Jackie Prophet/Terrel Lee/Terrel Johnson - tjnjohnson@yahoo.com

I was hoping it would not come to this but since the sellers (Jackie/Terrel) won't respond to my email to rectify the situation, here is my story. Hopefully someone who may be thinking of purchasing an animal from them will see this and think twice.

Long story short, I purchased a pastel orange ghost ball python from these guys via an ad here on Fauna (the ad is since long gone). I made payments on the snake, and the final payment was made the week before Thanksgiving. I asked if the animal could be shipped the monday before Thanksgiving, to avoid any possible delays stemming from the Thanksgiving holidays. They informed me they could not ship on that monday, but how about shipping the next week on tuesday for a wednesday delivery. I replied that would be fine with me.

Here's where the problem comes in: Obviously in an effort to save a few bucks at the expense of my $800 snake the sellers shipped MONDAY for Wednesday delivery (2nd day air). The snake was placed in a regular cloth reptile bag and surrounded with crumpled newspaper, in a COMPLETELY UN-INSULATED BOX with what looked to me like a crappy little handwarmer that you would take to a football game. Not the 24 hour variety that your reputable breeders use, this thing was long cold when I opened the box. Did I mention the sellers live in Ohio and the animal shipped from Ohio to southern Mississippi on November 31st? In a cardboard box with no insulation?

The end result? Respiratory infection in the animal. Bubbly mucous coming from the corners of the mouth and a clicking-type noise when he breathes. I notified the seller on friday (2 days after receiving the animal) because I did not notice the breathing noises or mucous right away. I placed the snake in his own heated tub and basically left him be for 2 days to get settled in and calm down from the stress of shipping. When I checked on him friday is when I noticed the problems. I immediately emailed the seller asking to return the animal (at their expense) and have my $800 refunded. Since it has been a week and my request was ignored I have decided to expose these guys for what they are - incompetent shippers at the least.

Here are copies of the pertinent emails exchange between the seller and myself:

(me):
Jackie/Terrell,

I have sent the final payment for the POG male via paypal. Please get in touch so we can discuss shipping.

(them):
Ok thanks.

Once funds transfer and clear into my banking account then we can ship out some time next week.

(me):

Sounds good. Provided the funds clear do you think it would be possible to ship him out on Monday? Thursday of next week is Thanksgiving so I'm worried if he ships out too late and there's a glitch then he will be stuck in a warehouse somewhere over the holiday. Let me know what you think - I'm not trying to dictate when you ship I just want to avoid any potential problems

(them):

I am unable to ship on Mondays as I am at work all day. I do not want to ship this Tuesday for Wednesday in case something happens.

How does next Tuesday for Wednesday sound?

(me):

That's fine with me, I would rather be safe than sorry. Just keep me posted, you have my contact info in the event something changes.

(them):

Just as a reminder, the POG will arrive today. It would have been last Wednesday but we had Thanksgiving so close.

Hope you had a great holiday and talk to you soon.


(me, after I discovered the problems with the animal on Friday):

Hey Guys,

The animal did indeed arrive on Wednesday. I have pretty much left him alone since he arrived to get settled in. Tonight when I checked on him I noticed he is drooling/foaming at the mouth. I would assume this is some sort of respitory infection from being in an unheated/uninsulated box for two days.

Our last correspondence via email was that the snake would be shipped Tuesday to arrive Wednesday. The animal was shipped on Monday, not Tuesday. The box only contained crumpled newspaper and a small handwarmer. I don't know what the temps are in Ohio but they are pretty cold here. I guess my first question is what the heck were you thinking?

I would like to send the animal back to you at your expense and receive my $800 back. I don't have the time or the money to seek out a qualified vet for treatment.



Thanks for listening, and if you are on the fence about a purchase from these guys I hope you give it some long, hard thought.

Lee Hingle

Lee,

Did you let them know about the shipping issue the day you received the snake? If not, why did you wait two days to say something when the snake was obviously poorly packed and inappropriately shipped?

Anya Hogan

Do you have any photos or proof the animal was packed and shipped that way?
Can you supply a tracking number?
Photo of the shipping tag on the box?

And yes why did you wait two days before notifying the seller of the issues??

Have you made the seller aware of this thread?

Did you by chance read this thread before buying
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=150050

Also, some emails complete with headers and time/date would go a lot further to give you credibility.

Anya Hogan

Originally Posted by russianbaby007

Lee,

Did you let them know about the shipping issue the day you received the snake? If not, why did you wait two days to say something when the snake was obviously poorly packed and inappropriately shipped?

Anya Hogan

No, I did not notify them immediately. I was irritated about the shipping but until I realized the snake was sick I was prepared to blow it off. Why did I wait? Because I read it's best to leave the snake alone for a few days to acclimate to it's new surroundings and shake off the stress from shipping. Maybe that was bad advice, I'm new to having snakes shipped.

Was waiting 2 days that bad? It's not like I waited 2 weeks.

Leee

Originally Posted by TailsWithScales

Do you have any photos or proof the animal was packed and shipped that way?
Can you supply a tracking number?
Photo of the shipping tag on the box?

And yes why did you wait two days before notifying the seller of the issues??

Have you made the seller aware of this thread?

I didn't take a photo of the animal in the box when it arrived, if that's what you mean. Yes, I can supply a tracking # - I will post a photo tomorrow of the shipping tag, which was enclosed in a plastic envelope on the side of the box. There was no separate shipping tag on the box - just the shipping bill tucked in the clear envelope.

Why did I wait? See above reply to russian baby

Lee Hingle

Originally Posted by Royal Morphz

Did you by chance read this thread before buying
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=150050

Tim,

No, I wish I had. This was my first mail-order purchase, and I did not know about the BOI 3 months ago when I sent the seller the first payment.

Lee Hingle

Originally Posted by russianbaby007

Also, some emails complete with headers and time/date would go a lot further to give you credibility.

Anya Hogan

Anya, Here ya go! I removed my phone # and also the sellers phone # , but everything else I have is here:



--- On Thu, 9/24/09, Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com> wrote:


From: Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com>
Subject: Male Pastel Orange Ghost 600 Grams on Fauna Classified
To: tjnjohnson@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 1:26 AM


Hello,
I spoke with Terrell today on the phone about the POG you guys have listed on Fauna classifieds. I tried to make a payment for a deposit on the snake and it would not go through.

Can you give me that paypal address again - maybe I have it written down wrong?

Also - and I don't want to seem like a jerk - but could you provide me with your full name and address? I understand people don't like to put info like that out on the web but I would feel better about sending someone I don't know a large sum of money via paypal if I had a little more info on them.

I'd be happy to provide you with all my contact info:

John (Lee) Hingle
11211 Road 235
Picayune, MS 39466
cell (601) 273-XXXX

Thanks,

Lee






----- Original Message -----
From: Jackie
To: Lee Hingle
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: Male Pastel Orange Ghost 600 Grams on Fauna Classified


Paypal account:
alwazyakin@yahoo.com

Breeder:
Terrel Lee
3006 Hollybank Rd.
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
(614) 323-XXXX

Just give me a call once you have sent the deposit so I can remove the ad.


PAYPAL EMAIL RECEIPT # 1:

Hello john hingle,

Your payment for $312.00 USD to alwazyakin@yahoo.com has been sent.

It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in the Recent Activity list on your Account Overview.



Payment details

Amount: $312.00 USD
Transaction Date: Sep. 24, 2009

Subject: You've got money!

Message:
Male Pastel Orange Ghost (600 Grams) Deposit ($300 + $12 Paypal fees) Balance Due $500 + $50 Shipping

Shipping Address:

11211 Road 235
picayune
United States


Everything came in fine, I am sure payment will clear in a day or so. This guy is awesome, he is still feeding heavily but I am giving him smaller sized prey because he is making some large sperm plugs!

Hope you have more than one gal!



--- On Thu, 9/24/09, Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com> wrote:


From: Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com>
Subject: Re: Male Pastel Orange Ghost 600 Grams on Fauna Classified
To: "Jackie" <tjnjohnson@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 7:45 PM


Hi Jackie,

That payment should show up momentarily - it went through fine today. I sent $300 + $12 to cover the paypal fees. Can't wait to get that guy here and start breeding. Keep him safe and have a good weekend.

Lee

P.S. The address I gave you in the previous email and the one Paypal shows is my home address. More than likely I will have the animal shipped to my work address - I will provide you that address when you get ready to ship.

If you need to reach me for any reason my cell # is (601) 273-XXXX - that's the best way to get ahold of me



PAYPAL EMAIL RECEIPT # 2





Hello john hingle,

Your payment for $306.00 USD to alwazyakin@yahoo.com has been sent.

It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in the Recent Activity list on your Account Overview.



Payment details

Amount: $306.00 USD
Transaction Date: Oct 23, 2009
Transaction ID:


Subject: You've got money!

Message:
Jackie/Terrell, This is the 2nd payment for the Pastel Orange Ghost 600 grams from Fauna. This brings the balance paid to $618 ($600 + $18 paypal fees of 3%) Balance due $200 + $50 Shipping + 3% paypal fees. How is my boy doing? Eating well? Thanks, Lee

Shipping Address:

11211 Road 235
picayune
United States



PAYPAL EMAIL RECEIPT # 3:



Hello john hingle,

Your payment for $258.00 USD to alwazyakin@yahoo.com has been sent.

It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in the Recent Activity list on your Account Overview.



Payment details

Amount: $258.00 USD
Transaction Date: Nov 17, 2009
Transaction ID:

Subject: You've got money!

Message:
Jackie/Terrell, This is the final payment for the POG male. Please get in touch so we can discuss shipping. Thanks, Lee (601) 273-XXXX crowbar@datasync.net

Shipping Address:

11211 Road 235
picayune
United States




NOTE: Following is a chain of replies back and forth - best to start from the bottom and read back up to this point




That's fine with me, I would rather be safe than sorry. Just keep me posted, you have my contact info in the event something changes.

Take care,

Lee


----- Original Message -----
From: alwazyakin@yahoo.com
To: Lee Hingle
Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2009 12:21 PM
Subject: Re: POG


I am unable to ship on Mondays as I am at work all day. I do not want to ship this Tuesday for Wednesday in case something happens.

How does next Tuesday for Wednesday sound?

Thanks

--- On Wed, 11/18/09, Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com> wrote:


From: Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com>
Subject: Re: POG
To: alwazyakin@yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 7:41 PM


Sounds good. Provided the funds clear do you think it would be possible to ship him out on Monday? Thursday of next week is Thanksgiving so I'm worried if he ships out too late and there's a glitch then he will be stuck in a warehouse somewhere over the holiday. Let me know what you think - I'm not trying to dictate when you ship I just want to avoid any potential problems.

Thanks,

Lee

P.S.

Here is my shipping info:

Lee Hingle
C/o Coast Wood Products
309 Third Street
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520


----- Original Message -----
From: alwazyakin@yahoo.com
To: Lee Hingle
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: POG


Ok thanks.

Once funds transfer and clear into my banking account then we can ship out some time next week.

Thanks again,
614-986-XXXX

--- On Tue, 11/17/09, Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com> wrote:


From: Lee Hingle <crowbar@datasync.com>
Subject: Re: POG
To: alwazyakin@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 8:21 AM


Jackie/Terrell,

I have sent the final payment for the POG male via paypal. Please get in touch so we can discuss shipping.

Thanks,

Lee Hingle
(601) 273-XXXX

----- Original Message -----
From: alwazyakin@yahoo.com
To: crowbar@datasync.net
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 8:07 AM
Subject: POG


Thanks for the payment.

He is doing great! Eating like a champ and starting to breed. He locked up with one of my normals that I bought as a 66% Het. Ghost, I wasn't going to use her but figured it would get your male ready to breed.

If your interested I can let you get her for cheap.....if not then I will be able to see if she proves out.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks





Anya, this is everything I have. The paypal receipt emails I posted as well as I could - the paypal logo did not show up.

Lee Hingle

And here is my vet bill from this evening. I have to go back in a week for a follow up. The vet sent off a throat culture to the lab to check the severity of the infection.

Lee Hingle