Bad experience with Backwater Reptiles

Issued refunds The buyer does not incur fees, but the seller sent the refund to you as a payment, therefore thats why you got hit with the fee. but $8.50 is a large fee so might be something else going on.

Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Issued refunds The buyer does not incur fees, but the seller sent the refund to you as a payment, therefore thats why you got hit with the fee. but $8.50 is a large fee so might be something else going on.

Will pursue. I don't like to waste money, particularly for an item I never got.

Update: the Brazilian Rainbow boas are still listed as being available for sale on Backwater Reptiles' website.

Originally Posted by SophieD

Update: the Brazilian Rainbow boas are still listed as being available for sale on Backwater Reptiles' website.

Thats a common practice for some, they probably sell a few every week and run out before they bring in more.

I understand your issue, but I would like to say I have always had good experience with them. They are not my first choice as they are not breeders but any time I had an issue they were friendly and helpful. I placed an order for something that they were out of stock as well, we talked in emails about it and just put the money toward an older boa instead of the baby I originally ordered. It was all smooth and hassle free otherwise. I was told by Sam that they update their site on Fridays.

Let me preface by saying, I have never ordered from Backwater and have no affiliation whatsoever with the owners or company. I likely would never order from Backwater, frankly. I want to SEE the actual animal I am purchasing, not a "representative" animal, and know the true lineage/history of an animal I am buying online. I also would not order from a vendor that did not offer a phone number (although they do offer a fax number) or a vendor that does not specialize in the animal I am interested in. I personally would not purchase from a retailer who gets their stock elsewhere (no judgement, just my preference). Plus I've seen previous Backwater reviews.

That said, seems to me they've covered their butts pretty well in their Shipping and Terms pages and it should be obvious from their site they are not breeders or a brick-and mortar-retailer also online, but rather just "middlemen".

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http://backwaterreptiles.com/shippin...-shipping.html
"Inventory Management
We work hard to keep our website fully updated with current reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate stock levels. However, there are times when we receive multiple orders for the same animal, or our website just does not get updated quickly enough. In either case, we will notify you if we are unable to fulfill your order."

http://backwaterreptiles.com/orders/...onditions.html
The pictures on this website are simply representative of each species. This means the specific reptile, amphibian, or invertebrate you receive may or may not look identical or similar to the photographic depiction. Our available stock moves too quickly to provide us with an opportunity to constantly update online photos ...
To place an order with us, you must accept all terms and conditions of this website by clicking "Yes" during the checkout process. Rest assured, we are very reasonable and always work to keep our customers extremely pleased (not just satisfied)... Order at your own risk.

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So, all those terms/disclaimers/hoops were read, understood, jumped and a "Yes" button was still clicked.

As for the $8.50 fee you were not refunded, chalk it up to conversion. I can't go to Canada and purchase identical goods for the same US price; I can't go to Europe and pay the US price for identical goods; been there, done that. It's not exactly fair, but it's reality.

Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Issued refunds The buyer does not incur fees, but the seller sent the refund to you as a payment, therefore thats why you got hit with the fee. but $8.50 is a large fee so might be something else going on.

That was the first thing I thought...but the OP has identified the missing amount as PayPal's currency conversion fee. It isn't Backwater's responsibility to deal with, since they had nothing to do with it. I don't know the content of your deleted Facebook posts, but if you were griping at them about this fee, you were off base.
Contact PayPal and request that they refund their currency conversion fee...point out that the transaction was cancelled by the seller due to their inability to complete your order. Make the call during normal business hours to improve your chances of getting a customer service representative on this continent & you might get lucky. After that, consider updating the financials on your PayPal account if you're bothered that much by the fees.

Sorry - everything after the first two sentences of my previous post was directed toward the OP.

the OP has identified the missing amount as PayPal's currency conversion fee. It isn't Backwater's responsibility to deal with

Exactly!

Better communication on backwaters part could have avoided this thread. just an email when they received payment that they were out of stock then offer to refund would have put their customers mind at ease.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

That was the first thing I thought...but the OP has identified the missing amount as PayPal's currency conversion fee. It isn't Backwater's responsibility to deal with, since they had nothing to do with it. I don't know the content of your deleted Facebook posts, but if you were griping at them about this fee, you were off base.
Contact PayPal and request that they refund their currency conversion fee...point out that the transaction was cancelled by the seller due to their inability to complete your order. Make the call during normal business hours to improve your chances of getting a customer service representative on this continent & you might get lucky. After that, consider updating the financials on your PayPal account if you're bothered that much by the fees.

Thank you for your comment. I just want to make it clear, so that everyone who reads this thread knows: The $8.50 does not represent an issue for me as far as money is concerned. I was upset because all the delays, lost amount, and disappointment were the direct result of Backwater Reptiles' attitude towards my purchase. I paid on Thursday, I received an invoice from them the same day, but no word until Sunday about being out of stock. Then the refund took another two days to be finalized. My concerns were sourced from the seller's failure to notify me that they didn't have that particular snake, that it was listed on their website as being available, and that it stayed on the website as being in stock even though the vendor acknowledged their mistake in an email sent to me on Sunday. It is still available for purchase to this day, and I doubt that Backwater Reptiles managed to replenish the stock so fast. I believe that my financial loss, big or small, was due to their actions, even though they were not, in practical terms, responsible for it. The whole purpose of this thread was to make people aware who they are dealing with. I am sorry I have not thoroughly researched Backwater Reptiles before buying from them. I was lured by their cheap price, and the good reviews on Facebook and their site. But after purchasing my reptile from Rainbows R Us, even though I paid more for her, I couldn't be any happier. Genuine overnight service, a wonderful snake from a breeder, not a distributor, and the best assistance one could get.
As for my Facebook posts, I didn't bicker about the amount lost. I described my frustration (not any different from what you read above). I was very respectful, did not use any aggressive or inappropriate language or comments. If Backwater Reptiles were honest, they would have simply replied to my Facebook post to provide their own version of facts, instead of deleting my assertion and blocking me.