Experiences with VPI

Thought it might be helpful to other herp enthusiasts to hear about my recent interactions with Tracy Barker at VPI. As anyone who is into herps will know, Tracy and Dave Barker have an incredible collection of snakes, mostly Pythons and Boas. I think it’s accurate to say that Tracy handles most of the retail activity, and occasionally she will place an ad on kingsnake.com.

I imagine the volume of phone calls and e-mails to VPI is considerable, and I don’t expect immediate responses from Tracy when I inquire about the availability of an animal. On a couple of occasions I e-mailed Tracy with a photo request, and received an immediate response saying that she would take pics and be back in touch. On the first two of these occasions, I never heard from her again….no photos, no communication. Not really a big deal---I simply purchased from other sources and left it alone.

This Spring I did purchase a Blood Python from Tracy, and it was a good interaction, with prompt responses, great service, and a very nice animal. I was, and am, very pleased with the snake.

In early August Tracy advertised some Blood Pythons and I e-mailed her in response, asking for photos and sharing my interest in a purchase…No response for several days, so I called and left a message, sharing two phone numbers and asking her to call me. I didn’t get a response, so after a few days I e-mailed again. I finally got a response from Tracy, who asked the appropriate questions about what I was looking for and said she’d take photos.

After that interaction in August, I was regularly in touch with Tracy via e-mail and these are some of her statements: “Got it, and you will get pics tonight!”…and “pic time is here-I have my animals marked for you!”… After more than 6 weeks, I was still waiting to see a photo. At the beginning of October, I finally sent an e-mail to Tracy:

Tracy-
No big deal right now, but at some point in the future I'd like to
consider buying a het from you.... I've been working at this since
early August, and haven't seen a photo yet.
I get the idea that I'll never hear from you again unless I do all the
work to make something happen. Are you having regrets about giving me
the $500 credit?

Tracy responded:
Jim,
I am so sorry. Honestly I have had my own health issues, my dad just dropped dead of a stroke last week, and Dave has been working like mad trying to finish this ball python book. I absolutely have every intention of honoring your credit.
I will try and get Dave to fix the photos I took for you asap. I'm off to Baltimore to be with my mom til Saturday. I am planning to do shipping the week after. Please accept my apologies for this delay.
Tracy

Yes, I felt like a jerk. I sent her this e-mail:

Tracy-
I am so sorry to hear about your Dad! and obviously it's fine to have all this put on hold indefinitely. I believe in the power of prayer, and will be praying for you and your family- I know you have been through cancer..has it returned?
Jim

That was Oct 3….I haven’t heard from Tracy since then, but figured she’s been tied up with family stuff and out of the business loo Frankly, if I lost my Dad I’d be out of commission for a long long time.

THEN, today (10/26), I noticed an Oct 15 ad by Tracy on kingsnake.com for a Retic, saying “email for pics” in her ad…

I have now given up on purchasing anything else from VPI. Hopefully mine is an isolated situation, and others will have far better to report. If you're willing to stick it out, you are likely to be very pleased with the results.

All the best-
Jim Lineberger

Hi Jim,

Let be the first to say that I feel you should still give Tracy a try. I have done many deals with Tracy over the years. ALL deals and even questions dealt with promptly. I also use Tracy as one of my referneces, and all my customers came back with praises Tracy gave me, so she even answred emails that was to no benefit to her whats so ever. We also keep in touch from time to time via email about stuff like rip off artist, business, etc. But I too have noticed since her health issues, I hear less from her. I know with her and Dave's book, He Dad, her health issues, her kids and her business (one of the largest in the US), that her plate seems to be full. You also have to take how many emails they get flooded with daily. Now I know some will say, that being too busy isnt a excuse, but then again you cant say that about someone until you walk in their shoes first. Yes, if your over swamped with work you will lose sales. But, that's the price sometimes. I bet you she just misplaced it with every intention on emailing you or calling you back. I cam say that a big part of what success I have is directly related to the help Tracy has gave me. Not in just the way of deals, but advice as well. Please consider giving Tracy one more try for me. Im sure youll be happy with the out come. Tracy always seems to make things right in the end.

Sorry for the typos. Im a 3rd shifter and getting ready for bed.

Tracy is Awesome!!!!She is one of the coolest people I have met in my 20 years of keeping snakes. It seems she has a whole lot of stuff going on at the moment but I can tell you she has the best animals around and she will see a ton of my money for years to come. You have to remember she gets tons of emails everyday and sometimes one gets overlooked. It's happened to me with people. I would give her a call and leave a message again she always called me back but I have my cell phone everywhere I go. At least email her again.

Tim Rash

Same here. Personal problems aside, some breeders are more diligent than others in checking and replying to their e-mail messages. In this instance it was not a problem as I checked around, and bought from someone else. What I would state though is that this incidence will not deter me from inquiring again in the future if they have something I'm interested in. They have incredible animals and among the best in the industry.

Regards.

I'm going to have to put in a "good" word for the seemingly "poor" practice of not sending out pictures, answering questions, etc. I'm not saying that ignoring such requests is good business practice, only that it is a legitimate choice of the vendor. I also realize the negative feedback that can be generated by advertizing "send for pictures" etc, and then not being prompt with more pictures. Dittos for saying that pictures will be sent, and then they are not. Obviously it has been a busy and difficult time for them, and considerations of such will weigh-in differently with each potential customer. But generically speaking, many of the larger breeders have made a decision, overt or perhaps somewhat subconsciously, to draw a line as to how many picture requests etc that they will honor. Several other posts have alluded to this, and the only real excuse this would cover would be a request for more info or pictures than what is posted, and the request goes ignored. That's a business decision, and does not IMHO reflect poorly on the seller. If they are satisfied with their results and sales without going that extra step, which they may not have time for, it could be said that they are simply losing customers that they don't need. I can understand your disappointment with being told that something would be forthcoming, and it was not, and cannot put a seal of approval on that practice. But again, IMHO, when viewing all the circumstances, and your option to simply take your business elsewhere, I don't think that your complaint merited being posted here. It is also not worth debating, as opinion are like arses, and we all have them!

thanks for the feedback...and support for Tracy

This is a tough one...
I use the BOI to determine the integrity of a seller, and to gather whatever information I can about their business practices so that I can feel comfortable in a transaction.

I think it's important to let potential purchasers know that the process of seeing and buying a snake from VPI might take a while and involve a lot of diligence and follow-up. As I said, I have purchased an animal from VPI...and Tracy is a delightful personality...no challenge on that point.

Thanks-
Jim

The Barkers...undeniably world class breeders, famously successful in producing some of the best quality captive bred herps, and hopelessly pompous.
To deny this, you must be either naive, starstruck or 'a member of the club'.

Granted, most of us have fanatasies of the latter!

My advise - if you want great animals, bury your pride and buy from VPI.

Roesnake -Don't take it personal.
Chamco - I don't think you understand the concept of the BOI ...or customer service

Hopelessly pompous ..... hmmmmmmm, seems it takes one to know one !!

Hopelessly pompous? Dave and Tracy Barker are far from that. They are two of the nicest, most down to earth people! Tracy spent part of her afternoon talking to me on the phone about some personal matters once, and I will never forget her kindness and insight.

I think what some people forget is that dedicated breeders that do this full time have lives apart from our herps. It's true! We have personal lives and sometimes things happen in our lives that are above and beyond the reptile business. Sometimes it is all we can do to keep up with what is going on in our non-herp lives as well as care for our animals. Emails as well as phone calls can take a back seat in these times.

I would say that in cases like this, try giving the person a call or two first, rather than email if possible. I can see both sides of this, but I can tell you from first hand experience that when traumatic events happen/are happening in our lives, emails, phone calls, all that stuff is second to 1.) taking care of ourselves and our families and our collections.

I don't feel this is a BOI Issue, really. Have you tried giving Tracy a call about all this?

Well, I don't know how relevent this part of the conversation is to the BOI, but the original post should be here, no matter if it is about a "backyard" reptile dealer or the Barkers.
I recall when I first got into the hobby, I talked via email with Dave quite a few times, since then I havn't talked to either of them, nor have I bought anything from them.
That being said, I think Jim makes a few valid points about returning emails and calls.
I run an online business (zoologicalsupply.com) I have a retail store (B & T Reptiles in ocala, fl), I help run a small private zoological Institution (Marion Nature Park), I consult with circuses, zoos, etc.. with a vet.
Now this takes up a large portion of my day, Sometimes I dont even get to check email till 11 or 12 at night, sometimes it is this late before I get to check voice mails as well.
I by no means ever mean to not reply to an email or voicemail but sometimes it happens. I do know that if I get numerous attempts by somebody I try to put them at the top of the list, that seems to be what should be done here.

Health, family, and personal problems do take over sometimes, but after this amount of time a call back or email back is in order.

Just my thoughts.
TOM

Tom,

I agree 100% with your post. It’s not a matter of just having a good business approach it’s a matter of common courtesy. A person takes the time to contact you with an inquiry. Even if you are 100% sure he will not buy one should still take the time to reply with at least a one-liner: “Thanks for your inquiry, but we don’t have what you are looking for”. Then hit send. It took me 10 seconds “out of my not so busy schedule” to type that sentence, but rest assured that it makes a world of a difference for the person receiving that e-mail. In spite of the short and laconic reply it’s stating “you are still important to me”.

So, now it's perfectly acceptable to post on the BOI because a company doesn't return your emails in a prompt manner? What a joke.

Tracy Barker hasn't cheated anyone, or stolen their money, or received payment for an animal then wait 4 months to ship. She just has not returned a couple of emails.

I second that

KelliH said:

Tracy Barker hasn't cheated anyone, or stolen their money, or received payment for an animal then wait 4 months to ship. She just has not returned a couple of emails.

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I agree with KelliH. Tracy is a fantastic person to deal with. I have not dealt with Dave, but their animals are unmatchable.

I do know crunch time is here to finish their book and aside from that there are some serious issues going on at home. To say they have tons of emails is an undertsatement I'm sure, given the size of their collection and business.

Tracy is hands down one of the best people in the industry to deal with and far better than 1000 times the credibility to back up her name. I deal with about 10 calls a day and a minimum of 15 emails a day. That in itself is very time consuming for me personally and I could honestly say I probably would be too overwhelmed with her work load aside from personal matters.

Tracy's name and time in this hobby command a bit of respect having been on the forefront of many of the new morphs we are only fortunate to aquire and see. Give her some time and shoot another email, I'm quite sure she will be apologetic and do her best to meet your request.

Like Joe says

Dembinski Reptiles said:

Let be the first to say that I feel you should still give Tracy a try.

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And let me be the second. They are great people!

Ralax a bit and if you are still unable to reach her, I'll call her for you

Jeff Morrison
5StarrMorphs

Actually I belive the barkers do owe him something... a 500 dollar credit was mentioned. I will have to go back and look, but it was my understanding he was owed a 500 dollar credit.
TOM

Roesnake said:

Tracy-
No big deal right now, but at some point in the future I'd like to
consider buying a het from you.... I've been working at this since
early August, and haven't seen a photo yet.
I get the idea that I'll never hear from you again unless I do all the
work to make something happen. Are you having regrets about giving me
the $500 credit?

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Don't know where that fit into the equation, but apparently Tracy owed him a 500 dollar credit

TOM

Just a Guess

Zoo Supply said:

Don't know where that fit into the equation, but apparently Tracy owed him a 500 dollar credit. TOM.

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I am guessing the 500 credit is probably what she offered him on the purchase for the delay in communication. I re read the origional post and it doesnt quite specifiy what the $500 credit is.

Anyone will be hard pressed to ruin a name or question her credibility in this hobby given her stature and just a couple of her own lines of animals and not forgetting the super spot nose

I just placed a call to her and I am quite positive I will hear back from her shortly.

Jeff Morrison
5StarrMorphs

Money is really not the issue...

Tracy gave me a $500 credit after my purchase in the Spring...it was a gift, not part of the deal, so I am not concerned about the concept of being ripped off or anything, and if I never get to cash-in on the credit, it's not a problem. As I said, I think if I chose to keep pushing, eventually VPI would follow-through and I would receive a quality animal. In my opinion, no one produces better Bloods than VPI and NERD.

My disappointment is simply with the customer service. I responded to an ad....our communications spanned a period of almost 2 and a half months...and we're still nowhere.

Jim

ok, makes sense now...well jeff, I hope your right and she does work it out. As I stated earlier, I still feel that at some point an email or phone call from tracy would have been appropriate, and I think that Jim has been very patient, and even though there have been multiple people saying just hang in there, we are talking months here, not a few days that this has been going on.
TOM

I am right

Zoo Supply said:

ok, makes sense now...well jeff, I hope your right and she does work it out.TOM

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I am right and just spoke with Tracy. She does not have an account so she cannot post here nor does she have the time with her congested schedule. She said she is profusely apologetic and will send pictures out to the origional thread starter within a week. Dave actually takes the pcitures and he is busy working on their book soon to be released.

I also noticed a comment in the origional post that is odd to me and here it is:

Roesnake said:

I am so sorry to hear about your Dad! and obviously it's fine to have all this put on hold indefinitely.

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Why say it is ok, then complain?

Your pictures are finished from Dave and they will be sent out to you within a week. Again she says she is very sorry for the delay and the $500 credit was on your next purchase from her for loyalty on your next purchase.

Jeff Morrison
5StarrMorphs