Customer ReviewsforGray Taxidermy, Inc.
8 Customer Reviews
- Date
- Highest Rating
- Lowest Rating
Review from Tyler E
5 stars03/27/2024
They have a great staff working for them and communicate very well to make sure you get what you want with your mount. The work and shipping of the product is on good timing.Review from Nash V
5 stars03/05/2024
Thank you very much Gray Taxidermy. You provided great service and the product was fantastic. The packaging and shipping couldnt have been better. ******************* was great in following up and answering all my questions. I recommend this business highly.Gray Taxidermy, Inc. Response
03/07/2024
Thank you so much for the feedback!Review from BART A
5 stars02/15/2024
Gray Taxidermy did a phenomenal job on mounting my 10 foot striped ******!!!Review from Sean C
1 star04/13/2023
I went on a deep-sea fishing excursion in ******* operated by Lady **************** Jun 2022. Caught a 87" Bull Shark. Purchased a mount on the boat after being told in order to tag him I needed to pay for a mount. They weren't related Even with being misinformed and not having picked my style of mount they dug their heels in about the non-refundable deposit. They say they start your mount at purchase. Considering I hadn't picked my mount yet that was not true. After much discussion I decided to go ahead and move forward. I chose an 84" mount since they didn't have a mount to make an exact replica. On the final bill they wanted to charge $1,106.66 for crating and shipping ($458.16 for crating and $648.50 for shipping). Insane. After going back and forth with them they reduced their crate fee to $286.35. I ended up paying $934.85 for shipping and crating. Knowing that if I cancelled, I would lose my deposit I went forward (this was August of 2022). They said once I receive the crate, I will see why it was so expensive. (They will probably reply that it says in their contract that the crate fee can be up to 24% of the mount price and that they reduced their price). The problem is when you pay that much for a crate you think it would be something you can keep for moving or storage. At least this is what I thought. Instead I received a giant cardboard box and the shark was mounted with scrap 1x2s. I would say less than $30.00 in material. I emailed them to express my displeasure about the cheap crate and they said the crate also included insurance, which also isnt true. Insurance is covered in the shipping cost. I have a feeling they also way over charged for shipping. I did a search for the same type of shipping rates they mentioned and they started at $200. They also promised my mount in Jan and didn't deliver until March. I am so irritated with the entire process that I have yet to remove the shark out of the cardboard box. Its just sitting in my garage. Buyers beware.Gray Taxidermy, Inc. Response
04/17/2023
We are sorry to hear that the boat misinformed ******************** about his options with his shark. We provide boats with tagging equipment for research on different species. This is not supposed to be used for the mounting of customers fish. This is explained to the boats when handed the equipment.
when an order is entered into the system, a build sheet is sent to the glass shop and the customers fish is glassed. When we receive payment the fish is brought into the shop and worked on. As for the size of ************************ shark it is a true 85" Bull Shark same size as the shark caught.
******************** speaks about crating and shipping. the crates that are used are not just cardboard boxes that you would get with an Amazon delivery. These crates are 5 times stronger and what we are forced to buy and use for shipping.
As for shipping, what ******************** doesn't understand is that his fish needs to be shipped under a Class 500, fragile, upright freight. it is like shipping a piece of glass and is expensive.
As for the timing, we are a 6-8 month turn around time. He paid his balance in the middle of August and the fish was sent out middle of February, 6 months.
It is unfortunate that ******************** hasn't removed his fish from the crate yet. He was sent an approval photo prior to the shark being shipped and he approved the photo.
Hopefully he will remove and display his fish for his friends and family to see. It is a beast of a fish, and a great memory of the amazing day he had on the water.
Review from Joe M
1 star05/24/2022
On March 14th, 2022 I was part of a fishing charter near ****** ****** which was operated by AquaWorld.When my travel companion and I boarded the boat, we had full intentions of just catching and releasing any fish we hooked. Shortly after we left shore, one of the workers brought out a book depicting the various fish in the area and noted that there was a good chance at catching sailfish. He went on to say that if we wanted to keep the fish and get it taxidermized, he needed to know before we started fishing because if we didnt want it taxidermized, they would have to cut the line (he said so while making scissor motion with his fingers) I am not of the opinion that this was a sales tactic used to change our mind regarding catch and release.The worked noted that the taxidermy would be performed by Grey Taxidermy out of ******* and that the cost would be $1,700usd which included taxidermy, crating and shipping.With this information, I instructed the crew that I wished to keep my fish and have it taxidermized. The charted took about 5 hours, during which I did catch a sailfish. On the way back to shore, I was asked for my credit card information and a paper receipt for the deposit was written.At this point, I was happy with the future prospect of having my fish taxidermized and focused on where it would be displayed in my home. Once back at the hotel and with access to cellular data, I began looking at reviews from AquaWorld and Greys taxidermy. Only then did I realize that my fish would not in fact be taxidermized, but a fiberglass replica would be created using only the measured length of my fish. To this day, I do not know what happened to my actual fish. At this point, both my fishing partner and I felt deceived, and we called Greys taxidermy from ****** only to find out that in addition to only getting a replica of our fish, crating and shipping of the replica was in addition to the total price verbally presented to us on the boat. The crating anGray Taxidermy, Inc. Response
05/26/2022
************************ filled out a contract that clearly states that fish is going to be a fiberglass replica of the same size and species caught. The contract also states in large bold print that SHIPPING, CRATING AND DELIVERIES NOT INCLUDED IN THE MOUNTING PRICE.
If ************************ was so intent on catch and release, why the big deal if his actual fish is being used in replication/ taxidermy of his fish? I have explained to ************************ that the cost to freeze, wrap and send his fish to the *************, then molding his fish and creating a cast would be in the $10,000's of thousands of dollars to do. Again, clearly stated on his contract "MOUNT TO BE A FIBERGLASS REPLICA MOLDED FROM SAME SIZE AND SPECIES AS FISH CAUGHT".
Our contract also states, "FISH MAY BE RELEASED AND A COMPLETE REPLICA TROPHT OBTAINED".
Gray Taxidermy has time and materials invested in his mount. And clearly written on the contract in the largest boldest print "DEPOSIT NOT REFUNDABLE".
Another bullet **** on the contract states "Gray Taxidermy will not honor any oral representation".
if there is anything else you require, copy of the contract, i will gladly supply for you.
Thank you.
Review from MATTHEW S
1 star04/03/2022
Caught a 51" Barracuda in Key Largo last year. Boat charter kinda pressure you into using they're guy aka Grays Taxidermy. It clearly states shipping and crating arent included. But they tell you that you will get a phone call to discuses the final cost. Instead they stole my deposit by taking it before letting you know it was 400$ for a piece of 1x4 and a box. I work in the shipping industry for the largest shipper in the world. I knew what they just did. They took the deposit and its none refundable so when you back out of wanting the mount, they ***** your deposit. After fighting with them, they tried to get me to pay in full and I fought back. They have no policy to pay in full. I finally got my mount and its not painted to the picture as said in emails. The inside of the mouth is cracked. It has hard fiber glass mold lines in it. Its absolute trash and I've shown multiple taxidermy pages on Facebook all who said its terrible. Stay away from this company!Review from Terry P
1 star03/20/2022
If there was a negative score that is what I would offer. No question this business operates in a manner which lacks honesty and integrity. Just look at the number and consistency of negative reviews here and on other sites. The charters here and internationally (I was in Mexico) are "sponsored" by grays-wearing their gear. A fish is caught and could be released but the captain and crew kill the fish and then offer to make a replica of the fish caught for a price. A large deposit must be made while still on the water. the contract is 4 by 6 and the crew often does not speak english well enough to explain the offer. Naively I believed that my fish would be sent somewhere or at least imaged. instead the next thing I got was a bill for twice that agreed based on shipping and crating costs. A subsequent bill added local taxes at a rate that exceeded my local tax rate. Multiple phone calls led to multiple revisions of the bill-all minor and all that resulted in a sum twice what was agreed to. As they had done no work-it would be reasonable to refund the deposit-they invested nothing! Just collected my deposit. I do not know how this is allowed to continue. It is bad for charters, fisherman and the fish. My advice is stay as far away from this company as possible. I will not board a boat with their T shirts on the crew. They deserve the lowest possible rating. I have never dealt with such a company.Review from Sandy H.
1 star07/21/2021
Gray Taxidermy unfairly charges half the fee to mount a fish before all the information is given and gives no time to reconsider the expense after speaking to spouses etc. Can understand keeping part of the deposit but not half of the entire fee to process it. My grandson caught a "trophy fish" (sailfish) in Cancun when at the Dreams Isla Mejures resort. Everyone on the boat had been very sick after a two hour ride in rough waters prior to putting lines in the water. Felt they were rushed into making decisions and signed without fully understanding that they were given up any option to reconsider. After getting home we realized the fish never was actually sent to Florida - it is a mold used with the "type" of fish caught. Then the shipping which we were told would be under $200 was over $700. Then told the fish would not "fit" on the only wall we could put it but they could make it "smaller". With this type of service I could buy a plastic fish any size I want and mount it on my wall and say we caught it. Very dissatisfied and requested to cancel the order and to get at least most of our deposit back. Was told they do not refund the deposits at all. Wish I would have checked with the BBB or any other reviews about this service prior to signing up for the fish. Business practice is very unprofessional and how they get away with "taking" the sum of deposit they charged is something that needs to be reviewed. I will also be letting the resorts know about this service and suggest they reconsider the vendors they use if they want to maintain a good reputation because this company will not do anyone any favors with the service they provide. Buyer Beware in dealing with them at all.
Customer Review Rating
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