What is so difficult about sending an email

Originally Posted by shrap

I feel you, Steve.

It is a requirement in my TOS. It is a shame that I had to make what should be a common courtesy a requirement....

I might have to add it to my TOS. I don't know that it would help though. I recently shipped a 3 packages to 3 different people. 2 didn't call me and were unreachable all day. The packages were left outside by FedEx according to the tracking info. I finally got a hold of them later in the day and they seemed unconcerned about the whole thing. I made the mistake of not having cell #s for them too. Now I require a confirmation by them to my email letting them know the tracking # and ship date and a cell # or I just won't ship. It makes me crazy!

Admittedly, there are times when I don't fire off an immediate email.
I try to do it most of the time; but by the time the critter is home, unpacked, and set up, I'm ready for bed & sometimes I just don't have it in me to screw around with anything else.
There are times that my email consists of - "It's here. I'm so tired I can't see straight, so I'm going to look it over when I get up."
Obviously, if a problem is noted, or even a potential problem, I make a point of emailing immediately.
Then again, I always have my packages held at FedEx, so "left on doorstep" is never an issue; and the time of pickup is recorded right on the tracking info.


To sellers that insist on a phone call, or a cell number - they can kiss my
I hate telephones. I don't want to call anybody (though I will call customers, if they prefer that method), and my phone probably isn't charged anyway. I don't give out my cell number...my home number is given for shipping purposes, that's good enough.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

There are times that my email consists of - "It's here."

That is all I ask out of an email or phone call.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

To sellers that insist on a phone call, or a cell number - they can kiss my

Yeah that is pretty much how I feel about buyers who are evasive and hard to keep a line of communication open with when shipping live animals through an imperfect shipping system.

But then I dont really care about losing a sale to people who dont like my terms (which are some of the easiest going terms around). My livelihood is not dependent on my snakes, so I can be a bit picky on where they go.

For clarification - my last statement was not really about a call upon receipt...I've run into a few people that won't do anything by email (though they'll advertise online, and post an email address) other than to instruct interested parties to call them. My dislike of talking on the phone aside, I like email because it provides a record of the details. If a person/business doesn't want my money because I'm not interested in calling them, I can usually find another one that does.

Maybe that part of it was out of place, or at least unclear, but my feeling about a making "required" phone call doesn't change whether it is before or after a sale.
Besides, I usually pick stuff up at 0830...civilized calling hours don't start until at least 9:30am, IMO (I won't call before that unless I am specifically directed to do so, or it is a business during their hours of operation).

I don't send out an immediate E-mail, when a new snake arrives, for a couple of reasons. The first one, is that I pick up ALL of my snakes at the expediters hub, (ie FedEx, UPS, etc.) That's a 45-90 min drive for me, one way, depending on traffic, which is usually a nightmare at that time in the morning.

When I get home, I don't go tearing into the box. I usually double check my setup on the quarantine rack and fill up the bowls with water, then open the package, after everyone/thing has settled a bit.

I also prefer to monitor and look over the snake, for a little while. I like to look them over, see if I can get them to drink, watch their movements, see their tongue scenting the air and just make sure everything is OK. Then send off the E-mail. The last thing I want to do is fire off one saying, "He's here and everything is OK!" Only to find out an hour later, that the snake has a spinal deformity or something else.

How many times have you seen on the BOI, a seller, that received a "Bad Guy" thread, state, "You even sent me an E-mail saying that the snake arrived and looks great!", when things weren't great?

Originally Posted by SPJ

It got delivered at 10:30am

You know the snake arrived. So why do you really need an E-mail telling you something you already know? Wouldn't it be better to have an Email stating that, everything is OK. I'm sure that if there was a problem, you would have heard about it right away.

I'm not saying that a person should wait hours before sending an E-mail, it's just that, like me, they may want to make sure that everything is OK, before saying it is.

JMO

Wayne

Originally Posted by MedusaCoils

You know the snake arrived. So why do you really need an E-mail telling you something you already know?

Because you dont KNOW the snake arrived. Regardless of what the tracking information says. The package could be sitting on a hot/cold porch for hours, stolen off of a porch, delivered to the wrong address, etc, etc. The only way you KNOW the package is in the hands of the buyer is if the buyer directly communicates that to you.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

Maybe that part of it was out of place, or at least unclear, but my feeling about a making "required" phone call doesn't change whether it is before or after a sale.

I personally dont care if it is a phone call, email, text message, private message on Fauna, ham radio, telegraph or smoke signal. Just let me know you have the package in your hands within 2 hours.

Anyone who finds that unreasonable and dont want to buy from me because of it.... well I find them unreasonable and would not sell to them.

As I already mentioned, to me it is just a common courtesy. That way the shipper is not worried all day about mis-shipments (the sooner we know it is mis-shipped the sooner we can find out where the package is) and animals left on porches to die. I have only shipped about 100 live animals in my life and I am a worried nervous wreck over every single one of them until I hear from the buyer.

I have sent out emails to sellers when in a rush saying that the animal arrived, is settling in, and I will get back to them later and let them know how it is doing.
At least the seller knows the animal is where it is supposed to be and not sitting outside somewhere or at the wrong address. BTW, I have it in my TOS that I am not responsible for incorrect addresses. I actually had a buyer email me a confirmation (I ask them to confirm the address before I ship) on a paypal address and it was WRONG! Thankfully it was not a live animal but this person expected me to pay to ship to the correct address after it was returned to me as non deliverable. You would be surprised how many DUMB people there are out there when you sell online.

Originally Posted by shrap

Because you dont KNOW the snake arrived. Regardless of what the tracking information says. The package could be sitting on a hot/cold porch for hours, stolen off of a porch, delivered to the wrong address, etc, etc. The only way you KNOW the package is in the hands of the buyer is if the buyer directly communicates that to you.

Originally Posted by shrap

I personally dont care if it is a phone call, email, text message, private message on Fauna, ham radio, telegraph or smoke signal. Just let me know you have the package in your hands within 2 hours.

Anyone who finds that unreasonable and dont want to buy from me because of it.... well I find them unreasonable and would not sell to them.

As I already mentioned, to me it is just a common courtesy. That way the shipper is not worried all day about mis-shipments (the sooner we know it is mis-shipped the sooner we can find out where the package is) and animals left on porches to die. I have only shipped about 100 live animals in my life and I am a worried nervous wreck over every single one of them until I hear from the buyer.

I don't think requesting some manner of timely contact is unreasonable, Sammy, especially in an actual delivery situation. I know that when I ship, I still check tracking during the night & before I head home in the morning...just to make sure it is getting where it needs to be. I very much prefer shipping to be held also, as it removes most of the issues that can arise after 0730. If it's where it's supposed to be, I can go to bed. If there's a delay, I'm finding out why, notifying my customer, and staying up til things are on track again.

Sometimes there are reasons people don't/can't initiate contact in that time, though (as has already been mentioned). I've had a lot of people tell me their spouse or S.O. accepts the package and brings it inside...but it isn't opened (or the animal isn't examined) until they get home from work.