Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)THE EDITED REVIEW IS UPPER CASE, THE OLD REVIEW LOWER CASE.
This door has given me a frustrating month or so.
THE NEW DOOR INSTALLED EASILY AND WORKS AS ADVERTISED.
First, I replaced a three year old Staywell electronic door that my new 50 lb. puppy destroyed. Staywell electronic doors are very noisy and the electronics weren't consistantly dependable. I called Petsafe (which now owns Staywell) and the service representative suggested the PetSafe electronic door instead because of its superior electronics.
The first door I received didn't mechanically work. PetSafe replaced it promptly, paying for the shipping. The second door also didn't work. It sounded like both had faulty gears that skipped and jammed. PetSafe also replaced the second door. Each involved a 10 day or so wait for the replacement to be shipped to San Diego from Florida.
THE PETSAFE HEAD ENGINEER CALLED ME ABOUT MY NEGATIVE AMAZON REVIEW, AND ASSURED ME THEY WERE CORRECTING ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THESE AMAZON REVIEWS. WHEN THEY HAD A NEW PROTOTYPE, THEY SENT IT TO ME FOR TESTING. HOW'S THAT FOR SERVICE!
The new door works, but has some real problems:
THE NEW-NEW DOOR HAS SOLVED ALL BUT ONE PROBLEM, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE.
- Install has to be very careful so everything is exactly lined up, with the same light even pressure on all eight mounting screws. If things aren't aligned exactly the door jams. I seems to me that the design should be more forgiving or should have channels, guides, and spacers to line things up to insure a pretty foolproof install.
- If the transponder is near the door, the door cycles on and off and on and off. How can my puppy learn to use the door with it being inconsistently open and locked? Dogs like to sleep near the door. The electronics should be programmed so that if the transponder stays near, the door stays open instead of repeatedly cycling.
THIS HASN'T BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE NEW DOOR. MY ONCE PUPPY IS NOW A DOG, AND HE USUALLY JUST GOES IN AND OUT WITH NO DRAMA EXCEPT ONCE (*SEE THE END OF THIS REVIEW FOR AND EXPLANATION). THE NEW TRANSLUCENT FLAPS DON'T STIMULATE OUR CATS TO TRY TO GET AT LITTLE CRITTERS OUTSIDE.
- The worst problem with the design of the door is that the flapper has to be almost exactly vertical for the door to close, else the flapper jams on the locking ridge. Here in San Diego, we have moderate prevailing coastal winds most afternoons. The pressure from the breeze keeps the flapper from returning to vertical just enough so it jams and doesn't open or properly close. I don't know the solution to that problem. What would somebody do in windy Kansas or the Oregon coast?
THE NEW DOOR HAS AMAZINGLY STRONG MAGNETS THAT HOLD EVEN IN A STIFF BREEZE. I ADDED AN OPTIONAL TWO EXTRA MAGNETS SO MY CAT CAN'T FORCE THE DOOR OPEN EVEN IN "UNLOCKED" MODE, AND SO THE DOOR HAS LESS TENDENCY TO JAM. MY 55 LB. DOG HAS NO PROBLEM OPENING THE DOOR.
This lousy door generously gets two checks because 1) the door is good looking, 2) it's quiet, 3) the people at StayWell have been as helpful as they could possibly be from across the country, and 4) this door would function fine as a non-electronic door, except then there would be no way to keep my two house-cats in or keep wildlife and burglars out. I was a probation office years ago, and several of our young burglars specialized in entering through dog doors.
THE DOOR IS STILL QUIET, GOOD LOOKING, AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE PETSAFE PEOPLE.
It seems like our choices to keep the cats in while allowing the dog access are 1) this door, which doesn't work as advertised, 2) the StayWell which is noisy with undependable electronics, 3) buying a vertical slide door from $400 and up which can be lifted open by a smart cat, or 4) opening the patio door when the dog barks to go in or out (it seems about 80 times a day).
I'll try to figure out how to get the door to work with the windows or door open in a breeze, else will try to return it for a refund and get the StayWell non-electronic door instead. The noise alone has the cats terrified. The puppy was afraid of it too, but he can learn.
Please suggest alternatives and solutions in a follow up review. Thanks.
I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THIS DOOR NOW, AND SO IS RUSTY, AND MY CATS ARE STILL SAFE INDOORS.
*I'D RATE THIS DOOR THREE STARS INSTEAD OF FIVE STARS BECAUSE IT JAMMED OPEN ONCE WHEN MY DOG JUST POKED HIS HEAD THROUGH IT FOR A LOOK-SEE, AND THEN BACKED AWAY JUST AS THE DOOR WAS CLOSING, JAMMING THE FLAP IN AN UNCENTERED POSITION. IF THIS HAPPENED ONCE THE FIRST DAY, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN!
TO UNJAM THE FLAP, YOU HAVE TO PRY THE FLAP OFF THE FRAME CENTERING BAR, SWITCH TO UNLOCKED MODE TO CENTER THE DOOR, THEN SWITCH BACK TO AUTOMATIC MODE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE FLAP JAM SENSOR (WHICH ALREADY EXISTS...IT CAUSES THE YELLOW LIGHT TO FLASH) SHOULD CAUSE THE FLAP TO AUTOMATICALLY REOPEN IF IT'S JAMMED. OR A POSITION SENSOR COULD BE ADDED TO NOT CLOSE THE FLAP UNLESS IT IS CENTERED.
IN SUMMARY, I'D GIVE THIS REDESIGNED DOOR A CONDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION. THE INEVITABILITY OF THE FLAP JAMMING (THOUGH MUCH MORE RARELY THAN BEFORE), AND THE HASSLE IN FREEING A JAMMED FLAP IS AN INCONVENIENCE FOR ME AND RUSTY, BUT COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE NOT HANDY WITH TOOLS AND MACHINERY, OR A DOG "JAMMED" OUTSIDE IN A SUB-ZERO BLIZZARD OR SUNNY 115 DEGREE BACK YARD.
I WISH EVERY COMPANY CARED ABOUT THEIR REPUTATION AND SERVED THEIR CUSTOMERS LIKE PETSAFE HAS WITH ME.
((( 7/19/2008 OUR DOG JUST CHEWED UP HIS SECOND "SMARTKEY". IF YOUR DOG IS A CHEWER, THE SMARTKEY CANNOT HANG LOOSE AT ALL, FROM THE LOOP OF A MARTINGALE COLLAR, OR FROM A METAL RING. DOGS ARE BORED ALL DAY, AND WILL EVENTUALLY GET TO THE PLASTIC KEY IF THEY CAN. WE JUST ORDERED OUR THIRD SMARTKEY, AND I'LL HAVE TO GET A NYLON COLLAR WITH A BUCKLE TO MOUNT THE SMARTKEY RIGHT AGAINST HIS NECK. THIS DOOR HAS BEEN EXTREMELY COSTLY IN TIME, FRUSTRATION, AND MONEY, BUT SHOULD BE BETTER FOR BUYERS NOW. I FEEL LIKE I WAS AN UNPAID MEMBER OF THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM. )))
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