angeles and see them in action on departure day. They were great with the animals, professional and thorough with the vet, and gave us great peace of mind when we said our bon voyages. Everything went extremely smoothly.

I would definately recommend IPT to anyone!

[clg]

Jo and Jeff,

Asside from the discussion above (and again I really apologise if that was a legit post I hope I did not put you off) I do want to welcome you to the forum. There is a lot of really great information here and it can make your move much easier.

Good luck with your move!

Chris

[jo-and-jeff]

Chris,

Thanks for your kind welcome. As you've already been through it, you know what an incredible trial the emigration experience is when you're down to the last month. I've totally decompensated at this point and am merely attempting to try to get 2 or 3 important tasks accomplished each day, else I would be completely overwhelmed by it all. Surprisingly, preparing our cats for emigration has been a much bigger ordeal than getting PR for us or approval for Jeff's professional credentials!

We do appreciate all the helpful information to be found in this forum. I wanted to let you know that I just read a post of yours recommending getting letters of no claim history from the insurance company -- one thing that I had not thought to do -- and so immediately called our insurer to get said letter issued. Since Jeff is going first, he will have to buy a new car and get insurance for it, and I'm sure the letter will be a huge help.

So thanks for that tip!

We'll be pretty much on our own in Auckland, at least at first. I'm sure that the people and resources in this Forum are going to be a huge lifeline for us.

Regards,

Jo

[clg]

In the last month, weeks, days.. things all seem to get more and more stressfull it was a big relief for us when we got to the airport because we could finally say there was nothing else left to do, at least for the next day or two. Settling in takes a while too and we found the first couple months were just a blur with so many things to do. They were actually not that hard, just busy. It gets hard after that though when you are sort of settled but everything is different. I did not realise this at the time but do now looking back. It takes a while to settle in so that things begin to seem normal but it does happen.

Shipping our cat was a major pain, mostly because of our vet who messed things up, IPT really helped out though by telling the vet exactly what they had to do and arranging to get a test rushed that the vet did not do correctly.

Good luck!

Chris

[Going2NZ]

OK, I debated responding to this post but felt that I needed to defend a fellow forum-buddy and caution people based on my experience. My husband and I brought 2 cats and 2 dogs over to NZ from Texas, US. We used IPT based partially on web recommendations, partially on conversations with Diane at IPT and partially on cost (4 pets! holy cow thats pricey!). But hey, they are our family.

I should preface this by saying all are here in NZ, healthy and digging the new lifestyle.

Anyhow, on a scale of 1 tp 10 (with 10 being brilliant), IPT rates maybe a 3. We are not unreasonable or difficult people but we do expect answers and value for money spent - IPT was evasive, tough to pin down and constantly came up with "additional" costs way above and beyond the estimate despite the fact that we didn't change the needed services from our initial agreement. The one change we did have to make was shifting the departure date 'cause our girls tested positive for erlichia (sp?) and wouldn't be accepted by NZ unless they had a couple weeks of treatment. However, I was the one that worked out the details with quarantine, not them. James (my hubby) worked out the details with the MAF vet. I'm sure it involved more work but we were hit with those extra charges well before that point. My husband was in the US and I was in NZ so he was dealing with them directly and handling all the vet stuff so I don't know all the details, but we really didn't know if we could get them here - for us it would have been a deal breaker. DH is a detail person and if it wasn't for him, I don't think everything would have happened in the right time and the right order.

I don't like slamming people but if you chose to use them, do it with your eyes open. If not, make an educated choice not to. And, for the record, I have been on the forum for almost a year and post regularly about a variety of topics. Also, I've noticed that the "lawyer" who posted the love letter about IPT, joined, made two posts and hasn't been seen since - to my mind, that sounds like a scam or someone without the courage of their convictions. One of the best things about this forum is peoples willingness to accept a difference of opinion and share their experiences - good, bad or ugly. No reason to hide and every reason to be honest. If you had a good experience with IPT, I'm glad. My family did not.

To end on a positive note, the MAF vet, Kerry Mulqueen, was an absolute gem - top notch. And ShadoLans Quarantine near Welly - fabulous! (Tell them I sent you - I owe them a favor.) I simply couldn't have asked for more caring people. ShadoLans even has a fish pond outside the cat area so the kitties have something entertaining to watch - go figure.

Susan

[mechidna]

Actually, I had signed up to use IPT as well. I wanted to bring my Rotti over. Unfortunately, I also found them evasive. I was told that they could not book flights until 30 days prior to departure, which makes no sense because to me. Not the biggest problem though. There was the fact that apparently Omaha Eppley did not seem to have a plane big enough to load a giant size dog kennel, so I was going to have to drive it to Kansas City, meet with their person and pay another $1000.

Needless to say, I don't have money coming out the rear. I had already paid $3000+ to them alone. God only knows what the vet bill would have come to. I miss my dog terribly and she would be here now if they had done things correctly. So we finally gave up and cancelled their services. We actually managed to get half the money back. They didn't do much, but apparently I cancelled just in time or it would have been nothing.

Just my opinion and if that lawyer is here... It is a free country and I am certainly allowed to voice my opinion!

Michele