March 18, 2007
Allerca, you make me cry
Growing up, my family kept cats. Well, cat for much of my childhood, but we got more later on. I love cats. I feel like my life is missing something major without them. I also live with a significant other who is violently allergic and asthmatic. I can still remember the day when he handed down the fiat from his allergist, there would be no cats in his home. It was cats or him. I'm not sure I could have been more upset if I had just been told I couldn't have biological children.
Then I found Allerca. They promised me that for the small price of about $5000 a pop (I'm including shipping, because it's non-negotiable), I could have cats. I was so blindingly happy for the short period of time before I actually looked at them carefully. If you search for Allerca or hypoallergenic cats you will find dozens of articles questioning the validity and integrity of the company, it's founder, and it's cats. I dug through all kinds of crap trying to learn more about them, from the scandal with Transgenetic Pets to a host of useless blog posts declaring Allerca's existence. Universally there was very little actual info.
I contacted Allerca itself to try to get information on it's claims and I got marketing fluff. I asked about actual papers verifying their results and they promised a scientific paper would be published some time in 2007.
A few months later, I was more than a little pissed to learn that Allerca's founder openly says there will never be a peer-reviewed scientific paper available (near the bottom of the article).
I tried to be patient with you Allerca. I tried to ignore the fact that your founder is apparently a con-artist and general scumbag. I hoped that you might pull through for me, as I suspect hundreds of other people across the country also hung on to that slimmest hope that they might someday be able to have cats.
In September of last year Allerca published the most fluffy useless piece of unscientific crap I have ever been disappointed by. This was the turning point for me. I tried to hang on, but that killed my ability to take anything from Allerca on faith.
Meanwhile, they have refused to tell anyone any useful details about their cats. They have refused to give prospective buyers any way to handle their cats before a purchase. They are pandering to the softer side of the media for publicity, but when reporters actually show up with questions they get vague and unhelpful answers. They have been trying to sell "franchise deals" while all of their cats (regardless of where you are across the world) are sold from their website. I don't know about you but I'd demand a lot more details about the business before I'd be willing to make that sort of commitment.
Allerca, if you aren't a scam, deliver the damn cats to real people and give us some details already. Provide real scientific proof. You can do that without allowing others to steal your methods or divulging the location of your breeding facilities to the general public.
If you are a scam, fall over and start on fire publicly already. I'm tired of the dark feeling I get in my chest every time I look at your website. I'm tired of wanting you to be real; your cats might as well be f'ing unicorns for all the proof you've offered me. I have reached the end of my patience with you and obviously any scientific paper you could have produced has come too late.
Update
It's been a long time since I first wrote this post and Allerca hasn't gotten any less sleazy. A helpful commenter left me a link to Messy Beast's summary of the further saga of Allerca's total dirtball behavior, which is much better than the other summary information I had.
On a more positive note, my fiancee and I are now the happy owners of two pure breed Siberian cats. We love them dearly and he's able to tolerate them very well as long as we keep up with the house cleaning. We would highly recommend Absolutelay Siberians (where our kittens came from) to others. The owner, Lori, is a wonderful woman who really went above and beyond our expectations to make sure that we'd be able to bring the kittens into our home safely.
Comments:I stumbled across this Allerca business yesterday & everything I google makes me think the guy behind it is a scam artist (I lost track of the number of scams, starting with fraud over a hot-air balloon excursion comp. in England.)
But while googling, I heard about another breed of cats, the Siberian, which has some low-allergy individuals. A reputable breeder will let you go to their cattery & empirically test your level of allergic response to the adult parents of the kittens. If you don't react to the parents, you probably will be all right with the kitten.
I'm not a cat-breeder & don't know whether this will work for you, but if you really want a kitty, I think it worth looking into Siberians.
Thank you for your kind suggestion.
My boyfriend and I have actually been communicating with several Breeders over the last few months. His allergies are serious enough that the prognosis is poor, but we are still trying.
I understand that Siberians (or at least particular lines of the breed) work out for many people with allergies, but most breeders suggest that hopeful people visit their cats or do a fur test to make sure that they will not react.
Eva,
Did you receive your cat from Allerca?
I understand that you already paid for it, right?
Please let me know.
Ned
I did purchase a cat along with Premium placement. That was in Decmeber 2006 and it was supposed to take 10 months. I spoke to Simon numerous times between January and April of this year and he had excuse after excuse about why the cat was not yet in but would be in two weeks. Finally we asked for a refund. Doesn't look like that is coming either. No doubt about it to me now. It is a scam! You have to wonder how all the media outlets gave this guy a platform to rip people off without checking out his background. The media coverage was what encouraged me to be such a fool with my money. Worse, was breaking the news to my kids....
Forlorn Customer,
If you shelled out for the cat plus premium placement I would strongly suggest that you not walk away without a fight. There's been at least one case of a customer getting a refund after she raised enough of a public stink.
Since you'd be looking at more than $10K worth of claims, you may very well be able to get a lawyer to represent you on commission. Even if he/she were to take half of your judgment it would still be better than nothing!
If you're just someone posting anonymously to make the company look worse (not that they need help), then shame on you.
Eva
And to answer the previous anonymous comment (which I failed to somehow) I didn't lay down the money to order a cat from Allerca. I considered it for months, but in the end the company was just too skeezy for me.
I win there, since the two purebred kittens that we ended up getting (which my fiancee can tolerate just fine) were an order of magnitude cheaper and I like the breeder we went with a lot.
not saying this company could be a scam, or anything to the other people posting however this lady got her cat for her money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT3wFoJl658
i found this also, they claim as well to have produced hypoallergenic cats.
http://www.felixpets.com/
posted bysnowclovers : May 21, 2008 8:02 PM
I paid for an allerca cat in full in 2006 and have not heard from them since nor do I have a cat. we broke down and got a puppy--my husband is not allergic to him, just cats. i think the media should follow up on this story--they have helped legitmize this scam.
Its a scam folks. I finally got a full refund from Allerca after threatening to sue them and contributing to an article detailing my experience with Allerca. They don't want more bad publicity so they agreed to refund my money. They never delivered a cat but delivered all kinds of excuses. I hate to see that they are still in business and still collecting money from folks that don't know it's a scam. Do a Google search on Simon Brodie. You'll see his background. He of course blames everyone else and takes no responsibility for anything.
I'm a reporter in Canada, looking for people who have dealt with Allerca. If you have a personal story about this company, please contact me at elizabethjennings@rocketmail.com . Thank you for your help.
To Dave:
I would like to talk to you about how you got your refund from Allerca. I too, have paid for and not received my cat. Please contact me at beaniac@att.net.
Thank you.
I paid for my Allerca kitten on September 20, 2007 and I paid or premium placement. I was told when I paid that I would most likely get my kitten in the spring of this year. I received no communication from them after receiving my order/payment confirmation. I e-mailed and called them numerous times from about April until August of this year. I never got a live person when I would call their offices. I left messages on every voicemail on the phone system and finally Simon called me. He assured me that I was on schedule for a delivery in September. I asked about the allergy tests they were going to send and he said that they no longer did that. He even gave me a direct number to use to contact him. September came and went and we heard nothing and there was no kitten. I began calling again and e-mailing and in August I heard from Simon again and he told me I would have my kitten on October 8th. Of course there was no kitten on October 8th. I finally reached him again after again leaving a slew of messages on the company voicemail system as well as his other number. He assured me that I would be receiving the kitten…on November 8th. Apparently their cats litter size had decreased and they were very far behind, yada, yada, yada. Well, I spoke to him around October 22nd and he told me that I was on the top of the list and there were 16 kittens being delivered and I would have FIRST CHOICE. So on the 27th I received an e-mail from him stating that they had a kitten that had become available for immediate delivery. It wasn’t what we were hoping to get as far as sex, color, etc…but at this point I figured I better take it because we may never get a kitten from this company and chasing them for money would probably be more trouble than what its worth. Well our Allerca GD kitten arrived on Monday the 3rd of November. He’s very sweet, but he has the most unusual fur I’ve ever seen (it’s really rough on his back), but here’s the icing on the cake…my son, who is 7 (the one with the cat allergy) is 100% ALLERGIC to this kitten. He had red eyes, a rash, coughing, wheezing, and was sick as a dog within 30 minutes of meeting his new kitten. I e-mailed Simon and he promptly replied that they would arrange for an immediate return since apparently my son was allergic to one of the minor proteins, which is very rare. That was Tuesday morning and I’m still waiting for the return instructions. My biggest concern right now is my child. But my other concern is for this kitten, if they never take the cat back what do I do with it? One of the main reasons I felt safe investing my money into this kitten was because of the raving media attention that they received. So now that we’re all getting scammed where is the media? This company is STILL taking money from people for animals that may or may not be allergen free and that they may or may not ever receive.
Djen, I'm so sorry that you're going through this frustrating struggle. I would urge you to find a friend or neighbor to take the kitten in temporarily for your son's health. I would also recommend that you contact a lawyer unless you get return instructions very very soon. You've put a lot of money in to this and you should not let Allerca walk away with all of it without a fight.
If you can never get them to take the kitten back, I am positive you will be able to find a home for it. There are many people who are curious about Allerca's claims of hypoallergenic who would be happy to find a home for it for you. Not knowing where you live I don't know what organization to direct you to, but I for one would be happy to help you find the animal a loving home if you are in the upper Midwest of the United States. If not I would start by talking to friends who are allergic who might like to "test" the kitten. If that fails contact a local vet or shelter. Young kittens in good health are usually easy to place, especially with such since yours has such an interesting (if sad) history.
Wow. I'll take a look at the Siberians and forget Allerca--thanks for the post and comments.
posted byDavid J. Williams : November 12, 2008 9:37 AM
Djen - make sure you send your experience to SignOnSanDiego.com as they have been following this scam artist's activities.
I'll make sure it gets added to the Messybeast article and another blog that is following the story.
The decreased litter size could be a sign of inbreeding and the strange fur could be a hidden mutation that has surfaced through inbreeding (or it could be someone trying to pass off a rex-type cat as hypoallergenic or using a rex-type cat as an outcross in an attempt to undo inbreeding).
Djen,
your story sounds almost exactly like mine, apart from that we actually got our kitten last week and are not allergic to it at all. So all is well, in that sense. The whole story: We bought a kitten together with my boyfriend in spring 2007; after 18 months+ waiting, it arrived last week. The process was incredibly painful and slow as you describe, and we went through desperate times calling and
calling and emailing them to no effect whatsoever.
I think we still would not have the cat by this day, if it wasn't for the fact my bf's a scientist at a very posh university, which they could see from his address info and email. Somehow i think that evoked respect in them; maybe they were afraid we would go public with this. Whenever he would leave them an angry message, Simon personally answered; my emails never got a reply, neither did the messages i left on his answer machine. It all sounds so familiar, endless lies and pathetic excuses on why the cat wasn't here last spring, why we couldn't have him in July, why September didn't work out in the end...
I am still so mad at the company of all the lost hours on the phone
and email and getting my hopes up and then crushed again; having to
try to ensure friends and relatives that it was not a scam in times when i was certain we would not ever see the money, or the cat. I still can't quite believe that the cat is actually here. It is a wonderful cute little thing, very affectionate and sweet, and I am not at all allergic to it, and neither is my mum or sister who are both very allergic to cats. So it worked. I haven't noticed any signs of inbreeding that were mentioned in the thread, the cat seems healthy and normal - at least so far.
Was it worth the money? On hindsight, definitely. We have a cat now, and I am so happy.
Was it worth the hassle? I wouldn't do it again, or not recommend it to anyone! The so called service of the company is appalling, they really do their best to make you feel it is a scam.
Yet it has to be said that the cats do exist, and that they work for some people. If i was making the desicion again, i would look into the siberian cats. It is clear some cats cause more allergies than others, and there must be a more sensible way of finding the kittycat you don't react to.
Djen, if you still have your cat, I would love to see if I am allergic to him. If I am not I will adopt him. I have wanted this for so long, but I have been too afraid to send this guy my money!! My email address is heather.holli@gmail.com
Holy crud! I originally found the Allerca website years ago when trying to find a non-allergic cat (my fiance is allergic, but I am not). It was either her or cats. Cats are fun, but my fiance talks. :)
With that choice made, I continued on with my life relegating myself to the fact that the only feline contact that I would have would be when I went to a friends house or such.
Years later and earlier this week, I had a chance encounter with a stray cat in our neighborhood which raised my old "cat wantiness" (not sure if that's a word) and I decided to do more Allerca reserch. Just to see how their track record was going after a few years, and to see if this was a viable option. Well, as it turns out, they aren't doing too good. Allerca looks pretty shady to me from what minimal information I can find on the web. However, what really got me laughing was the testimonials on their own web page. Glowing reviews, postiive reports, etc. etc. However, reading this web blog, I see nothing but the exact opposite except for . . . wait . . .what the???? Emma, you got quoted on THEIR website as a testimoninial!!!!!
And I quote, "we actually got our kitten last week and are not allergic to it at all…. I still can't quite believe that the cat is actually here. It is a wonderful cute little thing, very affectionate and sweet, and I am not at all allergic to it, and neither is my mum or sister who are both very allergic to cats. So it worked".
Obviously, this was cherry picked from a posting on this website about how difficult it was to get the cat, but DID get it after all. Still that was one of many people that did not.
But THAT my friends, is an excellent sign of a scam. Using a quote out of context (from a poor testimonial no less) to make it sound like a glowing review.
It also shows that Simon reads this page (and possibly) others to pull off quotes for his website.
Simon, my friend, you are BUSTED. I say, good day to you, sir.
posted by"Obviously, this was cherry picked from a posting on this website about how difficult it was to get the cat, but DID get it after all. Still that was one of many people that did not."
If it's lifted from this site it is breach of copyright of the author of the comment.
I doubt that Simone Brodie cares what he's law he's violated based upon his track record. :)
posted bySimon Campbell Francis Brody Carradanski-Whatever-His-Name-is-Today is a pestilent, parasitic little pot of puss. This clown was here in Costa Rica late 1999-2000 ripping people off left and right (mostly real estate scams) where he screwed the fattest, ugliest girl in town, then stole her last $500. before being (literally!) chased out of town. He can't return here. U.S./U.K. muy stupido! Lock up your lowlife! He is a little man, hides well, speaks English and Spanish very well, is a snappy dresser, a coward and 100% bullshit. To his past paramours: Get checked! Look out Bolivia!
posted byMy s/o also has a severe cat allergy. However, I fell in love with a small gray feral kitten, and we took it in. He suffered a week of allergies and felt that his childhood asthma was returning. Then, we bathed the kitten (with cat shampoo, in the tub). The allergies/asthma were gone. We've had other friends and family with cat allergies visit, and always bathe the cat first, and no one has ever had even the slightest problem.
Also, we heard (from an allergist) that people with cat allergies will often become tolerant to their own cats.
aviva said,Post a Comment
I received a cat from Allerca something like two and half years ago. I had a lot of trouble receiving the cat. It never occurred to me that Allerca was a scam after having ready about them in a major Canadian news paper. Needless to say that I am seriously allergic to it. I do not allow it in my room for fear of a serious life threatening asthma attack! Two of my children are also allergic to it! This is after sending blood samples etc etc. Now I am stuck with this cat because three of my children are attached to it. I am SO pissed. The expense should have been a RED FLAG! It was the biggest mistake of my life!
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