Steve Markevich / Serpent's Den

Back in August, I was having a 4-cage tower made for me. I was just starting my Hog Island boa collection and saw an ad in Kingsnake.com's classifieds by Steve Markevich from Serpent's Den in Pennsylvania selling his Hogs for $175 + shipping ($200 total). I had asked him if he takes deposit since I didn't want the snake shipped to me until the cages were delivered to me. He agreed to accept a check for 25% down which I mailed to him on August 9th. Knowing that mail from California to Pennsylvania usually averages 4 working days, I called him on August 19th and to make sure he received the check. He said he didn't get it and we assumed the check was lost in the mail. I proceeded to tell him that I will put a stop-payment on the check and I will contact him as soon as I receive the cages. He also agreed not to deposit my check in case he receives it in the mail in the next few days or weeks. In the meantime, I had asked him what bloodline his Hog Island boas are from. He said he can't recall as he's had his snakes for quite some time. At that point, I was a bit suspicious because having shown and bred champion Chinese Shar-Pei, I know the bloodlines of each of my dogs (some of which have already passed over the rainbow bridge due to old age). I hated to do it, but I called my bank to put a stop-payment order for the check that was lost in the mail and paid the $15 service fee for that.

In the meantime, I found another ad in Kingsnake advertising Hog Island boas for a much lower price ($125 + $35 shipping) by Chris McQuaid at Gulf Coast Reptiles. I called Chris and not only did he tell me that he bred these Hogs himself, but he also gave me a rundown on original importers and a bit of Hog Island boa history. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Now, simple mathematics, if I continue with the purchase on the Hog from Serpent's Den, I would have to spend the $200 on top of the $15 it cost me to put a stop-payment on the original check. Not only would I have spent an excess of $55 compared to what Gulf Coast Reptiles is charging me, but I would have gotten a snake with no known papers/bloodline and I would risk possibly having a Hog Island Hybrid.

2 months later, I get an email from Steve telling me that he deposited the original check I had sent and it cost him $25 since it was returned to him unpaid. This totally blew me away as he gave me his word that he would not try to cash it if he got it. He's also claiming that he does not recall getting a phone call from me telling him that I would be putting a stop-payment on a check which we had assumed was lost in the mail. I told him that I have a phone log of when we spoke since I called him from my office and I was willing to provide him with references of other folks whom I have purchased animals and supplies over the internet from as I had never defrauded anyone intentionally or unintentionally. He had the nerve to ask me if I had any intentions of paying him back for the $25 his bank charged him. I told him that it was his fault for defaulting on his word and that I no longer desire to purchase a Hog Island boa from him or anything else for that matter.

I know it's only $25 but there's a principal at stake here. If I can't trust someone over $25, how can I trust that I would have gotten the animal I wanted in the first place. In this age of the internet, a person's word should weigh heavily as it does with me. If anyone has seen my last post regarding Jay @ Exotic Jungle, I gave him a glowing recommendation as I'm now giving to Chris McQuaid at Gulf Coast Reptiles. I should also ad that I've also purchased a Hog Island boa from Chuck & Shawna @ Central Florida Reptile Breeders and I'm also very happy with the service and quality animals I've gotten from them. Steve @ Serpent's Den is the only one I've ever had the displeasure of having to deal with. I hope nobody else has an annoying experience as I have had with Steve.

Thanks for letting me rant. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Paul-Carlos Palenzuela
Hollywood, CA

A little off topic but I agree with something you said Chuck & Shawna @ Central Florida Reptile Breeders were awesome with me a few years ago I was lookig for a male Hogg and Chuck went out of his way to find one for me since he didnt have one a real stand up guy.

is it possible that steve is super busy and was confused as to who you are? im not saying that he should not get more organized etc. but what happened once you reminded him of the situation?
i purchased a snake from steve a short time back and she arrived delivered by usps which surprised me some but he told me it was the only way he could get the animal to me..all other carriers refusing shipment from his place.
i didnt receive the email stating she was on the way or if i did somehow i failed to read it so i blasted steve not knowing for the foul up and he responded in a civil manner to me explaining the misshap..no drama or harsh words came from his end.
sometimes people make mistakes and a busy man could have easily been confused over a situation like yours but to me the important thing would have been how he reacted once he realized the mistake. after all..why would he deliberately deposit a check that he knew was no good?

I had originally assumed he would be busy and that the check may not arrive at exactly 4 working days and that's why when I sent the check on August 9th, I called him on August 19th. &nbsp;Also, if the other dealers I've purchased animals from and sent deposits to without any problems, why this guy? To top it off, he emailed me twice about paying him the $25.

Believe me, I've tried to look at this thing from his point of view but as I've said, I will not be doing busines with him. If he's too busy and unorganized, I definitely don't want to purchase animals from this guy. You run the risk of getting the wrong animal, a sick animal, a mis-sexed animal, etc. I have a lot of my own animals (birds and fish and dogs - besides all the snakes) and if I can stay organized with grooming, feeding schedules and 'play time' with my animals (on top of work and gym time), I don't have time for mistakes - especially being told that I should pay for someone else's mistake. To reiterate, the other dealers I've purchased animals from have hundreds of animals that they deal with as well. In fact, Chuch & Shawna were busy with the Daytona show when I checked in with them regarding both my deposit with them and then the shipment of my Hog Island boa. By the time my snake was ready to ship to me, Shawna was the only one running the store and I got not only my snake on time, but I got a GREAT snake. I can't describe how deep cherry this girl is! So, if Shawna can do it all on her own, I can't cut Steve any slack for his mistake and poor customer service. I didn't even get an apology saying that he's at fault - even after I told him that I'd take it up in a forum if he continued to email me about the $25. Two emails about his stupid mistake was enough.

whoops! forgot to add my name to my last post. Sorry.

Paul-Carlos Palenzuela
Hollywood, CA

what bothers me about what you said is this.
you dont have time for other peoples mistakes. when you yourself were making mistakes too..why on earth did you ask for the hogg to be held by steve without FIRST asking about the bloodlines? then to say some other person had a cheaper deal after the fact hardly makes steve a bad guy.
with all the gym time...full time job and dog grooming you do didnt it cross your mind to ask about the lineage of the snakes before sending off the check?
im not arguing the case for steve in the sense that he should not have cashed the check or attempted to..but..on the other hand..im arguing your method of reason for stopping payment on it in the first place..why ask for something..send off a check to confirm it ...and then by the way start asking questions you should have been asking before taking those actions ? when buying animals..ask all pertinent questions first..decide if the price is right and then close the deal..
if someone happens to come along after the fact with the same or better product for less..guess what? too bad..
perhaps a price guarentee should have been requested..
if someone else sells the same thing for less..steve should refund the difference with added ten percent?
reptile breeders are not kmart or circuit city ...whatever the reason steve was charging more for his animal you agreed to the price and once the agreement is made its final...
conclusion? do your homework before not after the deal is made.
observation? the kettle calling the pot black. most everything you accuse steve of is also applicable to yourself.

Just wanted to add that I also have dealt with Chuck & Shawna and they are terrific!!!

Oh, and Kim....I think the point being made is that Steve is charging Paul for a mistake that Steve made. &nbsp;How would you feel if someone did that to you regardless of what else went on.

Are you related to this Steve guy or something? I thought your last post was unnecessary. &nbsp;Just my opinion...humble as it is.

----------
Sonny Naidas
Inglewood, CA

sonny..i got the point. and i think mistakes were made on both sides.
im not related to steve in any way shape or form.
thanks for your opinion..it is as valid as mine is.
isent that what this forum is about? opinions?
if so..why is mine unnecessary? if you dont agree with it then so be it..no harm no foul..but unnecessary?
it seems that you miss the point.

on another note..i live in inglewood too..where are you?
its unusual to see anyone in inglewood posting..
would be nice to have a herp friend around.

kim

Kim,

I said 'unnecessary' only because, you sounded like you had a vested interest in this whole thing. My apologies if I misread what you've written. &nbsp;As I reread Paul's post, I believe he was just putting his personal experience so we can either just agree or disagree without having to put him under the microscope just as we don't need to put Steve under the microscope. I have seen ads from Serpent's Den and they look like nice ones. Will I proceed to order from him? I don't know. But it's nice to know that as a consumer, there are other options out there.

As for us both living in 'Inga-hood', I live off of La Brea - towards the Hills. &nbsp;You'd be surprised to learn of how many Herpers are around here. &nbsp;Many keep quiet because of what we keep is not seen as 'normal & acceptable' pets - especially when they can grow over 6ft. long. Not to mention, some of us have to 'grow & breed' our own food source.

Sonny Naidas