GULFCOAST REPTILES  BEWARE!!!

Ok here is the short version.  The other got deleted cause i am new and forgot my FULL name.
Chris at GulfCoast Reptiles sold me a female Argentine that turned out to be a MALE sent with MITES!  He is rude and hangs up when asked to refund and /or reduce price and rebate.  Swears at you when u ask nicely and again he hangs up!!!  All i want is a refund and i will send him the snake.  He wants snake first but i feel he will keep snake and $$ since his attitude has been bad from the start.  I asked to have him deposit to Paypal which is safe for us both and he refuses to do that which makes me even more sure he will not refund once i send the snake. He refuses ANY OTHER way but HIS !!
I feel used and verbally abused.  Any suggestions are apprecitaed. BUT MOSTLY BEWARE OF GULFCOAST REPTILES OF FT MEYERS FLORIDA..........NOT NICE GUY FOR SURE!!!!

SUSAN NEWMAN
MileHighHerps
Colorado   <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>

Susan
I have Known Chris at GCR for many years, I have never had a problem.
If Chris wants the snake send it to him, I am sure he will look the animal over and refund your money no questions asked.
Chris has been doing this for years with no problems , He has my UTMOST respect in all deals done with him.
My question is [and i am not trying to put the shoe on the other foot] How was your attitude with him??
Did you read his terms or agree to them??
Chris is not a fly off the handle guy [unless pushed, but then aren't we all]
I am confident Chris will make you happy in the long run, please try and call him again, or return the snake for a refund.
You must understand that he can not go on your word that the snake was mis-sexed or that it had mites, he has to see it himself
peace

Susan,

Why don't you ask him to send the money to someone you can both trust to be released only after inspection and agreement on the snake's condition?

Regards,

Daniel

Well, guess i have to be more clear.......I told Gulfcoast that Jeremy Stone had probed the snake and verified it as male........of course Chris said he didnt know who Jeremy was!!!  Hard to believe that one!  He has been difficult from the get go and even told me HE never checked the snake for sex before sending it to me.  Now, i have paid my vet to clean up the mites!  I am not asking for that back!  When i suggested (calmly.....i have not raised my voice at all,,,,not my style) that he refund my money, he at first said he would refund ONLY the purchase price and NOT the 40 for shipping.  I tried to point out CALMLY, that it is not my fault he sent the wrong sex and I should not have to suffer the loss for HIS mistake...............he hung up!  When i called back and asked him not to hang up.......he said #### OFF and hung up again.  Then i waited 10 minutes, during which time i wrote an email to Kingsnake Abuse telling them of the problem since that is where GCR advertized.  I called back and CALMLY suggested that he could deposit the $$ in Paypal which would be safest for us both.  He then agreed to add the shipping but would not send any $$ until he had the snake!  I just cant seem to get myself to trust someone who hangs up on me and  swears at me and doesnt seem to think this is HIS problem!!!  I then told him of my email waiting to be sent to Kingsnake and that i would also write to BOI and VISA (how i paid him).  He said "go ahead...wont do anygood".  So now......WOULD YOU ALL TRUST THIS GUY?  Just because i am new does not mean i am stupid or dont deserve the respect the longtimers get!
JUST BEWARE EVERYONE!  CHRIS AT GULFCOAST REPTILES IS NOT A NICE OR HONEST PERSON!!!  IMHO

SUSAN NEWMAN
MHH
<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

If this guy has used fowl language with you for ANY reason whatsoever than he has shown his true character.  Can you imagine being in a retail store and asking for a refund and getting cursed at?  It is never appropriate for a business person to act like that. If what you say is true then this guy has shown himself to be a loser and is clearly not an honorable businessman. Sometimes people get lulled into a false sense of security about the character of an individual just because of a streak of good fortune in business dealings. It's when there is a snag or a problem to be worked out that the true nature of someones character shows.

Susan
I find it hard to believe Chris sent you a snake [as whatever sex] and said to you he didn't sex it.
I am not calling anyone a lier here but I think there is a little more to this story
As far as Chris's true character , I would trust him with my kids[not goats , children]
And Chris is no loser, as far as his streak of good luck ,its been going on for years and years...
I hope this problem gets ironed out
Susan I wish you the best in all your herping adventures

<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> This is hopefully the Last i will have to comment on this situation.  Chris od Gulfcoast Reptiles DID tell me he NEVER checked the sex of this snake which he got from somene else!!!  The snake DID have MITES!   Chris did tell me to #### OFF in person on the phone!!  He DID refuse to refund the shipping at first, then changed his mind after telling me to #### OFF.  I dont trust him no matter what you say.  I want to see the money in paypal before i send him the snake.  I am going to deal with VISA on a stop payment to him also.  I also find it odd that HE, Chris, has not bothered to respond to this post.  Could it be because he has NO DEFENSE TO HIS RUDE AND UNBUSINESS LIKE ACTIONS?  WARNING AGAIN .. WATCH OUT IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO BUSINESS WITH GULFCOAST REPTILES....PERSONNALLY I WOULD AVOID HIM LIKE THE PLAGUE!  IMHO

SUSAN NEWMAN
MHH

"A hiss in time saves a strike"

Susan
your problems are drastic if what you say happened...happened.
but I will stand by my opinion of Chris at Gulf Coast Reptiles as being a 'good guy' in my book. He might not be responding because he feels he did no wrong
take care and I hope this gets resolved
peace

Susan...most breeders will not refund shipping costs...why should they? It's not like that money did them any good, it went straight to someone else.

Chris and Susan....You are BOTH wrong (each in your own way&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>!
Chris....You are DEAD WRONG for acting the way you did to a SIMPLE SEXING MISTAKE that SHOULD HAVE been settled with A LOT MORE maturity than you exhibited in this situation (That's if what Susan is saying is true)! All you had to do, was BE A MAN...ADMIT YOU COULD'VE MADE A MISTAKE (considering you didn't probe it initially yourself&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>
Nevertheless, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!! PERIOD!! There should be NO WAY that she should have to pay A DIME for the return of YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!! If she SPECIFICALLY wanted a certain sex....YOU screwed up! IF she had called and said that the snake she received was nice, but, she would RATHER HAVE the opposite sex?? Well then, SHE would be responsible for shipping it back! You see the difference???

Now...Susan...Even though you are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in wanting to return the snake for a refund....Chris has EVERY RIGHT AS A DEALER to EXPECT to get the snake back FIRST!! I know you don't want to hear that, but, that's just the way it is! If YOU don't trust him enough to do that....then you have NO RIGHT to come on here and blast him for NOT doing the right thing....when, you YOURSELF said that he FINALLY AGREED to pay the return shipping, but YOU just don't want to send the snake back FIRST! Sorry to say it, kiddo...but, it's UP TO YOU to get the snake back to him BEFORE he reimburses you...Neil

Nicole i think u are mistaken.  Most honest breeders will refund the shipping costs if the mistake was THEIRS!  Why should the buyer pay for the sellers mistakes?  What if i get a dead snake?  Do i pay for the shipping of a dead animal?  I think not.  I know i would refund the FULL AMOUNT!  The buyer should not be liable.  There was something awhile back on the BOI about this exact topic  go read the responses and i think u will see u are wrong!
In anycase the shipping issue was just a small part of the whole problem i am having with Gulfcoast Reptiles.

susan newman
MHH

Neil i see what you are saying and normally i would agree to send the snake back.  However, something is gnawing at my gut saying once HE gets the snake i wont see a dime.  How can you trust someone who treats you like this?  I am normally a very trusting and in fact gullible person who believes what peeps tell me.  But i have been soured by this transaction which could have been easily and simply taken care of by Chris had he chosen to do the right thing in the first place.

susan newman
MHH

I agree with Neil on this one Susan.  If want to see any chance of this situation to be resolved you will have to send the snake back to Chris first.  I don't know Chris McQuade personally very well but I remember him from when he worked for Tom Crutchfield at Herpetofauna back in 87' or so.  He has had Gulf Coast as an established business now for many years.  No established business like his would send the customer their money back first.  That's just the way things are done.  I sincerely hope you resolve this to your satisfaction Susan.
John Hedger

i don't know anyone involved, but i can say that if this man has his reputation on the line, he wont screw you over for this amount of money.  he has several people backing him and his reputation.  i would think that if you sent the animal back and then he did in fact do what you think he is going to do, then you could come here and tell the story and within a few hours his phone would be ringing off the hook with his backers telling him that he should re-evaluate his priorities.  his reputation is at stake (which has taken him years to develop) as well as the people who have come here to back him (uhh, john apple, neil gubitz), i don't think there is any chance you wont get your money back.  you can be sour about the way he treated you, but i think you can be confident in the fact that you will receive your money back.
just my .02

Susan,

I have to say that I would insist on the animal getting back to me as well before I would issue a credit.  Look at it from Chris's perspective for a moment.  What guarantee does he have that YOU will send the snake back once you have the money?  Your concerns can certainly be his as well.  In virtually all instances I have heard of, the merchandise needs to be returned to the seller before a credit or refund is issued. This is in just about all lines of business that I can think of, not just the herp industry.

Chris has been around a long time and is very well known and respected in this business.  Perhaps he was having a bad day.  We all get them every once in a while.  Sometimes it is a real effort to be civil once that straw breaks the camel's back.  Perhaps your call was just the one that pushed Chris over the edge for a moment.

Susan
As RZ said  Chris has been around for a long time
His rep is fantastic
maybe he had a bad day and everything hit him at once.
who knows only you and Chris know the facts as they may be
Send Chris the snake back , I am positive he will resolve the situation to make you happy
I have known Chris for many years and have never seen him go on the defensive unless he was pushed
resolve this

Susan,
     I am not taking either side here.  With the reputation that Chris has and the position that you are in right now?  Give Chris another call, and find out what his plans are when he gets the snake back?? And then ship it back to him!!  This is the step that you need to take to get this matter resolved.  Just give Chris this one more chance, and I'll bet that you will be very pleased with the results. You are right there Susan! Just make that one more phone call!!!!!!
 Good luck to both of you!!!!!
             Tom

Susan
I talked with Chris today, The man was more than willing to refund your monies , but you threw threats in his face about what you were going to do to him if he did not meet your demands, hell you went as far as telling him that you would sell the snake and then it was up to him to repay  you the difference of the sale , Chris more than made attempts to make you happy
I am sorry but I think you were wrong in this matter'
yes you did get a improperly sexed snake,
yes Chris tried to make you happy
yes you jumped the gun
now settle this

Does Chris have a computer? Can he respond to the allegations himself?  I would like to know what threats were implied by Susan and if Chris told Susan to F off and hung up. Casey

I was just made aware of this by my employee. I don't come here often but I just thought I would like to give my thoughts on this because I see many posts here.   She (My Employee) bought a supposed Subadult Female Argentine from Susan.  She gets the snake and realizes that it is not a female right away and that the snake is a Male Argentine.  She brings it to me to double check, and there is NO doubt this is a MALE 100 percent.  Susan did disclose that the snake was from gulf coast.  After my employee  realizes that she does not need another male, she contacts Susuan to tell her that the snake is improperly sexed.   Susan tell her how Sorry she is, and says No problem, and refuned her money IMMEDIATLEY.  She then gives my employee her account number to have the shipping Billed to her so that my employee doesn't have to pay for the shipping to get it back there.   I commend Susan for doing business this way.  This is ALWAYS the way business should be done should there be a missexed snake.    I don't know anything more about the situation other than what Susan said.  I can tell you that Susan has great character in the way she handled this situation.  She went out of her way to make sure the shipping was payed for by her mistake.    I do believe that she should be treated with Respect, and I don't know the conversation, only Susan and Gulf Coast does.  If Gulf Coast wants the snake back first, they should give her the money to ship it or the account to have it shipped in my opinion right away.  That would make her feel comfortable.   I think most deals that are done and go a little wrong are  just a little lack of communication.    I wish everyone would really Double check the sexes on Snakes.  Boas are SOOO easy to sex.  That way it would cause a lot less grief and lost shipping.  I know that some people don't check and just think that if it was sold to them that way, then it is, and they resell it and find it wasn't.    Maybe this is what happened to Gulf Coast when they sent it to Susan, and obviously this is what happened when Susan shipped it to my employee.  However, Susan handled it with class, and that is always how things should be handled in this way.    Now, just a word of advice to Susan.  IF ANYONE SENDS YOU A SNAKE WITH MITES AGAIN,   Don't even attempt to clear them up.  Take the snake, put it back in the box, and SEND IT BACK.   They can just destroy a collection, and that is just the most disrespectful thing anyone can do.   If they send you mites, they are saying that they could care less if they give your whole collection Parasites.    Weather or not this was the case, just a word of advice.   NEVER ACCEPT A SNAKE WITH MITES!!!!!!!!!    Susuan, I hope this all works out for you.  I admire the way you conducted yourself with my employee.     Just my 2 cents.    Jeremy Stone