Out of Sight Alpacas — Attraction in Ocean Township

Hostile environment; unprofessional behavior by owner; damaged business reputation.

Story: I made a homeschool field trip to Out of Sight Alpacas (OSA). The owner was nice on the phone and asked how many would be attending. I stated around 15-20 people would be attending. The day before the scheduled field trip, 21 people had signed up to attend the field trip. The owner of OSA followed up by text asking for a quoted number of attendees, and I readily delivered the information that 21 people had signed up. No advanced payment was required nor was there any conversation about people mandatorily needing to come or not. On the day of the event, only 10 people showed for the event regardless of me following up with people the day prior. Families were ill and little ones hadn't slept well the night prior. Again, no advanced payment was mentioned or required. The owner proceeded to yell at me in front of our group, our young children, and other paying customers. With immense hostility, she yelled and expressed how I was a liar and did not follow-up with attendees. This was not true. Everyone attending the tour was in shock. This could have been easily mitigated by her pulling me aside and speaking with me in a professional manner. I want to start by saying I think it's a wonderful idea to have advanced payment. Advanced payment will reduce loss and secure cash flow. It is a wise business decision. However, yelling at a paying customer in front of children and other paying adults was highly unprofessional. I would have gladly stepped aside with her and had a conversation; two adults should be able to accomplish this. I cannot force any families to attend. That is out of my reach and an expectation that cannot be met. Advanced payment, again, would reduce this loss. Being upset is validated but yelling is a poor way to handle a business. We will not be returning to Out of sight Alpacas, and I will also not be recommending this business. Yelling immediately creates a hostile environment, and the long term health of a business will be greatly damaged. Also, stating that a paying customer is lying about following up with people is equally poor. I did follow-up with everyone, but it is out of my control whether people will show or not. Not requiring advanced payment does allow for this potential to occur. I am not a hostile person nor do I engage with hostility. Today was highly unprofessional, and absolutely disgraceful to yell in front of children. I did not engage with her at the event, and stated that people showing up is out of my control. I refuse to engage with hostility.

Next, I will be following up with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). I do not recommend this business. The owner was also talking very negatively and with hostility to her staff numerous times...

Loved visiting. The tour guide was very friendly and patient, the tour wasn't rushed, the crowd size was pretty small for each tour (with plenty of room for everyone in each area of the farm we visited), and parking was good. There was a short wait upon arrival, but nothing major - it was to make sure everyone who had booked a tour for that time slot would arrive.

The animals were great. They all seemed very happy, clean, well-fed and watered, overall looked very well taken care of - plenty of alpacas to feed and pet. They're friendly and laid-back creatures, very docile, so no worries about them harming anyone. They do get excited when people come through with food, though.

There are also other animals to see and interact with, such as sheep, goats, emus, ducks, rabbits, pigs, a cow, and a donkey, as well as a few cats roaming about. It's a great place to visit if you're an animal lover and want something to do outside, and is very child-friendly.

At the end of the tour, you can also visit the gift shop, which has some great stuff, like shirts, blankets, beanies, socks, gloves, plush toys, and other things of that sort. I picked up a beanie, a necklace with a little alpaca charm, and a hoodie. Probably going to try and visit again sometime...

My daughter and I took her three children, (ages 5-9), to do the farm tour and we were NOT disappointed. Our guide welcomed us with a smile and handed us little bags of pellets to hand feed the Alpacas, (optional). Luckily for us it had rained earlier in the day which reduced our group considerably, to 9, which was quite nice. We were given quite an education regarding the life of the alpaca and were thrilled to visit the newest additions to the herd- the babies - so cute. In addition we also met 2 Indonesian Pygmy goats, pigs, chickens and an adorable bunny. However, my youngest grandson fell in love with one of the farm's cats, a real friendly snuggle bug! (I think he would have been just as happy playing with the cat as he loves cats. Ha!). It was a great experience to be able to feed and be around these creatures. I highly recommend a visit to Out of...