Paul Moody aka Simply Snakes - Sent different snake and won't refund money.

I don't have the time to get into a big long drawn out post, so I'm just going to post the pertinent facts.

This snake was advertised a few weeks back as a "Pastel Amber Hurricane Motley" for $250 plus $45 shipping.



After talking to a few people, I didn't think the "amber" thing made sense, but we (my partner and I) thought it was a neat looking snake, so we bought it.

A few weeks later, this is what we received...


Aside from the color being just a "tad" off, this is obviously not the same snake (note the second dot on the neck).

Also, I have to mention the less than professional packing. It was 35 degrees here the night that he shipped and this is how it showed up.




I've told Paul that we'd like to send the snake back and he said "I will not be giving any refunds. I shipped what was advertised."

In reality, not only is it not the same snake that was pictured in the advertisement, but the snake is not an "Amber" (Caramel x Hypo) as stated in the ad. The snake is simply an Anery Motley aka Pastel Motley...worth about $100 on a good day.

I can't spend a lot of time going back and forth over a few hundred bucks, but needless to say, this guy is less than honest and should be avoided.

Thanks,
Anthony Caponetto
www.ACReptiles.com

Wow, that stinks. I think he needs to fess up and give you a refund. I'd like to know what he thought he was pulling.

Yes, I agree there are two different snakes depicted in those two photographs. They absolutely are NOT the same animal.

Update.

I just talked to him and here's his excuses...

1. The picture in the ad is of the snake's sibling. He used the picture of another snake because it was the clearest picture he had.

2. He didn't take a current picture of the actual animal for sale because it had been in brumation and was in shed.

3. He says the snake pictured in the ad now looks just like the one he sent me. The picture he posted in the ad was supposedly taken in November and the snakes have just grown...hence the color difference.

Note the size of the snake in the ad compared to the blades of grass. The snake he sent is about 28-30" long, meaning these 2006 snakes have supposedly quadrupled in size since November...while in brumation.

4. He didn't want to take the snake outside for a new picture. Apparently, February is too cold for corn snakes in Ocala, Florida.

He has agreed to exchange the snake for the one pictured in the ad, even though he said five minutes earlier that it was already sold to someone else. His conditions are that the snake has to be in good condition and well hydrated when he receives it...meaning he has left himself an out. As such, you can bet we'll be taking photos of the snake on a news paper (showing the date) before we send it back.

Bottom line...This whole deal stinks of excuses and shady dealing. This guy isn't someone I'll be dealing with again. I'm not going to post anything else here unless he tries to get out of sending me the correct snake.

Hey Tony, is he picking up shipping costs for getting the wrong snake back to him and the proper snake back to you?

He certainly should be.

Wes, somehow I just doubt that.. Randy

Originally Posted by Wilomn

Hey Tony, is he picking up shipping costs for getting the wrong snake back to him and the proper snake back to you?

He certainly should be.

He absolutely refuses to pick up the shipping back to him. Look at the box he used...this guy is as cheap as they come.

That gets to me a little, but at this point, I don't even care about the money. I just want to make this as difficult and costly as possible for him. If that means he has to pay to ship the right snake to me, that's better than letting him off the hook.

I said I wouldn't post again, but I had to acknowledge the shipping issue because it did get to me. I have a strong feeling this exchange won't go as smoothly as it's supposed to either...the snake in the ad was supposedly sold and now he's offering to send it. Doesn't sound right to me.

Can you tell him to ship the other snake to you, THEN you will ship that one back. I doubt he will agree to that though.

It does sound fishy, that a snake that he's sold is now available to ship to you...

Get pictures of the snake before he ships to you on a major paper you can verify.

There is definately something wrong here, aside from the obvious fraud involved in selling you one snake and shipping another.

How did you pay? That may be another avenue to look into.

Originally Posted by Wilomn

Get pictures of the snake before he ships to you on a major paper you can verify.

There is definately something wrong here, aside from the obvious fraud involved in selling you one snake and shipping another.

How did you pay? That may be another avenue to look into.

He says he doesn't have time to take pictures. Figures.

I paid via US Postal Money order. He refused to take paypal, even though his website says they accept it. http://www.simplysnakes.com/fineprint.htm

I had a really bad feeling about this deal before we sent the money, but decided to go through with it since we had already told Paul we would buy the snake. I'm not a newbie anymore and I knew better...I knowingly took a risk and got burnt just as I expected.