WINGS OF HOPE NJ ONLY SELLS HOPE!
Wings of Hope NJ is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that supposedly holds itself out as a repository for pet owners that need to give up their birds for adoption and places these birds in foster care until a suitable person comes along to adopt them.
This is my account of my experience with Wings of Hope NJ. Please note that this organization should not be confused with other "Wings of Hope" organizations, as there are plenty with similar names. Now, on with my story...
After scrolling through many possible pets, I embarked on a gorgeous 9 yr old double yellow amazon parrot named Soleil who in care of this organization. Soleil seemed perfectly suitable for me as I have large bird experience and can tend to his needs. Wings of Hope NJ forced me to fill out an application (no problem) and pay a $10 "processing donation" (which I reluctantly did). Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by Michelle Beckford of the organization for a preliminary interview. Then I received a telephone call from the foster host, Maurice. and thats when all went downhill.
Link to Soleil:
Maurice
Maurice described the bird to me and even showed me some pictures. However, after agreeing to my request to see Soleil the next day, he refused to provide me with an address, although I asked for it numerous times. Maurice would not return my e-mails, text messages, or phone calls. Finally, he sent me a text message in the later afternoon telling me he needs to cancel. I even called Michelle Beckford of the organization to help me get in touch with Maurice, but to no avail.
The following week, I miraculously am able to get a hold of Maurice and convince him to let me see Soleil that day. He even gave me his address. WOW.
We drive down to Perth Amboy on 2 hours notice to see Soleil only to discover that the beautiful exotic bird is housed in a makeshift computer room with various other birds, including a blue-gold Macaw named Bella who, according to petfinder.com is also up for adoption. The only source of sunlight the birds had was from the radioactive glare coming from the computer monitor. It was absolutely SHOCKING to see birds being housed like that. Additionally, Maurice kept several ferocious pitbulls in the home.
Soleil instantly took a liking to me. He was very receptive, ate out of my hand and indicated that he was comfortable in interacting with me. After spending an hour with Soleil, Maurice and I tentatively agreed to see Soleil the following week at approximately the same time. I also inquired about Bella and Maurice told me that he already adopted Bella, which I found strange because she is still listed as up for adoption according to petfinder.com
Link to Bella. Supposedly she's already adopted.
A few days later, I called Maurice to confirm our appointment. I left a message for him because he never picks up the phone. He called me back within minutes but only to confirm my identity. The conversation went something like this:
11: 00 a.m.
Maurice: Hello?
Allen: Hi Maurice. This is Allen, I just called to confirm if we're on for Saturday.
Maurice: Oh, I didn't know it was your number. I'm going to put you in my address book and give you a call back at around 2pm.
Allen: Ok. We'll talk later today then.
==
That was the last phone call I ever received from him!
On the following Saturday (the day, we were to see Soleil for the 2nd time), I received an early morning e-mail cancellation from Maurice after texting and e-mailing him numerous times. I was assured by Maurice if the bird demonstrates that he is comfortable with me, I could adopt him and take him home that same day. In anticipation of adopting Soleil on the 2nd visit, I bought a carrier and made arrangements with a vet :(
The plot thickens...
After involving Judy (docpitbull3@aol.com) in this matter, Maurice e-mails me with a request to give him notice by "Monday April 20" of when I would like to see Soleil and he will respond to me by April 22. Aside from the fact that April 20 falls on a Tuesday, I immediately responded to Maurice that I would like to see Soleil the morning of April 24th or any time on April 25th.
"Monday April 20th"
Maurice oddly responds by asking me to write to him on the 20th (notice by the 20th now becomes on the 20th). I decided to humor this man and wrote to him on Sunday April 18, Monday April 19th and Tuesday April 20th - reminding him that I am available to see Soleil on the morning of April 24th or any time on April 25th. Finally, after e-mailing Maurice on April 22nd, he responds that he can only show Soleil on Saturday at 3pm, avoids discussing Sunday and blames me for his lost business after we saw Soleil two weeks earlier for 1 hour.
Reluctantly, I agreed to 3pm. After all, he knew how inconvenient it would be for me to coordinate a vet visit after 5 pm on a Saturday. Immediately afterwards, he switched the time to 4pm, ensuring that even if I picked up Soleil that day, Soleil would not be able to see a vet until the following Monday.
The final straw
I complained to Wings of Hope NJ about this unprofessional and atrocious conduct, alerted them to Soleil's unhealthy living conditions and requested either a resolution or refund of my "processing donation" to which I was offensively declined.
What adoption?
Admittedly, wings of hope nj told me that I was Soleil's first visitor and according to petfinder.com, Soleil has been in foster care for at least 3 months. 1 visit in 3 months?!?!
Is this really an adoption organization? Or is this just a front created by a group of people to acquire and receive subsidies for their exotic birds?
PETCO Foundation
The Petco Foundation seems to be Wings of Hope NJ's primary source of funding. Perhaps its time that the Petco Foundation realized that their money is going towards a front that houses birds in dangerous, unhealthy and unsanitary conditions. Moreover, the birds have a greater chance of winning the Powerball lottery than they do of getting adopted because they receive perhaps 4 visits per year from potential applicants IF THEY ARE LUCKY.
WOW, this sounds like sour grapes, maybe you weren't good enough for one of their birds, They are a wonderful organization, You have issues buddy
ReplyDeletehello allen i read your post It's rather funny.Your upset because your visit didnt go your way Woh is not a fraud it is a great parrot rescue FYI Soleil is a woman's bird it is also posted so stated on the petfinder.He needs a woman caretaker but will tolerate men but is defently a woman's bird The performace your girlfriend put on showed me she doesnt have a clue about parrots And as for my viscious dogs lol thats funny also because i have plenty of pics of my dogs with my kids and as for the area the parrots are at there is no problem with the area they are in they are out all day to make a long story short you or your girfiend have a clue about parrots if you did why would she want to pet his back on the first visit wow you two are funny the only reason you were included to see soleil was because on your application you stated your girlfiend as a co applicant and to be honest she has no clue Talking about woh isnt gonna change the fact that you were not the right match for this parrot
ReplyDeleteMr Kaplun i shouldnt justify your childish posts with a response....but your application was processed according to our standards. The foster home determined that you were not a good match for this particular bird, and you choose not to work with our organization anymore. Some people just dont handle rejection well.....i guess you are one of them as evidenced by your actions.
ReplyDeleteMr Kaplun, as you are now aware Paypal has found in our favor. Please note the following terms and conditions to which you agreed when you submitted your application for adoption.....There was no fraud committed as you claim.
" I am enclosing the $10 non-refundable WOH adoption application donation, payable via Paypal or by check/money order. I understand that my application will NOT be processed until this fee is received. I understand that payment of this fee does not guarantee this application for adoption will be approved, nor does it guarantee that I will be given a pet from WOH. Please note that Wings of Hope does NOT accept applications for specific birds. We approve an application based on species only. However, if there is a bird available on our site that you are interested in, we take that into consideration. I understand the adoption application donation WILL NOT be applied toward any adoption donation. *****I have read this application in its entirety, and I agree to all terms and conditions.***** NOTE: Adoptions are NOT determined on a first come basis. WOH chooses the most compatible environment for each pet, regardless of previous applicants. WOH reserves the right to refuse adoptions to any potential applicant. Adopters must be 21 years of age. Please note that all birds can require multiple visits. If the volunteers at WOH offer you 3 animals that we determine to be a suitable match, and all three are denied, your application will be deadfiled. By typing your name in this box, you agree to "electronically" sign this application, and agree to all terms and conditions. Wings of Hope reserves the right to refuse adoptions to any potential adopter(s).
With that said, your application was received and processed. You met with a potential match and were determined to not be a good fit, in the opinion of the foster home. When the foster home no longer wished to continue working with you, You then choose to not proceed with our organization.
At this time, your business with WOH is concluded. Your name will be removed from our approved applicant list and you will not be contacted by any member of Wings of Hope, per your previous request. Please cease your communication with any member of our organization.
Jannet King
Co-Founder WOH
Janet,
ReplyDeleteI find your organization's practices unscrupulous and appalling. First of all, paypal ruled in your favor because it does not participate in disputes for intangibles. Therefore, you did not succeed on the merits. Second of all, the only reason why you mentioned that I was not a match with the foster home was because I lodged a paypal dispute. Lets not rewrite history here. The reason why I filed a paypal dispute was because Maurice, the man who is housing a "woman's bird", misrepresented to me that I can visit said bird while systematically thwarting my efforts.
I must reiterate that I was Soleil's only visitor in the three months that I know of that he has been in your care. Moreover, my "processing donation." was made in consideration for coordinating visits with a potential match. Your organization's failure in coordinating these visits resulted in a breach of your obligation owed to me.
That being said, I believe it is in your interest to resolve this matter instead of taking me off of your list and warning me to not communicate with anyone from your organization.
Normally, I would expect an amicable resolution from your organization but I sense that it is utterly without HOPE and I will have no choice but to pursue alternative remedies.
When you are looking to adopt a parrot you need to remember that these birds need to find the PERFECT home so they never get moved again. Soleil in particular needs a woman in his life as his main caregiver. You fail to mention in your tirade, that your girlfriend didn't have a clue what to do. She wanted to leave, she wanted Soleil to talk on command. He never spoke on command, only when he wants to. Any experienced bird owner knows to NEVER touch a parrot or reach for a parrot from above. They come with the instinct to defend themselves against threats from above, that means biting! The parrots are out all day in the foster home. Soleil has bonded with the foster's wife. He gives her kisses and talks to her. THAT is what Soleil needs! If you had been patient with WOH and allowed more visits with other parrots you would have been rewarded with a forever feathered friend. When I adopted my first amazon, I was at a breeders store, ready to leave because no babies were bonding to me. My aunt came over to me with a 2 year old amazon parrot. This parrot REALLY PICKED ME!!!!! She fell in love with me before I even noticed it.
ReplyDeleteTHAT IS HOW YOU FIND AN OLDER PARROT...THEY FIND YOU!!! They choose you. The foster knows Soleil better than you do, it just wasn't the right home. Soleil needs a home with children already in the picture. A family not yet with children would send Soleil into a tailspin, AGAIN, after they have a child. You need to remember that older parrots need different attention than baby birds. Babies learn to bond, older birds need to choose you.
You do not seem to be a patient person, not the right type of owner for a large bird. Maybe you should stick with dogs.
I'd be happy to discuss this with anyone. Please call my direct line at 212-810-0023.
ReplyDeleteHello mr allen you seem upset because you werent able to get the parrot you wanted.Well I myself adopted a small parrot from maurice and he was very respectable when me and my family came for a visit .My kids loved him.He explained everything about the bird,the cage the food and everything.The parrot was in great health and still is til this day.If he didnt adopt to you there had to be a very good reason he knows his birds period.A friend of mines went to wings of hope to adopt a blue a blue and gold macaw down in rumson nj.From what I hear maurice drove down there to assist the lady with the large parrot and he did a great job my buddy and his wife learned alot from maurice and they posted it with wings of hope also.he knows his stuff and aparently he didnt approve you for some reason.From what i was told he is 1 of the best foster homes they have.This makeshift room your talking about I didnt see it and i been to his house and met lola his pitbull.She is huge but friendly once she knows you.I also had the chance to meet bella and she is his she wouldnt bond with any body else.I was told he adopted her ,I'f she is still posted then it's probaly a mis print or something.Any ways if you didnt get a parrot from wings of hope or maurice you didnt meet his requirements.Sorry you didnt but talking slander isnt gonna make it better.As far as I'm concerned he is a great person and according to several adopters and wings of hope and my self maurice is the greatest You need to move on and stop making trouble GROW UP ALLEN
ReplyDeleteHmmm you live in a luxury high rise over looking nyc but your worried about ten bucks and a parrot your never gonna get. If thats the case why didnt you got to a pet store and purchase a bird? You are a piece work. Defently trailer park trash Wow you so pathetic.They are gonna keep adopting out parrots your just making a fool of yourself. It is funny you keep going on and on for what,they are not gonna give you a parrot get over it cry baby.Posting your bull will not stop them from doing what they have to do .If anything this has made more people come
ReplyDeleteWe recently adopted a beautiful macaw from wings of hope, and our experience was nothing short of wonderful. Troopers foster was very accommodating, she allowed us several visits to make sure Trooper wanted us, as much as we wanted him. The fosters living conditions were wonderful, and the attention and care he was receiving in his foster home was magnificent. On the day we received the good news that we were approved for adoption, Maurice came by to help move Trooper with us, he was polite and quiet knowledgeable. I have heard others in the past speak negatively about WOH, and in my option they are the people who are DENIED adoption, and that makes me feel that the screening process is a crucial part of this organization. In regards to the "vicious pit bull" remark made, really its that kind of closed minded ignorant attitude that I suspect was one of the reasons you were not suitable for adoption. I have two beautiful pit bulls, who are kind, loving and get along with anyone. In your mind, adding a pit bull element to the story must make you the good guy the foster with the pit bulls the bad guy, I'm sorry but your ignorance is astounding, owning a pit bull does not equal bad situation.
ReplyDeleteI am recently trying to adopt a bird and looked up wings of hope. I've done research and came across Allen's complaint. I am not going to bash Allen whatsoever. Even if he did not meet the requirements, Maurice should have not given him a runaround....he should of told him after the first visit. Hope you found a bird Allen....as for the rest of you chill out and try to understand where this guy is coming from.
ReplyDelete