This post is being done so others in our AR community are aware of the potential for poor service after the fact! I have done much soul searching before posting this and have received assurances from others that this is the proper thing to do.

Three strikes to Dudley Rogers/Thsabezi Safaris/ Mabhinya

Strike 1. http://forums.accuratereloadin...1043/m/455103459/p/1

Strike 2. http://forums.accuratereloadin...551005871#5551005871

And now strike three!!!

In October of 2010 my wife and I went on an elephant hunt with Dudley Rogers/ Tshabezi Safaris. It is now May 2013 and my trophies are at last in my home!

2.75 years/ 31 months/930 days. That is how long I have been waiting for Dudley Rogers to ship my elephant tusks and hide to me.

In this instance the phrase”well that’s Africa” has no place. Do not get lulled into a sense of complacency by the above phrase as some over there are using it as an excuse for their poor business skills or lack of caring about most clients.

The best to do is give a timeline to get to this point.

January 2011- I did not go to DSC that year because of spending the money on the hunt. When I got to talk to Dudley at Harrisburg in February 2011 he reminded me that I still owed him $500 for the hyena trophy fee.
I knew I did but was waiting to find out where to send it. I did not have my checkbook that day or would have paid on the spot. He was going to let me know where to send the money. After two weeks and no contact I called Wendell and he told me to mail it to him and he would take care of it.

Skipping around a bit, when we went to DSC in January 2012 Dudley wants to know where the hyena money is. We sorted this out when we investigated and found out I sent the check to Wendell right when he hit the bottom with his neck issue and simply did not pass it on to Dudley.

June 2011- I get an email from Nikki Rogers who apparently handles shipping for her father. Your leather has returned from the tannery and looks great. Woo hoo my stuff will soon be here.

No further contact with Dudley or Nikki until December 12, 2011 when I email and ask where my stuff is. Answer-“ It is at the taxidermist being processed”. What do you mean being processed, the leather was finished six months ago and everything else get salted and shipped. (I wanted to use Carolina Fur dressing for the hyena).

December 21, 2012 They ask me,” How did you want the hyena dressed”? What the hell is going on here, something is wrong.

Numerous emails in the next few months were ignored by Dudley and his crew. I sent emails to several addresses they were using, no answer!!!

April 5, 2012- I get an email from Nikki Rogers stating the hyena skin failed. I assumed that meant it failed at the tannery.

October 2012- Despite repeated tries no response from any one until I caught Dudley on AR and sent a PM. Now twenty one months later I am told that the hyena spoiled the day after I shot it. It was not put in salt.

November 2, 2012- Email from Nikki Rogers”you know I was on maternity leave”. She said she was looking over the paper work and getting ready to pack the crate. Dudley told me a year ago the crate was packed and sitting there.

November 11, 2012- Email to them. In an effort to keep going I asked if they had a bill and/or invoice ready.

November 20, 2012- I get a copy of the packing list and a copy of the invoice but no instructions for payment.

January 16, 2013- An email from Outbound Freight and Cargo. We have your paper work and will start the process of getting the export documents. It will take four to eight weeks.

February 7, 2013- Request from Nikki for payment. I am really pissed but know I have to keep playing a game to get my tusks. Snafu, my credit union does not do international transfers and the commercial banks only do them for established customers. What is an established customer?? We can’t tell you! Driving home from the banks I just try to think “what do I do now”. I call Dudley’s US cell number. He is still here for the shows. Five minutes later we have that fixed. Of course, he wants money
.
March 14, 2013- Short email to Outbound Cargo asking for a progress report. They answer within half an hour.
“We inspected the contents of your shipment and it is short two panels of elephant hide”

Another very unpleasant call to Dudley. He was on his way to the airport to return to the rock he came out from under.

March 15, 2013-Email to Outbound Cargo, this is what I paid for and they reply affirmative you are short.

March 18, 2013- Email from Dudley.” Yep you are short, sorry”. That’s it? Sorry!

A month goes by and nothing then, BINGO

Outbound has everything and it is scheduled to fly to SA on 4/18/13. Go plane go, get away from ZIM.

Now Spherical Freight has it and it flies to NYC on the 26 and 27 of April.

Coppersmith has it and says it will be a few days yet then all is go.

I am mad, this sucks and should not happen to anybody but you can see it is an ongoing affair with this company.
Please be aware of these issues if you consider using this company for your safari.

Please see my companion post on the service I received from Outbound Cargo and Trophy Exporters and Spherical Freight of South Africa.

I can not tell you how much I appreciate Outbound Cargo. During the simple act of actually checking to see if the shipment was complete they found that two panels of elephant hide were missing . I can imagine that I never would have been able to get my stuff without them.

Keith

WOW!!! Finally.

Mike

No excuse for that at all. Put him on my list of outfits to cross off.
Thanks for the posts.

Another one for the BLACK LIST. Thanks for the post.

Yes,
thanks for the post,I would hate to have endured what you went through.

Thanks Keith. I did not book an elephant hunt with them because of what you had told me.

Glad you finally got your trophys.

Glad to hear you finally got your trophies home.

Long time to wait, no excuse for that but glad you finally have them. Chifuti/Safari Classics had my tusks to me in 4 months.

Stuff like this is one reason I swore off hunting in Africa after my fourth safari.

George

quote:

Stuff like this is one reason I swore off hunting in Africa after my fourth safari.

Really sorry to hear that, kind of thing that can so easily be avoided.

I took the time to read through all the postings, and I find this unbelievable. I'm so glad you've finally gotten your trophies back.

I find it rather humorous, that Booking Agents/Ph's seem to just blow off losing paper work, and other BS that they're supposed to take care. I know in my job, if I lose paperwork that would delay a job years, months, or even days...I would be fired immediately and possible held responsible financially.

However, they just chalk it up to..."that's Africa" and for anyone who's hunted there extensively, knows that's a BS line people use when they're not doing their job.

It blows my mind that we spend 1000's of dollar with these guys and they just shrug off lost paperwork. Pretty freaking amazing really...they sure get mad when we forget to send payments! LOL However, once that money is wired, shit, it always seems so much harder to get them on the phone!

All I can say, there's way to many good people offering service to put up with BS like this...thank you for the warning!

This is sad news to me. I hunted with Clinton in 2009 and had a great time, shot my first elephant, and received my tusks in a reasonable time and well packed. Also spent 2 days in Dudley's house and enjoyed the company of his family.

This doesn't sound like the Dudley I know.

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Stuff like this is one reason I swore off hunting in Africa after my fourth safari.

George

George,

I am on the other end of the scale.

I have been hunting in Africa since 1982.

Never had a bad hunt.

well Keith, i am glad you finally got your trophies. 6 months after we met in the Bulawayo airport, my buff skull was home. not mentioned in your post is the fact that you weren't told you would be hunting elephants at night with lights in a maize field- the booking agent neglected to mention that little tidbit! as a result of this fiasco, there are 2 folks i wouldn't do business with- the booking agent and Dudley Do Wrong! i am just glad you finally got some of your trophies- minus the well earned hyena and elephant hide...

Dudley Do Wrong?

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
This is sad news to me. I hunted with Clinton in 2009 and had a great time, shot my first elephant, and received my tusks in a reasonable time and well packed. Also spent 2 days in Dudley's house and enjoyed the company of his family.

This doesn't sound like the Dudley I know.

+1