Heather Colwell / Majestic Morphs

Diem,

I have openly accepted and stated that the pewter and any future conditions he may have be my responsibility.

I do though, have issue with a seller asking for information under false pretenses. It says alot about the credibility of the person as an individual and how they run their business. Heather asked me for a video with the understanding she was going after the shipper for compensation, and that was not the case. And it was wrong to do so.

She gave innacurate iinformation on another breeders guarrantee policy, that was wrong to do so. Nor has she apoligized for it.

She openly accused me of inflicting injury on the pewter, and that was not her call.

She told me she would research with her colleages and get back to me ASAP on her assessment of the injury. She never followed thru.

She held onto the data cards for over a week. They should have been mailed the same day she noticed she forgot to pack them. She still has them.

She posted a message on the BP forum 20 minutes after sending a e-mail about paying for the return shipping, just so she can look good. She already knew I wasn't going to return him. That is not what a good person does.

All this was in addition to her not getting back to me in a timely fashion and in my mind amounts to alot more than just handling the situation poorly. It about character, honesty and sincerity.

I am sure the pewter, who my son named Scarface, will have a fantastic life with us.

Thank again Diem,

Steve

Originally Posted by stevek

Diem,

I have openly accepted and stated that the pewter and any future conditions he may have be my responsibility.

I do though, have issue with a seller asking for information under false pretenses. It says alot about the credibility of the person as an individual and how they run their business. Heather asked me for a video with the understanding she was going after the shipper for compensation, and that was not the case. And it was wrong to do so.

She gave innacurate iinformation on another breeders guarrantee policy, that was wrong to do so. Nor has she apoligized for it.

She openly accused me of inflicting injury on the pewter, and that was not her call.

She told me she would research with her colleages and get back to me ASAP on her assessment of the injury. She never followed thru.

She held onto the data cards for over a week. They should have been mailed the same day she noticed she forgot to pack them. She still has them.

She posted a message on the BP forum 20 minutes after sending a e-mail about paying for the return shipping, just so she can look good. She already knew I wasn't going to return him. That is not what a good person does.

All this was in addition to her not getting back to me in a timely fashion and in my mind amounts to alot more than just handling the situation poorly. It about character, honesty and sincerity.

I am sure the pewter, who my son named Scarface, will have a fantastic life with us.

Thank again Diem,

Steve

Steve,

I understand all of that, and perhaps I should have clarified where I felt she failed in terms of communication. She failed, absolutely, in maintaining contact with you and being upfront for her reasons of asking for videos and photos. I cannot really surmise what happened with the Pro Exotics deal other than name dropping, which is another area in which she failed. You simply do not drop reference names unless they are asked for.

You should still get your data cards, no question, and I do feel she needs to apologize for how she treated you in this whole ordeal. Had she not been so defensive from the get go, things probably would have been much smoother for the both of you.

Her actions are questionable, but I have to wonder if that's more a person in a bit of a panic mode rather than a person intending malice. Like I said, she has some growing up to do as far as the industry is concerned and could learn a lesson or two from how you handled it. It's my own opinion on if the Bad Guy Thread is warranted, but you have matained your posture and stayed level headed in a sitauation where many would not have. So, kudos to you for that.

Again, I wish you luck with the little guy and I do hope Heather comes to this thread to apologize and make a few things right without being hostile about anything.

is it possible that being soo tired you may have closed the drawer of your snake rack on its head, or the lid to its container?...I know that mark was absolutely not there when it was packed, and why is the cinnamon fine?

Not really the response I would expect from a seller when a problem arises, regardless of fault.

Shipping two snakes in the same bag is also a in my book. Hatchling's are already scared, gittery, stressed, and still learning what food is and how to eat. That mark could very well have came from being bit and constricted by the cinny (explaining the neuro damage). Last time I pulled two snakes out of one bag the first thing it did was bite the other snake.

Originally Posted by deborahbroadus

Thanks for showing the housing. BTW: the sterlite tub you are using with the top is the same type that I was using when I first started and one of my quarantined animals had the same kind of incident when she tried to put her head though the gaps of the lid and tub.

I took her to the vet and eventually her scales grew back, I wasn't really concerned about it, I knew it was minor and NOT a rat bite.

Good luck!

I had a cornsnake with a similar injury from trying to push out of a sterilite with a lid. I've never kept another snake like that since. I have seen a few end up dead trying to push out and getting stuck as well, scary stuff.

Originally Posted by Focal X

Not really the response I would expect from a seller when a problem arises, regardless of fault.

Shipping two snakes in the same bag is also a in my book. Hatchling's are already scared, gittery, stressed, and still learning what food is and how to eat. That mark could very well have came from being bit and constricted by the cinny (explaining the neuro damage). Last time I pulled two snakes out of one bag the first thing it did was bite the other snake.

From the first post

There were two snakes in separate bags directly on top of each other touching.

The only reason I don't think it was caused by the tub is because the scales look like they have been pushed backwards. When inside a tub, any resistance on the bottom jaw would have been on a rounded and smooth surface. I could very easily see this happening to the top of the head, but don't see what would grab the snake like that when trying to get out.

Originally Posted by garweft

From the first post

Gotcha, I read this and thought otherwise:

Also, it is not uncommon for two smaller snakes in the same bag together.

Originally Posted by deborahbroadus

Thanks for showing the housing. BTW: the sterlite tub you are using with the top is the same type that I was using when I first started and one of my quarantined animals had the same kind of incident when she tried to put her head though the gaps of the lid and tub.

I took her to the vet and eventually her scales grew back, I wasn't really concerned about it, I knew it was minor and NOT a rat bite.

Good luck!

That's kind of what I think. There's a lot of play in the middle of the lid on the long side. The snake could have tried to push his way out and got his head stuck.

Steve, I see you asking her in an email before shipping if she guarantees healthy arrival. Did you get a response? I'm sorry if it's up there but I couldn't find it. What, if any, guarantees were you given?

If none then I guess it is what it is. If you were guaranteed a healthy snake and that is not what arrived (and I can't say what I see in that video looks healthy, nor that gash) then I do think the seller is responsible for shipping if returned. Since OP does not want to return the snake I would say covering the vet bills would be the alternative. Steve, have you gotten this snake to a vet or do you plan to do so?

Yes I did Adie, and here is Heather's response to question #10. about guaranteeing healthy arrival. Quote:

"10. I guarantee healthy live arrival, and I use ”ship your reptiles”"

So Heather Colwell did guarrantee the healthy arrival of the pewter I purchased from her.

I seriously doubt she would even consider paying for a vet bill, (although I cant talk on her behalf) I mean until I told her I would do a BOI, she was against even paying for the return shipping. Before I posted the BOI, I contacted her twice to reconsider going back on her offer of $100 in consideration for recieving a hurt and possibly non-breedable BP. But she went back on her $100 offer once she knew I decided to keep him.

Thanks for asking,

Oh, and the pewter has made good improvement. For awhile he was status quo, and them he started coming around. So unless there is trouble shedding b/c of the gash under his chin, I'd honestly say my major concern is his future breeding ability. I did not take him to a vet as I was not convinced the gash was life threatening right away, if it did get worst I would have, and from a neurological standpoint (unless I was prepared to have him undergo extensive testing), there was not much that could be done other than give him quiet, and stable environment. If he did not show improvement that may have been an option.

Steve