Drew at Underground Reptiles stole 784$

I'm sorry but this comes across as a complete joke. How can they justify a "restocking" fee for something that was never picked up/sent out.

If i went into a shop and asked them to put a dress or something on a layaway and later phoned to say actually I don't want it. Would you expect them to charge me for a dress on layaway? Or to say thats fine ma'am but its going to cost you 15% of the dress price as it was off our sales floor and then only offer me store credit?

What a farce. They can hide behind their TOS all they like but truly shows just what kind of business people they are.

Originally Posted by scosta56

Are there any fees associated with underground refunding the op money ? Like charge back fees or etc ?

No, merchant processors do not charge fees on refunds. They do charge fees if you refuse to issue a refund and the cardholder initiates a chargeback, especially if the merchandise ordered was not shipped. Also, having a large number of chargebacks means you typically pay higher credit card processing fees than merchants who have few or none.

Originally Posted by lilnightmare

If i went into a shop and asked them to put a dress or something on a layaway and later phoned to say actually I don't want it. Would you expect them to charge me for a dress on layaway? Or to say thats fine ma'am but its going to cost you 15% of the dress price as it was off our sales floor and then only offer me store credit?

Layaways and payment plans that can span several months are often handled differently depending on sale terms, especially in the herp world. Nonrefundable deposits are standard, as the seller needs to feed and care for the animal until all of the payments have been made.

Originally Posted by bcr229

Layaways and payment plans that can span several months are often handled differently depending on sale terms, especially in the herp world. Nonrefundable deposits are standard, as the seller needs to feed and care for the animal until all of the payments have been made.

Ah see if they had taken a non-refundable deposit (which I do btw as it deters timewasters) then fair enough but a restocking fee for things that had never left stock in the first place is a joke.

It may just be words to some but if I agree to a nonrefundable deposit that is one thing. To have a "restocking" fee slapped on me for animals that were never in my possession? Yeah not a chance in hell.


Maybe UGR should change their restocking fee to a non-refundable deposit. That way there is no confusion. If you back out of a deal you lose the deposit. End of story.

I agree with natasha that UG should change his TOS for a non-refundable deposit.
any restocking fees should be reserved ONLY when the order has physicly shipped out and was returned..
OR
if the OP would have picked up his animals to ligthning fast flip them (i'm sure he would tell potential customers that he has no clue about their health since he's only had them for 10 mins) then after the show decided to return all the animals that did not sell..

from all the info i have read here, i don t agree with the restocking fees but UG seems to have tried finding a resolution.. i wouldn t however deal with the OP since i'm not sure i would know the real deal about the animal he is selling..

I also have no issue with the use of nonrefundable deposits (applied fairly when applied). It cuts out time-wasters in some cases. In addition, I have also offered them to sellers as shows of good faith on occasion. A restocking fee can be reasonable if restocking has to be performed. If there is no substantial restocking activity, then charging a restocking fee may be perceived as dishonest.

Originally Posted by yeloowtang

I agree with natasha that UG should change his TOS for a non-refundable deposit.
any restocking fees should be reserved ONLY when the order has physicly shipped out and was returned..
OR
if the OP would have picked up his animals to ligthning fast flip them (i'm sure he would tell potential customers that he has no clue about their health since he's only had them for 10 mins) then after the show decided to return all the animals that did not sell..

from all the info i have read here, i don t agree with the restocking fees but UG seems to have tried finding a resolution.. i wouldn t however deal with the OP since i'm not sure i would know the real deal about the animal he is selling..

Undergrounds attempt at a solution was offering his money back minus a 15 percent
charge. Then once he found out a chargeback was filed he offered to settle for $50.00 . Just shamefull

I don't agree for one second with the way he does business, i simply pointed out that he was trying to find a resolution and if both parties would talk it over, this BOI could have been avoided..

we may never know all of the actual story here.. if no charges were supposed to be charged on his CC before he got there because he wanted to see and switch animals for a final total then the card shouldn t have been charged for that total..

did they actually do any work with his chosen animals ? removed and boxed up ? and even IF UG did waist time, that retsocking fee has no place here.. that's why a non-refundable deposit is better..

i understand both sides here...

OP has the right to change his mind, be it that he found a better deal, or just really couldn t make it !!
UG for (IF)taking the time to get his animals put asside and ready, then having the guy back out...imagin having to deal with a bunch of people like this all the time..
that's why a deposit for serious buyers is a good idea... you back out then you know what to expect..

I 've only been to 2 reptile shows in all the years in the hobby, and i must say that this post leaves me with a bad view on sellers i don't know.. to see sellers picking up a bunch of animals simply to have a nice table to show up with !!!
will they be honest and tell potential buyers:
I didn't breed them,
I didn't feed them,
I'm not sure about there health,
I just picked them up before the show to flip them for a quick $$$

to me that's no better then UG wanting bogus restocking fees

like others have said, no winners in this post, both of them look bad..

Originally Posted by yeloowtang

like others have said, no winners in this post, both of them look bad..

I've noticed that seems to happen more often than I would have thought.

If a vendor who had my credit card number charged and processed a fee to my card before my express agreement or before I receive the goods in the amount of the charge, then I would treat and punish that person as a thief. If the person who took the initial order can't afford to set the goods aside before a show, then that person shouldn't have agreed to attempt to fill the order at all. That is what it means to be a business person and not a simple thief. I think the real lesson here is that one should not be willing to give one's credit card number to someone who may or may not be be a low, dirty thief.

I am not a business owner in this industry, but in every other industry I've worked, the actions taken by the company would be considered criminally unacceptable. Charging money to try and weed out time wasters? You've got to be kidding me. Merchants and vendors don't have the luxury of offending potential customers and those who make a habit of doing so rarely stay in business for very long. What a vile, shameless, putrid way to do business. Disgusting.