Outback Reptiles- Your call.

April Linkfield:

Im really hesitant to come on here and post anything. Unfortunatly I feel if you post anything that may be even a little bit going against someone who has a great reputation like Josh at outback does, people will go completly tribal in order to defend them without even considering the posters motives or intentions. Even if they have a good reason to be posting a bad guy claim.

I am not here to do that though. I have a simple problem and Im not going to claim outback is a "bad guy" because of it, Rather I just wish they would respond to me or my fiance who I bought these critters for.

I bought a group of animals off them, For my fiance who was dealing with the transaction, and specifically the burmese python came in with an injury to her head. Now normally with wild caught animals I would come to expect a few nicks and bangs, but these are captive hatched, and the ad claimed and I quote, "they all look perfect" http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=7&de=774013

For our uses for this animal it was important that she be CH, so we can have a good understanding of its genetics, and that it be "perfect" so it can be a display animal.

When we got them in on tuesday, we picked her up 10 minutes from the time she came in the hub, we immediately noticed the injury, and wrote him this.

From: justinnusunginya@hotmail.com
To: josh@outbackreptiles.com
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:54:44 -0800

hi,

Got them in and they all made it in, but the burm isnt in very good shape :-(

Shes got some sort of injury to her head, Im not the expert but it looks like some of her scales got ripped or bit off?? Its a bit deeper than Im comfortable with so shes being brought to the vet tomorrow.

Im at work at the moment untill midnight so I cant take pictures but I can get them to you in the next 24 hours.

What would you like us to do?"

And then by thursday got no reply so I wrote him this-

RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!‏
From: Justin Nusunginya (justinnusunginya@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thu 6/24/10 11:22 AM
To: justinnusunginya@hotmail.com

Hey,

I was just wondering if you got a chance to read the last email?"


Its now saturday, So I figured Id write him about her progress and see if he'd write back again,

RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!‏
From: Justin Nusunginya (justinnusunginya@hotmail.com)
Sent: Sat 6/26/10 12:57 PM
To: josh@outbackreptiles.com

hello agian,

So its been 4 days and you havent wrote back about what you would like us to do about the burm. We took her to our vet, Jerry Nybakken DVM, its definately an injury and he believes its infected. It would help us to treat her if you knew what caused the injury."

Of course it doesnt really matter what caused it because antibiotics will take care of it but still maybe knowing the history of the wound might tell us which would be most effective.

And this is the very last email we ever got from him. Its just the tracking number from when we made the order. He was very prompt to respond before we made the order, but since sending him the request of "what would you like us to do?" Just nothing. Silence... Crickets Chirping...

I dont think we have been terribly unreasonable to just ask what hed want us to do about it, and I dont think we have been rude to him either. We're not trying to go after him or his business. In this industry this stuff happens, we just want to know how it happened (since were paying the vet bill and all) and how he'd like to set it right with us.

RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!‏
From: josh@outbackreptiles.com
You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as junk
Sent: Tue 6/22/10 9:16 AM
To: Justin Nusunginya (justinnusunginya@hotmail.com)

Here you go.

798779216109



Thanks, Outback Reptiles
josh@outbackreptiles.com
(703)365-2262 Office
(703)789-1697 Cell


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
From: Justin Nusunginya <justinnusunginya@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, June 21, 2010 6:14 pm
To: <josh@outbackreptiles.com>

can I bother you for a tracking number? if your not too busy.. thanks.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-This is when I called and we completed the transaction-

From: josh@outbackreptiles.com
To: justinnusunginya@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:14:58 -0700


Fedex priority overnight.



Thanks, Outback Reptiles
josh@outbackreptiles.com
(703)365-2262 Office
(703)789-1697 Cell


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
From: Justin Nusunginya <justinnusunginya@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, June 21, 2010 2:04 pm
To: <josh@outbackreptiles.com>

Do you ship fedex or UPS?, I need to know so I can send you the adress

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: justinnusunginya@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
From: josh@outbackreptiles.com
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:56:17 +0000

Our paypal address is : sales@outbackreptiles.com

If you send the payment now we can ship today.
Please forward the paypal recipe along with your phone number when you send the payment. Thanks Outbackreptiles josh@outbackreptiles.com 703-789-1697 cell 703-365-2262 office

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Justin Nusunginya <justinnusunginya@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:50:57 -0800
To: <josh@outbackreptiles.com>
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!


Whats your paypal address? could we get it sent today still?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: josh@outbackreptiles.com
To: justinnusunginya@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:15:53 -0700


Shipping would be $65 for Fedex priority overnight.



Thanks, Outback Reptiles
josh@outbackreptiles.com
(703)365-2262 Office
(703)789-1697 Cell


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Message about: C.H BABY BURMS :FIRST OF THE YEAR!
From: Justin Nusunginya <justinnusunginya@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, June 20, 2010 10:44 am
To: <josh@outbackreptiles.com>

okay, Sorry it took so long getting back to you. Heres what we need now.

1ch burmese female
1ch blood female
1 juvenile blue tongue skink
and
1 sudan plated lizard- This black one http://market.kingsnake.com/image/1078992.jpg it has to be that one because it is replacing one a friend lost.

So that plus shipping to 99611?"

So thats the entire history of this transaction with outback. Like I said, It happens but after 4 days we would like a response.

I have personally never delt with Outback, and have only read things online. I would think Josh would get back to you in a timely manner, 4 days in my mind is unacceptable. It's good to see that she will be going to the vet, the injury could have been caused by a prey item. I hope that Josh will rectify the issue for you. Also you do need to advise Josh of this thread.

Did you ever get pictures of the injury? Might help to post them here.

Can you tell if Josh has been conducting other business online or anything? Maybe he's been out of town or something? Not making excuses...just wondering.

Have you tried to call him?

yes, pictures would help.

Oh sorry heres some photos of her head. The first one you can see how the wound is sunken into her head in between her eyes there http://img153.imageshack.us/i/img1009q.jpg/

And the second one is a better view of the white stuff in the wound. It could be either infection or thats just what the color came up as where the scales are ripped off. Either way its obvious there isnt scales there anymore and because of that I cant use her for the displays.
http://img714.imageshack.us/i/img1010vg.jpg/

It would help to know how she got it so as to avoid some potentially unnecessary treatment. we're still discussing antibiotics atm. If its superficial we dont wanna risk her going off feed from the treatment. we figure she probably got it from a live prey item, and we dont wanna go diggin into it to see how deep it is (duh), especially if the wound is just from rubbing her head on something that ripped the chunk of scales out and its superficial. We just dont wanna make it worse really.

Id understand if he was just gone for the past 4 days, but it would seem a bit odd that you would leave on a tuesday and be gone for the rest of your work week. Plus he does have new ads posted on kingsnake just today. But alas, stranger things have happened.

Other than this I really liked Josh and just want to know what the options are here, because sadly I cant use her for what I bought her for.

Im trying to be fair and reasonable, I understand this stuff happens and I will inform him of this thread, hopefully we can get this resolved without a whole bunch of fuss.

That looks like a prey "scratch" that will heal in about two sheds.. imo.. Keep that one hydrated.. Lookin a lil..... lol.

April Linkfield:

Originally Posted by zzzdanz

Have you tried to call him?

No, sorry in business I've learned to get everything in writing. Its just the world we live in ya know? Im not saying that he wouldnt make good on his word its just our policy. Unfortunatly these days you just cant conduct business on a guys word and a handshake anymore. Truly unfortunate, but It's nothing against anyone.

Originally Posted by Tom Pecanic

That looks like a prey "scratch" that will heal in about two sheds.. imo..

I see where you are coming from but its pretty deep, and It takes up a third of its heads width. As far as display animals go its the very first thing you notice. And yeah I dont think its a mortal wound, but it will scar. Wound or scar it still doesnt look great for display and its not what I thought I was paying for.

Originally Posted by Tom Pecanic

Keep that one hydrated.. Lookin a lil..... lol.

yeah thats why we havent started treatment yet we dont wanna risk it not eating. Its still got good body weight and the vets not too concerned, although I thought the fecals would be in by now...

Well, I know for a fact that Josh was responding to e-mails on the 24th of June because I e-mailed him about the horrible condition my Nile Monitor arrived in, and how it only survived 7 days after arriving grossly underweight, severely dehydrated, and too weak to eat. He responded to me twice. However, after my experience with this company, I will never buy from them again, nor will I recommend anyone else do business with them either.